CAT-06: My - bid for 100 percentile, Experience, Expected Cut-offs

Friends,CAT this year was a mild surprise, not a jolt... few changes made to the pattern for the sake of changes... like 5 options per question, which logically brought down negative marks to 1/4 of the marks allotted to the question. 4 marks per question, was more for a bigger spread between consecutive students than anything else.

DI section was easier than last year, but yet was very much analytical. Students who focussed more on comprehension of data before solving a question definitely benefitted. In 50 minutes, one could safely have gone for 15-17 attempts with 80% accuracy, fetching 45-48 marks in the section.

Verbal section was really what can be called a tough nut to crack... Options were close, many questions required two readings, mainly difficult to comprehend, and options difficult to differentiate. On the other hand time was definitely not a constraint, as has been in past. One had sufficient time to read, re-read, comprehend and answer... 17-18 attempts with about 66% accuracy was very much possible. This would have brought 40+ marks.

Quantitative, unlike last year, was very easy. Questions were straight forward, and do-able. In 50 minues, one could have attempted 20 questions with 85% accuracy, fetching 65 marks very comfortably.This would mean that total of 140 in the test was very much achievable, though the cut-offs are going to be much less. Though various institutes are putting cut-off for IIM call between 92-110, my bet would be not less than 120.

Also at 120, the percentile score should be about 98.7, at 100 about 96, at 90 about 92, at 75 about 85.I may be thinking of higher cut-off because of relatively better performance of FuturiSTs...!!!Well friends... wishing you all the very best of YOU for the upcoming examinations...

As for my tryst with CAT, I have attempted 72 questions and would be getting something like 220-230 marks out of possible 300. This definitely puts me very close to achieving 100 percentile in CAT. rest we shall come to know on 2nd january, 2007.

As I saw the paper, 75 questions... 150 minutes... each question carrying 4 marks with negative of 1 mark per wrong attempts... it did got me thinking... expecting something difficult. Well, on the signal to start, I thought would go through the pages once, so as to judge the paper well and decide on which section to emphasis more. The first section - DI looked comfortable, in Verbal Ability read instruction regarding completion of paragraph and felt good about it, so LR questions Fact/Inference/udgement and was little surprised but undeterred, and finally saw Quants... read a couple of questions and felt comfortable. This took about two minutes.

Decided that none of the section was undoable, and hence will give equal importance to each section and equal time too. Then I started with my DI section. For a flip second, I thought whether I should take verbal section first. Then I thought either way, if I should to score 100 percentile, I ought to be comfortable with everything.

I started with DI section. I could not solve the first set about team formation well, spent 10 minutes, switched to second set about class X students' marks. Solved second set in 10 minutes sharp. Could solve third set of Erdos too in 10 minutes with exception of 1 question. The fourth set of shares was easy and could solve completely in another 8-9 minutes. Final set in DI about fuel and toll cost was time consuming. Yet did something and left it after 10 minutes. Spent about 53 minutes on DI (including 2 minutes for assessment of the test.). Felt the section to be easy barring one set - the final one. Attempts: 21.

Then switched to Verbal. Completed the section in exactly 50 minutes, leaving me 47 minutes for Quants section. Verbal was tough, the options were close, questions were incomprehendible at first reading. But since time was not a constraint, could read many questions twice, a passage twice and ensured good accuracy. When I reached questions on LR - Facts, Inference, Judgement - was surprised with the difficulty level of questions. But, had sufficient time to read every sentence twice and attempt the answer. Attempts: 24

When I reached my Quants section, I had 47 minutes to complete the section. Went through the section very smoothly, without any hitches... could solve a couple of questions with two different approaches too... moved on carefully yet continuously... did 23 questions in 34 minutes, leaving me 13 minutes to review my paper.

Went back to DI, studied first set again and got it right this time, was overlooking one fact that L and N cannot be together. Went to toll and fuel cost problem, and corrected 2 questions there. taking my attempts in DI to 24. Went to Quants and went for wild guess for 1 question taking my tootal attempts to 72.

My scores in three sections, as I evaluate now should be: 81, 86 & 60 respectively... totalling 227... it seems, my dream of scoring 100 percentile is close to realisation...

My learning from CAT:

1. Must invest 2 minutes to assess the test before starting, so that you can plan out your approach well.
2. Must not be deterred by anything, maintain cool and move through the test continuously.
3. Must not get bogged down by any question... if time that we can allote to a question or a set is over - move on.
4. Be prepared for the variety... be prepared for tough as well easy exams...
5. One may move slowly, but move surely.

My Expectations of Cut-offs:

1. IIMs: 120+
2. SP Jain, MDI, NITIE: 100+
3. IMT: 95+
4. TAPMI, Nirma, IMI: 88+
5. LBS, UBS, KJSomaiya, Wellingkars: 80

I am definitely citing higher cut-offs than all others. If we go logically...

1. Test being easier than 2005, would definitely add 5 marks to cut-offs of 45 last year.
2. Additional half an hour should add 5 more marks to cut-off.
3. Reduction in negative from 1/3 to 1/4 should add about 2 more marks to cut-off.
4. These would take cut-off to 57 out of 150 as in last year, and 114 out of 300 this year.
5. Add to this, increased population of CAT aspirants, and estimate of 120 being cut-off is definitely not on higher side.

Well, it surely was a great experience...