Shashi Sir, What should be the preparation for the last 2 weeks?
Hemang Panchmatia a. Write 3-4 mocks a week. b. 1 round of revision of quant concepts will help. c. Go through the best 5 mocks you had 2-3 days before your actual CAT. d. Write a few module tests in areas you are not very confident. This is the time to consolidate your preparation - Be in top mental state to take sure exams.
Deepakram Sir, I am able to get very high scores in verbal segment. However, I am not so confident in DI and sometimes, I miss the cutoff. What can be done?
Hemang Panchmatia At this point of time, take sectional tests in DI - 4 sets - 25 mins. At this point of time, rely on Quant to clear cut-offs. Since Verbal is strong, focus should be clearing Section 1 cut-off. Do not stress yourself too much with DI.
Jagjeet Singh if someone got 95%ile in CMAT. How much he may expect in CAT?
Hemang Panchmatia CMAT is a very different ball game - especially since it has GK. I would place you roughly in the top 20% percentile - it would not be fair to extrapolate your CMAT score to CAT
Prank Kaushik How much marks to clear sectional cut off? For QUANT - 95%ile?
Hemang Panchmatia I have maintained 25-30 attempts in Section 1 with 85% percentile accuracy will get you 95-99 percentile score.
Hiteshchawla Sir I am planning to take a week off before the exam. Should I saturate myself with mock Tests in the first three days, and then relax for the next two.
Hemang Panchmatia No point writing more than 1 Mock a day. Use extra time to brush up important topics, sectional tests.
Jagjeet Singh Is IRMA recommended for those who seek a good paying placement?
Hemang Panchmatia IRMA has decent placement scenes - be sure to check the companies & job profiles that come to IRMA - it is a little different from the regular ones.
Tushar Bhitre Sir, my academics are as, X-79.69%, XII-81.83%, B.Tech - 59.97%. My mock score ranges from 105 to 120 every time. What percentile should I be aiming for, to get a call from the old IIMs, and the corresponding score? Which of the Old IIMs within my reach?
No prior Work Experience.
Hemang Panchmatia Scores are excellent - why not focus on maximizing the scores now? Don’t worry about factors not in your control?
At 98-99 percentiles, you have a good shot at the Top 10/15 B-Schools in India.
Tushar Bhitre I face difficulty in VA. Low Accuracy, mostly due to RCs. What should be the strategy to tackle this? I attempt all questions in RCs, rarely skip.
Hemang Panchmatia You tell me that accuracy is low due to RCs and then you tell me you attempt all RCs! that's the problem itself . Attempt 2-3 RCs (total of around 10 RC Qs).
Kiran Kumar Sir, I couldn't attempt more than 50 - 25 in each section with 80 percent accuracy. What percent can I expect?
Hemang Panchmatia You can expect 93-96 percentile. You are very close to the sectional cut-offs - if accuracy drops to 70%, you may have some trouble clearing sectional cutoffs
Arun Kumar Where would we stand if we are getting around 45 marks in each section totaling around 90 upon 300?
Hemang Panchmatia At 45, you may miss the sectional cutoffs sometimes - I am guessing you are at 85-90 percentile
Jagjeet Singh How do you compare FMS New Delhi with New IIMS, especially considering small batch size and low fees of FMS.
Hemang Panchmatia I will place it with IIM Lucknow. IIM ABC still has an edge over FMS.
Arun Kumar Apart from IIM's, FMS & SP, can you name a few B schools which are really good in marketing domain?
Hemang Panchmatia MDI, NM, SIBM will round up the top 20
Pratap Singh Rathore In DI what can we expect basic sets like pie charts tables line graphs etc... or Caselets etc.... I am not comfortable with the latter.
Hemang Panchmatia It will be mix of both - pie charts, tables etc are definitely expected
Pratap Singh Rathore Sir, what about FORE school of management and some more private schools which have last date in November.
Hemang Panchmatia FORE School will be top 50 of India.
Pratap Singh Rathore Around 16 questions each in LR, DI & RC can I go for attempting all 48 questions as I have good accuracy in them. Or should I skip one or two sets.
Hemang Panchmatia It will be wise if you can skip the more difficult sets
Arun Kumar Can you name the areas to focus on the last few days if one is not that strong in QA?
Hemang Panchmatia Number System, Algebra, Geometry
Dhruv Bhatnagar Hi I am getting close to 140 in IMS Take Home Mock CATS. I am scoring 70-75 in Verbal sections. I haven’t read any Grammar books or practiced anything in Verbal. I just go with my guts since I have a habit of reading. However I end up marking wrong answers in Grammar correction answers. Is there something I can do in a week or should I leave grammar questions altogether in CAT?
Hemang Panchmatia Grammar is expected to make a strong comeback this year - around 5-6 questions. Please go through the Grammar basics and solve around 200 error spotting questions over the next week. It will be great if you can solve 2-3 grammar questions correctly.
Amit Kumar What should be the total attempts with what accuracy to get 99+ percentile?
Hemang Panchmatia 60-65 attempts with 85% accuracy
Amit Kumar How to improve VA and LR in last 7 days?
Hemang Panchmatia You can only fine tune your preparation - take a few sectional tests.
Ishant Raj Sir, despite practicing QADI a lot, I am struggling with this section a lot, lately. My average attempts in QA-DI is 20-25 with 70% accuracy. Should I reduce the number of attempts to ensure 100% accuracy? Would I be able to clear the sectional cut off? My VA-LR is good; I attempt around 30 questions with 85 to 90% accuracy? What percentile should I expect with this strategy?
Hemang Panchmatia Please do not reduce attempts further. 20-25 attempts are just fine.
M S Someone trying to maximize his VA/LR scores should he/she attempt that section first or second? In all do we start with our strength or the relatively weak section?
Hemang Panchmatia I am a big fan of starting with your strength - it just sets the right confident tone for the other section.
M S I am having a mental burnout or fatigue after some hours into the exam and it’s a long test. I’m sure many working professionals will face the same problem. How to deal with it?
Hemang Panchmatia Best way to prepare a marathon is to run a marathon - write a few Mocks (without breaks) to build the required stamina. A lot of working professionals make the mistake of writing 1 section at a time (due to lack of availability of 3 hrs at a stretch) and hence face mental fatigue
Raahil Dadla Sometimes into a tough paper. I get demoralized and start self-destructing by loosing concentration. Any tips to forget the past woes and maximize marks?
Hemang Panchmatia It helps to have a look at all the questions and select the easy questions to solve - difficult questions should be looked at as speed breakers - best avoided. Pay yourself when you spot a difficult question and skip it
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