Any Change in the CAT 2014 Paper Pattern is Unlikely: Hemang Panchmatia, Founder Director - CREDence academy

Hemang Panchmatia: Looks unlikely. the pattern is working well for last 5 years and there is little reason for IIMs to change it.

 

Rohit Baheti: I have been scoring on an average of 90+ percentile in my online mocks. However, major fluctuation in Verbal percentiles. I am not being able to figure out the reason.

Hemang Panchmatia: Look at your performance in 5 sub sections of Verbal - RC , Vocab, Grammar, ParaJumbles and Paracompletion. If accuracy is less than 80% in any of these, write sectional tests to work on the same.

 

Deepa Sekhar: Sir, I am having problems in certain sections like permutations combinations and probability. being from a commerce background, do you think i should leave these sections and concentrate on other areas

Hemang Panchmatia: Hi Deepa, Non-Engineering Female is a brilliant profile - focus on the postives of the same . :)  I would say, you need to know the basic concepts of the mentioned topics - you can skip LOD 3 (Level of Difficulty 3, i.e most difficult problems) of the same. Quant Focus on : Number System, Algebra, Geometry , Maxima Minima & Functions. Maxima Minima & Functions may pose diificulties to you but please spend time mastering these topics.

 

Kathan Bhatt: hello sir,what should be the strategy to score 20 correct in verbal ? i am good at quant but not so good in vocab ,with GEM profile. Also give me a plan for DI and Quant.

Hemang Panchmatia: Hi, I would say master Logic first . You should be confident of getting atleast 6 Logic questions right ( out of 9) in 20 mins. Step 2 : RC : get 5 on 7 ( very possible). You can read this - Action Guide: 60 Days to CAT on InsideIIM to get an action plan. Basically, Grammar : Solve around 200 questions in next 2 weeks. Vocab : Do High Frequency Words and Phrasal Verbs.

 

For Logic and DI : Do two sets a day ( 20 mins for Logic & DI each) for the next 50 days and you will become a pro. Basic comfort level with Percentages Module will also help a lot.

 

For Quant: Step 1 : Go through the concepts. Step 2 : Go through few direct questions on the topic. Step 3 : Solve a section test ( LOD 2) around 30 questions. Complete all modules in next 3 weeks. Start writing MOCKS only after you have completed all quant modules. Also, after 5 Mocks, you will know the specific topics that trouble you. You can skip a few questions in that specific topic. Quant should be 60-65% of your study time.

 

Deepa Sekhar: Dear Sir, I am sometimes prone to overconfidence in Verbal. It is my strong section and I sometimes end up attempting too many questions from this section, compromising accuracy and affecting score. What should I do?

Hemang Panchmatia: Hi Deepa, a good strategy is to put a upper cap to your number of attempts . i think 26 is a good number there. This will force you to NOT attempt to over attempt.

 

Rahul Arora: Hello Sir, I'm Rahul Arora, a fresher. My 10th and 12th are 85+ but my Engineering is a little less (<70). Is IIM A out for me?

Hemang Panchmatia: For IIM A, B, C you will need more than 99.8 percentile. Focus on top 30 B schools. Refer to list of top 40 schools here :http://idealcredence.com/smart_CAT.php. Among IIM ABC, C focusses on CAT percentile. That is your best bet.

 

Anmol Vaid: Hello sir.... I am a 2k14 graduate, Btech. from a Private College, BBD.... My acads are ... 10th... 80%, 12... 78%, Btech..... 64.12%... No work ex and currently searching for job. Gave cat in 2013and scored 87.37%ile,... with quants... 65.75%ile...& VALR..95.45%ile... If I don't go for a job and drop the year for self prep and write cat again this time.Will it be considered negative in interview? If I work in a startup.... then will it be considered as a work ex??

Hemang Panchmatia: Anmol: A gap of more than a few months will raise eyebrows.  It is okay if you focus on CAT prep. You can do a short internship / few additional courses to compensate for lack of work exp. Of course, work at a startup will be considered as work-ex.

 

Shashank Jha: Can you also guide me with good study material and mock tests series for CAT?

Hemang Panchmatia: For Mocks, Look at TIME, CL , Test Funda. We get our students to write around 25 Mocks from these three. Study Material : We are one of the best in Mumbai. We do classroom coaching for CAT & CET-NMAT-SNAP. You can get in touch with us on idealcredence.com or call us on 9022980010 / 14256.

 

Soham Sarkar: I am not able to remember all the vocabulary......I am really finding it difficult to mug up the words.......Any solutions for this?

Hemang Panchmatia: @ Soham : Common Problem. When you learn words, refer to a source which gives you sentences. Will aid in contextual learning. Research proves : Revision at end of 24 hrs & end of 7 days is the most effective method. So I always suggest students to do 25 words a day for 6 days a week. Also , reading editorials is the best way to prepare - CAT tests contextual Vocab and not " how many words have you mugged".

 

Hitesh Chawla: Sir do you think working and preparing for CAT puts me at a disadvantage with freshers? I find it difficult to get into the study groove. What can I do to focus on the CAT?

Hemang Panchmatia: @ Hitesh : Freshers fear they lose out because of no work experience - As they say ' Grass is green on the other side". I would strongly recommend 6-8 weeks of leave for you to focus on CAT. Extended sabbaticals also help a lot. 90 mins of study a day on weekdays + 4 hrs on Sat & Sunday each will be the bare minimum work you can do.

 

Final Note by Hemang Sir: Thank you. I hope you found the LiveChat session useful. You can contact me on hemang@idealcredence.com. We do classroom coaching for CAT & CET-NMAT-SNAP. You can get in touch with us on idealcredence.com or call us on 9022980010 / 14256.  Use this guide for the top B schools in India to get an idea of which B schools to target - http://idealcredence.com/smart_CAT.php.

 

Final Note by Team InsideIIM: We hope you found this chat insightful. Here is a repository of all content created by Hemang Sir on InsideIIM. To solve questions live on InsideIIM alongwith hundreds of other aspirants go here :http://insideiim.com/admissions/