CAT is seems has become the womens grandslam champion. Every year, we have something new and since the IIMs have the final say, students have no option but bear the wrath of unpredictability year after year not to mention the snags and drags that go along with it. However, this time, the changes signal a good move overall.
So since the formal paragraph of introduction is over, (though I wanted to deride more) lets move onto the topic of this post – What has changed, what it implies and how to deal with it?
The Changes to the CAT exam -
- Two sections instead of three. One has Quant and DI and other VA and LR.
- Time restricted sections of 70 minutes each.
- No switching between sections.
- Cost of form increased
Implications
- Massive change in test taking strategy for students though questions would be same.
- Since two sections would be normalized instead of three, more accurate results would ensue.
- Students who had one strong area, did that in lesser time and used the extra time for weak sections, this would not be possible now.
- The importance of general speed over all the sections increases.
- Students whose weakest section is/was LR DI may find breathing a little easier.
- No tension of dividing time b/w sections.
Our Own Understanding (Unofficial)
- The number of questions will remain same as before. What is happening is that the LR DI section is splitting in two. So first section would have 20 quant, 10 DI and next one 20 VA and 10 LR. However, if the IIMs keep the same number of Quant questions, it is highly unlikely that engineers will feel the heat.
- You may get any section first, be ready to disco.
Now the most important question – How to adapt to these changes?
Get used to it. This is the first thing that comes to our mind because as managers your world will be highly unpredictable. Righto, now something more realistic -
- Start giving mocks very seriously as it will help you adapt to the new pattern.
- Improve Reading Comprehension. If history is an indication, RC used to determine one section out of three earlier, now it will influence one out of two.
- The demo video has a ratio of LR and VA as 1:5 but do not take this at face value in the exam. This might/will not be the case.
- Giving the exam at later stage may help you offset the unpredictability factor, but those who cannot bear the stress, get over with it soon.
Though the changes have come very late for comfort, students should just focus on their study and continue doing what they do best – study intelligently. The basic funda remains the same – diligence backed by intelligence.
Here is a hilarious take by Rishabh3374 on Pagalguy
“Sattar(70) Minute, sattar min hai tumhare paas….Shayad yeh.. tumhare zindagi ke sab se… khaas sattar minute. Aaj tum kitne bhi attempt kar lo , yeh sattar minute tumhe zindagi bhar yaad rahenge…
To kaise attempt karna .. aaj mein tumhe nahin bataunga.. Bas itna kahunga, ki jao aur yeh sattar minute jee bhar kar attempt dena , because as some of you have QA/LR-DI/VA as your forte ; normaliation is my forte .. kyunki iske baad Next year CAT do ya na do, IIM mei jao ya nai….lekin yeh sattar minute.. tumse koi nai cheen saktha..
Kyunki mein jaantha hu ki aagar yeh sattar minute is country ka har 1 aspirant apne zindagi ki sabse badiya attwmpt deta hai.. tho yeh satar min khuda bhi tumse vapas nahin maang saktha…”
Courtesy – Pagalguy.com