Those
who are preparing to study in any of the reputed MBA institutes in
India, they are well aware of the Common Admission Test, better known
as CAT. This is a test held annually for the admission to the
Post-graduate and Fellow Programs in management courses of several
management institutes in India. This is a written examination organized
by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) and it is on the basis of
CAT result that the eligible candidates are short listed and called for
a Group Discussion and Personal Interview.
CAT
is considered to be a major requirement for a candidate seeking
admission to the prestigious management institutes of India. The
percentile secured in CAT is assessed by the B-Schools in India for
short-listing candidates for admissions to their various MBA Programs.
CAT
has become one of the most competitive exams to judge the potential of
the candidates willing to pursue their career in business
administration.
CAT 2009 Results
CAT 2009 results would be available from January 2010. CAT results can be accessed on www.catiim.in and also by using sms facility or by sending a mail. SMS should be sent to 57333 after inserting ‘CAT test registration number date of birth (dd mm yy)’ or ‘CAT test registration number application number”. For getting CAT 2008 results by e-mail, candidates should register themselves between October 17, 2008 and November 30, 2008 by sending an SMS to 57333 with the following text: ‘CAT test registration number date of birth (dd mm yy) email identification.
CAT Preparation MBA Learning Centers
The MBA learning centers groom the students by providing them with the necessary study materials and making them aware of the mistakes to be avoided during the CAT exam. They also take Mock Tests to evaluate the potential of the students and give them the feedback. Some of these learning centers are -
SHARPMINDS
T.I.M.E
Career Launcher
Top Careers and You
Prime Tutor
Bulls Eye IGNOU Tutor
Planetetutors
CAT 2009: A micro and macro strategy
The CAT has been designed as a test of elimination NOT selection, and this is one of the reasons why aspirants are confused and nervous at this moment. Moreover, most have completed 60-70 per cent of the topics in classroom preparation and it is just a month or two before the national Online Mocks begin.
So what should one do at this crucial juncture?
Experts suggest that it is the time to plan, strategise and get ready for the perfect execution of that plan. A General's strategic approach is what the need of the hour is rather than a soldier's aggressive approach. Here are the few important areas that you will need to work on in order to stay focused for the new tech-CAT avatar.
The challenges
Those who have already begun their CAT preparation need to de-learn a little to be able to accept the CAT 2009 challenge head on. With many perceived challenges for test-takers, one thing is sure -- the average time per question will increase. Experts recommend that the following areas of your preparation be focused on:
* CAT Verbal getting more importance
We know from past stats that the test developers have been trying hard to make the overall test more 'Verbal Section centered'. This together with that fact that CAT 2009 is online confirms that your verbal skills must be a strength area for expecting a high percentile. The unexpected extra weightage given to the Verbal Section in CAT 2008 confirms this.
Moreover, in other standardised online tests like the GMAT, the verbal percentile has more impact on one's overall percentile than the percentile in other sections. Now, with the CAT taking its GMAT avatar, it is expected to re-state this emphasis on verbal ability.
* New RCs means new approach
Gone are the days when we used to do an RC on paper. We could easily surf through all the questions before even looking at the RC's content. Imagine, an RC on the computer screen where it appears vertically on the left half of the screen and the right half has questions coming one by one. Moreover, there is ZERO possibility of underlining the keywords in the passage. You will have no option but to jot down the keywords, topic sentences and inferential information in the passages on to a paper to answer the questions in time. Additionally, do you think reading paper-based news bulletins will help if the ultimate reading is required to be done on a computer screen?
* Old DI with new challenges
The next challenge before test-takers is to manage the large amount of data in the DI section without any option of writing or underlining key information on the screen itself. One will have to either calculate mentally or to look up to the screen and then down to the paper to jot down the figure for calculations. This will substantially increase the time one would spend on each question.
* CAT preparation
The biggest challenge before test-takers is how to prepare and test themselves before the actual exam. If the ultimate test is online, it is high time, with 5-6 months at hand, to switch to computer-based preparation and practice. If not, they will stay fit only for paper-based IIFTs and SNAPs. Moreover, with CAT going online, be prepared for news of SNAP, JMET, XAT (once again), MAT, NMAT, FMS and IIFT also going online soon.
CAT 2009 preparation myths
So what should your action plan be? Start looking for places where computer labs are offered? Or rather get hold of some testing CDs? Is the preparation strategy all about computers and online tests?
It's not about CDs and computer labs
The reason that CAT is going online holds the key to its preparation strategy. As the number of test-takers increases it is obviously impossible to manage its administration offline. And it is this increase that demands heavily on the assessment and testing. Hence, only online testing cannot help. An analytical approach to CAT 2009 preparation is the key. You must check everyday how much closer you are to 99+ percentile, failing which you are definitely going to lose your rank to the those who are.
Unless you do the post-mortem (question by question, topic by topic, strength and weakness analysis) of each test that you take, whether a chapter-wise or mock test, you can never be certain of its probable contribution to your ultimate percentile in November. Analysis is all that counts for belling CAT 2009.
And the trainers, can they really help?
Yes, they can; provided they know a lot more than the subjects they teach. That is, with the test analytics available for each test a student takes, it is vital for the trainers to be trained on how to infer from such graphs and tables in order to help students improve the percentiles in the subsequent tests. Only technology-driven trainers can bring the element of objectivity in CAT 2009 preparation.
CAT preparation gets difficult
It actually got easier. One major advantage that CAT 2009 offers is that one can gain quick access to the tests and preparation material at any time of the day if it is available online. This will offer customisation and flexibility to the test-takers preparing for CAT 2009.