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| THE CAT READY RECKONER The Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the IIMs, attracts thousands of aspirants from all over the country. Fuelled by dreams of sky-high salaries and comfortable jobs in multinational corporations, graduates, engineers and those working in organisations apply hoping to get admission. As there are a number of questions and doubts in the minds of readers spread all over the country, we publish here a CAT Ready Reckoner which gives all the essential information about the examination and answers some frequently asked questions. Keep it as a ready reference if your aim is to join a management institute now or sometime in the future. ------------------------------------------- The Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) is one of the most coveted examination for people hoping to do management courses. Its importance has been growing over the years: with the opening of the economy, a large number of companies came into the country, pushing up salaries to mind boggling levels. Media hype has added to the popularity of the examination. The examination is conducted for admission to the IIMs, but a large number of other institutes too grant admission on the basis of scores obtained in CAT. The number of such institutes has been increasing over the years. Of course many institutes conduct their own tests, but if one is able to clear CAT, it means that one is eligible for a number of institutes. It may be kept in mind that not all institutes coming under CAT are the good ones, so it is important to be selective while applying. Venue and Date: CAT is conducted on the last Sunday of November every year. It is held in the major cities of India, and the centres announced this year are: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jamshedpur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Tiruchirapalli and Vijayawada. The test is necessary for the PGDBM programmes for the six IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode and Lucknow) as well as the Fellow Programme conducted by the IIMs Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta, which is equivalent to Ph.D. Forms: The forms are available from August to September for Rs 800 at branches of State Bank of India all over the country. In exceptional circumstances, the CAT Bulletin can be obtained from In-charge Admissions, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076 by sending a DD for Rs 850, latest by September 30. The last date for completed application form is by October or so. Please check out actual dates by referring to the CAT notification. Eligibility: The minimum eligibility criterion for admission to PGP is a 3 years Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, in any discipline, recognised by the Association of Indian Universities/AICTE as eligible for post-graduate studies. There is a PGP with specialisation in agriculture at IIM Ahmedabad for which the eligibility is Bachelor’s or Master’s in Agriculture. There is a computers programme, PGDCM, at IIM Calcutta for which shortlisted candidates have to take an aptitude test in Mathematics. Scholarships: Substantial need-based scholarships are available at IIMs. Some IIMs help in obtaining loans from financial institutions or banks. Other institutes: A number of other institutes shortlist candidates on the basis of CAT scores. Some of these institutes are: Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, Nirma Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, TA Pai Management Institute, Manipal, Goa Institute of Management, and so on. If you want to apply to these institutes, you have to tick the box in the CAT form that asks you whether you want your scores to be sent to other institutes. You also have to purchase the application form of the respective institutes and submit them. CAT will only send the scores and IIMs have no part to play in the selection procedure of the institutes or in running of the programme. The quality of the institute should also not be judged by the fact that it accepts CAT scores. For that, it is advisable to go by the rating of the institutes on a scientific basis. One has to be selective in applying, because one has to pay each institute. If you apply to all the institutes, you may have to spend well over Rs 20,000! Plan of the Examination: The examination consists of objective-type questions. There are four sections: Mathematics, Comprehension, Verbal Ability and Data Interpretation. The level of Maths and English is of class 10. There is a fair amount of Reasoning in the paper, so one must be well prepared. In the 2004 paper, there were 123 questions and the time limit is 2 hours. One has to attempt as many questions as one can. One gets one mark for every right answer but there is negative marking too in which ¼ to 1/3 mark may be deducted for every wrong answer. What is the ideal score? The test calls for two things: speed and accuracy. On the basis of past experience, it can be said that one has to achieve a net score (after deducting negative marks) of about 80 to get a call from the IIMs. This means that the number of attempts should be about 90-100. If there are too many wrong answers, the score is scaled down accordingly so DO NOT attempt blindly. It is also expected that for CAT-Allied institutes, the score may go down to about 60, though sometimes calls are received if one is averaging about 50 or so. To be on the safe side, one must target a net score of around 80 (less, if the paper is difficult) to be sure of a call from IIMs and 90 for other (better) institutes. When to start preparing? How early you should start preparing depends to a large extent on your background. If you are good in maths and have been an avid reader, a six month preparation has found to be enough. However, if you are an arts student and are out of touch with maths, a two year preparation is required. Ideally, one should start preparations in the third year of engineering or second year of graduation. One has to develop an analytical mind, which takes a long time. Engineers, on the other hand, have to concentrate more on English and Verbal sections. All aspirants should develop an outgoing personality as high scorers with bookish personality are usually rejected, no matter how high marks they may have. The Selection Process: The written test is just one hurdle that one has to cross. If one clears the test, one is called for a group discussion and interview. This is a test of personality and one must be well aware of current issues. The preparation of this must start simultaneously and one must not wait for the call to start preparing. Many students do that and fail in the last stage. Developing communication skills is of great importance if one is looking for admission to a good institute. How to prepare: One has to do the basics thoroughly. These can be done from Class 10 books. Candidates should develop a very good vocabulary and go through English grammar. After getting fully conversant with the basics, one should do a number of two hour, full length tests. Follow instructions and arrive at scores which will give you a fair idea about where you stand. If one is not able to keep up the discipline of regular tests, it is advisable to join some coaching classes. Books: A number of books for MBA preparation are available, though many have not been prepared with due care. Students should refer to Mastermind's Guide to MBA, to be published this year, which contains a quick review of concepts, a word-list and six tests containing actual questions asked in management entrance tests in the past years. It also contains a coupon for advice and interaction with management experts. Correspondence courses: 1. Brilliant Tutorials, 12 Masilamani Street, T Nagar, Chennai - 600 017. 2. IMS, 1/45 Tardeo AC Market, Tardeo, Mumbai - 400 034. Classroom coaching: Mastermind, New Public School, Sector 18, Chandigarh. Postal guidance, and a two year programme is available. Classes are held in New Public School, Sector 18 B. All regular Mastermind students have received calls from CAT for the last three years. Avoid Magic Formulae: Apart from these, a number of institutes have been started which offer “magic formulae” for success in CAT. These institutes have little credibility or success. Others claim to employ “IIM Professionals” in which some IIM graduates get together to offer part-time or full-time training. Usually, the teachers are fresh graduates, since it is doubtful that a person in a senior position in a multinational would give up his job to start a coaching centre. The success rate of such institutes is usually very low. It is better to visit an experienced teacher rather than a novice. The mushrooming of such institutes has, however, added an unnecessary hype to MBAs, since newspapers frequently write about them and their marketing is also aggressive. Take a look at the claims: Just to give you an idea of the fraud that goes on in the name of education, take a look at this: A Delhi based group of "IIM Professionals" claimed last year to have 3 out of 4 IIM entrants from their institute. A Mumbai based correspondence course claimed last year to have 2 out of 3 IIM entrants from their institutes. Now add up the two figures, and you have the impossible figure of 17 entrants in IIMs from every 12 aspirants who have made it to IIMs, thanks to these institutes. The message is simple: don't go by claims. Look for the quality of tests, the quality of inputs provided by the institutes before entrusting your career into the hands of such fraudulent institutes. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has restrained at least one institute from advertising in this manner, but every year we witness some fantastic cliams by desperate institutes trying to rope in gullible students. Develop your personality: Coaching classes are necessary because they help maintain discipline. At the same time, it is important to realise that personality matters in the final selection. One is advised to read a lot, in terms of magazines, books and journals. Many students who have passed the CAT have written to us that Mastermind was very helpful in their preparations, since it published regular Business GK. The management section is helpful to know the trends and the Question Box feature answers many doubts of students all over the country. A regular reading of the Mastermind newsletter will raise awareness in a student, because it also carries regular features on business and economy. Do only engineers get taken? It is a fact that a high percentage of engineers apply and get selected in management institutes. However, it is not a rule that only engineers get taken. A good amount of arts and commerce students do manage to get admission too. There is a trend that people with some work experience are preferred over fresh graduates, so it may be advisable to work for an year or two after graduation. Again, freshers do get taken and it is not a rule that everyone with work experience will be chosen. Beyond CAT: It is good to aim high but one should also be realistic. Assess your capability on the basis of scores obtained. If you are not reaching close to 100 despite your best efforts, start looking at other institutes which are equally reputable. These institutes conduct their own tests. In any case, it is advisable to spread risks and apply to a number of institutes just in case you cannot get through IIMs. Many institutes make tall claims and say that they are AICTE approved. One should be wary of such claims, because the AICTE tag is meaningless today. Among the better known institutes for which one can aim for are: 1. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management, Mumbai. 2. Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Delhi. 3. University Business School, Punjab University, Chandigarh. 4. Rajasthan Management Admission Test, for institutes in Rajasthan. 5. Delhi School of Economics, Delhi. 6. A few institutes under Management Aptitude Test (MAT) conducted by AIMA. 7. Common Entrance Test (CET) for institutes in Maharashtra. Finally, it may be remembered that clearing the CAT is achievable, but calls for a lot of practice. Improvement of scores takes long hours of work and figuring out short-cuts. All sections are equally important. It is advisable to concentrate on maths but equal time should be spent on comprehension and verbal skills. CAT Past Papers 15 years MAT Past papers 10 papers MBA Entrance Papers of assorted institutes (set of 10 papers) To order, pls get in touch with us. |
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