Hello people! I am here to answer your queries regarding last mile strategy formulation for CAT 2016. With only 3 weeks left to go, you need to be really careful about how you are utilizing your time to maximize your scores in the exam.

02:22 PM

Hello I have a lot of mocks this month so how should I improve my performance. I'm currently getting around 100 to 110 in mocks.

02:23 PM

What is the approx percentile you are scoring in your mocks?

02:24 PM

75 to 85

02:25 PM

I have a very unsteady performance... On general scoring around 115-120... Was good in quants but my performance has dipped. How to get my strength in quants back?

02:29 PM

The basic strategy is as follows: 1. if you are between 90 to 95 take 2 mocks per week. Find out weaker areas and go back to basics.Analyse the mistakes thoroughly, learn new techniques and tricks and apply them in the next mock you take. 2. If you are scoring below 90 do not take more than 1 mock per week. Take the same mock in an untimed manner as well. Analyse for 6 to 7 hours and find out weak areas and revise the basics very thoroughly. Learn tips and tricks and apply them by taking the same mock again in the same week 3. If you are getting more than 95 in mocks, then take 5 mocks a week however do not take more than one mock per day. Tweak your strategies to find out which one maximizes your scores. Hope you find this useful! All the best! :)

02:29 PM

started with 45 marks, now at 95- 115 Now recently my performance has gone down.. I'm scared ..how to improve.. plz tell me whether is there any chance I'll get above 92+ percentile.. am confused

02:31 PM

Analyse your mocks very thoroughly to exactly figure out which are your weak areas, if its quants, which chapters in quant? Go to the specific chapters, brush up basics, if needed work on fast calculating methods, then try solving the questions again. Hope this helps!

02:31 PM

RC score is very volatile.. can you help onthat

02:32 PM

@Raja V, The idea is to not lose your cool and keep practising. Play it smooth, play it smart. If you are scoring below 90 do not take more than 1 mock per week. Take the same mock in an untimed manner as well. Analyse for 6 to 7 hours and find out weak areas and revise the basics very thoroughly. Learn tips and tricks and apply them by taking the same mock again in the same week

02:32 PM

Basics are there... But tweaking the logic is where I lack...

02:33 PM

i am not able to improve my score in data interpretation ...what should i do?

02:33 PM

@ Raja V, try pin-pointing which particular question types in RC you are majorly faltering in. Google up or read up from your study materials regarding how to tackle such types of questions. Also, read up on varied topics to develop a reading habit. That always helps in RC.

02:34 PM

thanks Roy.... will i reach 92 % ..is there any practical chance ?? :(

02:34 PM

Hello I want to ask what should be the strategy for DI sets?Can you guide me what type of question should i practice now so that i can guess whether i could solve this kind of questions or not?

02:35 PM

In DI what generally works is looking at the questions before looking at the data. That way you know what exactly is expected of you and you analyze the charts and graphs accordingly.

02:36 PM

@Raja V: I reached from an 80 percentile in mocks to a 98 percentile in CAT 2014, So don't lose your faith. Losing your cool will worsen your chances

02:37 PM

Any solutions for me?

02:37 PM

hello noel,can you guide about rc?

02:38 PM

Thanks Roy !

02:38 PM

@Kushagra: What is your percentile? And what is the approach you are following right now? @Srushti:try pin-pointing which particular question types in RC you are majorly faltering in. Google up or read up from your study materials regarding how to tackle such types of questions. Also, read up on varied topics to develop a reading habit. That always helps in RC.

02:39 PM

hey noel i have an accuracy of around 85% in di lr and quant but verbal is scaring the shit out of me. any verbal section stratergy??

02:39 PM

rc seems decent for me but verbal ability i have no control accuracy ranges from 0 to say 80%

02:40 PM

@Aftab: please pinpoint exactly the types of questions in verbals seem to be your weakness and brush up basics on those

02:41 PM

@kushagra: What about the strategy you are following right now while taking your mocks?

02:41 PM

@noel : thanks for the guidance.. any tips on how to plan the coming days saying you have 24 hrs to yourself. With syllabus revised.

02:42 PM

Hi I am consistently scoring poor in lrdi section my average in that section is 25. Even after giving n number of mocks and practicing. I am not able to solve it questions in mock exam. What should be the right strategy for at this point!

02:42 PM

hey noel, i'm scoring around 75 percentile in aimcats now. so what should be the strategy to gear it up?

02:42 PM

hey i have not given enough mocks till now...and now i am just scared....if i practice mocks now will it help...or i have just wasted the entire year ??

02:43 PM

@Utkarsh: The basic strategy is as follows: 1. if you are between 90 to 95 take 2 mocks per week. Find out weaker areas and go back to basics.Analyse the mistakes thoroughly, learn new techniques and tricks and apply them in the next mock you take. 2. If you are scoring below 90 do not take more than 1 mock per week. Take the same mock in an untimed manner as well. Analyse for 6 to 7 hours and find out weak areas and revise the basics very thoroughly. Learn tips and tricks and apply them by taking the same mock again in the same week 3. If you are getting more than 95 in mocks, then take 5 mocks a week however do not take more than one mock per day. Tweak your strategies to find out which one maximizes your scores. Hope you find this useful! All the best! :)

02:43 PM

at times i find summary question to be strong sector for me but at times it becomes weak sector.same goes with para jumbles, havent touched grammar and probably wont even look at it during the exam. so should i practise verbal ability now or should i utilize the entire 60 min in 24rc question trying to get 100% accuracy. isit feasible??

02:45 PM

@rajat: Please stop taking mocks for a while and focus on practicing lr/di for the time being, gradually levelling up from the basic/intermediate level. After gaining confidence, take another mock and see if you have improved. IF yes, go ahead and take mocks as per my percentile rule. Else, keep practicing lrdi and taking mocks in parallel All the best!

02:46 PM

@Aftab: 100% accuracy in RC might be a bit on the infeasible side. Best thing is to brush up your grammars and basic va question types.

02:47 PM

@Shiva : take one mock and see where you stand. Only after that can we come to any conclusion. Don't lose faith, yet. :)

02:49 PM

Hey Neol, considering the fact that i'm scoring 75 percentile in mocks now. what should my everyday schedule be like?

02:51 PM

Hi ma'am, I have been taking CL and IMS mocka, percentile are fluctuating between 95-96 to 88-89, how do I proceed from here

02:51 PM

@Srushti: The basic strategy is as follows: 1. if you are between 90 to 95 take 2 mocks per week. Find out weaker areas and go back to basics.Analyse the mistakes thoroughly, learn new techniques and tricks and apply them in the next mock you take. 2. If you are scoring below 90 do not take more than 1 mock per week. Take the same mock in an untimed manner as well. Analyse for 6 to 7 hours and find out weak areas and revise the basics very thoroughly. Learn tips and tricks and apply them by taking the same mock again in the same week 3. If you are getting more than 95 in mocks, then take 5 mocks a week however do not take more than one mock per day. Tweak your strategies to find out which one maximizes your scores. Hope you find this useful! All the best! :)

02:51 PM

What will be the best way to analyze mock henceforth? Will reviewing the older given mocks questions help?

02:52 PM

@Shubham: If you feel there are specific weak sections you need to work on, then brush up your basics. Else, you just need to play with your strategy All the best! :)

02:52 PM

hello..i really want to get into marketing or international business..my scores in mocks range from 90-125..please guide..i havent attempted past papers..i beleive my concepts are clear..speed seems to be a problem in mocks along with strategy ..guide on daily scehdule..aiming for sp jain,mdi,iim k,l

02:53 PM

also is it possible it increase percentile from 84 to 97 in this span of time?

02:54 PM

Hey thanks! One more thing! I have gone through all past cat papers till 2008 and found questions relatively easier than my mock level lrdi! Is cat level in these recent years same or difficult from those past exams!

02:55 PM

@Rohit: Analysing the mock means after taking the mock, going through the entire paper again and trying to solve the unsolved/wrong questions by yourself again. Once you are done with that, you need to refer to the solution guide and look at the approach and technique used for every question (whether it was correct/incorrect). Learn the techniques used in solving the questions used and imbibe them after associating them with specific question types. Once you have done that, retake the mock again and check if you are being able to apply the tips and techniques learnt. Hope this helps. All the best! :)

02:55 PM

wat was ur strategy fir DI/LR section

02:56 PM

My percentile is around 90... +-2... With quants I start attempting the questions if it seems doable but I bit of thinking is involved I Mark it... If undoable, I leave it... And if on a stretch m nt able to answer 3-4 que... I start from end then...

02:56 PM

@Rajat: Nothing can be predicted about the difficulty level of CAT papers, if you feel you are better than most, as in if your percentile says so, then you are good to go, else brush up the basics. :) All the best!

02:57 PM

@Kushagra:What about VA and LRDI? Do you follow the same approach?

02:57 PM

My accuracy has also gone down... I analyse the quants section very thoroughly... But still mistakes are repeating.

02:58 PM

Va... I go passage by passage... If the passage is too theory and philosophy I tend to leave it... LR is also dependent on the difficulty level... And di are almost attempt able... So in di I try to solve it through questions and logic of numbers.

02:59 PM

@Kushagra: Your overall approach seems to be correct, since you are yet to reach a higher end of 90s, you can try this:if you are between 90 to 95 take 2 mocks per week. Find out weaker areas and go back to basics.Analyse the mistakes thoroughly, learn new techniques and tricks and apply them in the next mock you take.

02:59 PM

Ok! Thank you! :)

02:59 PM

Ok, I 'll try to do it that ways.

03:00 PM

is it possible to increase my percentile from 75 to 85 in this span of time? and if yes then how

03:00 PM

Thanks ;)

03:01 PM

@kushagra: you need to work on your basics simultaneously

03:01 PM

Thanks :)

03:01 PM

My overall percentile is in range of 70-80 percentile, with 92+ %le in verbal. Other two sections are really fluctuating, because I lose patience and rush through the sections and miss a lot of doable questions. What should be my strategy here.

03:01 PM

Will going after previous given mocks help or will solving new sectional tests help more for LRDI and quant?

03:01 PM

@Samiksha: If you are scoring below 90 do not take more than 1 mock per week. Take the same mock in an untimed manner as well. Analyse for 6 to 7 hours and find out weak areas and revise the basics very thoroughly. Learn tips and tricks and apply them by taking the same mock again in the same week. Analysing the mock means after taking the mock, going through the entire paper again and trying to solve the unsolved/wrong questions by yourself again. Once you are done with that, you need to refer to the solution guide and look at the approach and technique used for every question (whether it was correct/incorrect). Learn the techniques used in solving the questions used and imbibe them after associating them with specific question types. Once you have done that, retake the mock again and check if you are being able to apply the tips and techniques learnt.

03:02 PM

Hi Noel, I took the CAT test on 2014. And I have started taking mock tests since October and I am having a hard time dealing with the new CAT format. The thing is when I take the tests, I am very conscious about the limited time and also can't solve a lot of questions. But when I get back to review the questions I can solve 80% of the ones that I missed. Of course that's because there's no time limit and I ve already tried the questions once before. Also, my DI scores are very low. My percentile ranges from 83 to 98

03:03 PM

Hi sir. I am not able to give my best in the mocks.In analysis I was able to do more questions. I don't know the reason why I am not able to give my best in mocks.Please help me out.

03:03 PM

roughly how much should one score to get 90 percentile

03:04 PM

@smit : If you know you are rushing through and missing doable questions, then try to maintain your calm and cool. Take two minutes before starting a mock and chill! For LRDI and QA sections identify weaker areas and brush up basics before taking mocks again

03:04 PM

Hi Noel, I am working and preparing for CAT at the same time taking mocks in every two days since it is the D-day is close but I am not able to revise and work on my weakness.Can you please suggest any approach for revision .My mock percentile is 85-95 .

03:06 PM

@Samiksha: That's not really under my purview of knowledge or anybody else's for that matter. :) @Sai : Probably you are having problems with time management. I will take up time management in mocks in my next session. Meanwhile, please work on tips and techniques and try applying them in specific types of questions.

03:07 PM

@Rohit : If quants and lrdi seem to be your weaker areas needing special focus then taking sectional tests is preferred. However you should take complete mocks as well depending on your percentile slab

03:08 PM

@dattatreya: Work on DI basics. Take a few untimed mocks to boost your confidence before taking a timed one. However do not take more than 1 mock per day. Before taking any mock, close your eyes and chill for 2 mins. You need to calm down. Things are going to be fine.

03:10 PM

@Shubham : if you are between 90 to 95 take 2 mocks per week. Find out weaker areas and go back to basics.Analyse the mistakes thoroughly, learn new techniques and tricks and apply them in the next mock you take. 2. If you are scoring below 90 do not take more than 1 mock per week. Take the same mock in an untimed manner as well. Analyse for 6 to 7 hours and find out weak areas and revise the basics very thoroughly. Learn tips and tricks and apply them by taking the same mock again in the same week

03:10 PM

I am targeting to score 80-85 percentile in cat and i know that i am weak in certain areas of quant and di/lr but at this point of time everyone keeps suggesting me to solve only past cat papers and take mock tests......so should i abandon my my weak sections and concentrate on only past cat papers?

03:12 PM

@Ravi : If you are scoring below 90 do not take more than 1 mock per week. Take the same mock in an untimed manner as well. Analyse for 6 to 7 hours and find out weak areas and revise the basics very thoroughly. Learn tips and tricks and apply them by taking the same mock again in the same week

03:13 PM

Thanks Noel

03:15 PM

please suggest with regards to past cat papers as well...how much should be done?

03:16 PM

Dear Aspirants, The last mile strategy for CAT 2016 is as important as the first mile. You need to be extra careful this time because you can't afford to waste a single minute in this time frame. Please utilise your time judiciously and most importantly, don't lose faith. All the best! :)

03:17 PM

@Ravi: Could you be a little specific in your question? How are you doing in the mocks now? In terms of number of attempts and percentile (Overall , sectional both)?

03:18 PM

my scores in quant are only in 20s i score about 25-30 in di/lr and 25-40 in varc and i am stuck in these scores for the past couple of weeks, kindly suggest me what i should do next so that i can at least improve my overall score

03:19 PM

thanks noel

03:23 PM

Dear Aspirants, The last mile strategy for CAT 2016 is as important as the first mile. You need to be extra careful this time because you can't afford to waste a single minute in this time frame. Please utilise your time judiciously and most importantly, don't lose faith. All the best! :)

03:24 PM

sure and thank you Noel :)

03:25 PM

The basic strategy is as follows: 1. if you are between 90 to 95 take 2 mocks per week. Find out weaker areas and go back to basics.Analyse the mistakes thoroughly, learn new techniques and tricks and apply them in the next mock you take. 2. If you are scoring below 90 do not take more than 1 mock per week. Take the same mock in an untimed manner as well. Analyse for 6 to 7 hours and find out weak areas and revise the basics very thoroughly. Learn tips and tricks and apply them by taking the same mock again in the same week 3. If you are getting more than 95 in mocks, then take 5 mocks a week however do not take more than one mock per day. Tweak your strategies to find out which one maximizes your scores. Hope you find this useful! All the best! :)

03:25 PM