Dear participants, As many of you yesterday had asked me about how to improve RC scores, today's conversation will be completely focused on the same. Hope this helps you. All the best! :)

02:50 PM

Things to be NOT done while solving RC passages: 1. Never skip reading the content of the RC passages 2. Never read without comprehending even if it takes more time 3. Never read the answer choices before reading the passage 4. Never brood too much over a word which is unknown to you 5. Never evaluate an option which is outside the scope of the passage 3 types of mistakes one can commit in RC passages and how to avoid them: 1. Falling for an option which has been constructed shrewdly by tweaking some content and inserting some keywords from the passage – can be avoided by reading the content thoroughly 2. Choosing an option which has been constructed by inserting some word out of scope of the passage – can be avoided by comprehending the content instead of going word by word 3. Wasting time on reading some RC passage of which one is not being able to make head or tail of – can be avoided by bravely leaving passages which one is not familiar or comfortable with in terms of content, type of language used etc. Understanding the Questions Setter’s perspective: 1. The question setter’s objective is to create an option which is most akin to the content given in a passage and creates an option for the same 2. The next task is to frame three very convincing yet incorrect options to confound the examinees 3. One option is almost always to set an option which has enough content from the passage but some twist lying somewhere within, which will be conveniently ignored by a lazy test taker for the purpose of solving the question quickly 4. Another option is to create an option by extending or narrowing down the scope of the passage keeping the basic theme and tone same which will again be conveniently ignored by a test taker who is a little on the careless side 5. One more option will be to keep the basic theme and tone of the passage in the option while inserting something which is also not mentioned in the passage and this will be a definite faltering step for someone who is a little on the under-confident side

02:51 PM

hi

02:57 PM

hello Subhasis, what's your question?

02:58 PM

hi

02:59 PM

Hey Danish, what's your question?

03:00 PM

what could be the best approach to read and understand the passage? Consistently i am getting scored around 40 in CAT mocks :/ with 70 percent accuracy

03:02 PM

Hi

03:02 PM

hi

03:04 PM

Danish: We are focusing on RC passages only today. So I will address your first question. For the second question, I will address it in a separate mail today after the session. Do you have a reading habit?

03:04 PM

Hi Noel

03:04 PM

Hi Noel, how much roughly one should devote time to each RC. What should be the strateg y to clear sectional cutoff for VA/RC Section

03:04 PM

yes i read newspapers, articles ...not regularly but something i get to read daily.

03:05 PM

Hi. From the mocks I've attempted so far, I realise that I'm scoring very poor in verbal section. Now only 20 days is left for CAT, so should I focus on building up that section or should I focus more on RC section?

03:06 PM

@Raman: If you feel that some RC content is completely beyond your understanding or comfort zone, then it is better to leave that passage rather than wasting time and efforts for the same. Otherwise, please go through the passage and focus on comprehension rather than plain reading. Sometimes looking at the questions (NOT the answer options) prior to reading the passage helps you in focusing on the key areas. Once you have understood the content start answering keeping in mind the following: Things to be NOT done while solving RC passages: 1. Never skip reading the content of the RC passages 2. Never read without comprehending even if it takes more time 3. Never read the answer choices before reading the passage 4. Never brood too much over a word which is unknown to you 5. Never evaluate an option which is outside the scope of the passage 3 types of mistakes one can commit in RC passages and how to avoid them: 1. Falling for an option which has been constructed shrewdly by tweaking some content and inserting some keywords from the passage – can be avoided by reading the content thoroughly 2. Choosing an option which has been constructed by inserting some word out of scope of the passage – can be avoided by comprehending the content instead of going word by word 3. Wasting time on reading some RC passage of which one is not being able to make head or tail of – can be avoided by bravely leaving passages which one is not familiar or comfortable with in terms of content, type of language used etc. Understanding the Questions Setter’s perspective: 1. The question setter’s objective is to create an option which is most akin to the content given in a passage and creates an option for the same 2. The next task is to frame three very convincing yet incorrect options to confound the examinees 3. One option is almost always to set an option which has enough content from the passage but some twist lying somewhere within, which will be conveniently ignored by a lazy test taker for the purpose of solving the question quickly 4. Another option is to create an option by extending or narrowing down the scope of the passage keeping the basic theme and tone same which will again be conveniently ignored by a test taker who is a little on the careless side 5. One more option will be to keep the basic theme and tone of the passage in the option while inserting something which is also not mentioned in the passage and this will be a definite faltering step for someone who is a little on the under-confident side

03:07 PM

Hi,I'm just comfortable in RC during my mocks but I couldn't score maximum marks.I'm just trying to attend all questions right.

03:08 PM

Hi Noel

03:08 PM

i just want to make a fix strategy for RC's either to see the question and find the answer, or to read the passage first and then solve.

03:09 PM

My mock scores in RC varies drasticly from mock to mock. I find hard to concentrate . Please help.

03:09 PM

Hi there! How do i allot time between VA and RC ? How many sets should i cover ? The non MCQ questions VA are extremely tricky and time consuming. I get most of the para jumbles wrong which makes me want to spend maximum time with RCs. I take close to 45 mins or even more. And when it comes to VA, these non MCQs are disastrous. For starters, they are time consuming. And somehow,i still havent mastered the art of picking the right questions in VA. I end up spending time on those non MCQs cause they don't carry negative marks and get most of it wrong. That's when i think if my judgement was bad. I spend time on para jumbles, spot the odd one and i get most of it wrong. I probably could have spent that time on RCs attempting the questions that i had left.

03:10 PM

@Danish: first and foremost, for the remaining days, read any newspaper or business article on a regular basis strictly. Then focus on comprehension of whatever you have read. The main problem which you are facing in solving RCs is primarily because of a lack of consistent reading habit. @Ashik : I will take up scoring in VA in a subsequent session so stay tuned. If you have a consistent reading habit, do consider working on your RC, also because leaving RCs might have a huge blow on your verbal section

03:11 PM

How to balance both the speed while reading and accuracy while attempting various questions followed by an RC ...Coz this becomes really tricky when the given topic is from areas related to mythology, psychology, philosophy etc.,

03:11 PM

@Mathi: If your overall scores are good enough then it is fine even if you are not scoring maximum marks. Your strategy is absolutely right, you should focus on accuracy more than on the number of attempts

03:12 PM

This Year have started preparation very late.So, am not targeting this year.I am targeting next year. As I am working,I dont get much time for preparation.My biggest challenge is Verbal as I am very poor in this section.I have almost 1 year for CAT 2017.So, could you please how should I prepare for verbal so that I could get decent percentile next year. I will do whatever you say

03:14 PM

What methodology should follow while answering

03:15 PM

hi noel, what should be the best strategy to approach rc passages on philosophy, psychology,sociology. I find passages on these topics difficult to comprehend.

03:15 PM

Hi Noel .. !! My problem is that, I try to solve maximum questions and then end up getting some of them wrong, it's like out of first 8 or 10 I do, 7-8 are correct, and then next 10 are do, I end up marking the wrong option. My start is good and then I loose touch all the time. I fear of not attempting max questions.

03:17 PM

Towards the end of your prep, did you solely follow the passages from previous papers or searched on the internet for wide variety of your areas of interest....What's your take on the last leg prep plan for VARC, especially RCs

03:17 PM

@Danish: try taking one mock in which you read the questions later and try taking one where you read the questions before. See which one suits you more. Strategy varies from person to person. @Lakshya: Focus on accuracy more than on number of attempts. If you are having concentration issues only for RCs then read newspaper articles, books, magazines on a regular basis, if it is not limited to RCs, you need to relax a bit while taking a mock. @Divyashree: I will take up maximising scores on entire VARC section later so stay tuned. :) If you feel RCs are a strong point for you, do not hesitate to devote more time to solving RC passages since anyway you have to read a lot of cases during your MBA course and this just means you are already good in reading. :) @Ishwar: Timing strategy is strictly based on your strength and weakness areas. However in most cases for the VARC section a general strategy where you devote 50% of the time for RC and 50% of the time for rest VA question seems to work, you can check if this works for you too.

03:17 PM

Towards the end of your prep, did you solely follow the passages from previous papers or searched on the internet for wide variety of your areas of interest....What's your take on the last leg prep plan for VARC, especially RCs

03:17 PM

Did you have any specific areas of interest while solving RC passages where you could bet any day on any given topic pertaining to that area

03:19 PM

What was your daily plan one month prior taking CAT

03:20 PM

what was the difficulty level of RC section in CAT. I feel that mocks are relatively tougher and and options seem ambiguous .

03:22 PM

@Sachin: you still have a lot of time for next year, in fact you are way too early for the same. As of now take it easy and develop a sound and regular reading habit on an extensive basis and on very abstract and diverse topics. Also please refer to the book called Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis for overall boost of confidence in your verbal section. :) @Mathi: devote say 60% time for RC and 40% time for VA in one mock and see if it improves your scores @Vinay: if you are not comfortable in these subjects then better you search and read some basic content on them available on the net. RC passages are not content specific , on the other hand, the RC questions can be grouped under various types. @Madhur: please note that your approach should be to attempt around 60% questions with 80% accuracy. So take a mock accordingly and check how it works for you @Ishwar: I did not search for new areas since I was mostly comfortable with various topics. However if you feel intimidated by any particular area, reading up articles in the net would always work on your favour. :)

03:23 PM

HI I am facing a lot of difficulty in between 2 options in RC. I know one option is correct and other is trap.How to avoid the trap option in RC

03:23 PM

How much time should be allotted to RC and VA? How much marks u used to score in mocks?

03:24 PM

Help me in deciding in between the two options what is correct

03:24 PM

As rightly pointed out by Lakshya, RCs in the market out there today seem to set an unprecedented standard that is confusing most of the aspirants out there.....Sometimes highly disappointing.....Not that they're unsolvable....But they scare the wits out of you in the given time frame

03:27 PM

@Ishwar: although I did not have any specific area of interest, I do remember leaving one RC passage in CAT because the content was too intensive and dull for my endurance. For your second question, well I already addressed this one yesterday, I will send you the content over mail after today's conversation. :) @Lakshya: that depends. And honestly there is no point trying to gauge the difficulty level and preparing your mind set accordingly because at the end of the day it's not an absolute scoring system, it's a percentile score. However, if you are already prepared with difficult mocks, then you should be happy and smug. :) Options will be ambiguous in CAT as well. Read the following: 3 types of mistakes one can commit in RC passages and how to avoid them: 1. Falling for an option which has been constructed shrewdly by tweaking some content and inserting some keywords from the passage – can be avoided by reading the content thoroughly 2. Choosing an option which has been constructed by inserting some word out of scope of the passage – can be avoided by comprehending the content instead of going word by word 3. Wasting time on reading some RC passage of which one is not being able to make head or tail of – can be avoided by bravely leaving passages which one is not familiar or comfortable with in terms of content, type of language used etc. Understanding the Questions Setter’s perspective: 1. The question setter’s objective is to create an option which is most akin to the content given in a passage and creates an option for the same 2. The next task is to frame three very convincing yet incorrect options to confound the examinees 3. One option is almost always to set an option which has enough content from the passage but some twist lying somewhere within, which will be conveniently ignored by a lazy test taker for the purpose of solving the question quickly 4. Another option is to create an option by extending or narrowing down the scope of the passage keeping the basic theme and tone same which will again be conveniently ignored by a test taker who is a little on the careless side 5. One more option will be to keep the basic theme and tone of the passage in the option while inserting something which is also not mentioned in the passage and this will be a definite faltering step for someone who is a little on the under-confident side Hope this helps. :)

03:27 PM

I am scoring consistently above 60 maximum 87...The thing is I always have 5 mins to spare at the end but most of my marks if not all come from RCs. Struggling a lot in VA, i am quite good at summary and odd man out though ! Ny pointers for PJs ?

03:30 PM

@Vamsidhar: 3 types of mistakes one can commit in RC passages and how to avoid them: 1. Falling for an option which has been constructed shrewdly by tweaking some content and inserting some keywords from the passage – can be avoided by reading the content thoroughly 2. Choosing an option which has been constructed by inserting some word out of scope of the passage – can be avoided by comprehending the content instead of going word by word 3. Wasting time on reading some RC passage of which one is not being able to make head or tail of – can be avoided by bravely leaving passages which one is not familiar or comfortable with in terms of content, type of language used etc. @Ashik: Generally a 50% time for RC and 50% time for VA approach works. Check if this suits you. @Ishwar: Difficulty levels are also set in mocks so that the test takers learn how to bravely leave a passage and move on. I am sure many toppers would be doing so and scoring well. :)

03:30 PM

@Atharva: I am addressing concerns for RC today, VA will be taken up in subsequent sessions. Stay tuned. :)

03:31 PM

@Noel can you please share last 20 days plan for preparation?

03:31 PM

Noel thnx for sharing your thoughts !!!Hope i hear your name again as CEO of some company.

03:33 PM

@Rudra: I talked about a three week prep plan yesterday. Will definitely share the content with you after today's conversation :)

03:33 PM

Thanks Noel and are you planning for any session on VA and DILR ?

03:34 PM

noel could you please recount your CAT preparation journey

03:34 PM

hi

03:35 PM

@Rudra : yes I will be taking one on Monday/Tuesday. Stay tuned.

03:36 PM

I scored 98 percentile last year with 83 percentile in english. Been working on RCs. But i am not able to attempt all passages. when i leave 1 passage my accuracy is mere 60%. At times i score pretty good but usually on the lower side with 60% accuracy. In 21 days what should i do? Focus on accuracy in n-1(n=total no of passages present) passages or i should focus more on my speed. What should i practice more. I have tried everything. Please help!!

03:36 PM

@Sachin: I will send you a separate mailer for the same after this conversation. :) @Harshit: I think n-1 attempts is fine enough so your only concern should be accuracy. Please keep this in mind when you are solving RC questions and chill. Relax. It's okay. :) Things to be NOT done while solving RC passages: 1. Never skip reading the content of the RC passages 2. Never read without comprehending even if it takes more time 3. Never read the answer choices before reading the passage 4. Never brood too much over a word which is unknown to you 5. Never evaluate an option which is outside the scope of the passage 3 types of mistakes one can commit in RC passages and how to avoid them: 1. Falling for an option which has been constructed shrewdly by tweaking some content and inserting some keywords from the passage – can be avoided by reading the content thoroughly 2. Choosing an option which has been constructed by inserting some word out of scope of the passage – can be avoided by comprehending the content instead of going word by word 3. Wasting time on reading some RC passage of which one is not being able to make head or tail of – can be avoided by bravely leaving passages which one is not familiar or comfortable with in terms of content, type of language used etc. Understanding the Questions Setter’s perspective: 1. The question setter’s objective is to create an option which is most akin to the content given in a passage and creates an option for the same 2. The next task is to frame three very convincing yet incorrect options to confound the examinees 3. One option is almost always to set an option which has enough content from the passage but some twist lying somewhere within, which will be conveniently ignored by a lazy test taker for the purpose of solving the question quickly 4. Another option is to create an option by extending or narrowing down the scope of the passage keeping the basic theme and tone same which will again be conveniently ignored by a test taker who is a little on the careless side 5. One more option will be to keep the basic theme and tone of the passage in the option while inserting something which is also not mentioned in the passage and this will be a definite faltering step for someone who is a little on the under-confident side All the best! :)

03:39 PM

Thank you very much Noel.

03:41 PM

That helps alot Noel. Thanks.:)

03:42 PM

Thanks Noel for the suggestions :)

03:43 PM

Hi Noel .. My RC and VA session number of attempts are less because of this my accuracy is coming down. Can you please suggest on the things that I need to look forward as we still have surprise element for CAT verbal section questions.

03:45 PM

Noel, please share the 20 days plan for rc and verbal section

03:47 PM

Noel, please share the 20 days plan for rc and verbal section

03:47 PM

@Noel can you please suggest some reading stuff or strategy to tackle passage related to socio-political issue and philosophy?

03:48 PM

Thanks noel !! :)

03:48 PM

Dear participants, Here's addressing a few general and repetitive queries regarding RCs. So usually a 50-50 approach with respect to time allocation for VA and RC section works. You can tweak it as per your convenience. You should target for a 60% attempt with 80% accuracy, this should fetch you a decent enough percentile getting IIM calls. A few points should be taken into account for solving RCs. These are as follows: Things to be NOT done while solving RC passages: 1. Never skip reading the content of the RC passages 2. Never read without comprehending even if it takes more time 3. Never read the answer choices before reading the passage 4. Never brood too much over a word which is unknown to you 5. Never evaluate an option which is outside the scope of the passage 3 types of mistakes one can commit in RC passages and how to avoid them: 1. Falling for an option which has been constructed shrewdly by tweaking some content and inserting some keywords from the passage – can be avoided by reading the content thoroughly 2. Choosing an option which has been constructed by inserting some word out of scope of the passage – can be avoided by comprehending the content instead of going word by word 3. Wasting time on reading some RC passage of which one is not being able to make head or tail of – can be avoided by bravely leaving passages which one is not familiar or comfortable with in terms of content, type of language used etc. Understanding the Questions Setter’s perspective: 1. The question setter’s objective is to create an option which is most akin to the content given in a passage and creates an option for the same 2. The next task is to frame three very convincing yet incorrect options to confound the examinees 3. One option is almost always to set an option which has enough content from the passage but some twist lying somewhere within, which will be conveniently ignored by a lazy test taker for the purpose of solving the question quickly 4. Another option is to create an option by extending or narrowing down the scope of the passage keeping the basic theme and tone same which will again be conveniently ignored by a test taker who is a little on the careless side 5. One more option will be to keep the basic theme and tone of the passage in the option while inserting something which is also not mentioned in the passage and this will be a definite faltering step for someone who is a little on the under-confident side If you are not sound with reading, please try and develop a reading habit by following strict schedules and by reading up on diverse and intensive topics. Hope this helps. All the best. :) @Akshay, I hope the above answers your question? @Mohammad Shahil: I will take up VA complete section sometime on Monday/Tuesday. Stay tuned. :) @Rudra: read up from the internet or from newspapers like The Hindu. You can try reading complicated passages by typing the same in Google too. :)

03:51 PM

hello ...in mocks im getting very low marks in verbal despite lots of hard word ...accuracy fluctuate a lot ....plz suggest

04:01 PM

Hey Noel I have a question. The thing is I've taken 2 online test series ( time and Ims). Now in RC and especially in explanation of the answers of the RC both these institute take different approach on questions like "What is the central idea of the passage?" (I'll explain you the differnce afterwards in detail.) but I get really confused which approach to use because both of them yield different answers. Can you suggest me what to do or if you have any material you can post link of that.

04:01 PM

Noel please guide me through separate mailer. Thanks

04:01 PM

Noel, if possible mail the 30 days plan that you were talking about . Thanks

04:02 PM

@Saurabh: I will take up maximising scores in VA later, please stay tuned. @Simarjeet: Remember some basic guidelines. And use only whichever approach seems logical to you during CAT.

04:03 PM

@simarjeet i will send you a separate link which should help you in a mailer.

04:05 PM

@Sachin, Madhur: Surely.

04:05 PM

@Noel send me also

04:06 PM

@Rudra: can you remind me which one?

04:08 PM

@Noel 3 week strategy plan and that main idea one.

04:10 PM

sure! :)

04:10 PM

You said that 60% attempt and 80 percent accuracy. But don't you think 60% is less given that you are male, general and engineer?

04:10 PM

Don't be so hard on yourself. If you are already attempting 60% with 80% accuracy try increasing the number of attempts without compromising on accuracy.

04:12 PM

Dear participants, Hopefully the session was helpful for you. All the best! :)

04:15 PM

Thanks once again, Noel.

04:15 PM

Thanks and please let us know about the subsequent session.

04:15 PM

Thanks :)

04:16 PM