SELECTION PROCESS OF TOP COLLEGES

The selection process

When you begin applying to MBA institutes, it's time to start preparing for your MBA entrance exams and for your MBA admission interview. But before you even start applying to these MBA entrance exams, you need to know that an MBA degree is not easily attainable anymore. Read our tips on the where, when, and how tos for applying to an MBA program and apply for the best MBA schools in India. Our tips on applying to an MBA program will help you easily complete all the entry requirements. Our advice will not just help you apply to an MBA program but will help you clear the MBA admission interview and select the right MBA school in India for you. We have one of the best panels of experts to guide you through applying for an MBA degree and to prepare you well for your MBA admission interview.

To get admission into MBA institutes there are various entrance exams. Following are the details of these exams along with the related websites:

CAT (www.catiim.in) is an Entrance test for 7 IIMs and more than 100 management schools.

XAT (www.xlri.edu) is the entrance test for XLRI and more than 50 management schools

JMET (www.gate.iitkgp.ac.in/jmet/onlineproc.php) entrance test is for the Schools of Management at the IITs and IISc

SNAP (www.snaptest.org) takes the entrance test for SIBM, SCMHRD and other Symbiosis group institutes

MAT (www.aima-ind.org) is accepted by more than 100 management schools

ATMA (www.atma-aims.org) is accepted by more than 100 management schools

Among all these, CAT and MAT are the most sought after by MBA institutes. Dr Sahay of IMT Ghaziabad says, "We started using CAT scores three years back. We give a lot of importance to CAT score and basic education performance. We prefer students with at least one year of experience. During interview and GD, we look at general awareness, personality, leadership quality and communications." A good score in written test goes a long way in ensuring that you get a seat in a good institution, say experts.

Dr Ratnam of IMI says, "The major change that we have made this year is to drop CAT scores as weightage for final selection. We will use CAT scores as a short-listing tool only. We will now give more weightage to the previous scholastic record of a candidate."

After clearing the entrance exam, the next step would be: Group Discussion and Interview. Based on the candidate`s written exam performance, the institutes issue calls for Group Discussion and Interview to the short-listed candidates. In most cases, all the candidates who are called for the Group Discussion are also interviewed. A few institutes do short-list candidates even after the Group Discussion stage and only the short-listed candidates are interviewed.

Apart from the written examination and GD/Interview performance most management institutes also include Work experience and academic record and extra-curricular activities in the candidate`s academic career in their selection criteria.

Usually work experience is given weightage only if it is full-time paid experience after graduation - that too only if it is of more than six months duration. Less than six months of work experience is not given weightage in the selection process. Different institutes follow different methods and the IIMs, for example, do not count the work experience before graduation.

WHAT DO TOP MBA COLLEGES LOOK FOR?

Just preparing for CAT entrance exam is not enough. To land in the MBA institute of your dreams, you first need to know what qualities the MBA institutes look for in a candidate. And then get cracking!

Written tests check academic caliber

Among all entrance exams, CAT, XAT, MAT, ATMA entrance exams are the most popular exams which give entry of multiple MBA institutes. There are some institute specific entrance exams such as FMS for Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi; IIFT, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi and Kolkata; JMET for the MBA institutes of the IIMs, NMAT, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. There are state level entrance exams like Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MAH-CET), Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test (TANCET) etc.

These entrance exams look for the Quantitative, Verbal and Data Interpretation Abilities. It also tests the accuracy level of the candidates.

Post clearing the entrance exam

After clearing the CAT as well as other MBA institute entrance exams, the next step is GD & PI. Based on the candidate’s MBA entrance exam performance, the institute calls them for GD & PIs. A few MBA institutes short-list candidates after the group discussion stage and only the short-listed candidates are interviewed.

Dr. BS Sahay, Director of IIM Raipur says, "We look for the factors like overall presentation, content, educational qualification and personal background are also taken into account. We want the students to be original. If they pretend to be someone else, that won’t take them to IIMs."

Some of the entrance exam also conduct essays as per the selection procedure XLRI and IIFT give importance to essays. Many of the IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode also hold Essay Writing. According to a member of the Admission Committee of a top MBA institute, candidates can express their opinions and facts in a much better way than GDs which mostly take a chaotic turn.

B schools like IIMs, MDI Gurgaon etc. are also giving weightage to the previous academic records and work experience.

What do MBA institutes look for in a candidate?

Why is excelling in written exam so important? A good MBA course is so rigorous that if the candidate is not academically sound, he won’t be able to cope up with the pressure.

While talking about the qualities looked for in a candidate during the Personal Interview session, Dr. Pingali Venugopal, Dean XLRI Jamshedpur mentions, “We check whether the candidates have proper knowledge, interest and depth of the subject or not. We also test whether the candidate is genuinely interested in doing MBA or is just following the common trend. XLRI also looks for certain personality traits in the candidates. We look for all those qualities which a manager must have, such as communication skills, leadership qualities, and awareness, to name a few.”

GD-PI assess a candidate’s personality

The purpose of GD is to measure the quality of a candidate on parameters like content and knowledge, rational thought process, communication skills, group behavior and leadership skills. “GDs are conducted to test managerial attributes like interpersonal skills, leadership, analytical and rational thinking, knowledge and personality traits. Communicating in a clear and fluent manner is a must,” Jaya Desai of IMS Learning says.

A personal interview is aimed at knowing a candidate more intimately, assessing the clarity of thinking process, future goals and how much is the candidate fit for the MBA institute. Desai says “The personal interview aims to assess the skills, attitude and personality of the aspirant. The MBA institutes check if the candidate is fit for their courses."

Work experience matters, but not essential

Apart from the MBA entrance exams and GD & PI performance, MBA institutes include work experience, academic record and extra-curricular activities in their selection criteria. Usually work experience is given weightage only if it is a full-time experience after graduation. In most cases, any work experience of less than six months is not considered during selection process.

In past few years, top MBA institutes are admitting more number of candidates with work experience. For example, according to IIM Ahmedabad, among the 310 students admitted in the batch of 2009-2011, 57.42 per cent have an average of 23 months of work experience. IIM Bangalore admitted a total number of 354 students for the Post Graduate Program (PGP) of 2009-2011. Of them, 241 students have work experience ranging from 12 to more than 48 months, while the average experience is that of 29 months.

Whereas MBA institutes offering one year MBA programs like ISB Hyderabad, and Great Lakes School of Management, Chennai, require a minimum of two years of full-time work experience.

Complete package matters!

While selecting candidates, the selectors always look for special qualities which will justify the MBA institute as well as the courses offered by them. “They should be innovative and creative. We are looking for candidates who can out of the box ideas,” says Dr. Venugopal. Dr. Anwar Ali, Director of IMT Ghaziabad, says, “The candidate should have ‘fire-in-the-belly’ and zeal to achieve something big! We look out for achievers.”

“An aspirant should first qualify as a good citizen and then strive to become an MBA executive. And above all think about the society as a whole, besides your own career,” says Dr. Sahay and adds, “An aspirant must have passion for pursuing an MBA. They must have the quality to be become global managers.

STARTING YOUR CAT JOURNEY

CAT – A brief understanding

The Indian Institute of Management Indore, which is conducting CAT this year, has declared that the test will be held in a 20 days window between October 16 and November 11, 2013. Registration for the same will begin on July 29.

With CAT being one of the most competitive B-school entrance examination, it needs hardcore in- depth preparation, where nothing can be left to chance. One should start preparing for this computer-based examination at least six months in advance. Your high percentile in CAT awards you with opportunities to enter top B-schools like IIMs, FMS, IIFT, MDI etc.

Making it organized

CAT no doubt has a vast syllabus, it is like a big banyan tree with multiple branches, and every branch has got its due importance. One thing is however, clear you have to go up the trunk to reach those branches else will remain unfamiliar with it.

Find out the factors

If you are a commerce graduate or graduate with statistics, you may have good command on Data interpretation, Logical reasoning. If you are an engineering graduate or a graduate in Physics or Mathematics, you may have strong aptitude to solve questions based on Quantitative Ability. Students of Arts & Literature – as a general presumption - may have better skill in spoken and written standard English language. Hence first of all, you need to analyse your strength and weaknesses and how much time you may be required to devote to your weak areas.

The Analysis

Now looking at the syllabus and past pattern of CAT examination, there may be weak areas even in your strong holds. There you will have to study and practice more, and on the other hand there may be a few topics in your weak areas where you are stronger enough and you may need less revision and practice sessions for them. Strategically, you must find out such weak areas and segregate them from the strong ones.

MBA Aspirants who seek to score high percentile must begin with the section they like most. Another option is to take some expert guidance –how to proceed. A good preparation centre/mentor may help you find the root cause of your weak areas.

Some Aspirants have weak fundamentals. For example, while they can solve the jumbled paragraphs with certain short-cuts, instincts, elimination method but at the same time, they don’t have ability to connect the sentences logically. Such Aspirants need to begin their preparation with Grammar, Vocabulary, contextual use of words or sentences, correct usage, and practice of Reading Comprehension passages.

HIGHS AND LOWS OF CAT 2012

Highs

Higher number of applicants: This year, the number of applications increased by around 4.5 per cent. With this positive change, the management education scenario of India that witnessed a pall of gloom in the last couple of years is seeing a glimmer of hope.

Around 2.15 lakh candidate bought the CAT 2012 vouchers. Of this, 2.14 lakh candidates registered themselves for the exam. About 9,000 more candidates appeared for CAT this year compared with CAT 2011, which saw 2.05 lakh candidates taking the test. Dr. Debashis Chatterjee, director, IIM Kozhikode, said: “The rise in the number of CAT takers is a positive indication that people have restored faith in the exam. The higher number of experienced candidates has also indicated that the economy is going to improve over the next two-three years.”

More female candidates: CAT 2012 witnessed a positive trend with respect to the pursuit for the gender equality in high quality management institutions. This year, as many as 60,876 female candidates registered out of the total 2.14 lakh candidates. The share of female candidates was 28.4 per cent. The number of female candidates appearing for CAT 2011 was 56,050. “The shift in the candidate pool in terms of the gender and social balance as well as work experience is a positive indication that our society is becoming more aware of the opportunities that are available,” said Prof SSS Kumar, CAT 2012 convenor from IIM Kozhikode, the institute which is conducting the examination.

Balanced questions: The difficulty level of the questions among the two sections was balanced. Though initially the difficulty level was higher in the quantitative ability & data interpretation section, the verbal ability & logical reasoning section too got tough in following days. This ensured that the overall the difficulty level was balanced and not skewed towards a particular section. “In earlier slots, the quantitative ability & data interpretation section ruled. But from middle slots, verbal ability questions got equally tough and ambiguous and logical reasoning questions became trickier,” said Gautam Puri, vice-chairman, Career Launcher.

Lows

Disruptions at test centers: Despite all the measures taken at the test centers to avoid glitches, CAT 2012 could still not offer a 100 per cent glitch-free testing experience to test takers. Apart from a few stray incidents in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata, a major disruption took place in Delhi on October 20, 2012, the eighth day of the 21-day test. The power got disrupted in the test centers of Delhi’s Asia Pacific Institute of Management, Jasola Vihar, and Panacea Testing Centre in Mayapuri. After a few hours when the testing conditions could not be restored, test takers of these centers were shifted to other centers. Prometric managing director Soumitra Roy told MBAUniverse.com, “Resolving any operational and technical issues that come up during the testing is part of Prometric’s standard operating procedure. We have a robust infrastructure in place to identify and resolve issues as they surface. At Prometric, we follow global standards of testing and ensure that all candidates get the best testing experience. Electrical malfunction and power-related issues are beyond our control.” He, however, added that immediate action and the best possible measures were taken to avoid re-occurrence of such problems.

High difficulty in QA proved tough for

non-engineering students: Though the difficulty level of CAT 2012 was balanced in the later slots, initially the toughness quotient rested only on the quantitative ability & data interpretation section and the verbal ability & logical reasoning area seemed to be a cakewalk. This skewed distribution of the difficulty level once again seemed to prove CAT as a test meant for students from the engineering and science backgrounds. “The quantitative ability & data interpretation section remained the toughest throughout. Though the difficulty level of the verbal ability & logical reasoning section went up later, the first section was always high on the difficulty level compared with the second section,” Arks Srinivas, CEO, VistaMind Education, said.

Diversity still a far cry: Management is a holistic science, and hence CAT is a test which should not only be taken by engineers but also students from other backgrounds such as humanities, commerce, medical streams, etc. Though the educational backgrounds vary among science, commerce, CA, bachelor of business studies, agriculture, architecture, pharmaceutical sciences and chartered accountancy, etc, students of the humanities and medical backgrounds are yet to catch up.

TIPS TO CRACK VERBAL ABILITY

CAT questions have changed a lot and unlike direct vocabulary questions of 90's, it now focuses on contextual usage of vocabulary in sentences and paragraphs.

While preparing vocabulary for Verbal Ability section of CAT, you may find this a vast exercise. Given the kind of questions in CAT which many a time does not refer to the direct meaning but contextual usage, makes your Vocabulary preparation even tougher. But a well-thought exercise on vocabulary may make your preparation smooth and easy.

Judge the strength of your Vocabulary by simply giving it a pensive thought for a few moments. How many words do you recall? May be somewhere around 800-1000 or whatever you can get. Now start writing them (rest assured you can write 80 words a minute, if you remember them with correct spelling). Suddenly you will find your stock of vocabulary has increased by another 400+ words. How did it happen? Simple, you become more concentrated and focused, when you write and whatever is hidden in your sub-conscious mind, starts flowing out. Now give a thought to this exercise – how many words from the total stock belong to the category of mugged up ones and how many are from the frequently used bag, or childhood learning period. You might be astonished to know that more than 70% of the words belong to the latter category. If you start putting all the words to usage in writing, you will again find that you are more comfortable while using the latter category words and rest of the words either leave you flummoxed in usage or you tend to put most of them to wrong application.

An important question is – Now what to do? Relax and follow a few simple rules. All of us are aware that our vocabulary gets enriched in number of ways. Since childhood, we have been hearing or reading new words and after a certain period hundreds of words cease to appear as new. While going through in context, we deduce their meaning or we try to look at the way they are made up and quickly put their meaning together. CAT in its new attire, has changed a lot and unlike direct vocabulary questions of 90’s it has focused itself with contextual usage of vocabulary in sentences and paragraphs.

Understanding a word is different from knowing it- We may understand a word as to what it means-nearly but it is not necessary that we know well how to use it in its correct sense. We may recognize more words that we use and have some idea of their meaning. However, we do not use them often, so the correct use is not well known to us. While getting ready to learn new words, take the periodical tips, their roots, prefixes-suffixes etc.

Remember the following Tips-
Most important of all - Do not memorize long lists of new words. Parrot-fashion learning will not help you in CAT especially because the interpretation of meaning is more important for solving the questions. The words which are learnt in context and those which can be put to use in speech and writing shall form the part of the vocabulary. While preparing for the vocabulary section you can go through the following steps:

i) First of all try to guess the meaning of the word used in particular context
ii) Check the guess in dictionary, its correct spelling, pronunciation and then finally, practice the new word.
iii) Frame the sentences containing the word, write the sentences down.
iv) Try to think how many times you have used the word during the day. Speak out the sentences to yourself, standing before the mirror or whatever means you find to use the same.
v) Try to picturise the word, memory works better on pictures than on reading & lectures etc. Grab the opportunity to use the word in conversation. Feel proud when you use it but never try to correct the other person using the same words. The person might be right and might be using it in some other context or you might have got it wrong. So be polite and bring more strength in yourself.

Let’s have a quick look at use of synonyms:

Synonym Words do not mean that they can perfectly substitute one another. They are formed to be used in different contexts like a woman can’t be handsome as a man can’t be pretty. Look at the following close synonyms that have difference in usage –

Key word Synonyms

Valour - courage, boldness, bravery, daring

1. Soldiers get chance to show valour/daring/boldness/courage/bravery at the time of war.
2. They warmly commended the bravery/valour/boldness of the rescue workers.
3. The courage/daring/bravery of the early martyrs gave courage/bravery/valour to others.
4. Hopefully, a good number of religious people will muster the boldness/bravery/courage to read the book anyway.

Differences in usage-
Courage is being without fear. (Inner strength)
Bravery is doing something regardless of your fear. (Exhibit)
Gallantry is more of a synonym of chivalrousness.
Heroism is being the one who steps forward.
Mettle is the ability to not back down from a challenge, (i.e. a "Test of Mettle" is basically calling someone a chicken).
Valour is the integrity of spirit that keeps someone strong and able to do the right thing. (Not shown all the time without purpose)

Answers – 1. Valour 2. bravery 3.courage 4.courage

Author of this article Mr S K Agarwal is a CAT Expert, a seasoned CAT trainer with over 25 years of experience, & author of many CAT books.

TIPS TO CRACK CAT THIS YEAR

With 100 days left for CAT, it’s time now for MBA Aspirants to strike balance between speed and accuracy in their mock CAT papers.

You can arrive at the ideal equation between these two very important factors after some thorough analysis. The way to get this right is through a simple two step process

Find the speed at which you can get near 100% accuracy.
After you have found this speed, stay at this speed.

This whole trade-off analysis is an unnecessary distraction. And it needlessly provides one with the excuse “I was trying to do this quicker”. In its current avatar, CAT is not really a speed based exam.

CAT has changed, so should your preparation plan: During the period from 1995 to around 2001/02, CAT used to have around 160-180 questions in the paper, to be tackled in 2 hours. Back then, one needed to attempt ~100-110 questions to get a good score. So, we guys (I took my CAT in 2000) needed to attempt nearly 1 question per minute. The paper had a bunch of tough questions, no doubt; but there would also be plenty of freebies that were easy pickings. There were also plenty of ‘direct’ questions – questions where one never needed to figure out the method – where one just had to plug in a formula and compute. We used to take the exam in frenzy; we were forced to take decisions with a lot of pre-built ideas, we were required to take a lot of chances and hope it would average out.

In the current era, each section has 30 questions for 70 minutes. And if a student gets 16-17 in Quant and 20-21 in verbal, he/she should be in the 99th percentile range in each section. This gives us nearly 4 minutes per quant question and more than 3 minutes per verbal question. So, an extra 30 seconds spent on reading the question correctly is great value.

Mock exams lead to a need-for-speed attitude: The most important negative factor with taking lot of mock exams is this tendency to give too much importance to these percentile scores. Whichever mock CAT series you take, the chances are that there will be someone who has attempted 50 questions and scored 99.xxth percentile. And if you have scored 92nd percentile after having attempted 38 questions, the temptation is to somehow increase the attempts. The correlation between attempts and score is high, but more importantly it is the one that is clearly visible. You will never hear about the guy who attempted 39 questions, got 38 correct, and scored 98th percentile. Chances are, this guy will overtake the 99.xx percentile guy by the time actual CAT happens.

The desire to increase attempts leads to two key errors –
Very high score volatility: A student may scores 98th percentile in one exam and in the very next exam he might fall at 76th. If score volatility is this high, this will hurt confidence in the last lap of your preparation and panicky decisions will creep into the system on D-Day.
A reluctance to resolve between the last two available choices: I hear a great many students saying this “Sir, I know the answer has to be B or D. I mark one and it is usually the other”. If you chase attempts, you will never learn the skill of resolving these 1 out of 2 questions. The best students are the ones that get these correct. They are the ones that take effort to resolve these.



So, what should a CAT aspirant do?
It’s simple. Forget about speed. Do a lot of practice. Pick the ability to select the correct questions. Trust yourself to get questions right. Resist the temptation to rack up attempts. Contrary to popular perception, speed cannot be built with some short cuts. Try a small exercise. Read a passage of 600 words with some seriousness. Now, read passages quicker and consciously try to read a passage, much quicker. Odds are that you won’t register much from the second passage. Your brain is not ready to accept data at the rate at which your eyes gloss over the words.

In CAT, intensity and concentration often get mistaken for speed. There are going to be 3 passages of ~600 words each. The quickest reader around will take 3 minutes to read a passage, while the slowest ones will take around 5 minutes. If you get 3 out of 3 correct, it won’t matter whether you took 3 minutes to read or 5. The worst result, and the one most students reach is the one where you read very quickly in 3 minutes, read question 1, then read the passage again quickly for 2 more minutes, read question 2, read again the passage, this time even quicker, eventually spending 14 minutes on this passage to get 1 correct out of 3.
It is one of the peculiarities of these mock CAT exams that whenever a student finds his/her error rate to be too high, he/she generally increases the attempts in the next mock CAT. It totally defies logic, but consistently happens nevertheless. A bid to increase attempts in order to compensate for a high error rate is a recipe for disaster.

Therefore, develop ability to select the right questions, have the confidence to skip questions without coming under pressure, and have the presence of mind to stay at your best throughout. How quickly one does a particular question is far less relevant.

EXAM PREP STRATEGY FOR CAT,XAT,CMAT,NMAT

As major MBA Entrance exam dates have been announced for academic session 2014-16, your Prep strategy must include simultaneous preparation for other exams like XAT, NMAT & CMAT even as CAT would be over in October-November.

Your simultaneous preparation for other MBA exams can add many other admission opportunities at top B-schools. For example, XLRI’s XAT will be held in January 5. The two month gap between CAT & XAT gives you enough time to prepare for XAT provided you are mentally prepare for that. After the XAT exam, second CMAT of the season will be held in February. This again gives you a one month gap to prepare for the test after XAT. You can also schedule your NMAT test date in December so that you get some breathing space to prepare for that exam also after your CAT.

Thus a well planned preparation strategy can ensure good scores in different exam and hence admission opportunities at top B-schools. While the basic preparation that you would do for CAT will help you prepare for other entrance exam also, you must analyze the pattern of other exams as well to keep yourself mentally prepare to switch over to preparation for XAT, CMAT, NMAT at appropriate time.

Thus, sustaining your prep momentum for other important MBA entrance exams during and after CAT is very important to ensure admission in 2014-15 academic year.

The major MBA entrance exams dates have already been announced.
MBA Entrance Exam

Exam Dates
Common Admission Test (CAT)

October 16- November 11

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT)

January 5

NMIMS Management Aptitude Test (NMAT)

October 5- December 18

Common Management Admission Test (CMAT)

September 26 – September 30


Unique Features of MBA Entrance Exams:
While CAT is considered as the most prestigious and recognized entrance exam for MBA admission, the other entrance exams like XAT, NMAT, CMAT are also known for some of their unique features.

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT)
While other major MBA entrance tests have become computer-based, XAT continues to be a paper pencil test.

Though your CAT preparation will cover most of the XAT syllabus, you will need consistent preparation for the General Awareness section that was added only last year in XAT. The paper of XAT 2013 was divided into two sections, each with different scoring sheets. The first part had multiple-choice questions for three sections – Verbal Ability, Decision Making & Quantitative Aptitude. The time allotted for it was 2:20 hours. The second part had essay writing and General Awareness questions and time stipulated for it was only 40 minutes.

NMIMS Management Aptitude Test (NMAT):
NMAT offers you two more re-take after your first attempt. The best of the three scores are used for admission process.

NMIMS School of Business Management (SBM) conducts NMIMS Management Aptitude Test (NMAT) for admission to its different management programmes including two Year Full -Time programs MBA, MBA – Banking, MBA – Capital Market, MBA-HR, & MBA-Pharmaceutical Management at Mumbai campus and PGDM at Bengaluru & Hyderabad Campuses. The testing window for NMAT is spread over the months of October–December.

NMAT is an objective type multiple-choice test. (There will be no descriptive type questions).
The candidate should note that it is important for them to perform well relative to other candidates in each of the 3 sections of the test as the score of each section and the overall score is used to shortlist the candidate for the second stage of the selection process as well as in the final ranking. Please note that there will be no negative marking.



Common Management Admission Test (CMAT)
The CMAT is conducted twice for every academic year. For example, while the first CMAT for admission year 2014-15 will be held in September this year, the second test will be held in the month of February next year. The better of the two scores are considered for the admission process by different B-schools.

CMAT is a three-hour test. The sections are: quantitative techniques & data interpretation, logical reasoning, language comprehension and general awareness. The total number of questions is 100, with 25 questions in each section. There is negative marking of one mark and each correct answer will fetch four marks. The overall difficulty level of the exam is easy to moderate.

CAT DATES 2013

IIMs have announced the date for The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2013, which will be held from October 16 to November 11 in tenure of 20 days across the country.

Important dates for CAT 2013 Exam:
Sale of CAT form and Prospectus: From July 29 to September 24
Registration of CAT 2013: July 29 to September 26
Date of Examination CAT 2013: October 16 to November 11

LR TIPS ON BLOOD RELATION QUESTIONS

The questions based on blood relations are important part of Logical Reasoning section of Common Admission Test (CAT).


Such LR questions are also part of all the other reputed MBA entrance examinations. A quick glimpse on the past papers suggests that number of LR questions since 2006 have been increased from 5 to 10 with higher level of Difficulty. A number of topics and sub topics are covered to form questions in Logical Reasoning. While our previous article on Logical Reasoning covered the concept of Seating Arrangements sets, this article brings out tips on solving questions based on Blood Relations.


Strategy to solve: Questions based on Blood Relations are, although a little complex, they can be solved faster, if one has the understanding of Family Tree. The irony of the present modern world is that we have to devise various ways and means to solve them whereas, solutions to such questions are on the tips of illiterate old aged people. However, the basic strategy to solve such questions is to know the various relations among family members. Spread out the understanding and follow the relations to at least three four generations like Great Grand parents and children, Aunts, uncles, cousins. Don’t be afraid even when the simple relation is described in a circuitous manner, just place the layers of relationship above or below each of them. This will help you to form the family tree in an easy manner.


Types of Questions- Try to remember good old childhood days when we spent our summer vacation with the grandparents or the hot summer noons and cool nights, where the process of exchange of riddles based on various hypothetical situations with Blood Relations continued which gave the small brain a good storming but made us understand the logical coherence of relations. Alas! It happens no more and we remain glued to the electronic media, social sites, thus losing out on the obvious knowledge of blood relationships and family tree. Now, we have to study the pattern and system to follow such problems. Such questions could come in singles or in sets. They may be statement based or puzzle based


1) Statement Based questions – They are usually presented with a single question


1. A is the father of B, but B is not the Son of A –Ans. Very simple – answer is daughter.


2. Radhe and Sunita were going on foot from one village to another on a summer afternoon. Sunita felt thirsty and wished to have some water to quench her thirst. Radhe found out a well with sweet water and asked Sunita to accompany him to the well. The other ladies who were drawing water from the well gave water and some eatables to Sunita. One of them asked Sunita the relationship between her and Radhe to which Sunita replied that Radhe’s mother-in-law and her mother-in-law were mother and daughter. What could be the relationship between Radhe and Sunita.


i) Father and daughter ii) Husband and wife iii) Father in law and Daughter in Law
iv) Brother in law and sister in law


Answer – iii) Father in Law and Daughter in law. Eliminate the first option as it indicates mothers not mother in law; second option can’t be true; ivth option again does not establish any blood relation. Although easy to solve – yet difficult to solve unless you follow the – Family tree of relations.


2) Puzzle Based Questions – Usually such questions are presented in sets. Look at one of the CAT questions –


Direction for questions 1 to 4 – Answer the questions that follow the information given in the undernoted paragraph.


Four families decided to attend the marriage ceremony of one their colleagues. One family has no kids, while the others have at least one kid each. Each family with kids has at least one kid attending the marriage. Given below is some information about the families, and who reached when to attend the marriage.


The family with two kids came just before the family with no kids.
Shanthi who does not have any kids reached just before Sridevi’s family.
Sunil and his wife reached last with their only kid.
Anil is not the husband of Joya.
Anil and Raj are fathers.
Sridevi’s and Anita’s daughters go to the same school.
Joya came before Shanthi and met Anita when she reached the venue.
Raman stays the farthest from the venue.
Raj said his son could not come because of his exams.


Q.1 – Which woman arrived third?


a) Shanthi b) Sridevi c) Anita d) Joya


Q.2-Name the correct pair of Husband and Wife?


a) Raj and Shanthi b) Sunil and Sridevi c) Anil and Sridevi d) Raj and Anita


Q.3- Of the following pairs, whose daughters go to the same school?


a) Anil and Raman b) Sunil and Raman c) Sunil and Anil d) Raj and Anil


Q.4- Whose family is known to have more than one kid for certain?


a) Raman’s b) Raj’s c) Anil’s d) Sunil’s


How to figure out the answers – Four men are – Anil, Raj, Sunil and Raman; four women are- Shanthi, Sridevi, Joya, Anita. Now we have to find out –


Order of arrival – Anita was already there, Joya came before Shanthi followed by Sridevi.
Kids – On the basis of information we have- Anita (1 kid daughter), Joya has 2 kids, Shanthi –no kids, Sridevi- 1 kid daughter


Husbands – Since Anil and Raj are fathers and Sunil reached last, Anil is not the husband of Joya- we get – Anil-Anita; Raj-Joya; Raman-Shanthi; Sunil-Sridevi – now we have a clear picture and can answer any question logically; So


Ans. From 1 to 4 – 1.a) Shanthi 2.b) Sunil and Sridevi 3.c) Sunil and Anil 4. b) Raj’s


Know the terms: Below is given a small chart to clear the picture on Blood Relations. It will help aspirants to crack the LR questions. Although native languages other than English, in all probability have different names for different relations-even on paternal or maternal sides. But English has one Uncle, Brother in Law, Sister-in-Law etc. So, read carefully the information given in the question before proceeding to solve it.


1. Grandfather (Maternal or paternal) - Father’s or mother’s father
2. Grandmother(Maternal or Paternal) - Mother’s or father’s mother
3. Father-in-law - Husband’s or wife’s father
4. Mother-in-law - Husband’s or wife’s mother
5. Daughter-in-law - Son’s wife
6. Son-in-law - Daughter’s husband
7. Brother-in-law - Husband’s or wife’s brother
8. Sister-in-law - Husband’s or wife’s sister
9. Nephew - Brother’s or sister’s son
10. Niece - Brother’s or sister’s daughter
11. Uncle - Mother’s or Father’s brother
12. Aunt - Mother’s or father’s sister
13. First cousin or cousin - Uncle’s of Aunt’s son or daughter
14. Second cousin - Son or daughter of the first cousin
15. Sibling - Real brother or sister
(Offspring of the same parents)

FAQ ABOUT CAT EXAM

CAT is an exam that is being taken by lakhs and lakhs of students but only few hundred are lucky enough to get into the Top Ranking Institutes. This is not because they are made up of some different skin and different blood flows into their vessel, it’s just that they have that extra edge in them.


Anyone can have or develop that extra edge in them. What’s needed is just a little sincerity and dedication.
Here are the answers to a few basic questions most of you have in mind before you start your prep.
Hope this clears at least a few of your doubts.
For any other doubts please feel free to email me anytime.

When should I start preparing for CAT?
As i have always suggested, there is no right time to start preparing for any exam. Once you have decided to have a go for CAT, there is no point in waiting for an auspicious moment for the preparation to begin. Start NOW.

Don’t worry if there is little time left or you started your preparation late. You have to start somewhere. Just take the first step, work as hard as you can, give it your best shot and nothing can stop you. There are students like you who start 1 month before the exam, a few start 2-3 months before the exam. They are successful because they put all their effort into their prep. it doesn't matter when you start, for how long you study the only thing that matters is how well you understand what you study. Quantity or time doesn't matter in CAT prep. Only quality matters.

You can study for 10 hours but learn only 2 concepts or you can study for 1 hour and understand 10 concepts. It all depends on you.


What is the Pre-requisites/eligibility for CAT and admission to IIMs and other B-Schools?
Anyone who has completed or is in the final year of his/her bachelor's degree (Any stream: Engineering, medicine, humanities, sciences etc) can take the exam.


Is CAT a tough exam?Any exam is tough if you do not prepare. The CAT exam tests the caliber of a person to handle and juggle things by throwing at him/her difficulties that only the best minds can handle. The whole buzz that it is one of the toughest exams in India is just a MYTH.

This buzz was created by coaching classes to scare students so that you join classes and they make profits. CAT exam tests the overall aptitude of a student, Same as the other exams like SNAP, XAT, MAT, GRE, GMAT ETC.

If CAT was the toughest exam out there guaranteeing that only the smartest students can crack it, then even other top colleges would have accepted their scores. Obviously, every college wants the smartest students in order to attain the top position.


Through CAT, candidate’s conceptualized knowledge, analytical skills and decision making capabilities are judged because this is what is expected by a manager of a company to do, and all CAT aspirants are future managers.

What is the pattern of the CAT exam?

Since the inception of this computer – based CAT, there are only two sections in CAT paper now. Quant & DI and Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning.

What are the other exams I can sit for if I prepare for CAT?You can sit for almost all the management entrance exams that test the aptitude of the candidate like XAT, MAT, SNAP, CET, SRCC GBO, IIFT, JMET, NMIMS, etc.


The aptitude test consists of English (verbal ability and reading comprehension), Quantitative Ability (mostly Class X level math, except in some exams like XAT and JMET where pure math, which is taught at the higher secondary level, questions are asked), Data Interpretation, Data Sufficiency and Reasoning.

In some exams such as MAT (Management Aptitude Test, another all-India common entrance exam), SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test, for the institute in Pune), IIFT (entrance test for the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade), IRMA (entrance test for the Institute of Rural Management at Anand) and ATMA (the Association of Indian Management Schools' Test for Management Admissions, another all-India exam), there will also be an additional section of General Awareness.

As can be seen, once you prepare for CAT, you can attempt almost all the management entrance exams.

In addition, the preparation will also be helpful in cracking the campus recruitment related exams. However, the patterns of different exams have to be studied and attempted individually to get maximum results.
How do I prepare for the various sections in the CAT paper?


Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension: The basic requirement for both these sections is a good vocabulary and a strong sense of grammar.

Ability to read fast would be an added advantage. In the first three months of preparation, you should spend a lot of time on improving your vocabulary and reading speed.

As the questions can be from any general topic -- economics, psychology, philosophy, sociology, politics, medicine, science, culture, arts, etc -- it is important to inculcate good reading habits.

Quantitative ability: You have to be very good at numbers and geometry. The best way to prepare for this section is to pick up a guide on Quantitative Ability and start working on the basics.

Make it a goal that in the next three months, you have to complete the basics of all topics CAT covers.
The typical CAT Quantitative Ability questions are based on simple equations, ratio proportion and variation, percentage, profit and loss, numbers, indices, logs and surds, averages, mixtures and allegations, quadratic equations, progressions, time and work, time and distance, geometry and mensuration, permutations and combinations, probability, special equations, inequalities, number systems, functions and graphs, coordinate geometry and miscellaneous math logic.
Data Interpretation: In the last three years, DI is becoming more and more reasoning and logic oriented rather than pure mathematical calculation oriented as many think it to be. However, to start your DI preparations, it is important to improve your speed-calculation techniques. You should be thorough with tables up to 20, fractions, squares and cubes of numbers. In addition, learn the techniques of speed-multiplication and division. Once you are thorough with these areas, then taking up the different types of DI sets and working on them would be a simple and effective way of starting your preparations.

Is it important to join a coaching class?

NO, Coaching classes cannot guarantee you an IIM seat.

Coaching classes have a fixed schedule and require time

Working professionals, college students cannot afford to waste precious time in just traveling. on residential students or students without vehicles cannot manage to travel far for classes.

Fee of a coaching class can cost you approx rs.1000-40000, mock series can cost around rs.5000-20000 which cannot be afforded by many.

Classes are distracting. you will end up spending more time with your friends than you spend with your preparation

Tutors in most classes are inexperienced or lack good teaching skills. Tutors cannot give attention to every student individually because the numbers of students in most classes are 10-50.

If you want a specific class’s Study material it can be easily taken from ex students. A lot of study material and books are available in the markets which are more than sufficient for your prep.

In the end you will end up wasting more time than gaining knowledge.

How many hours every day must I study?
There is no one single ideal number of hours that one should prepare. It all depends on your ability and the state of your preparedness. If you start your preparation early, about an hour a day would give you a good start. Similarly, when you start say in May/June, then about two hours per day may be required. And if you start in August, then around four hours a day.

Are there any books to help me prepare for CAT?
Though there are enough books written on CAT, there is no one -- or even two -- book that can give you an overall idea about CAT or the preparation for it. This is the reason why i made the CAT PREP GUIDE so students can have everything they need in the comfort of their own home and be able to access it through  their computers/laptops and phones.

For those who don't have the guide,Some books in the market give the CAT papers of the last 10 years, which may be useful to browse and understand the level of difficulty of the exam.there are few books available for practice but sadly so far,i have not seen any good books that explain concepts or give shortcuts,tricks or strategies to solve questions.I am not very fond of books by A. Sharma,R.Handa,C.Agrawal etc,they are OK for practice but they do not explain how the sum can be solved and how to solve it in the quickest and most accurate way possible.I always ask students to refer to GRE and GMAT books, especially for verbal prep.

Make sure you buy a book which has clear and simple explanations of all concepts. a lot of practice material is available in general book stores but good concepts cannot be found easily. Also try to find books that have shortcuts, tricks and tips given. It will be an added advantage.

However, reading newspapers daily, and going through weekly magazines like India Today, Outlook, Frontline, and business magazines such as Business Today, Business World or Business India will help you improve your general awareness. It will also improve reading speed and vocabulary.


How do I prepare for individual sections?
I have covered each and every section divided into single topics.
Everything you need for your preparation is given in the guide including tips, strategies, e-books, shortcuts, gd-pi, gk etc.
But before starting to draw any strategy, you need to familiarize yourself with all CAT sections and sub-sections, as well as the variety of questions that feature in each of them.

The objective behind this is very clear – to learn various methods to solve each type of question in the shortest possible time. Get the best results from your preparation


Importance of Solving Previous Years Papers in CATThe aspirants apply various techniques to prepare for this exam. The best technique out of all is by solving the previous year’s questions papers. By doing so, you can get an idea of the questions that might appear in the paper. This will simply make your CAT preparation better and effective.I have provided papers from 1990-2012 for your practice.

You can also go for various online mock tests, that will not only provide you idea and feel of the actual CAT paper, but will build confidence in you that you can also do it.

One more thing to remember is that CAT IIM papers do not stay the same each year; hence the students must be careful while solving the previous papers. Computer – based CAT has made a few changes in the paper pattern which will not be found in the previous year’s question papers. Aspirants should go through such minor details in order to be on a safer side. Online CAT exams are different from the CAT exams which were earlier given on paper. It is difficult to find the online papers over the internet.

All students aiming for IIM should always solve the previous year’s papers as it will make their doubts clear regarding the questions during the exam.

GOOD LUCK!!

NEW BUZZ IN THE JOB MARKET- ELITMUS TEST

What is Elitmus Test eLitmus Evaluation Private Limited is an Indian company that helps companies in hiring employees forentry-level jobs It was founded in the year 2005 by former employees of Infosys. Some of the Fortune 500 companies hire their employees through the pH test conducted by eLitmus. Many top IT companies such as Accenture, Collabera, McAfee and Novell among others have used the eLitmus pH score on numerous occasions to recruit candidates. What is Elitmus? Elitmus is an Online Consultancy Firm which conducts a National Level Aptitude Test called the Elitmus Ph-Test.  This Exam allows a Candidate to sit for a single test and appear for Interviews of different companies rather than appearing for Written Exam of each and every Company separately. This test is also beneficial for Companies as they don't have to conduct written exam hence saving a lot of money, time and manpower. How to prepare for Elitmus PH-Test? Anyone who is graduate or in Final year of Graduation can appear for Elitmus Ph-Test. It doesn’t include any specific subject but tests the overall Aptitude, Communication Skills and Mathematical Prowess of an individual. There is a general misconception among students that good technical skills can help them clear Elitmus Test; which is not true. So any subject-specific preparation like the one done for GATE/PSU exam is not required for Elitmus Ph-Test. Some people also believe that CAT/MAT/Bank-PO preparation is enough for Elitmus Ph-Test. However, this is also not true because the level of Elitmus Ph-Test is much higher these exams. What is the criteria of companies that hire employees  through elitmus? The pH test result gives a candidate a percentile score after which the candidate is required to appear for interviews of various companies on elitmus panel. These companies call the candidates for an interview only after scrutinizing their Resume on the basis of a number of parameters.  These parameters include: 1. Elitmus Ph-Score 2. Marks obtained in Graduation/B.Tech 3. Marks obtained in Post Graduation (if Any) 4. Marks obtained in 10th/12th Standard 5. Education gaps (if any) 6. College of Graduation Are all the parameters necessary to get a job through Elitmus? There is a general misconception among students that if they do not have a good academic background or if they have a gap in education then they do not have a chance of getting a call from any company. This is not true. All the above mentioned parameters may differ for scrutiny by each and every company and are not necessary for all companies. Generally the companies don't reveal their exact criteria but mention some expected qualities from every candidate. So, not getting a call from one company does not mean that a candidate will not get some other offers. In fact, all candidates having an Elitmus pH-Score are eligible for all companies and jobs on elitmus panel upto a duration of two years. Moreover, if a candidate does not like an offer due to lower package or job profile, he/she can reject the offer and look for better offers also. What are the companies and profiles offered through Elitmus ph-Test? They have around 130 company clients Some companies offering jobs through Elitmus are Accenture,  McAfee, Manhattan Associates, National Instruments, Tally, Ericsson. Compro, Webyog etc. You can find the complete list here- http://www.elitmus.com/clientlist ’ The job profiles offered may vary from Electrical Engineer to Software Developer, from QA Tester to Management Trainee, from Civil Engineer to Research Assistant. This is because elitmus ph-Test is open to all graduates/ B.Tech students and pass-outs.   Is elitmus ph-Test useful for Experienced professionals also? The pH test is open to all whether Fresher or Experienced. Some companies through Elitmus offer a special role or higher salary for candidates having a work Experience of 1-2 years. Many people already working in big companies like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, etc., appear for Elitmus ph-Test in expectation of a higher salary or a better profile. Are eLitmus previous year papers available online? Elitmus does not allow students to take away question papers

Elitmus Sample Papers I:- 1. What should come in the place of (?) in the given series? ACE, FGH, ?, PON (A) KKK (B) JKI (C) HJH (D) IKL Ans. (A) 2. Typist : Typewriter : : Writer: ? (A) Script (B) Pen (C) Paper (D) Book Ans. (B) 3. Paint: Artist : : Wood: ? (A) Furniture (B) Forest (C) Fire (D) Carpenter Ans. (D) 4. acme : mace :: alga: ? (A) glaa (B) gaal (C) laga (D) gala Ans. (D) 5. EIGHTY : GIEYTH : : OUTPUT:? (A) UTOPTU (B) UOTUPT (C) TUOUTP (D) TUOTUP Ans. (D) 6. ‘Medicine’ is related to ‘Patient’ in the same way as ‘Education’ is related to— (A) Teacher (B) School (C) Student (D) Tuition Ans. (C) 7. Fill in the missing letter in the following series— S, V, Y, B, ? (A) C (B) D (C) E (D)G Ans. (C) 8. What should come in the place of question mark in the following series? 3, 8, 6, 14, ?, 20 (A) 11 (B) 10 (C) 8 (D) 9 Ans. (D) 9. Select the correct option in place of the question mark. AOP, CQR, EST, GUV, ? (A) IYZ (B) HWX (C) IWX (D) JWX Ans. (C) 10. What should come in the place of question mark in the following series? 1, 4, 9, 25, 36, ? (A) 48 (C) 52 (B) 49 (D) 56 Ans. (B) Directions—(Q. 11 to 14): Select the one which is different from the other three. 11. (A) Bokaro (B) Jamshedpur (C) Bhilai (D) Agra Ans. (D) 12. (A) January (B) February (C) July (D) December Ans. (B) 13. (A) Bible (B) Panchsheel (C) Geeta (D) Quran Ans. (B) 14. (A) Star (B) Sun (C) Sky (D) Moon Ans. (C) Directions—(Q. 15 to 17): based on alphabets. 15. If the sequence of the alphabets is reversed which of the following would be the 14th letter from your left? (A) N (B) L (C) O (D) None of these Ans. (D) 16. Which letter is the 8th letter to the right of the letter, which is 12th from the left? (A) V (B) T (C) W (D) Y Ans. (B) 17. Which letter is the 8th letter to the right of the letter which is 10th to the left of the last but one letter from the right? (A) V (B) X (C) W (D) I Ans. (C) Directions—(Q. 18 to 23) Three of the following four are alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which is the one that does not belong to that group? 18. (A) Green (B) Red (C) Colour (D) Orange Ans. (C) 19. (A) Rabbit (B) Crocodile (C) Earthworm (D) Snail Ans. (A) 20. (A) Polo (B) Chess (C) Ludo (D) Carrom Ans. (A) 21. (A) Sun (B) Universe (C) Moon (D) Star Ans. (B) 22. (A) Cheese (B) Milk (C) Curd (D) Ghee Ans. (B) 23. (A) Carrot (B) Radish (C) Potato (D) Brinjal Ans. (D) 24. In a certain code ‘CONTRIBUTOR’ is written as ‘RTNOCIROTUB’. How is ‘prohibition’ written in that code? (A) NOITIBIHORP 7 (B) IHORPBITION (C) ITIONBIHOTP (D) IHORPBNOITI Ans. (D) 25. If ‘CAT’ and ‘BOAT’ are written as XZG and ‘YLZG’ respectively in a code language how is ‘EGG’ to be written in the same language? (A) VSS (B) URR (C) VTT (D) UTF Ans. (C)

About Elitmus Sample Papers II

Here are the details of Elitmus Sample Papers II job in eLitmus Elitmus Sample Papers with Answers, Solutions, Elitmus Question Papers, Sample Papers of Elitmus. Elitmus Sample Papers II:- Directions—(Q. 1–5) Each sentence has one or two blanks. Choose the word or set of words that best completes the sentence meaningfully. 1. He went to the library ……… to find that it was closed. (A) seldom (B) never (C) only (D) solely Ans : (C) 2. The ties that bind us together in common activity are so ………that they can disappear at any moment. (A) tentative (B) tenuous (C) consistent (D) restrictive Ans : (B) 3. Her reaction to his proposal was ………. She rejected it ………. (A) inevitable–vehemently (B) subtle–violently (C) clever–abruptly (D) sympathetic–angrily Ans : (A) 4. His ……… directions misled us we did not know which of the two roads to take. (A) complicated (B) ambiguous (C) narrow (D) fantastic Ans : (B) 5. It would be difficult for one so ……… to believe that all men are equal irrespective of caste, race and religion. (A) emotional (B) democratic (C) intolerant (D) liberal Ans : (C) Directions—(Q. 6–10) In each of the following sentences four words or phrases have been bold. Only one bold part in each sentence is not accepted in standard English. Identify that part and mark its letter (A), (B), (C) or (D) in your as answer. 6. Gaze for a thing (A) that are not (B) available easily (C) in the country is a universal phenomenon. (D) Ans : (B) 7. It is foolish to be expecting (A) one person to be like another (B) person, for (C) each individual is born (D) with his characteristics traits. Ans : (A) 8. The tendency to believe (A) that (B) man is inherently dishonest is something (C) that will be decried. (D) Ans : (D) 9. I have not come across very (A) few (B) people who (C) think of thing beyond (D) their daily work. Ans : (B) 10. He managed to board (A) the running train (B) but all his luggages (C) was (D) left on the station. Ans : (C) Directions—(Q. 11–15) Select the pair of words which are related in the same way as the capitalised words are related to each other. 11. SCALES : JUSTICE : : (A) Weights : Measures (B) Laws : Courts (C) Torch : Liberty (D) Launch : Peace Ans : (C) 12. HOBBLE : WALK : : (A) Gallop : Run (B) Stammer : Speak (C) Stumble : Fall (D) Sniff : Smell Ans : (B) 13. FRAYED : FABRIC : : (A) Watered : Lawn (B) Renovated : Building (C) Thawed : Ice (D) Worn : Nerves Ans : (D) 14. YOLK : EGG : : (A) Rind : Melon (B) Nucleus : Cell (C) Stalk : Corn (D) Web : Spider Ans : (B) 15. BAMBOO : SHOOT : : (A) Bean : Sprout (B) Pepper : Corn (C) Oak : Tree (D) Holly : Sprig Ans : (A) Directions—(Q. 16–20) For each of the following capitalized words, four words or phrases are given of which only one is synonymous with the given word. Select the synonym. 16. DEFER (A) Respect (B) Dislike (C) Postpone (D) Disrespect Ans : (C) 17. DUBIOUS (A) Clear (B) Undoubtedly (C) Hesitant (D) Doubtful Ans : (D) 18. COARSE (A) Impolite (B) Rough (C) Polished (D) Improper Ans : (B) 19. PROXIMITY (A) Nearness (B) Aloofness (C) Completely (D) Nearly Ans : (A) 20. ABSTAIN (A) Stay (B) Tempt (C) Refrain (D) Pardon Ans : (C) Directions—(Q. 21–25) Fill in blanks by selecting appropriate alternative. 21. I met him only a week ………. (A) back (B) past (C) ago (D) previous Ans : (C) 22. Lovey asked me ………. (A) why are you angry ? (B) why I am angry ? (C) why I was angry ? (D) why was I angry ? Ans : (C) 23. Even after repeated warnings, he ……… to office on time. (A) never come (B) never comes (C) is never coming (D) have never come Ans : (B) 24. He told his wife that ……… from Germany. (A) he will like to visit France (B) he was liking to visit France (C) he would like to visit France (D) he is liking to visit France Ans : (C) 25. Some people can ……… even with murder. (A) get on (B) get out (C) get off (D) get away Ans : (D) 26. If ‘P’ means ‘×’, ‘Q’ means ‘÷’ T means of and ‘V’ means +, then what will be the value of 85 Q 17 P 3 V 1 T 4 = ? (1) 62 (2) 31 (3) 17 (4) 19 (5) None of these Ans:- 3 27.Early morning after sunrise, Rajesh was standing infront of his house in such a way that his shadow was falling exactly behind him. He starts walking straight and walks 5 metres. He turns to his left and walks 3 metres and again turning to his left walks 2 metres. Now in which direction is he from his starting point? (1) South (2) West (3) South-East (4) North-East (5) South-West Ans:- 4 28. In a class of 39 students the ratio of boys and girls is 2 : 1. Radhika ranks 15th among all the students from top and 8th among girls from bottom. How many boys are there below Radhika? (1) 16 (2) 17 (3) 15 (4) Data inadequate (5) None of these Ans:- 2 29. In a certain code language AUTHORITY is written as YTUROHTIA. How will DESIGNATE be written in that code language? (1) ESENGATDI (2) ESEGNITAD (3) ESENGITAD (4) ESNEIGTDA (5) None of these Ans:- 3 Directions 30-31 : Read the following letter-number sequence carefully and answer the question given below: 7 3 P N 4 2 6 3 1 M L B T 4 5 G A C D F J K 1 9 8 2 30. If the first fifteen elements of the above sequence is written in the reverse order which of the following elements will be sixth to the left of twelfth element from your right? (1) J (2) 6 (3) 2 (4) 3 (5) None of these Ans:- 2 31.Four of the following five are alike in a certain way and hence form a group. Which is the one that does not belong to that group? (1) GDK (2) 7N6 (3) B5C (4) AF9 (5) TGD Ans:- 4 32.If we interchange the first and the seventh elements, the second and the eighth elements and so on upto 2 and B from your left, which of the following will be twelfth to left of eighth element from your right? (1) 6 (2) 7 (3) 2 (4) Data inadequate (5) None of these Ans:- 2 33. If it is possible to make a meaningful word with second, the third, the sixth and the ninth letters of the word PSYCHOMETRIC using each letter only once, what will be the first letter of the word can be formed. If more than one word can be formed mark M as your answer and if no such word can be formed mark X as your answer. (1) X (2) M (3) R (4) T (5) S Ans:- 4 34. If ‘M S N’ means ‘M is the father of N’, ‘M ? N’ means ‘M is the sister of N’ and ‘M * N’ means ‘M is the brother of N’ then what is the relation of C with A in A # B $ C * D? (1) Niece (2) Nephew (3) Aunt (4) Data inadequate (5) None of these Ans:- 2 35.How many such pairs of letters are there in the word EXPRESSION which have as many letters between them in the word as in the alphabet? (1) Four (2) Five (3) Three (4) Two (5) None of these Ans:- 1 Directions 36-37 : Read the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: (i) There are five buildings – A, B, C, D and E in a row facing towards East but not necessarily in the same order. Five other buildings – P, Q, R and T are in another row facing towards West. The buildings in each row are arranged infront of one another. (ii) B is at one of the end. There is only C between B and D. A is to the immediate left of D. (iii) R is just opposite to C and is between P and Q. S is to the immediate right of P. 36.Which of the following pairs is at both the ends in any of the two rows? (1) B and A (2) Q and S (3) P and T (4) B and E (5) None of these Ans:- 4 37.A is in front of which of the following buildings? (1) S (2) P (3) T (4) Q (5) R Ans:- 1 38.Which of the following buildings? (1) S (2) R (3) T (4) Data inadequate (5) None of these Ans:- 5 39.“Some stones are rocks” and “Some rocks are clouds”. If both the statements are true, then which of the following statements is DEFINITELY TRUE? (1) Some clouds are stones (2) All clouds are rocks (3) No rock is stone (4) All clouds are stones (5) None of that Ans:- 5 40. It is given that M is either greater than or equal to P. P is smaller than Q and Q is not greater than R. Which of the following is DEFINITELY TRUE? (1) M is either greater than or equal to R. (2) M is either greater than or equal to Q. (3) R is greater than P. (4) R is either greater than or equal to P. (5) None of these Ans:- 3 41.The students of a class are divided into two groups-A and B. If Sangita is included in the group A then her rank is 7th from the top and if she in included in the group B, her rank is 13th from the top. If the students of both groups are brought together, what will be the rank of Sangita? (1) 20 (2) 19 (3) 21 (4) Data inadequate (5) None of these Ans:- 4 42. In a certain code language “Jo re ka” means “sweet nice sugar”, “la fi de” means “tasty sour lemon”, “fi ka tip” means “sugar and lemon” and “la re” means “nice tasty”. How will “sweet and sour” be written in that code language? (1) Data inadequate (2) jo re ka (3) la re ka (4) la re tip (5) None of these Ans:- 5 Directions (43-44) : Read the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: Five flats – A, B, C, D, E. which are at equi-distance, are arranged in a semi-circle but not necessarily in the same order. The middle falt B faces towards North-East and is immediate right to D while C is to the immediate right of B. 43. D faces which direction? (1) North (2) North-East (3) East (4) West (5) North-west Ans:- 3 44. Which of the following two flats are at both the ends? (1) A and D (2) C and D (3) B and E (4) A and E (5) Data inadequate Ans:- 4 45. What should come in the place of question mark (?) in the following letter series? ADG CFI ? QJM (1) EGJ (2) EHK (3) DFI (4) DCH (5) None of these Ans:- 2

2 MONTHS BEFORE CAT – Once finished with entire syllabus for CAT.

This is how it follows from here on a tentative note, obviously, you juggle it based on your propensity:

1. Monday – You give the MOCK exam

2. Tuesday – You get the result and start analysis. Ideally, if the mock takes 2 and a half hour, you should spend 5 hours while analyzing. You start analyzing the questions you did, did not do and which you did but got wrong and see the reasons to it.

3. Wednesday – You start revising the weak areas that the analysis has projected. Hypothetically, let’s assume that you may have done all topics but somehow you are not able to solve questions of Geometry and Grammar properly (as per the analysis) so you prepare Geometry again.

4. Thursday – You give smaller tests while revising Geometry and Grammar in specific and other areas that you feel like in general.

5. Friday – You continue to do Geometry and grammar chapters

6. Saturday – Give smaller, 20 minute test of Geometry and grammar and a few others.



7. Sunday - Break!! Now you have revised your weak areas in particular and ready to start the next week with your flaws covered. Rinse, repeat and follow!! Then again the same routine. This will allow you to prepare for the test in the best possible manner and you can amend the flaws in your preparation.