CAT Archives - PRAQTISE - India's most fun, adaptive and personalized online preparation platform for MBA entrance tests like CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, IIFT, etc.

MBA Entrance Exams – The need for variety in your preparation to get success.

Praqtise — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 11:08:54 +0000

Let’s take a look at what students think is the best way to tackle MBA entrance exams.

“Guys, I think constant preparation for 6 hours a day, 2 hours for each section for a year will take me to the desired percentile,” Ashish said.

“True, but I think only practice would not be enough. We have to add variety in our preparation such as different approaches to paper solving, balancing between speed and accuracy, etc.” Bhaskar replied.

“According to me, we have to plan our preparation for each section, but if we can maximise our score in our focus area, we can expect the desired result. We should try to identify our strengths and weaknesses and allocate weight accordingly.” Chandresh remarked.

From the above conversation, we can make out that no particular strategy suits all the students for every MBA Exam.

PRAQTISE Fact File:

Exam	General Awareness Weightage
IIFT	23%
SNAP	29%
CMAT	25%
MAT	25%

Preparation for CAT

CAT is one of the most significant MBA exams. You have to plan very systematically for CAT. You have to identify the strongest and the weakest section as difficulty levels may vary from section to section. It may happen that your most substantial section may be the toughest one and the most vulnerable may be the easiest. So, there is a constant need to add variety to your preparation style for success. We have provided a few examples below to add variety to your training.

First, you may fix a weekly schedule. You may provide a fixed number of hours to each section. On the last day of the week, you can revise the topics you prepared throughout the week.

Second, you can prepare one section for a week and another section in the next week. You should not study only one section for a long duration. CAT tests your ability to apply knowledge. The syllabus has interlinked concepts across sections. Something you learn in DI may help you in solving a QA based question. Hence, one should try to have a balanced preparation plan.

You can prepare a chapter or a few number of chapters at a time and take a sectional test to scale your progress. It is necessary to revisit the test once it is over and reattempt the questions that you did not solve.

Third, you can prepare all the topics from all the three sections. Once you have covered the entire CAT syllabus, you can start taking mock tests. You can use various approaches such starting off with a different part of the paper (QA/VA/DI) each time. Please keep in mind that in CAT 2016 you will get only 60 minutes for each section.

Preparation for non-CAT MBA entrance exams

There are many MBA entrance exams other than CAT. These tests differ from CAT in many ways. So, you need to change your preparation style if you are targeting b-schools other than IIMs. Here also, variety in training plays a vital role in success.

First, many MBA entrance exams such as IIFT, MICAT, SNAP, MAT, CMAT have an additional section for General Awareness. It has an average weight of 1/4^th of the total marks which cannot be ignored. G.A. cannot be learned overnight so you have to read every day to be comfortable with it. Hence, you can study the other three subjects, but you must cultivate the habit of reading a daily or a magazine every day. You can take regular sectional tests when you start reading static and business G.A.

Second, as these MBA entrance exams have a different exam pattern, you can take a few mock SNAP, mock MAT, mock IIFT, mock MICAT, etc. Few of these are still pen and paper format tests and so taking such mock tests every month will be helpful.

Third, the difficulty level of the questions of these MBA entrance exams may also vary from CAT. Hence, you can solve the questions from other competitive exams such as IBPS, RRB, RBI, SBI, UPSC, etc. to become comfortable with more diverse types of questions.

Fourth, there are few exams which have specific requirements. For example, XAT has essay writing so students can practice writing an essay every week. Social issues, political issues and any current affairs are ideal points to start practice.

A PRAQTICAL Look: How reading can transform your life?

MBA entrance exams are a great opportunity for one to get into the habit of reading. One does not have to read things from the syllabus, rather it is necessary to relax and do some casual reading.

Reading newspapers, magazines and books enriches your thought process. It is the best way to develop a seasoned and matured perspective. Reading not only enhances your vocabulary but also magnifies your chances of sailing through the RC section.

The only challenge here is to read the right things. While popular novels and mainstream newspapers seem to be an obvious choice, the true objective is to go beyond your comfort zone. Pick out publications that use sophisticated English and provide dense amounts of information. Read novels that talk about serious or abstract topics, subjects that you would generally not read about. Treat it as an opportunity to enhance your understanding of the world.

Have you included reading and general awareness in your preparation plan? Do you think that it helps improve the overall performance? Please let us know in the comments.

—

Image sources:

The post MBA Entrance Exams – The need for variety in your preparation to get success. appeared first on PRAQTISE - India's most fun, adaptive and personalized online preparation platform for MBA entrance tests like CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, IIFT, etc..

CAT PREPARATION ONLINE – How is it better?

Praqtise — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 21:01:36 +0000

“Why this sudden shift to CAT preparation online?”

“I don’t think I want to continue with this job anymore.” She finally stated after weeks of self-loathing and subsequent self-evaluations.

My best friend wanted to switch her career and explore new dimensions beyond what her present field offered. After weeks of trying to supress her ambitions because of her family’s objections, she finally realised that she’s not the person that she actually wants to be and that she is stuck somewhere where she doesn’t belong.

A business school was where she wanted to be. But, for an effective career change that she dreamed of, she had to crack CAT and get into one of the top most IIMs.

“I want to prepare for CAT but I cannot risk this job!” she continued.

“You don’t have to. You can prepare simultaneously with your job” I promptly replied, and saw some hope on her face after days of sadness.

Though I managed to convince her that she’ll be able to do this and successfully get into the top MBA colleges, I was hardly convinced of it myself.

I mean, look at the competition these days! With so many coaching institutes honing the skills of the best minds to crack CAT with the best scores, I didn’t think self-preparation along with a hefty work schedule could work! To help my friend with all I can, I did a thorough research on the skills and practise required to crack CAT and actually got convinced of quite the opposite.

PRAQTISE FACT FILE: Prateek Bajpai achieved the extraordinary feat of scoring 100 percentile in CAT 2015 along with his regular job in Algeria. He underwent online CAT preparation online using only sources like mocks and CAT test series and did not refer to any other CAT study material and prepared for just about 6 months.

Technology today can actually help you get an advantage over students who prepare conventionally. To convince you of the same, here is a list of 8 reasons why CAT preparation online using portals can serve the best of your interests:

1. Unlimited Question Bank

Online portals like PRAQTISE offer you the facility of unlimited question banks on all topics sorted in a way that makes your work a lot easier. Just log into your account and start solving questions on the topic you want to focus on. Don’t fear that you may lack practise here unlike the case of CAT books because once you are determined, PRAQTISE offers unlimited question banks and mocks.

2. Saves Time and Money

The time that you may have spent travelling to and fro from the coaching institute can be utilised in studying. Not only this, imagine the huge money that is spent on a year-long or a crash course in the big coaching institutes. PRAQTISE by letting you prepare from home not only helps you save time but also offers you mocks and practise tests free of cost. If at all you want to, you may upgrade your plan at nominal rates as per your needs and convenience.

3. Learn at your own pace

At coaching institutes, people often complain that the pace of the lectures is set by the brightest of students. You may lag behind and not get your concepts clear! This can be the scariest barrier in your CAT preparation.

On the other hand, the brighter ones may complain of the opposite. It’s a waste of their precious time when the not-so-smart ones ask questions.

To eliminate this, PRAQTISE brings to you the concept of adaptive testing. It’s a tailored testing where the level of the questionnaire adjusts itself according to the examinee’s abilities.

It’s like the best utilisation of technology to boost your preparation!

4. Gamified Preparation

Solving similar questions again and again can be boring as hell. Now, here is where technology revolutionises your learning experience. PRAQTISE by gamification lets you compete in mocks with others just like a multiplayer game. It also gives you medals and awards for your scores.

5. Focus on accuracy

Improving your accuracy is a must if you want to score well in CAT. While conventional learning may not keep a track of how accurate you need to be, PRAQTISE through its focus on accuracy reminds you time and again of how negative marking is bringing down your total score.

6. Available at all times at your comfort

You don’t need to report here every day at a particular time. Just be sincere enough to schedule a few hours at any time of the day and PRAQTISE will go along with you. Also, it eases the load of preparation by letting you review your study plan to remind you of what is left and what needs to be done.

7. Saving your scores

PRAQTISE saves your historical data i.e. the scores of your previously taken mocks. It compares your subsequent section wise improvement through charts and analysis graphs. This helps you track your own growth in such a way that you could never have done while preparing conventionally.

8. Proficiency in Online test taking

Now that CAT is conducted online, you not only need to master your subjects but also need to get in to the habit of reading from the computer. Online mock tests and practise sheets offered by PRAQTISE make sure that you don’t miss out on this big CAT preparation tip.

Leave your feedbacks and your views on preparing for CAT online in the comment section below.

—

Image Sources:

[1] http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x22wqbq_cat-exam-preparation-and-coaching-at-thedigilibrary_news?GK_FACEBOOK_OG_HTML5=1

[2] http://viaimmobiler.com/save-time-and-money

[3] https://elearningindustry.com/gamification-equals-engagement-innovation

[4] http://www.busitelce.com/big-data-cartoons

[5] Feature image: https://elearningindustry.com/gamification-equals-engagement-innovation

The post CAT PREPARATION ONLINE – How is it better? appeared first on PRAQTISE - India's most fun, adaptive and personalized online preparation platform for MBA entrance tests like CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, IIFT, etc..

CAT Coaching Institutes – Can you crack the exam without them?

Praqtise — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 20:31:05 +0000

“ CAT Coaching for the Brave”

A cold wind blew through the trees, creating the illusion of a long and undulating painful song. It almost seemed like the trees themselves were wailing this dreary tune, as the snow fell and clung over their dead branches. As the cold and dreary forest remained unlit by anything except the moonlight, the song of the trees saw a peculiar audience. This audience left behind their footsteps in the snow, as their heaving breaths shown like smoke coming out of a hot furnace. With tongues drawn out and teeth bared, the pack of wolves continued moving forward through the wilderness, searching for something unknown.

“A peculiar thing about wolves is that their packs have a highly intricate hierarchy,” my dad stated in a calm manner as I weaned my attention off the television for a moment.

“The ones in the front are the weakest, and this hierarchy keeps building up till the end of the pack, where the alpha resides.”

As I looked at the television again with this new perspective, the screen showed a large black wolf that was howling up at the moon in majestic mystery. Even though it seemed quite similar to the other wolves, there was something in the way it carried its savagery and primal majesty that made it stand out.

Suddenly, the camera turned to the far end of the mountain, away from the pack, where the trees gave way to blizzards of hail and storm. Here, amidst snow-capped crevices, a white figure stood unmoving in the mist. As it became more and more visible, the figure turned out to be a wolf that looked as pale as the frozen wasteland that it stood in.

“Have you heard about the lone wolf, son?” The question that my Dad threw at me seemed like the start of a conversation filled with mysticism.

Well, even though that conversation was immensely intriguing, I understood the importance of being a lone wolf only while sitting in the last bench of the classroom of a CAT coaching institute.

The Human Pack

Humans are dependent on each other; that is just the way we have been created. We need each other more than we think we do. At the same time, the urge to compete with each other is also embedded in our psyche. One look at the education system of today, and we see glimpses of both these urges being nurtured. The education system is the tool that is used to fan the fires of some of our most primal urges.

Almost all coaching institutes work on the philosophy and the practice of encouraging a competitive spirit amongst the pupils. It is this need to compete and rise above opposition that also results in the formation of internal groups within classrooms. Yes, you might have observed how certain type of students club together with others, such as nerds, sports enthusiasts, gossip girls and so on. Most of the times, these groups may also be defined by perceived intellectual ability of the members, AKA “marks”. You might observe how the species of “nerds” tend to move away from groups like the “backbenchers” or the “artsy types”.

The Individual

If our need to compete is removed from an institutional setting, we might eventually find ourselves getting isolated from each other. As I watched the different groups moving about like wolf packs, the image of the lone wolf came into my mind. I pictured a caricature of myself standing atop the hill of CAT preparation books, as the stormy hail of CAT questions fell all around me. This is when I wondered about what it would be like if all that stood between the CAT exam and me was my own inhibitions to learn outside the box.

I remembered my Dad telling me that lone wolves are either driven out of the pack or are too weak to continue traveling with the pack. This point coincided with the first step that I took towards moving away from an institutional mode of training. Would self-study make me an outcast among other students, thus crippling my chances to excel in the examination? What would happen to me if I opted for a mode of study that was different from what most students opted for?

Most students find it extremely daunting to go against the herd mentality when it comes to CAT preparation. The fear of indulging in online study for CAT on their own can cause a lot of anxiety and stress. Another element that can be especially troubling for any lone wolf is the prospect of letting go of the structured patterns of teaching that coaching institutes follow. Plunging into the world of self-study can be extremely chaotic and might be considerably taxing on the student.

The Process of Liberation

A PRAQTICAL Opinion: There are several students who have made the most out of self-preparation for CAT. A quote by a student named Punnu Haniya summarizes the immense potential of self-study. He had this to say about self-study, “No class room coaching can teach aptitude, it is inherent in the system of the human body.”

Once you step into the world of self-study, the opportunities that arise for you are endless. With just the right amount of discipline and conviction, one can create complete structures of learning that are tailored to personal preferences and abilities. Even though this freedom can be scary for some, many students have plunged into the art of self-study and emerged victorious.

The absence of a classroom environment can open up windows of exploration, such as CAT preparation online courses and tutorials. The internet, if used wisely, can be an extremely useful resource pool for overcoming any obstacles while preparation. Self-study can also help you target the core of CAT preparation, which is embodied in the following message: CAT is not about how good your technical knowledge is; it is about how well you can apply your knowledge practically.

If you have failed in your previous attempts at CAT, or are overburdened by your work, it is probably time to become a lone wolf. The extent to which this liberation can teach you about time management and self-discipline is higher than the scope that any coaching institute provides. The prospect of self-study also opens up doors for innovative and creative ways to complete the CAT syllabus. This includes creating study circles or groups which have periodic group sessions to enable systematic preparation.

Let us have a PRAQTICAL look at the differences between online preparation and classroom coaching – that will help you decide for yourself.

Online Coaching for CAT	CAT Coaching through Institutes
Personal empowerment through one to one attention	Lack of personal attention due to increased focus on classroom teaching
Increased freedom for customization of study pattern	Limited freedom due to fixed syllabus and methods of teaching
Increased level of personalization as far as time periods and choice of study material is concerned	Decreased level of personalization due to fixed classroom structure
Lack of distractions due to the solitary mode of study	Increased distraction due to group study and discussions
Increased creative freedom for study arrangement, which could give rise to increased interest in the subject	Decreased creative freedom for structuring and study arrangement, which could result in a decreased level of interest in the subject

Preparing for CAT by leaving behind the systems of coaching institutes can be an intense learning experience. However, as you can see from the table above, the pros of online self-study for CAT are more numerous as compared to classroom learning.

So, would you like to be a lone wolf and resort to creating your own path towards success in CAT? Let us know your strategies in the comments section.

—

Image Sources:

[1]: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/451556300112013807/

[2]: http://my.fakingnews.firstpost.com/india/coaching-institute-announces-iit-jee-preparation-course-for-unborn-students-8744

[3]: http://blog.simplylearnt.com/2015/07/how-to-manage-self-study-with-school-and-coaching.html

The post CAT Coaching Institutes – Can you crack the exam without them? appeared first on PRAQTISE - India's most fun, adaptive and personalized online preparation platform for MBA entrance tests like CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, IIFT, etc..