Chat on CAT on Rediff.com

Ravi Handa says, Hi. This is Handa and I am ready to take your questions.


cat asked, Sir what is the percentile required for getting a call from IIMs for FPM programe for general category as well as scheduled caste. I have 1+ years experience in reputed software company and have a masters degree from IIT (Technical)
Ravi Handa answers, For FPM programme the %ile required for General Category is believed to be lesser than that required for PGDM. However, profile, area of interest and an inclination towards research is also equally important.

VishalG says, seeing the time constraint.. wat should be the strategy for cat08 now ?
Ravi Handa says, Dear Vishal, You should develop yourself in the topics that you are weak in. So that if an easy question comes on those topics, you can solve them. Try to make yourself equally efficient in all topics.


rock asked, how to crack RC's ??? fundeas plsss
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Rock, You should read newspaper editorial on a regular basis. Try reading novels, etc. as well. The more you read, the better it is.

jack asked, Hi Ravi.. It appears there are too many concepts involved as far as the DI caselets are concerned. Unlike quant, How many ever caselets I solve I am not getting hold of the underlying concepts. Are there some basic set of concepts with which we can hadle DI caselets? Can you provide few suggestion to improve DI scores?
Ravi Handa answers, The concepts involved in DI caselets are primarily puzzle based. You need to think on the spot for such kind of questions. Keeping a cool head helps. You should also try solving puzzles and sudoku on a regular basis.

sunil asked, hi sir.. last year we saw a decrease in number of questions from the area of geometry, do u think this trend will continue even this year
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Sunil, It is not possible to predict the number of questions in geometry this year or for any year. However, Geometry is one of the most important topics so you should not avoid it. Few other topics which are important are number systems and algebra.

confused asked, how to attempt FIJ and how to attempt upstream/downstream
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Confused, to attempt upstream / downstream questions do not forget the basic funda that while going upstream motion is against force and while going downstream motion is with the force.

karthik asked, hii sir, this is karthik. can u tell me the useful time split for attempting different sections of cat exam?
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Karthik, you should maintain an equal time split in all sections because you need to prove your proficiency in all sections.



pinku asked, Dear sir, what sould be our strategy now? should we focus on building up on our strengths in quant and DI or should we try to remove our weaknesses ?
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Pinku, you need to do both but your first target should be removing your weaknesses. So that if an easy question comes, you can crack it.

vijit asked, how to prepare for reasoning type questions?
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Vijit, for reasoning type questions, solving puzzles and doing sudoku on a regular basis helps.

rakhoo asked, Hi Sir, I am average student. Is it possible to crack the CAT for me.
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Rakhoo, it is definitely possible to crack the CAT. You should focus on working hard and smart studying.

catIsOn asked, hi do u have any short cut to overcome the long n sum what tricky calculations in DI- section ny guru mantra
Ravi Handa answers, Dear CATISON, you should follow a three step approach: a) Read b) Understand c) Solve. Only attempt those questions which you have read and understood quickly. Otherwise you might get them wrong or waste time on those questions.

VishalG asked, Say if i get 94-96%ile in cat.. which all colleges should i apply ??
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Vishal, with 94-96%ile in CAT, you should be looking at TAPMI, IMT Gaziabad, IMI Delhi, NIRMA,etc. However, please note that the %ile requirement keeps on changing every year.

SID asked, hello sir, does being a CA count in getting admissiond in IIMs
Ravi Handa answers, Dear SID, CAT %ile is the most important factor. However, being a CA would give you an edge in the GD/PI stage of selection.

ssb asked, Sir I find it dificult with permutation and combination section and to an extent probability.. How much important are these to sectios as far as quant section is concerned...
Ravi Handa answers, Dear SSB, you can definitely find couple of questions and sometimes even more on P&C and Probability. These sections are definitely relevant.

vivs.d asked, Hi sir, plz tell me, r 50 days sufficient to crack cat??? i m aquinted with all sections and have started practicing them recently. tell my plz wat cud by my chances???
Ravi Handa answers, Dear VIVS, you will need to work hard and in an organised fashion. You should focus on revision and developing a test strategy.

Rahul asked, Hi Ravi, the section of DI is real joy for me. However, I have found difficulties in time management for the same. Could u guide me how I should go about?
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Rahul, what i would recommend is that you keep a time limit when you are attempting the DI section. However, do finish the set that you have started otherwise your effort will be wasted. Also do not attempt DI section in the end.



rajeshmakkar asked, i am rajesh makkar, i want to know how much time is required to prepare for cat . is it necessary to have join ssome academy for tarining . and what is the scope if i go for 1 year management development program started by ISb and IIMS , I have got experience of 9 yrs Looking to give ibsat and cat or advise should i go for GMAt
Ravi Handa answers, The choice between a good INDIAN B School and a global one is very personal one. If you want to have Global Exposure, definitely GMAT is a better option. With your profile, GMAT is recommended. You can also look at 1 year programmes from ISB and IIMs

Arunava asked, Sir, I wanted to know as to how my sem marks will affewct my entry into the iims.I have a GPA of 7/10 and i would like to know my chances.
Ravi Handa answers, Dear Arunava, a GPA of 7 is not that bad. With a good CAT %ile, it will not play that big a role. You perfomance in GD and PI will also matter

NotpreparedforDi asked, Hi, I am facing a lot of problem in DI..how can I improve myself in such a short time frame? Is going through Mock CAT papers enough ?
Ravi Handa answers, Dear NotpreparedforDI, looking at SIMCats is a good idea but you should also try puzzle solving and sudoku.

vineet asked, dear sir i m b.com 3rd yr nd tis year iwil giv the cat xam......wats the basis thing which should kept in mind while the preparation of cat....
Ravi Handa answers, The most basic thing to keep in mind is that you need to show your performance in all the sections.

sudarsan asked, Hello Ravi i always find verbal questions to be daisy suggestions to improve in VERBAL
Ravi Handa answers, Reading will be of great help. When you sit down to read the newspaper or a book, keep a dictionary with you. Whenever in doubt, refer to the dictionary.

raju asked, For graduate student like me it is advisable to give GMAT alongwith CAT? Are Global schools are worth as compared to IIMS for charging 10 to 20 times the fees? With current recession trigering into economy all over the world, should students will recover the money spent by education loans to pay back in 4 years?
Ravi Handa answers, Investing in yourself is the best investment you can ever make. And there can be nothing better than investing in educating yourself. The global economy will have its recessions and highs. A good global school will give you a whole new perspective. Giving GMAT is definitely a good option for people with experience.

nitesh asked, Good afternoon sir, I am planning to appear for CAT next year and would like to know how to go with the preparation? I have done a diploma in hotel management after my 10th and currently I am pursuing B.Sc. in H.T.M.
Ravi Handa answers, You should visit your nearest IMS center and give the Preliminary Test. A detailed recommendation could be made after that.

Tinu asked, Hi Sir, English section is real nightmare for me from last couple of mock cats. Can you please guide me what steps should I take in order to ensure good percentile. earlier I was able to manage 85 to 90 percentile mark.
Ravi Handa answers, There are couple of things that you need to do. a) Sit down with the paper and analyze it. As to where you made the mistakes and where is the scope for improvement. b) Clearing the cutoff is very important in all the sections. So if you missing cutoff in just English, you should give it a little extra time (say around 5 to 10 minutes)

punit asked, Hi Ravi, I have experience of 4 years in software industry.which MBA programs and exams you will suggest me except CAT.
Ravi Handa answers, You should look at GMAT and global schools for your MBA.

sunil asked, I have got 3+ yrs of exp moslty in product development company ( telecom and networking); in IIM interviews will they looks for diversed industry experience in a individual or would they like to have diversed exp in the batch or these things wont matter..and its just experience number?
Ravi Handa answers, IIMs do look at diversity but that is definitely not the most important factor. You should first concentrate on getting a higher percentile and doing well in the GD and PI.

sanjay asked, Dear Ravi, I am Mechanical Engeneer with an experience of about 16 years.My core compentency is operation and maintenence.Have fair amout of exposure to Projects, finance. My question is it is advisable to go for MBA after so much of experience.What are my future prospects if I go for and MBA.I wish to do MBA from only A or A+ institute. My interest is in Strategy management. Which are the institute offering cources in this field.
Ravi Handa answers, You should only look at GLOBAL Schools through GMAT.

pawan asked, hello..... i 've not yet started the prep... would it help now if i start... tel me shortest way to score good marks
Ravi Handa answers, Hard work in an intelligent fashion.

rajeshmakkar asked, thanks Can you advise if the institute like ISb opt both GMAT and IBSAT which is bettr 2.how much time is required to prepare for GMat and CAt or IBSAt 3. I have not been in studies for last 7 -8 yrs so can it be easy for me to go back for preparation 4.should i appear for IBSAt now or next year
Ravi Handa answers, For ISB you need to give GMAT.

HT asked, I have 4 years work ex in Finance and an MBA from a B-grade B-school? I would want to explore another MBA. Would you advise for GMAT or CAT? My last CAT score was at 96 percentile around 5 years back
Ravi Handa answers, Definitely GMAT.

Sumant asked, Quant Strategy: How should one change strategy for a) Easy, long paper b) Difficult, Short and c) Differential Marking
Ravi Handa answers, a) For an easy long paper, you should concentrate more on the number of questions. The more you attempt the better. b) For a difficult, short paper accuracy becomes of prime importance. c) In a differential marking paper, you should start with higher weightage questions only in the sections you are more confident in. Otherwise start with the less weightage questions. In any kind of paper, knowing yourself is very important. As in what your weaknesses and strengths are.

JPS asked, hi ravi....i m targeting tier2 institute....how abt FORE delhi..close to my home...i have heard it not too good as compared to IMI which is close to it..
Ravi Handa answers, MBA only from Top institutes is recommended. Among the two, IMS is definitely a better option.
JPS asked, hi ravi....i m targeting tier2 institute....how abt FORE delhi..close to my home...i have heard it not too good as compared to IMI which is close to it..
Ravi Handa answers, Sorry, I meant IMI

Ravi Handa says, Guys, this is all we have time for, today. Please feel free to write to me at ims@imsindia.com incase of any further/unanswered query.All the best....