annddd…we’re done!
with the first mock CAT of the season rolled out, it surely would have made several tremble, some bemused and some give up already! I hope you enjoyed the paper as much as I did (yes, I also attempted some bit of the paper while handling the operations at Delhi )
Overall, I would say it was a slightly tough paper compared to how the CAT usually is, so stop worrying if you didn’t do so well! The first mock is ALWAYS like this (I remember getting 70%ile in mine ..I was like “crap, I guess I’m not upto it”) You’re like freshly baked bread right now, let the taste settle in with time, don’t expect things to turn out magically great so early.

My Analysis:

Although I wasn’t able to attempt the entire paper, I did go through it roughly and also from the interaction I had with other students,
Quant -> A bit tougher than the CAT level
DI -> Pretty decent (you can expect the same level or more in this year’s CAT, since DI hasn’t been tough in a long time)
English -> Tough, as compared to the usual CAT papers (expect CAT09 to have a tough English section, since CAT08 english was really easy). Though I’m likely to change my opinion once I attempt the complete paper. I was more curious to check out Quant and DI today.

Analysing this paper:

Alright it’s done! Now what? The Analysis! This is the part which differentiates the 99.99%ilers from the ‘rest of the mortals’. From here on what attitude you pick up and actions you take decide whether that coveted IIM seat has your name on it or not.
I’ll briefly tell you how to go about it. Pick up the paper, and attempt it once again, including the ones that you missed out on or couldn’t do due to time crunch. Time yourself and repeat this cycle until you have all the questions attempted at least once.
Then, for each and every question see:
-> The ones you got correct – See whether the approach you took was the best one, compare with the solutions. If you took the best approach, try similar questions from the material you have and increase the difficulty level.
-> The ones you got wrong – See why you got them wrong. Understand each and every concept that was involved in the solution of that problem. I cannot over-emphasize how important the last step is! Make a note of them and try and solve elementary questions based on each of those concepts. Finally when you are COMPLETELY clear with the working of ALL concepts involved, try the question again (which involved all the concepts together) and see if you’re able to do it now. You’ll be amazed to see how easy it was to begin with.
Remember, each CAT question is nothing but a combination of small BASIC concepts clubbed together to form a tough-looking problem. If someone’s clear with the basics, it’s child’s play!

Repeat the exercise for each question, and at the end of your analysis session you’ll feel much enlightened. A good analysis session takes anywhere from 6-8 hours. I also used to laugh earlier when my mentors told me that, but honestly, I learnt myself, once you’re in the groove, you don’t feel like leaving it in between. Suck up the juice from the entire paper. Only then would you be ‘above the rest’. It’s all upto you!

All the best for your results. The next time, be prepared to expect the unexpected. That’s how CAT is!

Cheers!

Tags: analysis, CAT, exam, mock, testfunda