All I wanted to Speak about CAT

[justlikethat]

Once I was interested in IAS. I talked to my uncle regarding prep for the exam. He had a terse answer. “Extract”, he said.
What he meant over there was to make FULL use of the opportunities. He told me how many hardships he underwent while preparing for the exam as he came from a poor family. I thought about it…but left the prep as the prospects did not attract me.
I read this(see the attachment) article today only. This explains a LOT.
I get decent salary. Still, I complain. I complain about everything including my salary. According to me God is not fair because I could not make it to IIMs.
I still maintain that God is not fair after reading this article. My life is very simple. I get up at 9. Office timings are cool- 10- 6. Then I watch TV, internet, books, and phone calls. That sums up the day for me. I have this cool life. Still I complain!
People sleep for 4h a day. Travel 170Km a day. They do this 7days a week. They earn Rs.25-30 per day after all the work. They were born in a poor family- their fault? Is God fair??
Well, of course we can debate on this forever.
But the point is, are we doing justice to what God has given us? We have been given countless opportunities. For example, I have n no of books…but I haven’t read at least half of them.
We have resources for everything we want to do. There is no reason we can’t. But we don’t. And then, then we COMPLAIN. We are responsible for ourselves.
Look around, you will find you are very fortunate that you got all that you possess.
I know I can’t change the way God wants to distribute the resources. But I can request you guys to please make a conscious effort to make full use of the resources. Not everyone is as lucky as you are. You get many times more than Rs. 25-30 per day. And we work less hard. Still we complain!
I do not believe in 84L lives as some ppl say. For me, this is the only life we have got. I want to experience as much as I can. Guys, I do understand that many of you may be feeling the same. I am not asking for much. I know not many of you have time to join NGOs and help ppl. But…Just don’t waste the resources. And if you have got plenty, use them and move higher in the life. That’s the way we can do our part well.Afterall success is nothing but giving your 100%. If you fail even after doing your best, you should feel good..not about the outcome, but for the effort,which was PURE. And surely, this attitude will take you higher in the life, if not in iims. Take it from me, this CAT fever will go in 2-3 years( irrespective of whether you make it to iims or not)....but the attitude wont.
I am sure you must have understood why I have posted in this forum.
Do justice to what you have got.
Cheers!


PS: Please take out 2 mins and read the attachment.Please dont ignore.

[msabhi]

[quote=itdood;51571]Chandoo ji, after goin' thru ur post, i look at u as determination-dedication-deligence personified ... keep us enlightened in the future as well
i was inspired chandu and i also got a lot of ideas

[maxximus]

rajat wrote
[quote=rajat_nda;647501]ciao everybody...

I don't like the reservation criteria for disabled students...it should only b need-based...
i.e. as per reqmt , like GMAT....
Tk my example, I lost my right hand in Army....decide to call it shots!!...broke sweat.... prepared for GMAT (which gave me some more time since i used my modified left hand...) got well deserved 98 percentile...got thru into ISB...
Thn I gave CAT half-heartedly, n now...for obvious reasons even after geettin a casual 93, call from IIM A,C, et al...
doesn't mk sense, I didn't need a quota for it, I wud've studied if i wanted to join...newayz...

With my exp, I wud go for ISB, but the sys is makin a mockery out of it...I didn't need this resvn, maybe 5mins more for such a case wud've been sufficient...

Newayz, hope my givin way will mk place 4 others...n hope tht in future, necessary changes will b incorporated

ATB ppl!!





hey Rajat.... simply great to read this post man....typical fauji...huh? trust me i luv that fighting spirit of yours...the level of self-respect....amazing stuff man!!!! thats how a real man is...long way to go!!!
last year, i had an IIM call....but i prefered joining Indian Army and didnt take the IIM-L call seriously...kinda topped the all india ranking for army...n joined it...unfortumately, during my training, i had to quit...due to certain technical problems...in the process, i could not fill CAT 2006 form...as i was undergoing training then...n wanted to concentrate on just army...i'm working now n will write CAT next year...this has caused an unwarranted delay of 2 years CAT is sth i qualified last year only...now i'll do it next year (if i do)....mushkil waqt...commando sakht...but then...everywhere there's sum learning...wateva time i spent with army...i learnt a lot...wateva am doing...am learning sth everyday..even if army couldnt happen...the motif still remains the same...to do sth big for the nation....thru sum other way now....and then...once a fauji...always a fauji...

keep up the spirit man....all the best!!!!

guys...three cheers for Rajat....hip-hip...harrah!!!

regards

[ghosh84]

i am lucky ...yes i am lucky....coz before cracking cat( hope i do it this year ) i had a chance to visit one of the top b-schools of India.....and i would like to share it with u......
I step into the lush green campus ........with me there was "person a", a man who has seen cat aspirants developing into MBA students......and even can distinguish them into different category....anyway .....the first man to appear was a commerce graduate...99.97percentile in his kitty..he is really rocking....nyway ...he came down to me and i ask him about how to crack cat....he asked me back about my profile...on hearing that i was an from technological background .....his reply was that "don't u think u engineers are bullshit...Unable to control anything in your personal life, you people are instead content to completely control everything that happens at your workplace"...........well no idea.. what was the cause of his anger....was it that only 5-10% of total students at iims are commerce graduate...or is it that 70% students are engineers at any iims......."person a" whispered into my ear " meet the first category of MBA students....MANAGING BY KNOWING NOTHING--------These managers don't really know anything at all. They let YOU give answers. Meanwhile they fill the time with nice anecdotes of irrelevant cases".......well i gave a laugh and looked up and found a person staring out of the window ....."person a" whispered again"meet the second category...MANAGING BY STARING OUT OF THE WINDOW--------These managers you usually meet with their backside faced to you with their hands in their pockets. When you talk to them, their thoughts keep staring out of the windows"....nyway we walked inside a big hall...and found 2 students having a chat in not so happy mood....as far as i can make out one was anil...and the other was ranjeet..
anil : whats the difference between this inst..and prison...the way we are living our life its bullshit.....IN PRISON...you spend the majority of your time in an 8x10 cell.
AT HERE...you spend most of your time in a 6x8 cubicle.....
ranjeet replied back: IN PRISON...all expenses are paid by taxpayers with no work required......AND AFTER GETTING A JOB FROM HERE....you get to pay all the expenses to go to work and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners......isn't it bullshit"....well not to my surprise these were the third kind of manager MANAGING BY HAVING A NON SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE----In an organization with a hopeless infrastructure, managers are really necessary. These managers will naturally prevent the organization from having a better infrastructure..........well before i could stop laughing i met another species....well this guy seems to be angry with one of his teachers.....he was muttering withing himself ---
"When I take a long time, I am slow.
When he takes a long time, he is thorough.

When I don't do it, I am lazy.
When he doesn't do it, he is too busy.

When I do something without being told, I am trying to be smart.
When he does the same, he's showing initiative.

When I please him, I'm kissing up.
When he pleases the head, he's co-operating.

When I do good, he never remembers.
When I do wrong, he never forgets.

But regardless of all else....
HE is always the teacher!..........fourth category MANAGING BY CONCEPTUAL THINKING----These people try to explain the present from a theoretical view of the far future. The idea that this never will work, completely satisfies them. They will always have something to talk about...............anyway......"person a" went inside a room and told me to wait outside......as i was waiting...a smart girl this time came up...she was wearing a nice suit...anyway i asked her about how she was gearing up for her placement.....she laughed .....as if what a silly question i have asked her....but the reply she gave indeed proved me silly.....her modest reply "getting a job from here is not a matter....but if u think that after getting a job our hard life starts ...then u are a fool....well yes when u are asked to recruit people for ur company..choosing right candidates is a problem...but i have my own formula for it.....my organization will never struggle with the problem of properly fitting people to jobs.... Here is a handy hint for ensuring success in job placement. Take the prospective employees you are trying to place and put them in a room with only a table and two chairs. Leave them alone for two hours, without any instruction. At the end of that time, go back and see what they are doing------.
If they have taken the table apart in that time, put them in Engineering.
If they are counting the butts in the ashtray, assign them to Accounting.
If they are screaming and waving their arms, send them off to Manufacturing.
If they are talking to the chairs, Personnel is a good spot for them.
If they are sleeping, they are Management material.
If they are writing up the experience, send them to Tech Pubs.
If they don't even look up when you enter the room, assign them to Security.
If they try to tell you it's not as bad as it looks, send them to Marketing.
And if they've left early, put them in Sales".........
"great idea"--- i replied.....she said come back if u have any problem on cat..........category no.5......
MANAGING BY SMILING AND WEARING NICE SUITS--------If you drink beer with them, lunch with them, smile to them and also wear nice suits, nothing can stop your career anymore..........well as she was leaving a guy came up to her.......and asked her if she has done the work or not?........well category no. 6.... MANAGING BY DELEGATION TO THE SECRETARY------These managers just delegate everything to the secretary. If He is good, He knows what she must do...........well......great..."person a" is back and we are moving for the exit....we passed the same big hall and we saw the 2 future managers still discussing ..."IN PRISON...there are wardens who are often sadistic.
AT WORK...they are called managers"........but yes it was not finished ......now i really met somebody impressive and i could call him a stress buster.....coz he gave me fundas of how to keep aways stress.....which i am sharing with all u puys......
1. Jam tiny marshmallows up your nose and try to sneeze them out
2. Use your MasterCard to pay your VISA bill.
3. Pop some popcorn without putting the lid on.
4. When someone says, "Have a nice day!", tell them you have other plans.
5. Get a box of condoms. Wait in line at the check-out counter and ask the cashier where the fitting rooms are.....
welll category no. 7MANAGING BY REORGANIZATION
If they think there is nothing more to organize, they reorganize



well that's all...just posted it coz some people said that this forum is all about giving gyan and that's sometimes gets boring.....anyway best of luck for cat 2007 to all the puys

[ankitg86]

How to tackle CAT?? a fresher's guide lies ahead...
Here's what i have learned in an year and a half...and though i havent made it to the IIMs..but XLRI seems good enough...or even better..

So how to go about it??
join a coaching institute! research maro...dont join just because of the brand...find out about teachers at the centre.. u can always take the test series...
As everyone suggests join atleast 1 of TIME/IMS...

For engineers especailly join a coaching class..we all know what goes on in the hostels..it gives a much needed direction to your preparation.

brush up the fundas... dont mug up the formulas! they rarely help..and take a lot of space in your mind...
One book which is must for brginners.. Think Without Ink. Its simply superb..it wll give u the intial push..as far developing a out of the box thinking...and will help you discover..the uncommon COMMON SENSE

Know Yourself i have seen a lot of people just competing against their peers.its the last thing that will help you in your pursuits... Help your peers... The bottom line is the RACE IS WITH YoURSELF AND NO-ONE ELSE

BELIEVE as cliched as it may sound..if you dont have the belief..rarely u will be there where u want to be....
There will be ups and downs.. there will be mocks (or real exams for that matters) where you will screw up big time! Just dont let go...

ANALYSE Again know yourself..where r your strengths..where r your weaknesses... Have strategies in place..and working.. analyse mocks...where you went wrong..
maintain a written record of all your mistakes..that helps enormously..

WORK HARD there is no substitute for it..

Remember ...If it is to be..It is up to you...

Aur phir apna PG to hai hi! USE IT!!
aur hum log ko PM karo koi bhi problem ho to!

And so goes my 300th post on PG!

[ghosh84]

Originally Posted by ankitg86

How to tackle CAT?? a fresher's guide lies ahead...
Here's what i have learned in an year and a half...and though i havent made it to the IIMs..but XLRI seems good enough...or even better..

So how to go about it??
join a coaching institute! research maro...dont join just because of the brand...find out about teachers at the centre.. u can always take the test series...
As everyone suggests join atleast 1 of TIME/IMS...

For engineers especailly join a coaching class..we all know what goes on in the hostels..it gives a much needed direction to your preparation.

brush up the fundas... dont mug up the formulas! they rarely help..and take a lot of space in your mind...
One book which is must for brginners.. Think Without Ink. Its simply superb..it wll give u the intial push..as far developing a out of the box thinking...and will help you discover..the uncommon COMMON SENSE

Know Yourself i have seen a lot of people just competing against their peers.its the last thing that will help you in your pursuits... Help your peers... The bottom line is the RACE IS WITH YoURSELF AND NO-ONE ELSE

BELIEVE as cliched as it may sound..if you dont have the belief..rarely u will be there where u want to be....
There will be ups and downs.. there will be mocks (or real exams for that matters) where you will screw up big time! Just dont let go...

ANALYSE Again know yourself..where r your strengths..where r your weaknesses... Have strategies in place..and working.. analyse mocks...where you went wrong..
maintain a written record of all your mistakes..that helps enormously..

WORK HARD there is no substitute for it..

Remember ...If it is to be..It is up to you...

And so goes my 300th post on PG!

good one buddy...anyway i would love to add something......its not about ur destination...its all about how u reach there.....the moment u know how to reach ur destination..u are through...best of luck

[Destiny's_Child]

Simply a superb thread...
Me preparing for Cat 2007.... and this tread has given me all the more passion and zeal to kick-start my prep...
I would just like to say a word of thanks to all those people who have shared their cat experiences on this thread... You guys simply rock....

[reachmonil]

At last, I post here. Pardon me for digressing from the tradition of this thread which generally has success stories of people who have got into B-schools. I wanted to post here on a similar note since 2 years now, but I don’t see a better time to post here than today.

The memories of a young lad in an engineering college, dreaming of making it to the IIMs, are still fresh in my mind. This goes back to December 2003, when I was as confused as anyone else on what would I do after graduation? I had my computer business running but with increased competition and decreasing margins, it was not very promising. Prospects of campus placements also looked bleak as I had a history of 2 backlogs. But I knew if I managed to qualify for an aptitude test or technical / HR interview, I would arguably beat anyone on a given day. I didn’t want to risk it, decided to join the CAT race as a back-up plan.

CAT 2004:

In January 2004, I joined the classroom course at IMS, Mumbai. Within 3 to 4 months, I was on friendly basis with the Quant faculty. He told me once that I was good at Quant and DI, and for CAT04 we should prepare together! I felt that was a good start. By August, I was done with the basic material and raring to take tests. A few SimCATs later it was clear that I was very good at DI. I was good at concepts in Quant but not at Quant test taking skills. VA was not up to the mark. Consequently, QA and VA were always on the edge. I decided to give it a final thrust, 1 month of only VA and QA preps. This was September, 2004. With vivas and Semester 7 exams drawing nearer, the emphasis gradually shifted to engineering studies. Meanwhile, the engineering exam schedule was declared. CAT was in between engineering exams and many drew out of the battle. I saw it as a chance and prepped harder forgetting the Engg. Studies again! Mom said, ‘Yeh ladka pagal ho gaya hai!’ But I was in no mood to pay heed. Exams as usual, were average.

CAT04: The first paper that started the trend of an ever-evolving CAT paper. Deferred marking was introduced the first time. I knew I was not a 99%ile material and if I wanted to make it, I needed to catch the big fish, 2 markers. Attacked them first, understanding that it could be a risky take. At the end of 2 hours, I felt confident of was performance, though, was a little dicey about RCVA section. On verifying with answer keys, DI was cent percent accuracy. QA and VA let me down. I forgot about it for the moment, got done with the remaining engineering papers. 21st December, 2004, CAT04 results were declared. I scored 95.11 with 99.70 in DI section. Other 2 sections were in 70s and 80s. I went to Mr. Prasan Kamat, Centre Manager, IMS. We had a discussion at length about what could be done next? This discussion was a turning point in my MBA plans. He convinced me to look high and target IIMs the next year. By then, I already had 2 job offers in hand, VLSI Research, Wipro, and Energy Automation, Siemens, Mumbai. Decided to go ahead with Siemens, Mumbai option and crack CAT05. By this time I was very clear, I had to phase out my company, take up a job and prepare for next CAT.

Continued here:
Post 2 (All I wanted to Speak about CAT)
Post 3 (All I wanted to Speak about CAT)

[reachmonil]

CAT 2005:

January 2005 was the first time I received an offer from IMS for a Quant and DI faculty. Two of my Quant faculties had recommended my name and I directly got a call from the Head of Mumbai Region, IMS. I rejected it because I was busy winding up my business, and attending to prior commitments. It was this month I joined PG!

I started with RCVA preps in March. I knew mugging up a word-list was beyond me and that left only one option, voracious reading. I was ready for it. Started with fiction and gradually moved to non-fiction. I also figured out that I was good at the reasoning based or inferential questions; CR, syllogisms, inferential questions in RCs, sentence completion etc. Started to strengthen it and simultaneously. During this phase, I used to attend all PG meets, and made some really good friends, ‘Aarav’, ‘anupam will return’, ‘estranged_gnrs’ etc. (Later did I know they were friends for a lifetime). With these highly motivated individuals, it was natural that I was pushed to match them. On 4th July, I started with Siemens and on the same day I again got a call from IMS, for a Part-time faculty position for QA and DI. This time, I accepted it. Teaching further strengthened the basics in Quant and DI practice was on. I felt I was going to make it big this time. I applied only to IIMs, S P Jain and XAT-XLRI combine. With the onset of SimCATs, I realized my performance was not as expected. I was not yet ready for the ruthless Mock CAT season. This is when this forum played a vital role. The atmosphere out here is such that even a 70%iler can post his score and discuss his strengths and weaknesses with a 99%iler without any hesitation. On a personal front, ‘estranged_gnrs’ played a crucial role as a critic and motivator alike. We used to sit after every SimCAT and analyse how the paper was? Why did we attempt a particular question, why didn’t we attempt a particular question? Even ‘Aarav’ and ‘anupam will return’ were in touch. Through the forums were Euphria, shrutz, Apple, amongst others whom I fail to recollect. We had a very healthy competition amongst us. CAT drew nearer, Siemens declared a 9-day Diwali holiday and I was elated. That’s when I decided to defer Diwali celebrations and headed to ‘estranged_gnrs’’ place for a week. Euphoria also came in from Baroda. We had 7 days of Marathon preps. At the end of it, we didn’t feel the need to touch any other material, just take the weekly SimCAT.

CAT 2005: 20th November, 2005 brought another surprise; drastic reduction in the number of questions from 123 in CAT04 to 90 (30 per section). I knew from the onset that this was an accuracy game. I was very slow and cautious in attempting RCVA section as it was tricky. Close options further slowed down the progress. After tackling RCVA and DI, as I moved to the Quant section, I was totally blank. I knew if I did well here, I could be done with this exam for once and for all, only if I could change those last 30 minutes. At the end of 2 hours, I was really tired. Look around and there was pin-drop-silence. Junta look shocked and still coming to terms with the RCVA onslaught. But, everyone had high attempts as a savior. I was feeling insecure with only 64 marks attempt. Called Aarav and his attempts totaled to106. Estranged_gnrs had in 70s or 80s and so also with ‘anupam will return’. Then began the grueling evaluation, answer keys of coaching institutes were released. DI show continued from where I had left it last year, 23 attempts, and 23 corrects. In RCVA I was scoring in between 20.33 and 23 from 30 marks worth of attempts, which at that time was considered a good score. But, just 10 marks worth of attempt in QA was the killer. I was scoring 6 there.

Results declared in the first week of Jan 2006, I had scored 97.81 in CAT05. The scorecard read 98.90 in RCVA and I was on Cloud-nine! 1 year of hard work had paid off. But, DI - 90.xx? I couldn’t believe it. QA was 78.xx, as expected. I knew it was all over after the test itself and was just confirmed from the result. Next was CAT06. I then took XAT06 after 2 days with a relaxed mind. I didn’t feel at all that it was as difficult as CAT05. But the junta opinion was otherwise. Coaching institutes predicted 33 marks as 99 percentile!! I had 48 marks attempt and knew I was in the race. But heck, I had already prepared myself for CAT06. XAT results were declared and I had proved to myself that I was amongst the best in India. XAT Scorecard read 99.81%ile. I had 99+ in QA and DI but 87.75 in RCVA. I was surprised at that! Just a couple of months back I had a 99 in RCVA in CAT and now I have 99 in the other two sections!! So, what is my strength and what is weakness? Before I pay heed to this anomaly, a day later, XLRI PI calls were declared, and I didn’t get a call!!!! I then decided to raise this issue. After a series of sweet verbal exchanges, they issued a call letter! Albeit, by then I decided not to waste 2 years studying management from them! I also go on record confessing, I couldn’t convert that call too, despite the willingness to convert and then chuck it!

Continued here:
Post 1 (All I wanted to Speak about CAT)
Post 3 (All I wanted to Speak about CAT)