PG Underdogs Team (UDT) '07

[Greenspan]

Don't count on the month of November, coz we could not count on that month in the last two years, twice in a row. Instead catch the CAT by its tail, and solve mostly previous CAT papers in that month.

What you do in the one month that starts in a few days, will decide how you perform in the test you have prepared for years. Need I stress the importance anymore?

VA: The nemesis for a talented many, including yours truly, can only be conquered by regular work. It begins in office, where try to read good quality articles online, in even the 5 min break you take off. This will decide whether you will read the bibles of management or the requirements document of your work in the next year. You choose!

RCs will make or break your C day. 2-3 difficult RCs are a must everyday in the following month. How to identify difficult RCs, I hear you say. A pointer- all IMS papers this year, GMAT RCs (because they are almost always inferential). Or else, go through any RC you encounter, and if you find that you are not confused between 2-3 options atleast, leave that and go to the next one. Until you find the one, and do it religiously. Remember 2-3 RCs minimum for the next 30 days. Increasing reading speed will help you read Q and DI sections faster too.

I hear a score many people talk about their poor vocab. This is CAT, not GRE! Wake up! Take all the mocks or verbal sectionals you have given until now, and circle words that you are not familiar with. Use a dictionary or preferably "wordweb.exe" (google it and install it on your comp). Visit them often, and I bet this will suffice. In fact, I have bet my dreams on it myself.

FIJs, Critical Reasoning, Parajumbles, etc. Fix a day for each type, and get out all your mocks and solve all the questions of that type then and there.

In the exams, remember if the VA/RC is easy (hold last year's CAT as the standard), its imperative you attempt atleast 80% of the questions. If it is as tough as the last year, and lesser no. of questions, go slow. Vary your pace depending on the weightage of the marks of the VA questions, however easy it may seem.


QA: Identify your subjects of strengths, and become stronger in them. If CAT throws a tough paper, and if you realize it in 10 min, go straight to the questions of your strength. Again use your mocks, and go through all of the questions of a particular topic at the same time. Or do the highest difficulty problems in that topic from a Quant specific book (like Arun Sharma or Trishna's).

If QA comes tough, the sitters will vary from person to person depending on his strengths. If it comes easy, there will be sitters identified by many. Know the basic concepts of all topics so that you do not miss out on a "general" sitter.

Stop going for complex concepts and studying them at this stage. It doesnt take a complex probability+weightages quants problem to make out that the returns for the effort is negligible.

DI/LR: Every DI/LR set that is average to tough, will have one point of logic which will differentiate the few from the many. Amogst the few, the ones who play around that point of logic faster, will excel. So it is important that you get both the point and the speed. TIME DI sets are good in that way. I advise you to go for each DI/LR set in this way.

• read the set and try visualizing the problem. As Basil/Mantri once mentioned, almost always every statement there is there for a purpose. Then read the questions fast, sometimes they give you an idea of approach. If tough to understand, read it again. If you know you can do it but will take time, go to the next set.
• Read the questions and identify the sitters of that set. Both CAT and TIME papers apparently do not give you sitters in the first question. They are not trying to teach you A,B,C! Sometimes these sitters also tell you the intermediate step you have to reach to solve the whole set.
• If its a table or arrangement that you are making, underline those statements that you have already made use of in the table/arr. This will ensure that you do not miss out on any of the statements.

A note on making use of mock papers: At any point of time you encounter something new that you have learned, mark it( I do it with a "L"). If there is some really tough question that you could not make head or tail of, mark it too (i do it with a "X"). Questions that you sailed through, do not bother to mark. This will help in revision of the mocks.

A note on attitude
You know why the IIMs take the pain of a 2.5 hr paper to judge you? Because the technology doesn't exist, and if it does it is too costly. All they need is a stealth equipment which will measure people's heart rate. And they will give out calls to those whose hearts are not beating harder when the papers are being handed out.

If you have given CAT atleast once, you will definitely have noticed this: You will try redoing/ rereading the questions more than once. Or still be overcautious. Unlike what you do in mocks.

Why? Expectations? Last chance? Ridicule? Self-esteem?
Over and out everywhere you have heard people tell go watch a movie before the D day, or meditate, or simply "take it cool".

Yes, even I have experienced it twice in a row myself. The only difference this time around will be what I know now. And what I know now, from reliable sources (including Prem) is, assuming your CAT prep is sound, the amount of prep you have put in until now is 20% of what you will have to shell out for the GD/PI stage. And the amount of prep for both the CAT and GD/PI prep together will be 2% of what you will put in your b-school! The message that goes out in the IIMs unofficially, is that, they will make your life such a hell, that when you come out, you will always say "this is atleast better than college". This has been a source of inspiration, curiosity and attitude for me. I tell myself - Oh! This is just the beginnning. And trust me, most people faltered (including myself) because they thought CAT was the END! Think about this again.

On a personal note:
If you already knew all this, this was not for you.

If you understand this, realize it, make use of it and crack it - I hope to meet you there.

If you understand this, realize it, make use of it and are unable to crack it - I am sure I am not leading you down a wrong direction.

If you say "big deal", do not do it, and still crack it - You might be high already, but I can jump higher than you. Will get even with you in life.

If you say "big deal", do not do it, and do not crack it - You did not deserve to be there in the first place.

May reason be with you.

Greenspan

[justlikethat]

Originally Posted by Greenspan

If you understand this, realize it, make use of it and crack it - I hope to meet you there.

May reason be with you.

Greenspan

Cant we thank this guy more than once?

I hope to see u in one of the IIMs this year!!


I would like to add one small but most imp (at least for me) point:

In cat 2006, I was reading and re-reading the RCs...couldnt understand much...too much pressure to handle...
Yesterday, at 2 in the night...was abt to sleep...I challenge myself to look at the 2006 RCs again. I attempted 2 RCs...9 questions...6 correct...also, the ones I got wrong...the answers given by IIMs are right. The point is.....their answers were logical. I was able to see the logic at 2 in the night....BUT I couldnt on the D-day.
This part is really imp....to maintain our cool, having good concentration (at least what we normally have) and mental toughness.
I have to prepare in this direction....thats the most imp thing for me...it may be for some of you as well...keep that in mind!

But once again..a brilliant post by greenspan!


Cheers!

[cimbaish_Nitin]

Perfecto...!

Just want to add one line...

Though this might look like a big ordeal at first, it won't haunt you if you "get busy doing it".

Worrying about all the nuts in the car which can throw it off on the highway doesn't help.
Get busy tightening them...
The post above tells you how to tighten them.

~Nitin

[somname]

Hey guys,
Yes, as usual, I am late. That's the story of my life I guess.
Anyways,
Great to see most UDTians performing well. My scores:
QA/PS: 99.31
VA/RC: 96.41
DI: 95.93
Overall: 99.52

SIMCAT Rank- 78

Well, my first and foremost target of clearing all cut-offs in these mocks is getting hit pretty regularly now. I am also pretty happy to see that in spite of my horrible accuracy in RC ( 8 Correct, 7 Wrong ), I got a 96%ile. This means that even if IIMA had kept the cut-offs at strict 95.3 per section in this paper, I'd have made it to Round 2.

Guys, I read through what i could on this thread and i saw that most of us are clearing two sectional cut-offs by huge margins, but are messing up the third section.

What I think we should do is follow 45+45+45 very strictly. This ensures that we have given a VERY decent shot at the first task of clearing all the sectional cut-offs.
Only after this, should we attempt to give the remaining 15 mins to the section which we like/hate/are-strong-in/are-weak-in depending on how the paper has gone overall.

I had made the cardinal sin of using up the first 1 hour (full 60 mins!!! :bad-word for QA once. In spite of that, I could not clear the QA cut-off. This taught me that givng extra time to a section does not help if u've browsed thru the paper well.

Since then I have stuck to my strategy of 45+45+45 sincerely and i've been clearing the cut-offs (or at least getting VERY close to them).

I'd suggest all UDTians (esp those who are missing one section cut-off) to give this a try and see what happens.

Somname.

[prem_ravi]

Great going junta....

[veritas]

Hi mates,

For guys writing JMET-2007 this may seem a trivial qs. But will they accept DDs made in favour of 'AXIS BANK' as it is mentioned that DDs shud be on any nationalised bank.Jaldi reply karo plz I ve evn posted this query on JMET forum . u cud see m despo

[cimbaish_Nitin]

All nationalized bank are closed till Monday..!

Is Axis bank nationalized.. -- Dunno, UTI sure was...
But if it is, why is it open today..?

No answer buddy.. Call up IIT-Kgp and confirm..

Am trying the same.

~Nitin

Also, we can wait till Monday (1st Oct).. Keep attested copy ready.. Get draft done on Monday and send by spped post.. last date for speed post to reach is 12th

[macora]

RC of the day:
Caffeine, the stimulant in coffee, has been called “the most widely used psychoactive substance on Earth.” Snyder, Daly and Bruns have recently proposed that caffeine affect behavior by countering the activity in the human brain of a naturally occurring chemical called adenosine. Adenosine normally depresses [COLOR=#330066 ! important][COLOR=#330066 ! important]neuron[/color] firing in many areas of the brain. It apparently does this by inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters, chemicals that carry nerve impulses from one neuron to the next. Like many other agents that affect neuron firing, adenosine must first bind to specific receptors on neuronal membranes. There are at least two classes of these receptors, which have been designated A1 and A2. Snyder [/color]et al (et al: abbr. (Lat) 以及其他人，等人) propose that caffeine, which is structurally similar to adenosine, is able to bind to both types of receptors, which prevents adenosine from attaching there and allows the neurons to fire more readily than they otherwise would.
For many years, caffeine’s effects have been attributed to its inhibition of the production of phosphodiesterase, an enzyme that breaks down the chemical called cyclic AMP. A number of neurotransmitters exert their effects by first increasing cyclic AMP concentrations in target neurons. Therefore, prolonged periods at the elevated concentrations, as might be brought about by a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, could lead to a greater amount of neuron firing and, consequently, to behavioral stimulation. But Snyder et al point out that the caffeine concentrations needed to inhibit the production of phosphodiesterase in the brain are much higher than those that produce stimulation. Moreover, other compounds that block phosphodiesterase’s activity are not stimulants.
To buttress their case that caffeine acts instead by preventing adenosine binding, Snyder et al compared the stimulatory effects of a series of caffeine derivatives with their ability to dislodge adenosine from its receptors in the brains of [COLOR=#330066 ! important][COLOR=#330066 ! important]mice[/color]. “In general,” they reported, “the ability of the compounds to compete at the receptors correlates with their ability to stimulate locomotion in the mouse; i.e., the higher their capacity to bind at the receptors, the higher their ability to stimulate locomotion.” Theophylline, a close structural relative of caffeine and the major stimulant in tea, was one of the most effective compounds in both regards.[/color]
There were some apparent exceptions to the general correlation observed between adenosine-receptor binding and stimulation. One of these was a compound called 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), which bound very well but actually depressed mouse locomotion. Snyder et al suggests that this is not a major stumbling block (stumbling block: n.障碍物, 绊脚石) to their hypothesis. The problem is that the compound has mixed effects in the brain, a not unusual occurrence with psychoactive [COLOR=#330066 ! important][COLOR=#330066 ! important]drugs[/color]. Even caffeine, which is generally known only for its stimulatory effects, displays this property, depressing mouse locomotion at very low concentrations and stimulating it at higher ones.[/color]
1. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) discuss a plan for investigation of a phenomenon that is not yet fully understood
(B) present two explanations of a phenomenon and reconcile the differences between them
(C) summarize two theories and suggest a third theory that overcomes the problems encountered in the first two
(D) describe an alternative hypothesis and provide evidence and arguments that support it
(E) challenge the validity of a theory by exposing the inconsistencies and contradictions in it
2. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the theory proposed by Snyder et al?
(A) At very low concentrations in the human brain, both caffeine and theophylline tend to have depressive rather than stimulatory effects on human behavior.
(B) The ability of caffeine derivatives at very low concentrations to dislodge adenosine from its receptors in mouse brains correlates well with their ability to stimulate mouse locomotion at these low concentrations.
(C) The concentration of cyclic AMP in target neurons in the human brain that leads to increased neuron firing can be produced by several different phosphodiesterase inhibitors in addition to caffeine.
(D) The concentration of caffeine required to dislodge adenosine from its receptors in the human brain is much greater than the concentration that produces behavioral stimulation in humans.
(E) The concentration of IBMX required to dislodge adenosine from its receptors in mouse brains is much smaller than the concentration that stimulates locomotion in the mouse.
3. According so Snyder et al, caffeine differs from adenosine in that caffeine
(A) stimulates behavior in the mouse and in humans, whereas adenosine stimulates behavior in humans only
(B) has mixed effects in the brain, whereas adenosine has only a stimulatory effect
(C) increases cyclic AMP concentrations in target neurons, whereas adenosine decreases such concentrations
(D) permits release of neurotransmitters when it is bound to adenosine receptors, whereas adenosine inhibits such release
(E) inhibits both neuron firing and the production of phosphodiesterase when there is a sufficient concentration in the brain, whereas adenosine inhibits only neuron firing
4. In response to experimental results concerning IBMX, Snyder et al contended that it is not uncommon for psychoactive drugs to have
(A) mixed effects in the brain
(B) inhibitory effects on enzymes in the brain
(C) close structural relationships with caffeine
(D) depressive effects on mouse locomotion
(E) the ability to dislodge caffeine from receptors in the brain
5. The passage suggests that Snyder et al believe that if the older theory concerning caffeine’s effects were correct, which of the following would have to be the case?
I. All neurotransmitters would increase the short-term concentration of cyclic AMP in target neurons.
II. Substances other than caffeine that inhibit the production of phosphodiesterase would be stimulants.
III. All concentration levels of caffeine that are high enough to produce stimulation would also inhibit the production of phosphodiesterase.
(A) I only
(B) I and II only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
6. According to Snyder et al, all of the following compounds can bind to specific receptors in the brain EXCEPT
(A) IBMX
(B) caffeine
(C) adenosine
(D) theophylline
(E) phosphodiesterase
7. Snyder et al suggest that caffeine’s ability to bind to A1 and A2 receptors can be at least partially attributed to which of the following?
(A) The chemical relationship between caffeine and phosphodiesterase
(B) The structural relationship between caffeine and adenosine
(C) The structural similarity between caffeine and neurotransmitters
(D) The ability of caffeine to stimulate behavior
(E) The natural occurrence of caffeine and adenosine in the brain
8. The author quotes Snyder et al in lines 38-43 most probably in order to
(A) reveal some of the assumptions underlying their theory
(B) summarize a major finding of their experiments
(C) point out that their experiments were limited to the mouse
(D) indicate that their experiments resulted only in general correlations
(E) refute the objections made by supporters of the older theory
9. The last paragraph of the passage performs which of the following functions?
(A) Describes a disconfirming experimental result and reports the explanation given by Snyder et al in an attempt to reconcile this result with their theory.
(B) Specifies the basis for the correlation observed by Snyder et al and presents an explanation in an attempt to make the correlation consistent with the operation of psychoactive drugs other than caffeine.
(C) Elaborates the description of the correlation observed by Snyder et al and suggests an additional explanation in an attempt to make the correlation consistent with the older theory.
(D) Reports inconsistent experimental data and describes the method Snyder et al will use to reanalyze this data.
(E) Provides an example of the hypothesis proposed by Snyder et al and relates this example to caffeine’s properties.

Post ur answers with some explaination.. (I dont have, we have to compare answers among ourselves)