How useful is learning of Wordlist and which is sufficient

[e_rajat]

Hi all

Well I want your views on the relevance of mugging the wordlist for CAT. i always find that learning the wordlist a very tedious job and the output is less as compared to the input. To keep all the words in the memory is practically impossible and more so when u r engaged in something else also apart from preparing for CAT.

and if the word list is damn necesaary in ur view then what is the best source .. are the words supplied by the individual coaching centres really relevant or a result of competition amongst them..

Please post ur views on the same ..

thanx
Cheers
Rajat

[rajeshnsitian]

hi rajat

vocab per se doesnot figure in CAT,mugging up the word lists alone wont help in CAT as u ought to know the difference between nuances of various words...tht wud come along if read actively for new words in papers like ET and hindu..

i'd recommend 4 books which i found really helpful for vocab in the increasing level of difficulty..

1.Word power made easy by norman lewis
2.30 days to a better vocabulary by norman lewis and wifred funk
3.six weeks to words of power by wilfred funk
3.how to build a better vocabulary by nurnberg&rosenblum
4.all about words by nurnberg &rosenblum

if u dont find doing these books boring,then word lists is the way to go...
barrons list is a comprehensive list but i found cramming words from the book an intimidating task...lot of softwares r available on the net by the name of guru's GRE word list , Vocabulary Wizard etc...u can download these softwares and take out 10-20 mins daily for vocab...i'm sure it will improve a lot..

hope tht helped
cheers
rajesh

[grabel]

[quote="e_rajat"]Hi all

Well I want your views on the relevance of mugging the wordlist for CAT. i always find that learning the wordlist a very tedious job and the output is less as compared to the input. To keep all the words in the memory is practically impossible and more so when u r engaged in something else also apart from preparing for CAT.

and if the word list is damn necesaary in ur view then what is the best source .. are the words supplied by the individual coaching centres really relevant or a result of competition amongst them..

quote]

I also have the same view. Among all the parts of CAT preparation, One has to put the maximum effort in mugging the wordlists...but there is not direct benefit out of that. In my view having a good vocablury is an asset but not something without which one cannot clear the CAT. It depends on how much time one can give. If someone has loads of time, he should learn the wordlist and maximise his chances, but if one is short of time, then one should give time to those parts of CAT syllabus where returns are more.

words supplied by the individual coaching centres really relevant or a result of competition amongst them..

The ever bulgeoning list of words in the CAT preparation material is mostly due to competition between various coaching institutes. Infact some early entrants judge the quality of the material from the quantity, so too woo them they just keep on increasing the size of the vocablury book. Currently Time and IMS wordlists contain arnd 4 thousand words each.

[mrpresident]

Just wanted to sound my opinion...
I have always believed that just "mugging" up wordlists will never solve any problems. The best way to increase vocab skill will be to consistently read difficult texts and then learn new words from the context. This way you will always remember words.
Just an example:
I once mugged up the meaning of "oxymoron". A few days later I could not remember it. I then chanced upon a cartoon in the "Hindu" where Pervez Musharraf is shown saying the words "Pakistan does not have any terrorists" or something like that. To this Vajpayee is shown saying the words "That is an oxymoron". I then went back to the dictionary and checked it out again. Till date I have never forgotten the meaning of this beautiful word!

So my point is READ, READ and READ and then learn along the way.

Just my 2 pence

Manoj

[vijaikrishnak]

Hi!!!

Insted of mugging up words, read a lot. Read anything and everything that u could lay your hands upon. And have a dictionary always and also use it efficiently. This way, you will retain the words that you learn.

Vijai

[Francesco CATtie]

hey rajat,
CAT is absolutely not about mugging up word lists....
CAT is basically an Indian exam and check the previous papers, u find that the words given were those which are used in the Indiancontext.
reading THE HINDU and TOI and making a note of all the words for which u donot know the meanings and noting down those words, meanings along with their usage in a seperate book will really help u a lot.... believe me, u can collect 1500 new words in 4 months of time. In CAT, words are asked only to test u'r reading habits and the wide variety of topics u read. so improve u'r reading habits and read as much as u can from as many books, papers and magazines u can find. But make sure u maintain a seperate book for noting down the new words u come across along with their usage and meaning/meanings(if possible antonyms too )
end of all, make sure u revise all the words once in a while
ALL THE BEST

[SuzyQ]

hear! hear!

i agree with the above.
learning wordlists is usually a waste of time, since you won't capture the context or nuance of the word.

the benefit gained is not worth the effort put in to mug up so many words

i think the best bet is to read. as much as you can. say, ET, the hindu. edit's of all these mags.

editorials and columns imporve your vocab, and ability to use words significantly.

cheers
- suze

[nikhilk1981]

hey dude .. nothing is sufficient in verbal section ... the more you know .. the better.

I know many people ... who gave GRE .. and they just flowed through the verbal section in CAT ... it helps ... but is it of use .. well depends on person to person ...

Because frankly some of the words are found only in the books .. no living person would use many of them !!!

ACtually, this wordlist knowledge helps in reducing time ... THe exact meaning of more words you know ... the better, since it will help you eliminate options easily.

I guess you should try linking words ... and the THE WORD POWER by NORMAN LEWIS ... it is great !!! really good.

I suggest you do these wordlists / words if you have time that is ... It might just be rewarding in the end !!!

[sekar]

hai friend ,
i have dout regarding the symbol "schwa" which being used in "word power made easy"
all the words being splitted in to syllables an in each word consist of this "schwa" .symbol is inverted e.what it means how to pronunce it.in dictinary it has mentioned as no sound or silent. eg linda lin -d-e here a silent.
those who gone through "word power ...
help me

[eagle]

barons word list(or of ims for tht matter) certainly helps..u need not take time out of ur reg study schedule for this...perhaps u can take it up as a hobby or recreation... ...when u encounter those words aftrwrds they become ur frnds forever..