Hi People,

Carrying forth the tradition , here we come up with a new thread for queries related to coaching classes for 2011-12 season.

In initial posts , we have tried to compile all the general queries asked by fellow puys and solutions to these queries suggested by puys throughout the last year .

Beginning with the most favourite question on the thread, which coaching to join in the city .. here is what the suggestions have been in recent past for few most commonly asked cities

Delhi - both TIME and CL are good.. mostly puys who have posted prefer CP centre of CL
Mumbai - CL has better faculty , TIME is better in terms of results
Lucknow - Team Satyam is doing good with Satyam being the same person who was owning CL Franchise 1 year back...TIME results have dropped a bit in the city... IMS and CL are doing decent ..
Chennai - CL followed by TIME and then IMS.

Hyderabad - TIME and CL
BBSR- Erudite has good faculty in QA... but mocks are not good.
PUNE - TIME is best ( not good in VA faculty ) , CL is good and Genesis Mentors have been appreciated as well.
Chandigarh - Bulls eye , CL , TIME , IMS ( in preference order) ... test series of CL or TIME is suggested to those who join bulls eye for national level exposure. Educomp is also producing decent results.

Kolkata - CL , Erudite is a good option followed by IMS and TIMES
Noida- TIME is considered best with very good VA faculty , then comes IMS

Bangalore - CL , TIME ,Byju classes are best in city for QA and DI , IMS
Trivandrum - TIME is best .. then IMS
Jaipur - TIME ( good QA faculty ), PT ( good VA faculty )
Nagpur - IMS ,PT, TIME

For work ex people
Weekend batches available in all major cities.

Which center of these institutes to join in any given city ??
Generally all centers of any coaching have same faculty ... same faculty commutes center to center .. so it does not matter which center you choose. It is suggested to choose center near your place to save time.

General approach suggested for preparation ?
Step 1-
Finish off the basics first either from CL/TIME/IMS material. If you have more than 1 material take your time learn basics from one material but solve exercises from all material.
Give yourself a time of 3 months (max) to do that. Even 2 hrs a day, would suffice People have cracked it in even lesser time, depends entirely on the focus and efficiency of your study period.

Step 2-
Start with online sectional tests now. If you are not performing well in any section, u can practice more of that. Always do the follow up of every sectional test with the analysis of all questions irrespective of the fact whether you could solve it or not.

Step 3-
Start with full fledged online tests now. Learn to time yourself & use different strategies. But to arrive at that one strategy that suits u, u will require a lot of time, practice & detailed analysis of each of your tests.

This is a common note to all. Prepare vocabulary well. No need to cram the words rather focus on their meaning as well as contextual usage.

The best thing is to write 5 words with their meaning & usage everyday. maintain a diary...5 words * 30 days = 150 words per month. and when you write words on your own you remember them better (my experience). Words make a huge difference in exams like SNAP, NMAT, FMS etc...because they usually ask direct synonyms & antonyms n if u know your words well...u already have those marks in your kitty.

Now, moving to other FAQs :)

1. How many test series are recommended ?

Though people have been able to crack CAT and other MBA entrance exams with just 1 test series, it is suggested that if possible enroll for test series of both TIME and CL. It is perceived as the best combination of test series by CAT maulers in past subject to the condition that each and every mock is analyzed in detail.

Link to thread for test series schedule and discussion on same http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/cat-and-related-discussion/66343-cat-2011-test-series-schedules.html

Thread for discussion on AIMCATS/AIMTests : http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/cat-and-related-discussion/63114-cat-2011-time-aimtest-aimcats.html

2. How useful is taking coaching classes for CAT ?? OR
Can one prepare at home with the appropriate study material with him ?? OR Does taking classes actually makes a lot of difference ??

The basic purpose of coaching is regularity in preparation , guidance from faculty and some feel of competition from batch mates in coaching classes before the start of mocks. If one can be regular without coaching , he can opt for not going for coaching classes.

Coachings also help in knowing the pattern of exams , your strong and weak areas , methods to work on them and information about colleges from faculty etc. Hence, for first time takers coaching is suggested unless he/she knows all these beforehand. But, one must join regular mock test series provided by coachings for knowing where he/she stands. Also , for GD/PI , one should join coaching classes.

But, dont think of coaching as the only way to preparation.You have to revise,analyse & work on the stuff taught to you on that day/weekend. There are lot of people who do mistake by thinking that things taught in coaching are the only preparation required and never touch books / mocks till it is november.

3. How many coachings should one take for classroom programs / how many study materials to be followed?

Only 1 study material is sufficient. But you should solve it properly and analyse it in detail.

4. Which is better CL , TIME , IMS ?

General Comparison
CL - MATERIAL (VERY GOOD) , VA ( OK) , QUANT N DI ( GOOD ) MOCKS (GOOD ... VA SECTION BEING GREAT)
IMS - MATERIAL (GOOD) , VA (GOOD) , QA (GOOD) , DI (AVG.) SIMCATS (AVG.)
TIME - MATERIAL ( VERY GOOD AND EXHAUSTIVE ) , AIMCATS ( GREAT .. QA AWESOME)

Best way to decide coaching in any city
Class room program varies from city to city ... one should interact with faculty , center head and students .. before going for a decision.

5. People who don't have any coaching center in their cities, what should they do ?
Arrange material from friends and go through basics .... then join test series in nearby cities. These days most of the mocks are online which you can take from your system, for proctored/invigilated mocks you can go to the centres in nearby cities after booking the slot and take the mock :)

6. Centers of Byju classes?
They are in Bangalore, Delhi , Mumbai , Chennai , Pune , Kolkata , Hyderabad , Manipal. You can visit the following link for details :: NOESIS EDUCATION :: Byju's CAT Classes for CAT 10 . Byju is considered to be very good in QA and DI Shortcuts.

7.Can i start preparing around june/july after my college gets over??
Yes, you can start in june/july... it is not late to start at this time of year .. just plan accordingly and divide your efforts in every section in proportion to your strengths and weaknesses.

8. Fees for classroom programs??
Varies from city to city ... discounts offered on basis of profile and previous cat scores. Negotiation is possible as well.

contd...