Reverse Counting for CAT 2016 Begins: Focus on Your Exam Day Strategy

Anjani Chaand

Updated On: December 03, 2016 09:59 am IST | CAT

CAT 2016 will follow a scale based score ranking, so your CAT exam day strategy should be to attempt approx. 70 questions - 20 VA, and 25 in LDRI and 25 in QA with 85-90% accuracy to rank in a comfortable position.
Reverse Counting for CAT 2016 Begins: Focus on Your Exam Day Strategy

The wait is over. In less than 24 hours, many of you will be through one of the most rigorous entrance tests of the country. More than 150 B-schools with more than 300 different courses will be on offer. You should have a sound strategy made beforehand; such that you can get going from the word go. By now you must have written a number of mock tests framed in line with the actual CAT pattern. Still, at the risk of repetition, I would like to take you through the design of the computer-based test of CAT 2016.

Contrary to popular belief, COMMON ADMISSION TEST (CAT) is NOT an Internet-based test (IBT), but a computer-based test (CBT). Hence, contrary to the popular myth, you will get questions in a pre-decided order. Your next question will not depend upon your performance on the previous questions. In a computer-based test (CBT), you will need to answer the questions sitting at a computer terminal rather than reading them in a physical booklet and marking on the OMR sheet.

2016 CAT will have three sections comprising of 100 questions:

  • Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) comprising of 34 questions
  • Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) comprising of 32 questions
  • Section III: Quantitative Ability (QA) comprising of 34 questions

Each of these sections is independent of each other and will be timed separately. Be careful of the fact that once a section ends, you cannot go back to it.

You have to attempt these sections in a specific order and in the same order as it is given in.

Remember that even if you want to end your test before the full duration is up, you will be required to wait at your testing station until the test is declared over by the test administrator. The CAT 2016 test has been designed very strategically for an equal footing of all test takers. You cant move on to the next section until the pre-meditated time of 60 minutes/ per section is over.

So, before the first 60 minutes are up, you cannot attempt the second section. Same is the case for the third section.

The scoring scheme for Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) is as follows:

  • 3 marks awarded for each correct answer
  • -1mark deducted for an incorrect answer
  • No marks will be awarded or deducted for un-attempted questions

It is very important to note that, CAT has a good number of Non-MCQs (multiple choice questions) questions in which you have to respond on your own. I advise you that don’t miss any of the non-MCQ, as there is no negative marking in it. The number of questions varies and is not disclosed beforehand. In fact for many these Non-MCQ, questions can be the decider. So much so that in CAT 2015, there were:

  • 34 questions in VARC out of which, 24 were MCQs and 10 Non-MCQs &
  • 34 questions in Quant, out of which, 10 belonged to the Non-MCQs &
  • 4 Non-MCQs and 12 MCQs in the DI section

You must keep in mind the some of the following tips to make your strategy for the exam day:

  • IIMs or any such top B-schools give you calls based on your performance in all three sections. Hence, you can get a higher overall percentile but still may not get a call from your desired college because you might have done badly in a section
  • Due to score normalization, it may not actually matter if you could solve less number of questions. Maybe, the questions you miss are really very difficult and most of the test takers would also miss them. Hence, the relative weightage of the questions you would get correct is more and in the process of score normalization you would get a higher scaled score. So don’t come under pressure if you find a section very tough
  • The concept of cutoff has shifted from raw score to scaled score. Earlier, during the single window pen & paper based test, we used to tell if you get these many questions correct with this much accuracy, you might get a call from so and so B-school. But due to the new practice of scaled score based ranking, it may be difficult to predict your rank based on the number of questions you get correct. Nevertheless, my experience says that if you attempt around 70 questions (20 VA, and 25 each in the remaining two) with 85-90% accuracy, you should rank in a very comfortable position. If not the top five, you would get calls from a number of IIMs and other A grade B-schools
  • Time management is the key to your success in 2016 CAT exam. Take each section as a different exam: Once you are into a section, use the time given fully. There is no prize or reward for finishing the section early. You won’t be allowed to go to the other section even if you finish one section in just ten minutes
  • Non-MCQ questions can be the decider. Remember that as many as 33 non-MCQ questions were there in CAT 2015. As I said earlier, don’t miss even one question of Non-MCQ as there is no negative mark. It would be a good idea if you planned some fixed time one you know the number of Non-MCQ questions is a section. Better avoid doing them at the end of the section
  • Be ready for a surprise. I hardly remember any CAT year when it had not spring a surprise. If the surprise comes in the form of a new type of question, attempt only if you have prepared such type before. No point trying to reinvent the wheel and waste your precious time
  • Reach the venue at least one and a half (1.5) hours before the test time [If the test begins at 10 AM, you reach there not later than 8:30 AM and if the test begins at 3:15 PM, you should reach not later than 1:45 PM]. Reaching beforehand will give you a lot of mental peace

Take the following identification documents on the test day along with you (the test centers are very particular about the documentation):

CAT 2016 Admit Card

At least one original and valid photo identification proof. Please remember, photocopies, scanned copies of the document will be rejected. The name on the photo identification document must match the name as entered in the CAT application form. Acceptable forms of photo identification are limited to:

  • Employee ID
  • Passport
  • Voter ID
  • PAN Card
  • Driver's license
  • Unique Identification Card (UID)
  • A notarized Affidavit (in English) with Photo, Signature, Date of Birth and Residential Address
  • College ID (supported with a valid ATM/Credit/Debit Card with the student’s name name)

If the name of the student has been changed, in the event of a marriage etc., you will have to produce relevant documents as well as submit a xerox copy during the 2016 CAT exam, Personal Interview as well as at time commencement an MBA/ PGDM programme.

Also Read: Details of Equating & Scaling in CAT 2016 question paper

Two Sessions, Two Test Forms: What does it mean?

In CAT 2016 there will be two sessions with two different Test Forms administered in both of the Sessions and a student will get the percentile rank as well as scaled score.

So, what is a percentile rank?

It is the percentage of scores that is lower than a given score. The examiners will calculate your raw scores for each section depending on the number of correct questions you have given.

CAT, like all multi-session exams, will be using different versions or multiple forms of CAT 2016 exam. CAT takes all measures to carefully assemble all forms for equal comparison, but a student should understand slight differences in the overall difficulty level cannot be ruled out completely. At least not until after all of the forms have been administered and the results analyzed.

To facilitate this comparison, the score normalization process is implemented in the following manner:

  • Equating - wherein there is adjustment done of raw scores in each form. This facilitates accurate comparisons made of performance across all of the test forms. This is a fair process for all CAT takers
  • Scaling - wherein a common scale or metric is used to ensure appropriate interpretation of the equated raw scores
  • Following this, CAT 2016 exam takers are given percentile rankings for each individual section, along with the overall exam score

    NOTE* - Students are not given access to raw scores because it fails to represent a just interpretation of one candidate with relation to the other, assuming that both students had taken the 2016 CAT paper during the same test window period.

Are you feeling lost and unsure about what career path to take after completing 12th standard?

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