how to get the best out of aimcats

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Home About Us Our Offices Notifications Test Pattern & Analysis Contact Us Apply For T.I.M.E. Franchise Careers at T.I.M.E. Courses Offered by T.I.M.E. JEE/Engg IITFoundation School Tuitions CLAT IPM AIPMT Correspondence Courses CAT/MBA MCA Study Abroad CRT CSAT Bank Exams GATE CMAT How to get the best out of the AIMCATs Now that you are in the last lap of your preparation for the CAT, and regularly attempting the AIMCATs, you would probably be asking yourself the question, "How do I really improve my performance in the AIMCATs?" Whether you are someone who barely manages make it into the toppers’ list or someone who is struggling to cross the sectional/overall cutoffs, remember that things can be changed and you can improve your performance. The key to making this possible lies in how much you can extract out of the AIMCATs that you take regularly. The AIMCATs are undoubtedly one of the most valuable tools you have at your disposal to help you finetune and hone your performance. But you must note that though the AIMCAT series is as close to the real thing as is possible in terms of the quality of the paper, the mode of administration, the crowd taking the test, the results and the accompanying analysis you can make it work for you only if you are really prepared to put in what it takes to extract the maximum out of each AIMCAT. In fact, most of the students who make it into the top B schools mention "regularly analyzing AIMCATs" as one of the most important things they did to crack CAT This article is intended to help you in exactly that, i.e., in getting the most out of each and every AIMCAT that you take, so that you can move ahead in your endeavor to achieve top performance in the AIMCATs and subsequently in the CAT itself. I. Perspective: The first aspect that we shall consider is your perspective of the AIMCATs. In order to gain the most out of the AIMCATs you need to have the right perspective about what they are intended to be and how they can help you. What the AIMCATs are intended to be Benchmarking Tool: The AIMCATs are primarily intended to be a benchmarking tool, i.e., to help you honestly measure your level of preparedness for the real CAT and discover your strong and weak areas. They are definitely not intended to scare you or discourage you and therefore you should never look upon them with fear or trepidation. How the AIMCATs can help you Developing the Right Testtaking Strategy: The AIMCATs are also intended help you develop the right test taking approach/strategy for the real CAT through a proper analysis of your performance in each AIMCAT. Learning New Techniques of ProblemSolving: Finally, the AIMCATs are also intended to help you to learn some advanced techniques, i.e., you may sometimes find some new and useful ways of applying the basic concepts. How you should approach the AIMCATs Treat each AIMCAT as if it were the actual CAT itself and believe that your performance in the AIMCAT actually matters. Such seriousness is a must if you hope to either perform well in the AIMCATs or to gain any serious benefit from them. However, after each AIMCAT you need to look at it as not just as giving a mock test but as an opportunity to learn and improve your performance. Also, do not miss out on any AIMCAT unless it is absolutely unavoidable. However, do remember to take the AIMCAT results with a pinch of salt, especially when your performance was not upto your expectations. In short, always give your best go at it but never let it get to you! II. Preparation and Practice: Over the past few years, with decreasing number of questions in each section, the CAT has been placing increasingly more emphasis on problems which can be solved with a sound conceptual understanding as against resorting to shortcuts, speed, selection of questions etc. Therefore, you need to be conceptually thorough to the extent possible, at least with the topics that have been already covered in class. If your preparation is lagging or is below par at present, you should immediately plan for a complete roundup of the basics and then start applying the concepts in the upcoming AIMCATs as well as while reviewing the previous AIMCATs. The online sectional practice tests available on the Student Homepage should be used to topup your preparation through extensive and high quality practice followed by analysis. III. Performance: The three most important things to look out for here are time management, questionselection, and accuracy. Timemanagement: Planning the time you are going to spend on each question, or set of questions will help you maximize your overall score. It calls for tremendous selfdiscipline to ensure you never spend an inordinate amount of time on any question and judiciously skip questions that turn out to be more time consuming than expected. Also, a common quandary that many students often face is the order in which they should attempt the sub sections (QA vs DI and VA vs LR). A broad guideline to help you with this tricky decision is that you attempt them in such a way that you give yourself the best opportunity to maximize your score in your stronger area and then move on to the weaker area while keeping buffer time for the questions that are doable but time consuming. Questionselection: Spending more time than required on a wrong or a relatively difficult question can prove to be a costly mistake, as you are doing it at the expense of other questions which are probably easier, but you did not attempt for lack of time. The art of selecting the right questions to attempt comes from a combination of solid grounding in the basics and an ability to quickly see through the situation given in the question and anticipate the broad steps involved in the solution. This inevitably requires considerable amount of practice. Accuracy: Finally, the accuracy of your attempts in the AIMCAT needs to be taken care of. For the same reasons as explained above, any sort of compromise on accuracy, in a shorter section, can lead to a drastic reduction in your percentile score. Hence, an accuracy of 70% or more is highly desirable. Often, a significant number of mistakes are committed due to mere lack of concentration or unnecessary haste. A cool headed, confident approach can help avoid a lot of mistakes usually committed unwittingly.

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How to Get the Best Out of AIMCATs

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  • Home AboutUs OurOffices Notifications TestPattern&Analysis ContactUs ApplyForT.I.M.E.Franchise CareersatT.I.M.E.

    CoursesOfferedbyT.I.M.E.

    JEE/Engg IITFoundation SchoolTuitions CLAT IPM AIPMT CorrespondenceCoursesCAT/MBA MCA StudyAbroad CRT CSAT BankExams GATE CMAT

    HowtogetthebestoutoftheAIMCATs

    NowthatyouareinthelastlapofyourpreparationfortheCAT,andregularlyattemptingtheAIMCATs,youwouldprobablybeaskingyourselfthequestion,"HowdoIreallyimprovemyperformanceintheAIMCATs?"Whetheryouare someone who barely manages make it into the toppers list or someone who is struggling to cross thesectional/overallcutoffs,rememberthatthingscanbechangedandyoucanimproveyourperformance.

    Thekeytomakingthispossible lies inhowmuchyoucanextractoutoftheAIMCATsthatyoutakeregularly.TheAIMCATsareundoubtedlyoneofthemostvaluabletoolsyouhaveatyourdisposaltohelpyoufinetuneandhoneyourperformance.ButyoumustnotethatthoughtheAIMCATseriesisasclosetotherealthingasispossibleinterms of the quality of the paper, the mode of administration, the crowd taking the test, the results and theaccompanyinganalysisyoucanmakeitworkforyouonlyifyouarereallypreparedtoputinwhatittakestoextract themaximumoutofeachAIMCAT.In fact,mostof thestudentswhomake it into the topBschoolsmention"regularlyanalyzingAIMCATs"asoneofthemostimportantthingstheydidtocrackCAT

    Thisarticleisintendedtohelpyouinexactlythat,i.e.,ingettingthemostoutofeachandeveryAIMCATthatyoutake,sothatyoucanmoveaheadinyourendeavortoachievetopperformanceintheAIMCATsandsubsequentlyintheCATitself.

    I. Perspective:

    ThefirstaspectthatweshallconsiderisyourperspectiveoftheAIMCATs.InordertogainthemostoutoftheAIMCATsyouneed tohave the rightperspectiveaboutwhat theyare intended tobeandhow theycanhelpyou.

    WhattheAIMCATsareintendedtobe

    Benchmarking Tool: The AIMCATs are primarily intended to be a benchmarking tool, i.e., to help youhonestlymeasureyourlevelofpreparednessfortherealCATanddiscoveryourstrongandweakareas.Theyaredefinitelynotintendedtoscareyouordiscourageyouandthereforeyoushouldneverlookuponthemwithfearortrepidation.

    HowtheAIMCATscanhelpyou

    DevelopingtheRightTesttakingStrategy:TheAIMCATsarealsointendedhelpyoudeveloptherighttesttakingapproach/strategyfortherealCATthroughaproperanalysisofyourperformanceineachAIMCAT.

    LearningNewTechniquesofProblemSolving:Finally, theAIMCATsarealso intendedtohelpyouto learnsome advanced techniques, i.e., youmay sometimes find some new and usefulways of applying the basicconcepts.

    HowyoushouldapproachtheAIMCATs

    TreateachAIMCATasifitweretheactualCATitselfandbelievethatyourperformanceintheAIMCATactuallymatters.SuchseriousnessisamustifyouhopetoeitherperformwellintheAIMCATsortogainanyseriousbenefitfromthem.However,aftereachAIMCATyouneedtolookatitasnotjustasgivingamocktestbutasan opportunity to learn and improve your performance. Also, do not miss out on any AIMCAT unless it isabsolutely unavoidable. However, do remember to take the AIMCAT results with a pinch of salt, especiallywhenyourperformancewasnotuptoyourexpectations.Inshort,alwaysgiveyourbestgoatitbutneverletitgettoyou!

    II. PreparationandPractice:

    Over the past few years, with decreasing number of questions in each section, the CAT has been placingincreasingly more emphasis on problems which can be solved with a sound conceptual understanding asagainst resorting to shortcuts, speed, selection of questions etc. Therefore, you need to be conceptuallythorough to the extent possible, at least with the topics that have been already covered in class. If yourpreparationislaggingorisbelowparatpresent,youshouldimmediatelyplanforacompleteroundupofthebasicsandthenstartapplyingtheconceptsintheupcomingAIMCATsaswellaswhilereviewingthepreviousAIMCATs.TheonlinesectionalpracticetestsavailableontheStudentHomepageshouldbeusedtotopupyourpreparationthroughextensiveandhighqualitypracticefollowedbyanalysis.

    III. Performance:Thethreemostimportantthingstolookoutforherearetimemanagement,questionselection,andaccuracy.

    Timemanagement:Planningthetimeyouaregoingtospendoneachquestion,orsetofquestionswillhelpyou maximize your overall score. It calls for tremendous selfdiscipline to ensure you never spend aninordinate amount of time on any question and judiciously skip questions that turn out to be more timeconsumingthanexpected.

    Also,acommonquandary thatmanystudentsoften face is theorder inwhich theyshouldattempt thesubsections(QAvsDIandVAvsLR).Abroadguidelinetohelpyouwiththistrickydecision isthatyouattempttheminsuchawaythatyougiveyourselfthebestopportunitytomaximizeyourscoreinyourstrongerareaand thenmoveon to theweakerareawhilekeepingbuffer time for thequestions thataredoablebut timeconsuming.

    Questionselection:Spendingmoretimethanrequiredonawrongorarelativelydifficultquestioncanprovetobeacostlymistake,asyouaredoing itat theexpenseofotherquestionswhichareprobablyeasier,butyou did not attempt for lack of time. The art of selecting the right questions to attempt comes from acombination of solid grounding in the basics and an ability to quickly see through the situation given in thequestionandanticipatethebroadstepsinvolvedinthesolution.Thisinevitablyrequiresconsiderableamountofpractice.

    Accuracy:Finally, the accuracy of your attempts in the AIMCAT needs to be taken care of. For the samereasonsasexplainedabove,anysortofcompromiseonaccuracy, inashortersection,can leadtoadrasticreductioninyourpercentilescore.Hence,anaccuracyof70%ormoreishighlydesirable.Often,asignificantnumberofmistakesarecommitteddue tomere lackof concentrationorunnecessaryhaste.Acoolheaded,confidentapproachcanhelpavoidalotofmistakesusuallycommittedunwittingly.

  • IV. PostPerformanceAnalysis:

    AftereachAIMCAT,spendat least2hoursanalyzingeachsectionofthepaper.Tryandfirstworkouteveryquestioninasmanydifferentwaysasyoucanthinkofandonlythenlookupthesolutionsforthesame.Itisin thisphaseofyourprepthatyoucanexpect tosignificantly improveyourunderstandingof thebasicsandmore importantly,yourability toapply them inanexamscenario.Thisanalysis shouldbedone indifferentsteps.

    Step1:AttemptallthosequestionsinthatsectionthatyouleftunattemptedduringtheAIMCAT.

    Step2:Trysolvingquestionsthatmaystillbeleftover.Onlyaftergivingallthequestionsagoodtry,checktheanswerkeytofindoutwhichquestionsyoucouldanswercorrectlyandreattemptallthosequestionsthatyou answeredwrongly. Youwould be able to learn a great deal from this step since youwould actually bepushingyourselftothinkharderandfindoutwhereyouhavemademistakes.Donotlookatthesolutionsuntilyouarefinishedwiththisstep.

    Step3:Youcan refer thesolutionsandcompareyourapproachwith thatgiven in thesolutions.Youshouldkeenly observe and learn anythingnew that youmay find in the solutions.At the endof this stageof youranalysis, you should try to categorize the questions into levels of difficulty based on the understandingrequiredand theamountof time thatyouwould take to solveeachof them inanexamsituation.This is avery important step that will help you in identifying the level of a question, a critical input required whentryingtochoosetherightquestionstoattemptintheAIMCATortheactualCAT.

    Step4: Carefully look up the extensive analysis Sectionwise, Areawise, Difficulty Level wise andmuchmore that isprovidedtoyouontheStudentHomepageafter theresultsaredeclared.TheAIMCATresultsand analysis that are made available on the website are meticulously designed, comprehensive, andpersonalized analyses that are intended to give you valuable feedback regarding your performance. Thisfeedbackwillguideyoutowardsabetter,morefocusedandeffectivepreparationandcansetyouonapathofcontinuousimprovement.

    Another practical way to boost your learning is to sometimes study, if possible, with your peers in smallgroupsofnotmorethanthreetofourmembers.YoucananalyzeanddiscusseachAIMCATasagroup,aftereachmember is throughwithhis share of individual analysis. This a verygoodapproach tomaximize yourlearning.Thegroupshould ideallybeformedwithmemberswithstrengths indifferentareassothatthere isscopeforeveryonetogainfromthejointeffort.

    V. Progress:OnecriticalaspectthatoftengetsneglectediskeepingtrackofonesprogressintheAIMCATs.Youshouldcontinuallytrackyourkeyperformanceparameterssectionalandoverallpercentilescoresandlookoutfor any trends and if adverse, remedy the situation accordingly. Remember that absolute scores do notnecessarilyreflectyourperformancesinceitisacompetitiveexamwhereonlyrelativeperformancematters.Youshouldactivelykeeptrackofhowoftenyoucrossall thesectionalcutoffsandalsothenumberoftimesthatyoumakeit intothetopperslistorhowoftenyoucrossacertainoverallpercentilefigurethatyoumaybeaiming for. Failing tokeep trackof and inability to continually adjust, yourperformanceandpreparationcanseriouslyundermineyourpreparation.Also,settingshorttermandlongtermgoalsforyoursectionalandoverall percentiles, and other parameters like identifying and attempting at least 80% of all the easyquestions in a section, or ensuring to spare some buffer time in the paper etc., will keep you focused andmotivatedandalsoyieldbetterresults.

    VI. Perseverance:On a final note, remember the principle of perseverance. Know and remember that thecompetitionisboundtointimidateyouonmorethanoneoccasionoverthecomingfewweeksandthingswillnotalwaysgothewaythatyoumay likethemto.Youshouldalsobepreparedforoccasionalspellsofselfdoubt,despairanddiscouragement theyareallapartandparcelof thegamewhichyouwilleventuallybecome accustomed to, overcome and, hopefully, use as stepping stones to reach greater heights in yourpreparationandperformanceintheAIMCATsandalsoyourcareerinthelongrun.

    Just remember the famous lines of the song 'Sunscreen' by Baz Luhrmann "Sometimes youre ahead,sometimes you're behindthe race is long, and in the end, its onlywith yourself." (the full extract can befoundonwww.lyricscrawler.com/song/3953.html)

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