Kick off with a mock CAT!!

As is the custom, I started off with a diagnostic test. Albeit, a real live CAT. I took the CAT on the 18th of November'07 to evaluate myself in the various areas that the CAT tests you in. No preparations and very aptly, no expectations. After my stint with the CAT, I have gained some motivation to prepare for CAT'08. CAT'07 wasn't that bad after all.

My reviews about CAT'07 are as follows although contrary to reviews by fellow CAT-ers:

Quant: I felt the quantitative testing to be easier than thought so. I got through most questions with little bit of arithmetic concepts. There were some questions which had concepts coming in from class 12 like derivatives, maxima and minima etc. I was disappointed though not to come across even a single problem on probability which happens to be my favorite topic.

DI: Nothing much to write here. I didn't solve much. I have to mention that I was a bit terrified to see problems with huge statements. Only to find out later that DI problems do not come in any other format. I have to state at the risk of sounding like a moron (CAT'07 had an easier DI than previous tests) that I truly messed up my chances in DI.

Verbal: Again a similar experience as the quant section. I think I did a better job at attempting questions other than reading passages. This proved to be a good boost as I did solve these questions pretty early. That gave me come confidence when I went to attempt the reading passages against time. I had a good amount of rightly answered questions already in the bag, I felt.

The day after CAT, I checked up sites of leading coaching institutes for the answer key and cat analysis. Surprisingly and much against my self-analysis, I had attempted well. I have cleared my cut-off in quant and missed the cut-off in verbal marginally by a fiver. Thats pretty decent for someone who hadn't done anything as lifting a book in preparation for CAT.

This was enough for me to gear up for CAT'08. I have decided to enroll in a coaching institute soon.

More about that in the next post.