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| How to cross 300 marks in CMAT (MBA) Exam | | | Ayush Nargotra
CMAT stands for the
Common Manage-
ment Admissions Test. It is a national-level MBA admission test, conducted by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a national-level Apex Advisory Body which is vested with the statutory authority for technical education in India.
Why CMAT?
AICTE launched CMAT to reduce the physical, mental and financial stress of students in attending multiple entrance examinations conducted by the institutions for admission to management programs in AICTE-approved institutions. There are 3500+ AICTE approved B-schools which are expected to take CMAT scores, translating to availability of over 4 lakh seats for a CMAT test-taker. Unlike other management entrance exams of similar nature, CMAT gives you a shot at the premier B-schools of the country such as JBIMS, Sydenham, KJ Somaiya, IMT and GIM among others.
What does it test?
CMAT is a computer based test, where multiple choice questions will be asked. Candidates have to read a question on the computer terminal and then answer it by clicking on the correct option. The exam consists of four sections that include a) Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation b) Logical Reasoning c) Language Comprehension and d) General Awareness. There are 25 questions in each section. The duration of test is 180 minutes, with no break during this time window.
Students can move back and forth between sections. This means that the sections are not timed individually, and the onus is on the students to manage timing between the sections, while ensuring that they show their competency in all the sections. There is a negative marking of 1 mark for every wrong answer.
Scoring Mechanism:
CMAT ranks its takers based on both the Overall test score and individual sectional scores. Those with high overall scores will get better ranks. Ties will be decided based on the performance of the students in the individual sections - those who scored better in Quant will get better ranks. Logical Reasoning, English Comprehension and General Awareness follow the Quant section in the pecking order to decide a tie.
Preparation Strategy for CMAT:
Complete the basics | Revise the basics
By basics I mean what should be able to solve every question given in the books without any problem. Once you have completed the basics start the cycle of revising them all. In CMAT particular type of questions are asked each year. Focusing on them will improve your rank exponentially.
Sectional Tests and exercises
Start taking sectional tests and time based exercises. I would recommend taking 2 - 3 tests a week to see where you stand and how much improvement you need. Keep in mind that it is an Computer Based Test (CBT), hence practice on computer only. Make sure the sectional tests are online.
Start taking mocks
I consider mocks to be kicks. Start taking mocks once every week, this will help you gauge your performance and know where you stand. Mock scores will also help you identify your aim and strategy for the last few days before CMAT. Please start your mocks even if you have not completed the chapters. Completing everything is a never ending process so start taking mocks as soon as possible.
I have appeared for CMAT in each year since its inception and these are my key take-aways:
I followed just one simple strategy that I feel applies to all tests and institutes. I practised a lot on the kind of papers I would get. I would keep writing mock tests, go through and keep solving all the past papers I could find from different sources. Basically, it is all about fine tuning. The idea behind taking so many tests is to keep honing your strategy in answering that paper until you're absolutely comfortable with any paper you may get. At the end of the day, the theory and formulae you need for all these tests are the same, so it is all about that fine tuning. So after eight or 10 mock papers, I got the hang of the test, which is the most important.
To score well, you need to be ACCURATE
Speed is not an issue at all as you have ample time available. Solving 100 questions in 3 hours is quite easy; hence time is not as important as accuracy is. I have slept for 20 to 40 minutes after completing test every year!
The range of topics covered has become very important. For an exam like CAT, my strategy would be to focus on a few areas of strength. But, with CMAT the student would need to have a certain minimum level of comfort in ALL TOPICS. This is especially true for the Quantitative section as questions from exotic topics like co-ordinate geometry, conics, and advanced trigonometry have cropped up with regularity.
Do not try to "Study" too much for the General Awareness section. Your score will ultimately be decided by how good or bad your reading habits are and whether you have been attentive enough to events that occur in the business and economic environment. Also, do not attempt too many questions in this section.If you consider the GK section as a section to study, it will become a heavy load. Treat it with a lighter note, so that preparing for it is more of refreshment than a chore.
Be very careful in selecting questions in the English section. It is extremely easy to lose marks in this section. This is especially true of the critical reasoning questions that are asked in this section.
Note for Aspirants who have a Target Score
For students who have not been able to exceed a score of 100-120, my advice is to concentrate on Reasoning and Quantitative sections. Such students can attempt 10 to 15 questions collectively in English and General Awareness sections.
This should not take more than 30 minutes. The remaining 2.5 hours can be devoted to 50 questions of Maths and Reasoning. Assuming that a student can crack 40 of these questions, the overall score can easily exceed 150.
Students who aspire to cross 200 must perform reasonably well in the English section in addition to Quantitative and Reasoning sections. The idea is to search for 10-12 safe questions such as those from grammar, vocabulary, jumbled para and blanks which can boost your score by around 40 marks.
For those who want to whizz past the 250 mark, a very strong performance in the English section is a must. Such students must be vastly proficient at finer aspects such as comprehension and critical reasoning. And finally, for the geeks who want to break into 300 plus club; the message is simple - There is no place to hide!
For them, the General Awareness section will be the decider. They must read and memorize vast amounts of information and count on lady luck to smile on them!
In the end I would suggest you to keep your strategies clear and keep solving mock papers; in fact, try to go through one a day during the last few days' run up to the test. On a psychological note, I believe that one has to give oneself confidence. If you believe that you can score well, there's nothing to stop you. Prepare hard and cross 300 marks.
(The author is Director Career Launcher Jammu and Serial CAT / CMAT topper. He can be reached at [email protected] or 9018380777.Join J&K's Biggest CAT Prep Group on Facebook- IIM Dream Team of J&K.) |
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