CAT146;s new look: Easier to score but not for all

An increase in the number of questions in the Verbal Analysis section in this year8217;s Common Admission Test brought smiles and disappointments alike.

An increase in the number of questions in the Verbal Analysis section in this year8217;s Common Admission Test CAT brought smiles and disappointments alike.

Those unhappy with the change includedManav Jagtap, who said: 8220;There was no need for so many questions on English.8221;

Piyali Vasudevan was among the candidates who were happy about it. 8220;The questions were easy and the trump card to increase the score,8221; she said.

Sujata Khanna, chairperson of Career Forum Limited, a city-based test preparation solution, said there were three sections 8212; Quantitative Aptitude QA, Data Interpretation DI and Verbal or English Usage. Unlike last year, it was a three-hour paper with 30 questions in QA and DI sections and 40 in verbal. Each section was of 100 marks.

8220;QA was tougher than previous years. DI was also tricky with more stress on reasoning,8221; said Khanna, adding that most students found increased questions on word usage easy. It may therefore, not add mileage to the score.

Around 17,000 students from Pune appeared for CAT 2008. 8220;The number this year has increased by 20 per cent compared to last year,8221; she said. The stakes are high with aspirants vying for the coveted 1,600 IIM seats with an applicant to seat ratio of over 100:1.

Besides, six new IIMs are expected to start functioning by next year. Apart from IIMs, several other premier business schools take students from the pool of successful candidates qualifying CAT.

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Apart from the website, CAT takers can access their score by using SMS facility on their mobile phones. They can also get their results by e-mail on prior registration. Students who qualify the test will be eligible for admissions to IIMs at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow and Shillong.

Experts have already started predicting the cut-offs for this year8217;s test. Khanna says the cut-off for QA section this year would be 28 marks, 32 for DI and 46 for verbal.

Income limit raised
The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, has raised the income limit of the creamy layer among OBCs from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh.

The IIMs have requested students to send a certificate to the IIM where he/ she has sent the application form along with the application form number and test registration number by December 2008. If the concerned IIM does not receive the letter, students8217; category status will remain as others, as originally indicated in the CAT form, stated the notice.