Posted by TCYonline.com on September 8, 2010
Data Interpretation consists of three sections viz. Data Interpretation, Data Sufficiency and Reasoning. It is easily the most scoring section of any exam- if the fundamentals are in place.
Data Interpretation (D.I.) : contains information presented in the form of Bar graphs, Line Graphs, Pie Charts, Tables, Histograms etc. The student is required to analyze the information provided and supply the answer to asked queries related to the data given. Students who are good at heavy mental calculation are at an advantage as it is one of the keys for doing well in this section. This section tests the students’ skills in Percentage calculation, Profit and Loss Analysis, and Ratio Proportion.
Data Sufficiency: is a section where a statement is given and with it are provided two options which could hold the key to the answer. The student is required to independently analyze both the answer keys and see from which the answer can be derived. The student has to tick one of the five options for the answer.
• If answer can be derived from Answer key A- then answer is A.
• If answer can be derived from Answer key B- then answer is B.
• If answer can be derived from both A & B independently- then answer will be C.
• If answer can be derived from a combination of A & B- then answer is D.
• If answer cannot be derived from any of the options, then the answer is E.
Imp: Many times students get confused when the solution does yield an answer with both the answer keys but the answer is different in both the cases. In such a scenario, C would be the correct option is the right one as long as both the options provide unique answers (i.e. it can’t be -2 or +2, it has to be either).
Reasoning: as a section can be tackled very well if the mental calculation is fast. There are broadly three types of reasoning questions: Linear, Circular and Tabular.
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Posted by TCYonline.com on August 24, 2010
Language is not a cultural artifact that we learn the way we learn to tell
time or how the federal government works. Instead, it is a distinct
piece of the biological makeup of our brains. Language is a complex,
specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without
conscious effort or formal instruction, is deployed without awareness of
its underlying logic, is qualitatively the same in every individual, and is
distinct from more general abilities to process information or behave
intelligently. For these reasons some cognitive scientists have described
language as a psychological faculty, a mental organ, a neural system,
and a computational module. But I prefer the admittedly quaint term
“instinct”. It conveys the idea that people know how to talk in more or
less the sense that spiders know how to spin webs. Web spinning was not
invented by some unsung spider genius and does not depend on having
had the right education or on having an aptitude for architecture or the
construction trades. Rather, spiders spin spider webs because they have
spider brains, which give them the urge to spin and the competence to
succeed. Although there are differences between webs and words, I
will encourage you to see language in this way, for it helps to make sense
of the phenomena we will explore.
Thinking of language as an instinct inverts the popular wisdom, especially
as it has been passed down in the canon of the humanities and social
sciences. Language is no more a cultural invention than is upright posture.
It is not a manifestation of a general capacity to use symbols: a three year old,
we shall see, is a grammatical genius, but is quite incompetent at the
visual arts, religious iconography, traffic signs, and the other staples of
the semiotics curriculum. Though language is a magnificent ability
unique to Homo sapiens among living species, it does not call for
sequestering the study of humans from the domain of biology, for a
magnificent ability unique to a particular living species is far from
unique in the animal kingdom. Some kinds of bats home in on flying
insects using Doppler sonar. Some kinds of migratory birds navigate
thousands of miles by calibrating the positions of the constellations
against the time of day and year. In nature’s talent show, we are simply
a species of primate with our own act, a knack for communicating
information about who did what to whom by modulating the sounds
we make when we exhale.
Once you begin to look at language not as the ineffable essence of
human uniqueness but as a biological adaptation to communicate
information, it is no longer as tempting to see language as an insidious
shaper of thought, and, we shall see, it is not. Moreover, seeing language
as one of nature’s engineering marvels an organ with “that perfection
of structure and co adaptation which justly excites our admiration,” in
Darwin’s words gives us a new respect for your ordinary Joe and the
Much maligned English language (or any language). The complexity of
language, from the scientist’s point of view, is part of our biological
birthright; it is not something that parents teach their children or
something that must be elaborated in school as Oscar Wilde said,
“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to
time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” A preschooler’s
tacit knowledge of grammar is more sophisticated than the thickest
style manual or the most state of the art computer language system,
and the same applies to all healthy human beings, even the notorious
syntax fracturing professional athlete and the, you know, like,
inarticulate teenage skateboarder. Finally, since language is the product
of a well engineered biological instinct, we shall see that it is not the nutty
barrel of monkeys that entertainer columnists make it out to be.
- Read the passage and answer the questions
below:
1. According to the passage, which of the following
does not stem from popular wisdom on language?
1. Language is a cultural artifact.
2. Language is a cultural invention.
3. Language is learnt as we grow.
4. Language is unique to Homo Sapiens.
5. Language is a psychological faculty.
2. Which of the following can be used to replace the
“spiders know how to spin webs” analogy as used by
the author?
1. A kitten learning to jump over a wall
2. Bees collecting nectar
3. A donkey carrying a load
4. A horse running a Derby
5. A pet dog protecting its owner’s property
3. According to the passage, which of the following is
unique to human beings?
1. Ability to use symbols while communicating with
one another.
2. Ability to communicate with each other through
voice modulation.
3. Ability to communicate information to other
members of the species.
4. Ability to use sound as means of communication.
5. All of the above.
4. According to the passage, complexity of language
cannot be taught by parents or at school to children
because
1. children instinctively know language.
2. children learn the language on their own.
3. language is not amenable to teaching.
4. children know language better than their
teachers or parents.
5. children are born with the knowledge of
semiotics.
5. Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
1. Language is unique to Homo Sapiens.
2. Language is neither learnt nor taught.
3. Language is not a cultural invention or artifact as
it is made out.
4. Language is instinctive ability of human beings.
5. Language is use of symbols unique to human
beings.
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Posted by girish seshamani on July 6, 2010
The stage has been set for the CAT November 2010 exams. With the CAT going online from last year, and the format also undergoing a change, it is essential to ensure that we get the basics right.
One major factor, which I notice, is students complaining about CAT going online. There was this fear of the unknown which haunted nearly everyone.
The only difference is, instead of a paper and pencil test, the test will be online. Everything remains the same. Students are given sheets to make their rough calculations. The right answer has to be clicked using the mouse. Candidates can scroll the entire paper and start from wherever they want. Likewise they can also change their answers.
If we look at GMAT, it is a computer adaptive test. A computer adaptive test will throw up questions according to your level. Just to cite an example, if you have clicked on the right option of a question which is difficult, the next question will be more difficult than the previous one. If you get this question wrong, the system will again start throwing questions, depending on your level. The marking will also happen according to the level of difficulty. If a candidate has got lot of difficult questions right, he will obviously get a higher grading than a student who has answered all simple questions correctly.
Coming to CAT, we have three sections, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Sufficiency, Analytical and Logical Reasoning and the English Language which includes Comprehension also.
As individuals we have our strength and weakness. Go to the section, where you are very confident and finish it off first. Ensure that you crack it fully. Once you are over with this, come to the other questions, where you will need some time. Taking the new format into consideration, you are required to answer 60 questions in 90 minutes. Ensure that you manage your time well.
I would like to focus on the Verbal Ability Section. The English Language happens to be the section, where I have seen students take a huge beating. Let’s have a look at all the possible question formats:
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- One Word Substitutes
- Idiomatic Phrases and Phrasal Verbs
- Foreign words
- Jumbled Sentences
- Fill in the blanks with the right word
- Error Correction
- Cloze Test
- Sentence Improvement
- Reading Comprehension
If we look at the all the above exercises, the bottom line is vocabulary. If we do not have an excellent vocabulary, we are bound to take a beating. If you do not understand the meaning of one word, you will find it extremely difficult to pick the right option. This applies to all the sections in Verbal Ability. Unfortunately vocabulary is the most neglected part during the CAT preparation. I have seen all the so called reputed coaching classes giving a book full of words in alphabetical order from A till Z with their meanings and asking students to mug up all the words. Rote learning will never work for you. It is virtually impossible to recall the meaning and more importantly by doing this you are in a way, blocking your career also.
A committed vocabulary building exercise involves two major activities. The first is adding new words to your arsenal. The second is to keep in mind the vocabulary you already know. The English Language has over one million words and the average speaker is well versed with only 30000 words. You can see the huge gap. A good vocabulary is a prerequisite for professional growth.
There is only one proven method to increase your vocabulary and also ensure that you do not forget the usage of the words, which you know. Make it a habit to read a newspaper or magazine. You are bound to come across words whose meaning you do not know. First try to guess the meaning of the word with respect to the whole sentence. Only then look up the dictionary and understand the precise meaning. Once you comprehend the meaning, make a sentence using that word in a sentence and have it corrected by a person who is excellent at the language.
Another excellent technique is to use the word in any area of your liking, as in your hobbies or extra curricular activities. Since you already like that line, you will find it motivating to use the word and the learning process becomes interesting and quick. Once you do this you will never forget the meaning and application of that word. Vocabulary Building is a long term process. There are no short cuts.
Having an excellent vocabulary has got lot of advantages. A better vocabulary will help you to enjoy reading more. Likewise having an excellent vocabulary will also give you the confidence to interact with professionals at the highest level. It will undoubtedly be a huge boost for your self esteem.
Another effective method is to understand the meanings of root, prefix and suffix. A root is the basic building block or a key which will help you to understand the meanings of many words.
To understand the importance of a root, let us take the word ‘ali’ which means another. From this, we can easily get to know the meaning of the word, alias, which means an assumed name. Another example is the root ‘am’ which means love. From this, we can understand the meaning of the word, amiable, meaning friendly.
Coming to prefix, it is a word which comes at the beginning. For example, the prefix ‘bi’ means two. We can easily understand the meaning of the words; bisect, bimonthly, bigamy and so on.
A suffix is a word which comes at the end of the word. For example, if we take the suffix ‘cide’ it means killing. We can easily get to know the meaning of the words, homicide, patricide, matricide, regicide, etc. If we take the suffix ‘mania’ which means madness, we get the meaning of the words, megalomania, kleptomania, and so on.
Another area I would like to touch on is Synonym and Antonym. Synonym means words which are similar in meaning. But this does not mean it can be used interchangeably. The right synonym needs to be used taking into consideration the message, we want to communicate. For example, if we take the word active, we have lot of synonyms like, agile, alert, efficient, energetic, quick, prompt, assiduous, indefatigable, etc
Let us take three examples to understand the usage of synonyms:
Mahesh is an efficient worker
A prompt reply is always appreciated
The guard was quite alert and this helped to catch the thief
The same logic applies to antonyms also.
Lastly, coming to Reading Comprehension, lot of books mention words like speed reading, skimming, etc. Let me tell you that all these skills can be acquired only through practice. Start practicing with small comprehension passages and gradually go to bigger ones. Read the questions first and understand what is required. Then go through the passage. While going through the passage, try to get the answers and mark the respective option.
The same technique applies to Cloze Tests also. Go through the whole passage. You will get an idea of what the passage is about, as in, the central idea. After this, filling up the blank with the right option becomes easy.
With this, I conclude my write up and wish you all the best. Ensure that you
BELL THE CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by TCYonline.com on July 5, 2010
People often go to soothsayers and astrologers to find the most opportune time to embark upon a project of importance. Whether or not that helps is a matter of personal belief. We, however, have some timely advice for those preparing for CAT this year. Most serious CAT aspirants will give anything to find out the perfect moment to start preparing for the exam. We spoke to Vaishnu Dass, Quant faculty at TCY and sought his expert views.
Vaishnu is an authority on Quant preparation and gives coaching for CAT, GRE & GMAT. Faculty at TCY, he has been coaching aspirants for these exams for the last 14 years.
Is there a ‘magic number’ of hours of coaching that one should get while preparing for Quant part of CAT?
There is no ‘magic number’ of hours as such. Nevertheless, there are an optimum number of hours of classroom lectures that are required. From my experience of over 14 years, I feel that at least 84 hours must be allocated for Quant in order to excel in it.
How do you divide these hours? How many hours a day? How many days a week?
I would divide CAT test prep into three distinct categories. Rush Hour, Optimum and Ideal. Let’s talk about ‘Rush Hour’ first.
Rush Hour: is when a candidate sincerely starts his CAT prep after his final year exam. With just about six months to go for the CAT, the entire preparation schedule has to be completed in a relatively short time. For instance, at TCY, classes are scheduled six days a week and here, the onus is on the student to keep up with the hectic pace.
The student has to understand that a very self-disciplined effort in self-study will be required on his part to make it to the top.
Optimum: is when a student is in his final year and starts preparing in January/ February of his graduation year. With around 9-10 months to go, the pace of instruction is brisk but not as breathless as ‘Rush Hour’. For Instance, at TCY, classes are scheduled three days a week and a student gets optimum time to revise what is being taught in the classroom. A break of one day between classes allows students the luxury of self studying at the pace most suited to their temperament.
Even an average student who studies sincerely and consistently has every chance of making it to the B- School list.
Ideal: This is when a student enters the penultimate year of his graduation degree course. A good faculty gets the time to teach students to crawl before making them walk and run hard! Basics are covered in depth and preparation starts at the very grassroot level. At TCY, we schedule classes only twice a week over the weekend initially.
The first few months are spent entirely in concept building. It can be compared to being able to dig the foundations oneself before laying them and finally constructing upon them. By the time a student reaches the final year of his degree course, his foundation is so strong that he is more than halfway ready to take on the CAT. The best part about this is that it is of longer duration and more exhaustive than Optimum, but generally costs less.
What preparation strategy would you suggest for each of the three distinct categories you just mentioned?
In Rush Hour, I would recommend the student to take a Diagnostic Test first. A diagnostic test is a mock test especially made to gauge an aspirant’s grasp of concepts. Once the strengths and weaknesses are clear to a student, it is recommended that a student start working on his weak areas first as they are the ones that offer maximum chance of improvement. Areas of strength can be worked upon later in the day. At TCY, we put such students on extensive online testing with a strong focus on performance analysis with the help of TCY Analytics. With TCY Analytics, a student is able to benchmark his performance of each sub-section, section and subject against all his previous attempts. This helps him in analyzing his progress with each test. Later on, the aspirant can start benchmarking his attempt against lacs of other aspirants on our website, www.TCYonline.com.
The success in ‘Optimum’ category rests majorly on the optimum trade-off between self study and disciplined prep. Self study is any day the best test prep strategy. However, disciplined prep calls for following a light but consistent weekly schedule. The CAT programme on TCYonline works on lecture by lecture schedule for each test section. This helps the candidate decide what fraction of the total available time for CAT prep he should invest in a particular month.
Additionally, joining a classroom programme would add to your disciplined effort.
The ideal prep calls for, obviously, the ideal way. For a candidate, this means understanding what skills the exam tests and taking a few sample tests in each area to know his ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ areas. A good faculty will help the student by chalking out a plan till December to develop the lower and middle level skills required. For instance, working on one’s vocabulary, reading regularly on topics that come in the exams, improving one’s reasoning ability and re-visiting the Class VIII, IX and X math concepts of 2-3 major boards viz. CBSE, ICSE and Maharashtra SSC can be very useful. One can find a lot of this basic stuff on TCYonline and can generate customized tests on any topic to move up the learning curve skill by skill.
What advice would you give to CAT aspirants?
First, the student has to be very clear ‘if’ he wants to go for MBA. To explain, let us take a hypothetical situation. A BBA student is in his second year and he has consistently been getting good percentage so far. If he is extremely sure that he will not take up a job straight after graduating, he can afford to take his foot off the pedal a little bit and start preparing for CAT. As long as his overall percentage remains above 50%, he can appear for CAT. A high CAT score will see him secure a call from the best B- Schools in the country.
On the other hand, even if he gets overall 70% in BBA, he can’t secure a call from a good business school with a low CAT score. I again say, vision is very important. If MBA is not of paramount importance, focus fully on your current academic pursuit. If MBA is your ultimate goal, learn to keep your focus and prioritise accordingly.
Posted by TCYonline.com on June 3, 2010
Written By Mansi Praveen
MBA – Masters in Business Administration – these are the few words which have haunted me since the past three years of my life.
The series of mock tests, mock interviews, their results, mugging vocab, solving timed test papers..blah blah blah….i am sure all the MBA aspirants would be able to understand these feelings. These sentences would follow me like the puppy in the Hutch ( now Vodafone ) advertisement…wherever i go, my saga of MBA preparation follows 
A typical cribbing conversation in one complete cycle of form filling -> preparing -> final exams -> results -> interview >- final results would be :
Me: Yaar, this is the last time i am writing the CAT exam. if this time nothing happens, i will continue in my field ( whereas i knew that CAT form filling is going to be an endless festival for me which i would be celebrating each year, hehe)
Me again: You know, XYZ has got admission into ABC (choice of words is not coincidental!), i have been preparing for so long but nothing happens. It all about Luck and no hard work!
Me again: I hate this job, this year i am gonna prepare for GMAT, enough of CAT now. CAT doesn’t deserve me ( innocent me )
Me again:I will apply for executive MBA now..what is the eligibility criteria for that?
There are umpteen sentences i remember which I used to share with my noble friends ( Thanks guys for that).
But now, the story has ended. Finally i got admission into one of the reputed colleges in India and i am joining on 13th June.
As they say, it is not the destination which matters, rather the journey. My tryst with this journey has ended….have learnt a lot from it and value what i have got more so because of this journey…
Have loads of stuff to write about it, but finally ending it with the crux of what i have learnt from this – “Yes, luck does matter…but it is nothing in comparison to the hard work and conviction you put in to reach where you want to be!”
