Understanding the changes in CAT 2014

6. Results to be declared in December instead of January

The CAT results have been traditionally announced in January – this year the big news is that the results will be available in the 3rd week of December 2014!

Pros:
a. Early results may prove to be a boon for aspirants who need to decide which B-Schools they need to apply to (other than the IIMs) and also to those who need to have back-up options based on their performance in CAT.
b. Call-getters may now get extended time duration for their preparation for GD-WAT-PI, which may be conducted in the month of February.

Cons:
Lower test scores might hamper the student’s morale for other tests like the NMAT and XAT, which will be conducted after the results of CAT.

7. Questions in CAT 2014 increased from 60 to 100 & time duration from 140 to 170 minutes

As per an official press release, the number of questions in CAT 2014 is increased from 60 to 100 with 50 questions each in the two sections viz. Quant & DI and Verbal & LR. Further, the test duration has been increased from 140 minutes to 170 minutes.

Pros:
The time available per question might have reduced from 140 seconds per question to 102 seconds per question but this could make the test easier for the student. The test-setter might factor in this time-reduction while deciding the composition of the test with regard to level of difficulty of the test items. In other words, the aspirant can now expect more ‘doable’ questions in the test than were available in the 60 question format.

Cons:
A lengthier paper means more time with the test. Students might find more questions a tedious affair.

8. Section time-limits are done away with: Back to paper-based test culture!

One of the main grouses of most CAT aspirants was the presence of sectional time-limits in the CAT – this meant that the students could not play to their strengths or rationalize the usage of the total test-time available to them. But CAT 2014 is set to change all that with the removal of sectional time-limits. A test-taker can now navigate between two test sections and solve questions in any order.

Pros:
a. Test-takers will now have the flexibility to decide the order of preference while solving questions from different areas. CAT 2014 is likely to be a test of strategy as it used to be when the test was paper-based!!

b. Test-takers can now spend more time or less on a particular section or area based on their strengths and weaknesses.

Cons:
The flexibility to move between sections can prove to be a double-edged sword!! Frequent moving across sections, areas or questions with no real strategy in mind can lead to loss of momentum and prove to be detrimental to the overall test performance.

9. The test interface is changing: Get used to it!

With the reins of the test moving from Prometric to TCS, the look and feel of the test is bound to change. Test-takers (especially repeat-takers) will have to get used to the new interface. The 15 minute pre-test tutorial, which was available last year, will be absent this year.  

Pros:
CAT 2014 aspirants will have a tutorial available to them beforehand, to give them an idea of the actual Test.

Do you need to change your prep plan?

While the topics tested are expected to remain the same, this year the CAT may introduce new question types in view of the changed test structure with more questions in each section. So, while your basic preparation plan for concept learning and practice will necessarily remain the same, the test-taker should adapt to the implications of these changes. Further, all test-takers are advised to take sufficient number of simulated tests (i.e. SimCAT) before the actual test to get used to the test interface and software. Use the one extra month to spread out your test-taking phase with more time between mock-tests for feedback and analysis – remember taking too many tests without proper analysis always proves futile.

How will IMS help?

As always, IMS is committed to helping its students have the most effective and efficient preparation for their exams. Accordingly, IMS will give the students enough test practice based on the new test interface and test structure. SimCAT 1 and 2 were made available to the students as per the expected test interface immediately after the CAT Notification was released. All the remaining 8 classroom SimCATs and 15 take-home SimCATs will now be available as per the new test pattern. Even the section tests will be moved to the new test software to give the students enough and more practice with the expected test software. Further, the proctored SimCAT dates have been rescheduled to accommodate longer periods between tests to ensure more time for analysis and feedback. IMS will conduct a special workshop “Last Mile to CAT” not only to inform students about the impending changes in CAT but also to let them know how to be better prepared for the same.