Monday, November 17, 2008
In Chennai, about 13,900 candidates registered for the exam this year

Chennai: Verbal abilities and reading comprehension skills were in the spotlight at CAT 2008, as the section got a higher weightage than the other sections for the first time since 1998.

Students writing the Common Admission Test in Chennai on Sunday found the verbal section long but relatively easy, especially in comparison to a slightly tougher Quantitative Ability section, and a balanced and deceptively difficult Data Interpretation and Logical Ability section.


Almost 2.7 lakh candidates across the country wrote the three-hour examination which will determine their prospect of admission into the seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), apart from 100-odd other institutions. In Chennai, about 13,900 candidates were registered to attempt the paper this year, a significant jump from about 10,700 last year. Training institutes in the city are suggesting that an overall cut-off of 118-128 out of 360 will fetch an interview call from at least one of the IIMs.

This year’s question paper had 90 questions, with the verbal section’s share rising to 40. Last year, all three sections had 25 questions each. “This may be a move toward the structure of the GMAT, with its accent on English skills,” said S. Faiz Ahmed, general manager of IMS Learning Resources. “In the past, students used to make the verbal cut-offs, and then do badly in the group discussions and interviews. So the IIMs seem to have decided on a little intensive scanning at the earlier stage and make elimination easier.”

“English was definitely easier. There was even a passage on ice cream in the reading comprehension,” says Anuj Narang, a final year BE student at Hindustan College of Engineering.

S. Balasubramanian, director of T.I.M.E Chennai, said that the ambiguity that has marked verbal ability questions in the last few years was missing. While the reading comprehension passages were shorter, there was a higher level of vocabulary-based questions, he said.

Some students found that the additional questions, while relatively easier, messed up their time management. “We’ve been used to allotting equal time for all sections, so it took us aback in the beginning,” said Harini Srinivasan, a final year engineering student from Anna University. “By the time I came to data interpretation, I was running out of time,” added Deepika, a B.Tech student at Sathyabama University.

“Many students would have found data interpretation, with a mix of calculations and logic, to be on the tougher side,” said Jagannath Prasad, business head of Career Launcher Chennai. The quantitative ability section was easily the hardest section, according to the T.I.M.E analysis, with fewer questions in arithmetic and more focus on “higher math” functions. “Enough traps have been laid all over the place, requiring logical thought from students,” said Mr. Balasubramanian.

With the IIMs suggesting that the CAT may go online next year, a number of students said they had wanted to attempt the examination in the more familiar format. “So far, there is a pattern to prepare with. Next year, it could be a brand new concept. I would have to start working from the starting grid all over again,” said Vipul K. Saini, a final year student from SRM University.