Maths makes CAT 2018 a tough nut to crack
TNN | Nov 26, 2018, 02:57 IST
MUMBAI: MBA aspirants who took the Common Admission Test (CAT) on Sunday did not find any major surprises save one. Though some found the data interpretation and logical reasoning section to be moderately difficult, most found the quantitative analysis section to be the toughest of the last four years. The difficulty level in both slots on Sunday was almost similar to that last year. Coaching experts claimed that the expected cutoffs would be 150-155 for a 99 percentile this year.
Around 2.4 lakh candidates registered for CAT 2018. Close to 85,000 were women. "The quantitative analysis section was a shocker for many students. Several questions required lengthy solutions. Only 8-11 easy questions were found. Sectional cut-offs for quant is likely to drop by 10-12 marks," said Hemang Panchmatia, chief national mentor from a leading coaching institute.
Students found the verbal section to be slightly easier than CAT 2017. "With a few tricky questions and the added possibility of silly mistakes, especially in the quant section, cut-offs this year are likely to move marginally south compared to CAT 2017," said Ramnath Kankadandi, the national CAT course director at a coaching institute.
A student who took the test said the difficulty level of data interpretation and logical reasoning went a notch down this year, "which was a relief to many of us". Most questions were not tricky, he said.
Overall, the verbal ability & reading comprehension section had 34 questions, data interpretation & logical reasoning had 32 and quantitative ability 34.
Most IIMs have started giving weightage to several other aspects along with the CAT score to ensure a diverse classroom. The test was conducted across 147 cities without any technical glitch or administrative lapses, said a coaching class mentor. The result is expected in January. The exam was conducted by IIM-Calcutta this year.
Around 2.4 lakh candidates registered for CAT 2018. Close to 85,000 were women. "The quantitative analysis section was a shocker for many students. Several questions required lengthy solutions. Only 8-11 easy questions were found. Sectional cut-offs for quant is likely to drop by 10-12 marks," said Hemang Panchmatia, chief national mentor from a leading coaching institute.
Students found the verbal section to be slightly easier than CAT 2017. "With a few tricky questions and the added possibility of silly mistakes, especially in the quant section, cut-offs this year are likely to move marginally south compared to CAT 2017," said Ramnath Kankadandi, the national CAT course director at a coaching institute.
A student who took the test said the difficulty level of data interpretation and logical reasoning went a notch down this year, "which was a relief to many of us". Most questions were not tricky, he said.
Overall, the verbal ability & reading comprehension section had 34 questions, data interpretation & logical reasoning had 32 and quantitative ability 34.
Most IIMs have started giving weightage to several other aspects along with the CAT score to ensure a diverse classroom. The test was conducted across 147 cities without any technical glitch or administrative lapses, said a coaching class mentor. The result is expected in January. The exam was conducted by IIM-Calcutta this year.
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