Common Aptitude Test (CAT)

The English Press Club spoke to Karansinha Patil, who secured a 99.92 percentile in the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2018, to discuss tips and preparation strategies for the exam.

Karansinha said that for a thorough preparation, one needs to start at least ten months before the test. He accepted that, as engineers, BITSians are well-equipped to crack the exam without coaching, but personally recommended joining a coaching class, as he found the mock tests and study material helpful. He mentioned that he was enrolled in T.I.M.E.’s coaching classes. Karansinha suggested giving a mock test before starting the preparation, as it would help to establish where one currently stands and to determine one’s weak areas. The rest of the preparation should be dedicated to strengthening those and improving one’s speed and accuracy.

According to Karansinha, strategies to be used during the CAT examination should be developed and refined by individuals over time. He also feels that getting into the flow and maintaining momentum while solving the paper is crucial to do well, and recommends solving a lot of papers to ensure the same. He also mentioned that if one’s strategies don’t seem to work during the final exam, one should switch to solving the questions sequentially.

Karansinha also shared general advice pertaining to the three sections of the paper. His advice for those who struggle with the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of the paper was to read daily as well as to converse in English regularly. He emphasized the importance of English fluency, as lack of it could hamper one’s performance in the interview round
as well. He stressed on the importance of accuracy while attempting the Quantitative Ability section. For scoring well in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section, he recommended practicing various types of questions.

Finally he ended the interview by saying, ‘The theme of CAT preparation is to know where you currently stand, and where you want to go. When you know this, you will know how much to prepare. If you fail to get a good score this time, there’s always next year.’

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)

Vikram Nitin, a BITSian who performed exceedingly well in the GRE with a score of 338 out of a possible 340, pulled no punches preparing for the exam. He was keen on recounting his experience, and he hoped that it would offer help to people aspiring to go abroad.

Vikram, who didn’t join any coaching class for the GRE, used only three reference books: the Barron’s 6 practice tests, Barron’s Verbal Workbook, and the Essential Words for the GRE. He also used the app Magoosh Flashcards. His preparation began two months prior to the examination, and he used that time mainly to prepare for the verbal section. According to him, the Mathematics section was very easy, the only difficulty being the fact that it was easy to make “silly” mistakes in this section. ‘People do not use the full time allotted to them for the Mathematics section and end up finishing it with a lot of time to spare. I would suggest that after you finish attempting all the questions, go through your paper repeatedly until the time is up’. For the English section, Vikram regularly went through the flashcards on the Magoosh app. He had a lot of free time during the summer, and during his daily three-hour long bus journeys, he used to go through the flashcards. ‘Milquetoast; I was quite amused to find out that such a word actually exists’, said Vikram when he was asked about the most fun tidbits he had encountered during his preparation.

‘CGPA matters the most’, said Vikram on being asked about the makeup of a good resume. ‘The GRE score is not as important as it seems. Many universities just make a comparison between you and your peers in your own college when evaluating you (which is why CGPA would matter). But, on the other hand, the GRE can be a good differentiator when there is a considerable difference between people’s GRE scores. Therefore, there are a lot of universities which require you to reach a certain cut-off in the GRE.’ According to him, for research-based further studies, one requires good evidence, a good letter of recommendation, or a published paper as a part of their resume. The Statement of Purpose may not play too big a role.

Vikram advises BITSians to gain an understanding of their interests and come up with a long-term goal, sometime between the end of the first year and midway through the second year. After understanding their goal, the student should work towards that goal for the rest of their time on campus. He encourages the BITSian to choose clubs that they enjoy, but when it comes to anything academic—such as projects and technical teams—these choices should align with their long-term goal.