Imagine, you are in the midst of your MBA entrance exam (CAT, XAT, FMS, whatever) and one section has proved to be more taxing than you expected, or may be it has fewer sets than you were anticipating, or still is much longer than you would have liked it to be. what would you you do? So that you do not press the panic button and sacrifice performance to stress, PaGaLGuY lists a few such scenarios which might come your way and advises you about ways to overcome them.
Scenario number 1
I have attempted only 40. But then I remember that my friend who took his exam only two days ago (with no preparation whatsoever) had done 55. Should I gamble and do some ‘intelligent’ guess work?
There aren’t any marks awarded for attempts, are there? Well, you have answered the question yourself. Two days back is the key phrase here. Remember that the papers are different for every slot so there is a very good chance that your slot might be tougher than that of your friend. Also, you have prepared hard throughout the season, taking all the mocks and spending a lot of cash. So, if you are attempting 40, you can be almost sure that most of the people in your slot will be attempting roundabout the same number of questions. There is no need to be adventurous and attempt something you aren’t very sure of. Just make sure that whatever you attempt, you do it correctly and have faith in the normalisation process.
Scenario number 2
I have the answer but it is not in the options. What now?
This has been a common observation in most of the CAT 2010 experience tales till now. There can be questions which are wrong and there can be ones where you have overlooked certain facts. The thing here would be to not get stuck and go to the next question as soon as you realise something is wrong. Just make sure that you register a complaint with the Prometric Candidate Care after your test. I don’t think marking an answer which is close to what you have got is a wise idea because if it is you who are wrong, you might get a negative for that question.
Scenario number 3
This is one of the lengthiest DI questions I have seen. So many variables and so much of data is making my head spin. Help!
Go through the questions first. See what they are asking. Even if it is a huge set, the data required can be just a small portion of it. So don’t leave a set blindly. Just go through it once and see what is asked and if you could crack it. If you feel you can, you can proceed. If you feel it’s still cryptic, you can forget about the set and move on to the next question.
Scenario number 4
Boy, that’s a really huge Reading Comprehension passage. Now what?
One thing to remember: if it is huge for you, it will be huge for everyone. Having gone through various mocks throughout the season, any Reading Comprehension passage should not be huge for you. The thing you can do is, read the questions first and get to know what is asked. If the questions are factual, you can just spot and mark the answers. If the questions are inferential and you don’t think it is possible for you to do the RC quickly, you can finish the remaining questions in the section and can then come back to the passage. Use the ‘Mark’ button in the CAT interface so come back to it quickly later.
Scenario number 5
I am trying this question for 10 minutes now. It definitely seems interesting and doable. But I have drawn tables, made calculations and derivations but the answer is still elusive. But I think I can solve it. What should I do?
Depends on what position you are in. If it is the last set in the test, it makes sense to stick with it provided you have covered everything else in the test. If it is the first question of the section, it would be better if you went through rest of the questions and come back to the set if you have time left in the end. Also, if it is the last question in the section and you have another section to do after this question, it would be better if you finished the remaining section and then came back to the set. It will also help you if you kept the scratch paper clean and legible. In case you have a left a solution midway, it would help you in case you decide to come back to it at a later point in time.
Scenario number 6
I have done 12-13 attempts in both Quant and DI in 45 minutes. The paper is moderate but then, I have never attempted below 15 in any mock. I will just rush through VA, clear the cutoff and squeeze in a few minutes and try to solve a few more. Whatsay?
Not necessarily a good idea. Can work, can backfire. You cannot and should not form an opinion about a section you haven’t seen. You can show a little bit of urgency but then, it doesn’t mean that you think about the previous two sections while attempting the third one. Do it with a clear mind and give it the amount of time it deserves. If you could do 12-13 in 45 minutes, you have to back yourself up to get most of them correct.
Scenario number 7
The first section I’ve been doing throughout the year has been the Verbal section. But hey, I can see an easy Quant question right in front of me. Should I do Quant first?
Nope! Not advised. You have already got yourself into a comfort zone throughout the season and know all possible scenarios you could encounter while solving it in the order. Just because the first question seems easy does not necessarily mean that the section has to be easy. I would advise you to stick to a tried and tested strategy and not experiment at this crucial juncture.
Scenario number 8
Good God, I am really weak in probability questions. Have never attempted any in a mock. Had practised a bit but then I think I should leave this rather than wasting time on this question.
Just take a look at the question before leaving it. If it requires just basic knowledge of the topic, it would be unwise to leave it just because you fear the topic. Also, it might actually turn out to be a sitter which might make a difference in the end.
In any entrance test, time is of paramount importance. So having a strategy planned out beforehand just in case something goes wrong during the test is beneficial. The common thing across all the scenarios is the tendency to get stuck. The one who avoids this will certainly perform his best in the test.
In case you have faced similar kind of scenarios during any of the tests, you can let us know by writing to us on editor@pagalguy.com.