Mock CAT 11 (2004)-An analysis_CL Executive Summary: Another one of the traditional 3 section CAT. But this time you would have found the EU section to be very easy, but the DI section to be slightly tougher than what had come thus far, especially the AR part. Here is the way in which you should have attempted the paper. Sect # Topic Time Total Qs # of attempts for IIM's Possible Score for IIM's 1 QA 40 50 20 15 2 EU + RC 35 50 30 26 3 DI + DS + AR 45 50 26 19 Total 120 150 76 60 We feel that you could have cut time out off EU section and given some more time to QA or the DI section to meet the cut-off. Hence it is very important to get the feel of the paper (and hence get a judgment of the possible cut-off) while you are solving the paper. You should have developed this knack by this time. Section I: QA Questions: 50 Here is a minute-by-minute account of how you could have attempted the quant section in Mock 11. Q No. Description Status Time Cumm. Time Cumm. Q's 1 Three or more circles touching each other having a common tangent, their radii will always be in GP Skip - - - 2 The height has to be more than 76 (sum of diameters of three circles). . Two answers get eliminated. Skip - - - 3 Easy by rationalisation. Check with first two terms. Must attempt as similar sum can be found in MCQ. Attempt 50 sec. 0.50 min 1 4 Easy mensuration problem. Attempt 60 sec. 1.50 min 2 5 Check with values: Eg. 1, 2, 4, 8. One may have to think for the second statement. Skip/Attempt 90 sec. 3.20 min - Although a caselet, it is fairly easy timework problem. Assume values for Skip/Attempt 120 sec. number of units. 5.20 min - 6-7 8 All numbers have to be 1 Attempt 30 sec. 5.50 min 3 9 Do by ratios. Number of horses = 3:4, Cost of each horse = 6:5. Could have Skip/Attempt 90 sec. been done with answer choices as well. 7.20 min - 10 Too tough. Leave in the first instance. Based on AP, but chances of calculation error. Skip - - - 11 Easy. Go with answer choice and work with only last digits. Triplet 11,60,61 should have struck you. Attempt 60 sec. 8.20 min 4 12 Put values and check. Attempt 40 sec. 9.00 min 5 Too tough in the first instance. It may be become easy if you realise that cozy pair have to be co-primes. Skip - - - 16 Too tedious to work under time constraint Skip - - - 17 The total height of the triangle is 22. 11, 60 & 61 make a triplet. Hence 22, 120 & Skip/Attempt 60 sec. 122 make a triplet. Thus AS = 122/11. 10.00 min - 18 Though seems easy, can take time to check with values 11.00 min - 19 Infinite GP with first term 50 and common ratio 1/4. Also the area matches. 20 13-15 Skip/Attempt 60 sec. Skip - - - Sitter. 75, 100 and 125 make a triplet. Also the area matches. Attempt 50 sec. 11.50 min 6 21 Check with options. In option 2, all 3 terms are positive. Attempt 60 sec. 12.50 min 7 22 Sum of all the powers of each term should be 30. Number of ways of getting 30 using sum of 3 integers. Partition. Skip - - - 23 Sitter. All of you should know this funda by now. Attempt 40 sec. 13.30 min 8 24 Easy if worked with ratio. Alligation. Presently the price of two ribbons is Rs.4 and Rs.1. On an average all of it is sold at Rs. 2. Hence ratio should be 1:2. Attempt 60 sec. 14.30 min 9 25 May take time to visualise. If all circles are equal, number of circles = 6. Hence Skip/Attempt 50 sec. it should be less than that. Maximum = 5. 15.20 min - Takes time, but definitely attempt. Best way is to use the assumed mean method. Eg. Assumed mean = 10, then first one take -0.4 sec. and the last one takes +0.7 sec. Attempt 150 sec. 17.50 min 10 28 In SI, net rate = r + r/6. In CI it is r + r2/400. Equate the two. Attempt 60 sec. 18.50 min 11 29 Must do. The answer choices are too easy. Attempt 40 sec. 19.30 min 12 30 (300 - 3x) / (2x + 10) is the time taken to meet. This will be a multiple of 3. Hence total distance covered will have to be a multiple of 9. Skip - - - 31 Sitter. Very easy. Must do. Attempt 40 sec. 20.10 min 13 32 Total number of selections = 40C4. Number of ways of selecting 4 consecutive integers among these = 37. Attempt 60 sec. 21.10 min 14 33 One among II and III have to be true and the other one false. Hence it boils down to option 2 & 3. Skip - - - 34 Parallelogram inscribed in a circle has to be rectangle and hence the subsequent rhombus becomes square. Attempt 60 sec. 22.10 min 15 Attempt 50 sec. 23.00 min 16 Attempt 40 sec. 23.40 min 17 26-27 35 36 Put n = 1 and then 2. ccc is a multiple of 111 and hence cb has to be 37. 37 Takes some time but could have been attempted. Skip/Attempt 90 sec. 25.20 min - 38-39 38th Q is very easy, simple arithmetic. 39 may take some time. Skip/Attempt 150 sec. 27.50 min - 40 May take time to visualise. Hence skip. 41 42 43 44 45 46-47 Skip - - - Sitter. Very simple geometry sum. Attempt 20 sec. 28.10 min 18 Since the objects are identical, the answer will not be in the form of answer choice 1 & 4. Attempt 60 sec. 29.10 min 19 Skip - - - Too difficult to visualise. Leave. Question is easy put numbers and solve. The perimeter of the rectangle will be 20 + x. Hence answer can only be 4. Attempt 45 secs 29.55 min 20 Attempt 45 secs 30.40 min 21 A medium level sum for people Skip/Attempt 180 secs 33.40 min comfortable with Time Speed Distance - 48 Once you realize that the product of any five consecutive numbers is always divisible by 12 then the solution can be arrived. Otherwise the problem should not be attempted. Skip 49 To maximize the diagonals will have to be perpendicular. Hence answer has to be 24. Attempt 50 Time consuming sum to read and attempt. Skip Total Section II: EU/RC - - - 45 secs 34.25 min - 22 - - 40 min 22 Q's Questions: 50 The Section with RC and EU combined in the Mock 11 can be described as soft. There were no challenging question either in terms of vocabulary or in terms of the reasoning involved in finding the answers. The cut off for this section this time is pegged at 26 which is the most conservative estimate. That is to say that scoring a mark above 35 in about 40 minutes was well possible this time. The ideal strategy would have been attempting all the 20 EU questions in about 20 minutes. Considering the level of difficulty of these questions scoring 20 marks in these 20 attempts was a clear possibility. However, making allowance for an average test taker and making the provision for four errors in these 20 attempts one could have easily scored a net of 15 marks in 20 minutes. Even the critical reasoning questions did not involve either too intense a reading or any complex reasoning. Para-jumbles were straightforward with links between the sentences standing prominently noticeable. Sentence completion questions were neither tough on vocab nor elaborate in reasoning. Elimination helped one to reach the right option in seconds. The inappropriate usage questions were all sitters. There were chances of errors in a couple of them for a hurried test taker. But these would not have seriously impacted his score anyhow. All the five RC passages and the poem were highly readable. Questions were simple and direct. The poem required a method of “ read and mark” and nothing more. The best strategy in RC would have been attempting the poem and 3 passages. That adds upto 20 questions attempted in about 20 minutes. If one had a mind block against attempting a poem still 3 passages could have been attempted easily (15 questions in 20 to 25 minutes) This person would have then only 15 minutes left for the EU questions – but even this time is sufficient for a decent number of serious attempts. Thus, whichever way one attempted this section in this Mock it was well possible to meet the cut off of 26. But remember that it was possible to score much more than this number this time. Now, if your question is, what is the ideal score, the answer would be 30 to 35. Section III: DI/DS/AR Questions: 50 Q101-104: Too many calculations involved. One should have skipped this set. At the most one should have solved Q102 and Q104. Q105-108: Easy to comprehend must attempt. The only deterrent may have been close answer choices. Q109–Q112: All questions are very easy and it is must do question. Only some calculation is required in Q 112. Probably you can get all questions right at the first shot itself. Q113-Q117: Seems tough in the first instance (after looking at the graph) and one should have left it. On close observation one may find Q113, Q115 and Q117 could have been attempted without much effort. Q118-Q120: The data appears to be a little complicated but the questions are easy to solve once the data is understood. Though the values are in decimals but options are far-off hence approximations can be done safely. Q 120 is very simple if we interpret it correctly….it’s simply adding 3.1 to 38.1 as these % values are on the same total value. A set worth doing, time to be spend 2.5 to 3 minutes approx. Q121-125: YAHOO!! The most simple of any DI questions ever!! Probably because an area of very high relevance to you(provided that you have been seeing your SIS for cutoffs!). All 5 correct in less than 3 minutes!! One should have attempted the set at the first go itself. Q126-Q135: A very simple set of DS questions. One could have attempted all the 10 questions and could have managed to get at least 7 correct. Q136-Q138: A Tough question to star your AR with. Meant to be left. However if you can start off with the logic of exclusive sets, the problem may actually be solved in 3 minutes max! Q136-Q138: A difficult set to comprehend. Too many trial and error, must leave. Q143-145: Easy set. Can be solved by trial and error. If you go for the exact solution, it may be difficult to get the answers. There are two solutions possible, but only one of them gives unique answers to all three questions. Q146-149: Easy to understand but time consuming, hence it should be left. Q150: Very easy. A must attempt question. Thus we can see that, an overall of 60 could have been easily scored with an attempt of around 75. We are assuming that by now all of you must have worked on your accuracy and would have developed the knack of choosing the right questions. HAPPY DIWALI and All the Best for the next Mock CAT!!!