The Common Admission Test 2005 is scheduled for November 20.

Everyone wants to know: will the pattern change this year?

Here is what CAT trainers Brijesh Singh and Jasveen Grewal from Top Careers & You told CAT aspirants in a chat with Get Ahead readers on November 19: CAT is highly unpredictable but this year we are not expecting any drastic change in pattern.

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Brijesh is project head, MBA, at Top Careers & You. He is an MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, and regularly writes features on CAT for various publications.

Jasveen is project leader, MBA, at Top Careers & You. She has completed her MBA from the International Management Institute, New Delhi [Images]. She writes regularly on the importance of Verbal Ability in B-school entrance examinations.

Here is the transcript:

Part I: Revise your fundamentals

lara: sir at this moment should i go for free CAT offered by rediff.com

Brijesh/Jasveen: You can go for it because it will give you an idea of some questions from the previous year's tests. But don't attempt anything new post lunch.

ramakrishnan: good morning sir, my questiuon is whether bcom students have the scope of cracking cat exam as compared with the engg students?

Brijesh/Jasveen: Students from various academic backgounds take the test. You have a good scope of cracking CAT provided you work hard.

abhijeet: sir how many times i may attept for cat paper? is there any age limit ?

Brijesh/Jasveen : There are no limits.

isMBAeverything : whts the rite time to do MBA i m a production engg and have experience of 2 yrs in mfg...(which stream wud suit me more (MBA operations or Finance)if i wud go for part time

Brijesh/Jasveen: Most of the Production Engineers prefer operations management as it gives them the leverage of their past academic record.

Sam: Hey CAT GURU ... COULD U TELL ME CUT OFF MARKS OF WELINGKAR COLLEGE ??

Brijesh/Jasveen: Around 88-90 percentile.

PicadillyCircus: i m apprehensive, even after scoring high in CAT, i may be rejected on the grounds of mediocre acads throughout

Brijesh/Jasveen: Academics will come into play only in interview stage. Remember that the final result will an addition of your written test, GD and interview... so give CAT your best shot.

Sajit: Sir , just curious does S.P. Jain or FMS take into account any work experience ?

Brijesh/Jasveen: SP Jain gives heavy weightage to work experience. FMS also considers work experience.

ramki: if a bcom students does an mba is there a scope of gettin good jobs or getting a high salary jobs. what arte the job oppurtunities if a bcom strudent does an mba.

Brijesh/Jasveen: The scope is definitely good, but a lot would depend upon your choice of a B-School and the area of specialisation.

ravirao : HI BRIJ/JAS: WHAT AREAS - SALES, MARKETING OR FINANCE IN THE ENGINEERING DOMAIN DO THE ENGINEERS WITH MBA TYPICALLY FIT WELL?

Brijesh/Jasveen: Most of the engineers opt for operations, systems or finance. But it depends entirely on your interest.

abhinavsh: sir please clarify my question---there are rumors this time that CAT is going to test our skill by giving 4 sections (i.e including the separate analytical section). do you have any idea abt this. n what should be the ideal breakup if there are 4 sections EU+RC, Quant, DI, Analytical reasoning.

Brijesh/Jasveen: CAT is highly unpredictable, but this year we are not expecting any drastic change in pattern... This is the time to review your preparation not to take into consideration such rumours... Whatever the test may be, it will be same for everybody... Just give your best shot and all the best.

Noida: sir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMI

Brijesh/Jasveen: 92 percentile plus.

sanya: hi brij i wanna do MBA in HR, pl tell me which all colleges i should apply for

Brijesh/Jasveen: XLRI and TIS are considered to be the best.

ramki: sir how do you compare an abroad mba degree with an indian mba degree?

Brijesh/Jasveen: It largely depends upon the B-School. IIMs are considered among the best in the world

Hitesh N: Hi Brijesh?jasveen, I am working & i havent really prepared for the CAT. Pls tell me wat section shud be attempted 1st & how important are sectional cut-offs

Brijesh/Jasveen: For the top B-Schools, sectional cut-offs are important. You could begin with the section you are most comfortable with, but do give a fair amount of time to each section.

Crazy4Cat: My mock cat scores were ranging from 87-96 percentile. Wat r my chances of making it somewhere this yr?

Brijesh/Jasveen: Your chances are bright because a lot of B-Schools accept this range as the cut-off in the written test.

Vicky: Dear Sir, i am having around 8 Yrs. of Exp. can i still get selected in IIMs.

Brijesh/Jasveen: Kindly look at Executive programs provided by the IIMs.

kamal: sir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMIsir...wut are cutoffs for TAPMI

Brijesh/Jasveen: It is around 92 percentile.

ramki: what is the specialization does a bcom student should take when he does an mba. whats ur opinion?

Brijesh/Jasveen: The first year is common, then you could decide depending on your interest.

subhas: plz ans my question....can i earn while persuing MBA degree?????becuz my financial condition is very bad

Brijesh/Jasveen: In top B-Schools, the course curriculum will hardly provide you enough time to think about other things... Do not worry about finance; most of the students in top B-Schools are on education loans.

hemdeep:  how much do u think... 1 should score for 95+ %ile

Brijesh/Jasveen: It all depends on the paper, but last year students having 50-53 marks were around 95 percentile.

Crazy4Cat: I'm working in Wipro [Get Quote] BPO for the past 11 months. Will working in a call center be for or against me? I'm a B.Com.

Brijesh/Jasveen: It will not work against you.

Sajit: Sir , I am getting in the range of 90's , however in none of the mocks I have cleared all the cutoff's respectfully at one go ... Any thing I need to focus in particular ?

Brijesh/Jasveen: Stay calm and focussed and things will work your way tomorrow.

Pranav: What is the procedure after i cleared tht CAT with good percentile?

Brijesh/Jasveen: You would have to go through a Group Discussion and Personal Interview.

catcracker: what advice would you give to the stuents in the last hours before Cat 2005?

Brijesh/Jasveen: Kindly keep your cool and calm especially in the first 15 minutes and last 20 minutes... Decide on the sequence and the time you will devote to each section initially and start with your strength... All the best.

pritesh: sir.tomm being the d day.what shud i do today....i thought of revising formulas and also looking at di section

Brijesh/Jasveen: Revise your fundamentals and then try and relax.

abb: sir which insti is better XLRI or SPJAIN or FMS

Brijesh/Jasveen: They are in the same league. For HR, XLRI is considered to be the best.

Crazy4Cat: Sir, my quant is weak and VA/RC is very strong. So my scores across all sections are not balanced. I missed on a lot of calls last yr bcuz of that. What wud u advice? Do a couple of quant topics again now or focus on what I've done?

Brijesh/Jasveen: Please do not do anything new in Quant at this stage... focus on the topics that you have aready prepared... Clear the cut-off for Quant and try to increase your score in VA as much as possible... IIMs are approachable.

Pranav: what will be the value of MBA after 2.5 yrs?

Brijesh/Jasveen: An MBA from a good b-school will always have a tremendous value.

rahul_sharma324: sir i am a student of B.com II and i want to do mba. what preparation should i do from now till the cat

Brijesh/Jasveen: Start with the basics. Focus on getting your accuracy high, then 3-4 months before you take the CAT, start working on improving your speed.

VV: sir what to do inthe last 15 20 minutes before the actual test starts.?

Brijesh/Jasveen: Keep your calm and do anything apart from CAT discussions.

KINGoCAT: SHOULD I STUDY ANYTHING AT ALL TODAY??

Brijesh/Jasveen: Just revise the basics, then rest and relax after lunch.

dhiraj: sir is 90ile good enough for A+ colleges since trhere will be 17k+ students in 90%ile

Brijesh/Jasveen: 90 percentile + will help you getting calls from few good colleges... Prepare well for the second round and do not think about all these big numbers.

Brijesh/Jasveen: DEAR ALL, IT WAS GREAT CHATTING TO YOU... WE TOOK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE... IF WE HAVE LEFT ANY QUESTION UNANSWERED KINDLY SEND YOUR MAILS TO tcy@tcyonline.com and we will answer your queries..ALL THE BEST FOR CAT... WE KNOW YOU WILL DO WELL.

Part I: Revise your fundamentals

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