"This was the real CAT"

"Thank god there was DI in CAT 2007"

"They would have given us a newspaper instead -- why these RCs!!"

These are some of the impulsive comments given by the test takers the moment they came out of the examination centers. The tradition of CAT being a tough nut to crack was carried forward by CAT 2007 that had all the essential elements of difficulty, in-depth understanding of concepts and ability to read faster and better. The pattern of CAT 2007 was exactly the same as that of CAT 2006 except the internal hike in the difficulty and trickiness of the questions. The length of question statements was also on the higher side leaving less time for the test takers to understand and attempt the questions. TCY experts predict that a score of around 38 per cent or above to expect a call from IIMs.

DI: This was the only section that had most questions attempted in the first round of the attempt. There were DS questions in the DI section which were absent in the CAT 2006. Students found the questions trickier but answerable within the time frame. This year also the stress was on logic rather than mere calculations. TCY experts predict a cut-off of around 40 - 48 per cent for all IIMs in DI.

Quant: This was the gem of a section in the CAT 2007 whom every one would like to discuss, keep and wonder about but touch. Meant only for students with science background, it was the most difficult of all in CAT 2007. However, some questions were still answerable using answer options. TCY experts predict a cut-off of around 32 - 36 per cent for all IIMs in this section.

Verbal: This was literally the lengthiest of all the sections. There were 4 RCs as compared to 3 (in CAT 2006); Grammar, Para jumbles and Vocabulary were re-introduced in the CAT this year. There was more text to be read and lesser questions to be answered not only in RCs but also in Para jumbles. TCY experts predict a cut-off of around 38 - 45 per cent in the verbal section.

A comparative analysis on the basis of cut-offs and hence difficulty is as follows:

The writer is an educational consultant with Top Careers and You.