|
|
” Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
This MAH-CET entrance exam was the last but one final opportunity to come along the MBA pathway. The overwhelming response for this exam just indicates how serious an aspirant is to break the MBA jinx.
Keeping the tradition intact, this year too, the Maharashtra MBA CET held on 21st February 2010 continued with a mix of all possible types of questions, testing the accuracy and speed of the students.
The few tremors felt in the paper could be overcome, thanks to our series of PreCET papers and CET workshops, as well as the ongoing ‘Live Chat’ with our mentors.
Our students were aware of the importance of maintaining a strategy of smart browsing to spot and solve most of the questions easily. To add on, our PreCETs were on par with the actual CET paper.
 Salient
features of CET 2010:
- No major shift was seen from the last year’s pattern. Apart from one less Reading Comprehension
- Conspicuously absent were sums on Algebra, Time-Speed–Distance an all time favorite in the CET.
- Questions on Visual Reasoning, a key element of the CET lived up to its reputation of being tougher with each passing year! But questions on Analytical Reasoning did not show any unusual trend they remained steady and straight forward.
- The back benchers were questions on Quantitative Ability which were low key and pretty much easy to solve.
- Questions on Verbal Ability were easy to understand and answers and did not require the thinking cap-a definite score builder.
- Wise elimination and prudent time management proved to be the key for a better score.
DETAILED ANALYSIS–TOPIC-WISE
ANALYTICAL REASONING & CRITICAL REASONING
Following table gives the break-up of the questions
based on Analytical Reasoning:
| Type |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
Analytical Reasoning |
Circular Arrangement |
05 |
Easy |
Linear Arrangement |
05 |
Easy |
Decision Making |
10 |
Easy |
Meaningful word |
1 + 1 |
Easy to Average |
Coded statements (statement- conclusion) |
05 |
Easy |
Mathematical Reasoning |
Number Series (Wrong number in the series) |
05 |
Easy to Average |
Direction Based |
01 |
Average |
String Based |
Alphabet and number based |
01 |
Easy |
Vowels and consonant based |
04 |
Average |
String based Coding decoding |
05 |
|
Input-Output |
Alphabet and Number Series |
05 |
Easy to Average |
Miscellaneous reasoning
(verbal) |
Strengthening & weakening |
03 |
Average |
Statement & Course of Action |
05 |
Easy to Average |
Cause & Effect statements |
05 |
Easy to Average |
Critical Reasoning |
Deductive reasoning |
05 |
Easy to Average |
Inductive reasoning
(assumption, inference, conclusion) |
09 |
Average to Above Average |
|
Total |
75 |
Easy to Average |
Analytical Reasoning questions tests a student’s interpretational abilities from a given set of conditions or statements. Very often data has to be verified and then computed to reach the solution. The caselets based on ‘arrangements’ were the easiest to tackle.
Misscellenous Reasoning (Verbal) based questions mainly dealt with ‘cause and effect’ and ‘course of action’ type problems.
Critical Reasoning based questions evaluate the quality of a student’s thinking which is different from casual or routine thinking. Here no step by step procedures are followed; only clarity, credibility and accuracy are tested.
Attempting Mathematical Reasoning questions on a priority basis would have been the best strategy for saving time in this area.
 Total
Attemptability: 54+
QUANTITATIVE ABILITY
Following table gives the break-up of the questions
based on Quantitative Ability:
|
Type |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
Quantitative Ability
|
Arithmetic Expression (Based on percentage and simplification) |
15 |
Easy to Average |
Permutation and Combination |
02 |
Easy |
Speed, Time and Distance |
03 |
Easy to Average |
Geometry (Mensuration) |
02 |
Easy to Average |
Simple and compound interest |
03 |
Average |
|
Total |
25 |
Easy to Average |
Quantitative Ability is just a misnomer for ‘manipulating numbers’. Questions or problems from this area are usually based on fundamentals taught over a period of time, right from school to college. Playing around with numbers is fun if concepts and grounding in pure mathematics is strong.
There was a strong leaning towards ‘arithmetic’ and ‘simplification’ questions .Many answer options for these problems had the right answer as ‘none of the above’ just to confuse a student!
Quantitative Ability based questions are more or less uncomplicated to solve but can at times be ‘time-consuming’ if they are calculation intensive, which was not the case in this CET paper. Questions were straightforward and fewer calculations were involved giving the student more time to concentrate on other questions from other areas.
Total
Attemptability: 22+
VISUAL
REASONING
Following table gives the break-up of the questions
based on Visual Reasoning:
| Type |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
Visual Reasoning |
Next figure in the series |
10 |
Easy to Average |
Odd man out |
06 |
Easy to Average |
Odd man out (based on two figures) |
06 |
Easy to Average |
Middle figure in the series |
05 |
Easy to Average |
Series completion |
05 |
Easy |
|
Total |
32 |
Easy to Average |
Conceiving and manipulating objects in the mind’s eye before putting it down on paper is what questions based on Visual Reasoning demand. These question types were notably the difficult part of this CET paper. A manager is one who is able to discover the unexpected; provide timely, defensible, and understandable assessments; and communicate assessment effectively for action, so this is precisely why Visual Reasoning plays such an important role in many MBA Entrances.
Total
Attemptability: 24+
DATA
INTERPRETATION & DATA SUFFICIENCY
Following table gives the break-up of the questions
based on Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency:
| Type |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
Bar Diagram |
Cell phone production in different years and percentage |
04 |
Easy |
Table |
Student intake in college |
04 |
Easy |
Table |
Student based |
05 |
Easy |
Line graph |
A,B,C Companies and Market share |
05 |
Easy |
Data Sufficiency |
Arithmetic and Number based |
05 |
Average
|
|
Total |
23 |
Easy to Average |
Gleaning data from a chart or a graph with the data provided is data interpretation. Here skills of observation as well as analyzing are tested to the fore. Practicing such question types on a regular basis will build up your scores.
This area no doubt had fewer questions from that of last year’s CET and there were some DI questions which could be solved ‘eyes closed’! A definite score builder!
Data Sufficiency questions test a student’s ability to ‘reason quantitatively’. Here questions were based on concepts and fundamentals of ‘arithmetic’ and ‘numbers’.
Total
Attemptability: 18+
VERBAL ABILITY
Following table gives the break-up of the questions
based on Verbal Ability:
| Type |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
Verbal Ability |
Reading Comprehension
(Brain Drain - Migration to the US) |
15 |
Easy to Average |
Grammar (Sentence Errors) |
10 |
Easy |
Para Jumble (Questions based on 6 jumbled sentences) |
05 |
Easy to Average |
Fill in the blanks (double blank) |
05 |
Easy to Average |
Multi blanks (Cloze test type) |
10 |
Easy |
|
Total |
45 |
Easy to Average |
Reasoning with words is how we can define Verbal Ability type questions. The colours English language can wear was very evident from this CET paper. The one and only one reading comprehension passage was easy on the eye. The theme of the passage was on the great Indian migration to the US.
The Cloze test and Fill in the Blanks had easy answer options.
The questions based on grammar were a cakewalk as there were no fundamentals involved. Everything was straightforward.
Definitely a score builder which is a throwback for a Verbal Ability section.
This CET had the standard questions which have appeared in the earlier CETs as well as in the PreCETs which many of you students have appeared for.
Total
Attemptability: 34+
OVERALL ATTEMPTABILITY
- Total attempts of 152+ was possible in this year’s MAH-CET.
- Paper could be termed as Easy to Average.
|
