1. 4 MONTH ROADMAP TO CRACK VA JUNE 30TH, 2013 Presented by: Gayatri A Thampi PGDM IIM Ahmedabad - Class of 2012 SPANEDEA WEBINARS

2. AGENDA Introduction to CAT Introduction to VA Strengths/ Traits Foundational Habits Deciphering VA The Last Leap Roadmap / Strategy The Next Four Months Action Points

3. INTRODUCTION TO CAT First Step Towards the hallowed doors of IIM Extremely important to understand that CAT is not limited to VA/ LR & Quant/ DI. It tests your ability to work under stress. Try to make the most out of the limited resources in limited time. CAT is not about solving every question, even if a particular section is your strength It is about strategizing well to clear the overall and the sectional cutoffs. CAT has evolved over the years. Frequent changes in the pattern. There is only one thing predictable about it You will always find an element of surprise Brace up for the final battle Thursday,16 October - Monday,11 November 2013 Goal / Aim - To make it to the IIMs - best B Schools in the nation! Challenge - Toughest B schools to get into in the WORLD. Acceptance Rate of less than 0.25 %

4. INTRODUCTION TO VERBAL ABILITY RC Read diverse topics. Identify tricky areas. Establish keywords + Working with options The length factor Vocabulary + Grammar Sure shot way to score some marks. Stop Mugging. Focus on usage of words. Understanding the context + the usage of words. Wren & Martin Tenses, Pronouns, Prepositions, Subject Verb agreement, Clauses, Modals, Articles, Modifiers, Phrasal Verbs & Punctuations Verbal Reasoning Understanding the logic + Practice ! Critical Reasoning Inference based, Assumption based questions Strong/ Weak Arguments, Cause & Effect Others FIJs, Para jumbles, Para completion Syllogisms, Summarizing the Paragraph

5. DECIPHERING VERBAL ABILITY Samuel is obviously a bad fisherman. During the past season, in which he and the five members of his team spent four months on a boat together off Dutch Harbor, AK, he caught fewer fish than any of his teammates. Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above? A) Two seasons ago, Samuel fished on another boat off Dutch Harbor and caught more fish than any other member of that boat. B) Before becoming a fisherman, Samuel piloted a fishing boat whose members regularly caught record numbers of fish. C) While fishing this past season, Samuel fell sick for a week and did not catch any fish during this time. D) Unlike the other fishermen on his boat, at the order of the captain, Samuel fished this past season with experimental bait. E) Amongst the fishing community in Dutch Harbor, Samuel has a reputation for being an especially bad fisherman Read the question stem first, before even reading the main paragraph - comprehend exactly what is required to be done with the given data. Elimination route rather than the selection route. Go on eliminating the incorrect answer options and thereby move closer to the correct answer option. Pay attention to the way words have been used, and the sentences structured. Some words change the meaning of the given data subtly, others majorly, thus rendering that answer option invalid.

6. DECIPHERING VERBAL ABILITY Instructions: Classify each of the statements into: F. Facts, which deal with the pieces of information that one has heard, seen or read, and which are open to discovery or verification or I. Inferences, which are conclusions drawn about unknown, on the basis of the known or J. Judgements, which are opinions that imply approval or disapproval of persons, objects, situations and occurrences in the past, the present or the future. Given the poor quality of service in the public sector, the HIV/AIDS affected should be switching to private initiatives that supply anti- retroviral drugs (ARVs) at a low cost. The government has been supplying free drugs since 2004, and 35000 have benefited upto now - though the size of the affected population is 150 times this number. The recent initiatives of networks and companies like AIDSCare Network, Emcure, Reliance-Cipla-CII, would lead to availability of much-needed drugs to a larger number of affected people. But how ironic it is that we should face a perennial shortage of drugs when India is one of the world's largest suppliers of generic drugs to the developing world. (1) JFIJ (2) JIIJ (3) IFIJ (4) IFFJ (5) JFII Always work with answer options: Locate a statement that is a Fact or a Judgement, then eliminate Words that are used in the comparative or the superlative degree often qualify statements as Inferences. For example highest, taller, etc. can only be arrived at after verifying data, hence the statements involved are inferences. Identify where the emphasis is in the sentence structure. It is possible that the latter part of a statement may be a Fact but the emphasis is on the former part which is a Conclusion derived from that Fact. Clearly, such a statement qualifies as an Inference. Statements that use a lot of adjectives and adverbs,; words like 'should', 'must,' 'only' , 'never', 'always', 'all' etc. have a tendency to be Judgements.

7. STRENGTHS / TRAITS High Reading Speed + Quick Scanning Quick grasping essence of the Paragraph Excellent Vocabulary Technically Sound Grammar Time Management Ability to be cool under stress Ability to strategize as per the situation Smart Guessing + Ability to work with options Optimal usage of all the resources (Overcoming Limitations of time and information)

8. FOUNDATIONAL HABITS Read a lot: Focus on variety. A page, a day for dry abstract topics ! Reading is just the beginning: Learn to Introspect! Develop your own opinion: Think, logically form a chain of thoughts about the topic. Train your brain! Are you a verbivore ? Be thorough with the 1500 high-frequency words. Use a thesaurus, or just search online!

9. THE LAST LEAP BELL THE CAT in 16 weeks Focus on covering up the gaps and leveraging your strength There never can be one strategy that is suitable for all Attempt CAT papers (at least 3) and analyze them in detail Based on analysis divide the areas/chapter into 2*2 matrix Area 1 - High speed, high accuracy STRENGTH Area 2 - Low speed, high accuracy POTENTIAL Area 3 - High speed, low accuracy RISK Area 4 - Low speed, low accuracy BARRIER - Practice Questions from Area 1 and Area 2 (Focus on Time) - Identify/ Develop Tips or Tricks for these areas. Shortcuts. - Area 3 requires revision of concepts and practicing . - Area 4 : Start right from the basics. Theory and concepts for first 4 weeks. Practicing without timing next 4 weeks. Focus on speed and accuracy next 8 weeks to convert your weakness to strength. Clear your doubts in all areas immediately.

10. MY ROADMAP / STRATEGY 4 MONTHS Solve Previous year CAT/XAT/IIFT paper ( Sep Oct). Minimum 2 a week. Vocabulary Verbal Reasoning Grammar RC Logical Reasoning 40 to 60 mins a day (Jul Aug) Revise 2 hrs a week ( Sep Oct) 4 hrs a week (Jul Aug) Revise Rules 2 hrs a week Sep Oct) 4 hrs practice/week (Jul Aug) Doubt solving 1 hr/ week (Jul Aug) 30 Mins/day : One passage/day (Jul Aug) ( 15-20 Mins solving + 10 mins analysis) 4 hrs practice/week (Jul Aug) Doubt solving 1 hr/ week (Jul Aug)

11. Be conceptually sound Thorough with 1500 high frequency words + technically sound grammar Practice Solve all previous Year CAT Papers MUST DO For any section Revise Any question which is difficult to crack Mark it . Solve it again after a month. Were you able to get the logic right ? Assess This is the best way to assess your level of preparation Beginners ! Write down the reason for selecting the option. Compare the same with the solution . Was it just a lucky guess ? Guessing ! Smart Guesses are allowed ! In fact, you will need this ability pretty often Be focused ! Eliminate the unnecessary options / information Time management is extremely important Develop your own strategy Stay cool. Enjoy the exam.

12. WHAT I TEACH AT SPANEDEA. Customized / Tailor made courses Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning Full length courses Exhaustive Coverage Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning Doubt Clearing sessions for VA/ LR GD PI Prep Courses

13. 1on1 Courses On Spanedea Batch Course On Spanedea Starting July 10th, 2013 www.facebook.com/spanedea www.spanedea.com

14. CAT 2013 Complete Course (4 months) Special OFFER for Webinar Attendees Save INR 10,000/- Start Date July 10th, 2013 4 months of Non-Stop Rigorous Preparation Online Study Modules & Concept Tests 12 National Full Length Tests 2 Books (Hard Copies) Additional Doubt Clearing Sessions PI/GD/WAT Workshops Which Experts Are Taking The Course? VA & LR Ms. Gayatri Thampi (IIM-A 12) Quant & DI - Mr. Chaitanya Shahare (IIM-C 08) Save Additional INR 10,000 www.facebook.com/spanedea www.spanedea.com

15. THANK YOU!