Any aptitude test involves two crucial stages-
1) test taking practice and
2) concept learning

Concept learning requires about 3-6 months of preparation. Test taking practice demands about 3 months of preparation prior to the actual test.

Concept learning requires you to first concentrate on building a strong conceptual foundation before fine tuning your test-taking skills. The basic skills and other areas assessed in the CAT are still the same. It is the test taking mode that has been changed. So, you need not change your preparation strategy as far as concept learning is concerned.

You need to compile a list of concepts previously assessed in CAT. With reference to these concepts, make a preliminary analysis of your weaknesses and strengths. Work on your strengths and weaknesses by taking sufficient tests. Practice as much as you can. Look up solved examples, solve other exercises and time yourself accordingly. You need to get comfortable with the computer, so try to attempt tests in a computer based format.

Online testing should not be mistaken for online learning. Just because the test is online, it does not mean the concepts have to be learned online.

Test Taking Practice is a key area. Now that the CAT is online, you need to acclimatize yourself to a computer-based testing environment. You need to be comfortable while using the mouse and keyboard. Your preparation plans should include taking tests on the computer. You need to be at ease while using the computer. It should not hinder your scoring potential.

The computer skills required for online CAT are very basic and minimal. The mouse is required to navigate between sections and questions. You need to use buttons like help, tag question, save, etc that are a part of the test format. You might have to use the keyboard for word processing, and of course for the registration process.

Remember that you need not be a computer wizard to crack online CAT. The CAT has been computerized to ease logistics and not assess your computer skills. Attempt a lot of comprehensive tests to benchmark your performance and improve your test-taking skills. Analyse your performance to fare better in the next test.

Your study preparation for online CAT does not depend on the medium of CAT. Whether CAT is a computer-based test or a paper-based test, the basic nature of your preparation does not change. The CAT certainly undergoes some changes every year. CAT 2009 has changed with regard to the mode of the test. However, there are no changes as far as preparation of the concepts are concerned. Nonetheless, you need to get familiar with the online testing process.

You require material that covers basic concepts explained in an understandable way. Check up with reputed MBA institutes for their study material and preparation techniques. You need not be a computer wizard to take an online test. That is you need not be computer savvy to appear for online CAT. You just need to be able to use the mouse and the keyboard. You need to be familiar with a few basic keys. If you practice 4 to 5 hours a day, you will reach that level of comfort.

You can prepare for CAT in two phases. In the first phase, you need to get your fundamentals right. You need to thoroughly familiarize yourself with problems and chapters. Remember that speed-solving does not work. Moreover, time management is a must. Allocate your time in a way that it leaves you with one hour for reading magazines and newspapers. You also need to update yourself on current affairs. A properly planned study structure increases your efficiency and confidence.

The next phase is about analyzing yourself and coming to terms with your strengths and weaknesses. Once you are done with your fundamentals, it would be easy for you to focus and work on your plus points and weak points. Section tests can be taken in the second week of August. You should also alternatively revise your topics. Comprehensive tests should be undertaken at least by the beginning of September. Avoid getting stuck up on solving a particular problem.

The key areas you need to analyze are as follows: Speed is an important concern. It should improve with every test that you take. It is important to take as many comprehensive tests as possible, so that you get used to sitting for hours at a stretch. Comprehensive tests train you and increase your attention span. Accuracy is as important.

CAT is now a computer-based test. In the Reading Comprehension test, you will see a split screen which will have a passage on one side and question on the other side of the computer. Alternatively, the passage could be given first, followed by questions later. You are required to scroll the screen and thoroughly read the passage and then the questions.

More than reading passages on paper, you need to familiarize yourself with reading passages on the computer screen. This could be a little problematic for those applicants who are not used to working on the PC. But such reading habits can be developed. It will be taxing initially, but it is worth the effort. An important point to note is that you won’t be able to underline or highlight words or sentences in the passage. You can’t even jot down any points in the margin. Hence, if you think you need to remember anything, you will have to commit it to your memory. Jotting it down on a piece of paper is like wasting your time.

Furthermore, you need to thoroughly comprehend the passage to be able to correctly answer the questions. You will have to ‘infer’ the answers because they won’t be directly available in the passage. You are required to read between the lines, to understand the hidden meaning of what the author is trying to convey. You need to be well versed with the nuances and the usage of English language. Get yourself acquainted with common phrases and idioms usually used in Reading Comprehension passages.

There is no substitute for reading as far as CAT Reading Comprehensions are concerned. To get totally comfortable and well versed with this section, you need to read as much as you can. And try to read passages online; on the internet. Reading articles regularly on the computer is a must.

CAT passages are generic in nature. Topics could range from politics and current affairs, science and technology, psychology, art and architecture, economics and business, social issues, etc. So you need to basically incorporate ‘variety’ in what you read. Moreover, understanding the author’s point of view is paramount. You need to also understand his style or ability. For instance, is he being critical, judgmental, sarcastic or prescriptive while discussing an issue or a place or person.

You don’t need to pick up textbooks replete with advanced engineering mathematics to solve Quantitative Aptitude in the computer-based CAT. The QA section in the CAT is nothing but the theory learnt in school up to Class XII. You need to focus on as many practice tests as you can. This is the most important focus area while preparing for QA in CBT-CAT. Every mock test should be taken as seriously as the actual CAT. Pace yourself and time yourself for every test that you take. For those who are in college, you can take tests immediately since you are familiar with concepts and theory. However, working professionals tend to fall out of touch with academics. So they need to brush up theorems and formulae to prepare for CBT-CAT.

You can begin with topic tests when you initially start to prepare yourself. Once you are confident, you can begin to attempt full-length QA tests. Make sure to analyse your performance after every test that you attempt. Mock tests are a great source of feedback mechanism. You can use practice tests to judiciously select questions. It is okay if you are particularly weak in one area but you will still be at a risk. Hence it makes sense to improvise your performance in every area so that you can answer every question effortlessly.

CBT-CAT Quantitative Aptitude can be classified into 3 categories:

Algebra and Number Theory- This section provides maximum questions in any CAT QA section- about 60%. You need to focus on Probability, Card problems, Permutations and Combinations, Progressions, Quadratic and Linear/Simultaneous equations, Logarithms, Functions, etc. The most important being Number Theory. These problems are simple in nature. You can master a few tricks from textbooks to solve them. You can refer to Higher Algebra by Hall and Knight for the same.

Geometry, coordinate geometry and mensuration- Every CAT paper has about 4 questions on mensuration, a few questions on coordinate geometry, but Geometry is given maximum weightage. The topics that you need to cover include basic theorems involving circles, triangles and parallel lines. A general question asked in CAT is to find the length of certain sides or the value of certain angles. So topics like similarity of triangles and congruency need to be covered. Refrain from solving IIT-JEE level questions in coordinate geometry. A school-level textbook is enough to prepare for mensuration.

Arithmetic and miscellaneous- For Arithmetic, you need to cover problems on Time, Speed and Distance and Set Theory. An NCERT textbook will serve the purpose. Miscellaneous problems don’t fall under any specific category. They basically test your mathematical aptitude.

The CAT just had to go online someday or the other. With the number of students answering the test is increasing every year, offline administration is overwhelming. This increase puts a heavy burden on assessment and testing. Only online testing cannot help. The CAT 2009 will be similar to the GMAT GRE pattern. There’s bad news about the new CAT pattern. These obstacles however, can be overcome with practice and preparation.

More stress on Verbal Ability
If the CAT pattern is intended to be similar to online tests like GMAT, refreshing and building-up verbal skills is crucial for a high percentile. In the past, there have been attempts to make the CAT Verbal Section Centric. The unexpected emphasis of the Verbal Section in CAT 2008 and the fact that 2009 will see a computer-based CAT simply reiterates that one kids to focus greatly on this section. The verbal percentile has a higher impact on overall percentile than the percentile in other sections. So for those of you for whom English is not a strong point, will have to put in more time and effort during preparation.

Getting used to RC on the computer screen
When looking at Reading Comprehension on the computer screen, it appears vertically on the left half of the screen and the right half has questions one after the other. This is of course, a very different experience from doing an RC on paper. The inability to underline the keywords in the passage is a drawback. Hence, write down the keywords, topic sentences and inferential information in the passages on a paper if you wish to answer questions later. Read e-versions of newspapers to become comfortable with reading online.

No underlining of key words
Managing so much data in the DI section without any option of writing or underlining key information on the screen is a difficult task. One will have to either calculate mentally or constantly move the eyes from the screen to the paper writing down the figure for calculations. Hence, the time spent on each question increases.

Cannot be dependent on Paper-based Tests
Since the ultimate test is online, exercise computer-based preparation and practice. With the CAT now going online, expect other tests like SNAP, JMET, XAT, MAT, NMAT, FMS and IIFT to go online soon. Therefore, get acquainted with answering tests on the computer.

But CAT 2009 has a bright side too.

CAT 2009 will actually be easier
The biggest advantage of CAT 2009 is quick access to the tests and preparation material at any time of the day if it is available online. This will offer adaptability and flexibility to the test-taker.

Trainers can help you
Test analytics are available for each test a student takes. Trainers must be trained on how to infer data from graphs and tables so that students can improve the percentiles in the test. Trainers who are well-versed with technology will help in creating an objective approach to answering the CAT 2009. Thorough knowledge of the subject is essential.

An analytical approach to CAT 2009 is the key. So monitor everyday how much closer you are to 99+ percentile, if you want to get a good rank. Whether a chapter-wise or mock test, analyze question by question, topic by topic, strength and weakness analysis of each test that you take, to ascertain your contribution to the ultimate percentile. Good luck!

The CAT test will be conducted over a few test days instead of a single day. The pattern will be similar to other online tests like GMAT and GRE. MBA aspirants will have the option of choosing the day and time of giving computer-based tests. Since CAT may be held on more than one day, students get more options. But such a CBT has both an upside as well as a downside.

The Upside of a CBT
• More students will have the opportunity to answer the test due to flexible timing and schedules.
• Following the GMAT pattern and other CBTs, there could be the possibility of retaking the test in the same year instead of waiting for the next year.
• The cost of administering these exams will reduce over time. Manual checking is very time consuming.
• The marginal cost of one more student taking a CBT is less than in the manual process. Hence, CBTs will encourage the IIMs to open more testing centres in the future furthering the flexibility for students to take the exam
• If test scores are displayed immediately after the test then students can objectively decide which colleges to apply to.

The Downside of a CBT
• Difficulty in scoring - With a CBT, the CAT exam will have a different set of questions each day. Results will be incomparable as unlike the past all students will not answer the same question paper. Even a meager difference in marks can decide admission into a college. Hence, the IIMs will need to make sure that the different exams have the same level of difficulty in a country.
• Need to have good computer skills to save time - A CBT has time constraints. Hence, computer proficiency is a must to get more out of the time allotted. Economically backward students maybe at a disadvantage if they do not have access to personal computers at home. Such students should practice exams available online at public/ college libraries and cyber cafes.
• Lack of access to computers - In India remote areas fail to have access to the internet or even a computer. This is a major drawback of a CBT and puts students from these areas at a disadvantage.
• Calculation issues - The CAT requires numerous calculations which are difficult to accomplish with a CBT. However, test makers format the pattern to deal with this issue.