CAT 2012@ Should there be more than 60 questions in CAT 2012? Have your say at MBAUniverse.com

CAT undergoes amendments of some or the other form every year. The test takers have no other alternative but to prepare themselves accordingly. Till 2009, the number of questions in CAT varied from 75 to 90. Since 2009, the year when CAT changed its avatar from paper pencil based format to computer based format, the number of questions has remained the same, which is 60.

There are 30 questions in each of the sections, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning sections. While Quantitative Ability and Verbal Ability areas have 20 questions each, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning area consist of 10 questions each.

Before the change in the pattern in 2011, there were three sections, Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning. Each of the sections had 20 questions which made the total number of questions 60.

It is a fact that no CAT taker attempts all the questions. They always skim through the questions and select from the total number of questions which they are absolutely confident about and which would be able to fetch the sectional and overall cut offs. As there is negative marking involved in CAT scoring system, you need to be extra cautious while answering the questions so that you don’t lose your marks.

But if the number of questions is less, your choice of attempts would also be less. Does this imply that if CAT 2012 has more questions, it would be an opportunity to attempt higher number of questions of your choice?
To get the readers’ and the CAT 2012 takers’ views, MBAUniverse.com is conducting a poll on the question, ‘Should there be more than 60 questions in CAT 2012 to allow more choices to a candidate?’What is your say in this regard? Do you feel that more than 60 questions would give you the opportunity to select questions from a wide array of topics and questions?  Or do you feel that having more questions would mean that you would have to take more time to go through all the questions and deciding, which will be more time consuming than usual.

What is your take? To share your views, participate in the MBAUniverse.com Have Your Say section. Cast your opinion by clicking on Yes, No or Can’t Say. You can also share your views with us by commenting on the MBAUniverse.com Forum, on the topic of the poll question. Voice your opinion by saying if there should be more than 60 questions in CAT 2012, or not and the reason for that.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more questions on ‘Have Your Say’. 

CAT 2012 aspirants wish to choose the section to start the exam with

With the CAT pattern undergoing change last year, the CAT takers have a mixed feeling towards it. While the takers can’t really do much about it and brace themselves for the change, MBAUniverse.com took a sneak pick into the wish list of the CAT 2012 takers.

MBAUniverse.com conducted a survey on the topic, ’10 ways to improve CAT 2012’ with a sample size of 100 CAT 2012 aspirants. The questions which were asked to the aspirants were on the number of sections, number of questions, duration of CAT 2012, option to start with a section of their choice, time bound sections, the time duration to wait in the test center among few others.

The question which received a unanimous answer was, “Do you want a choice on which section you would like to start your CAT 2012 exam with?” All the respondents have responded with a ‘Yes’.

Till CAT 2010, the test takers had a choice of starting the exam with the section of their choice. It even gave the choice to move to and fro in all the sections. With the change in the pattern, the test takers felt a sudden challenge to let go of the liberty to start with the section of their convenience rather than planning the test taking strategy to choose which section to start the test with.

Gagan Preet Kaur of Pune says, “It would have been much easier for us if we got the chance to choose which section to start with. This new format has left me with no choice but to give extra emphasis on Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, with which we are ought to begin the CAT 2012.”

Vamsi Sridhar, a CAT 2012 aspirant who is preparing for the past six months mentions,”Verbal Ability is my strength and it would have been a real confidence booster for me to start CAT 2012 with that section. I have always started my exams with the questions which I am confident of answering correctly. I wish I could do the same with CAT 2012. This would be my first attempt, hence I am really nervous.”

Another view point is that, the Reading Comprehension passages as well as the Logical Reasoning puzzles are time consuming, so having started the exam with the section would have been convenient for many CAT takers. As Ravi Kanth of Hyderabad says, “I take time to solve the Reading Comprehension passages. I have taken CAT earlier too and every time I started with the Reading Comprehension questions. After completing them, I would have moved to other questions peacefully. But this new arrangement is a bit difficult for me.”

Similar views have been shared by other CAT 2012 aspirants whom MBAUniverse.com had reached out to. Even when some of the CAT takers’ strength lies in Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, they feel that having a choice of sections to start the section would have been definitely better.

Avnish Mishra of Chennai says, “Though I don’t follow a particular strategy of which section to go with first, I feel a choice would have been good. Or at least if we could first browse through the questions of both the sections and then decide which section to start with, like in previous years’ pattern, I would have been able to manage my time in a better way.”

Navin Soni of Ludhiana has a different story to tell. “Generally test takers choose the section of their strength, but I follow the other rule. I start with my weak section, get over with it and move to my area of strength as I know I can score better in that section, and hence put more focus on that. Once I get over with that, I get back to my weak section, revise and rectify the mistakes of the errors which I can pick out. But since there is no alternative now, I am practicing in the existing pattern and trying to get used to the same.”

Abhishek Arun of Mumbai tells MBAUniverse.com, “Having the choice in your hand is definitely gives you more confidence. This new pattern makes me feel even more nervous. But I really don’t have a choice, hence preparing even harder this time.”

MBAUniverse.com will bring out the other views shared by the CAT 2012 aspirants on the theme of ways to make CAT 2012 better.   

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on CAT 2012.

CAT 2012 Preparation@ Know how to crack CAT 2012 by self study method: Advisory from CAT Toppers of past years

When you plan to take CAT 2012, the first question that comes to your mind is how should I prepare for CAT 2012? Going for coaching is not a feasible option for many. They often lack confidence about what if they are not able to crack CAT? After all, preparing for CAT is a tedious process and it needs focus to reach the desired level while others prepare under the guidance of experienced faculty members.

You can be rest assured that you can crack CAT through self study method. A lot of past years’ toppers have cracked this tough nut with ease. This article of MBAUniverse.com will share with you the past years’ toppers’ strategies on how you can crack CAT 2012 by self preparation method.

Discipline & focus is the key:  The first condition which you should wholeheartedly follow is that you should be disciplined in your approach. Since there would be no external guidance for you, you will have to be your own driving force. Make a proper time table, which will equally cover all the areas of CAT 2012 and devote equal time for each of them. Be sure that you will be successful in following that. “You should divide your time equally for each of the sections. Give equal weightage to all the four components of CAT 2012, Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning,” mentions Arjun Gupta, who scored 95 percentile in XAT 2012 and has joined XLRI Jamshedpur.

Work hard on your weak areas: Now that there are just more than three months left for CAT 2012, we can assume that you have already started your preparation. By now, you must have identified your strong and weak sections and areas. You have to schedule more hours of study for these sections in order to make them stronger. “Try and identify your topics of strengths and weak ones and focus more on weak ones. Be thorough with every exam's pattern so that when you enter the room you know exactly what you have to do in those two to three hours,” advices Kumar Anubhav, who scored 99.15 in CAT 2010 and an IIM Rohtak student.

Get the right books & preparation material: Since you are studying on your own, you need to get the right books and materials which can help you to prepare for the tough MBA exam like CAT 2012. The CAT preparation books which are invariably mentioned by the experts are as follows:

‘High School English Grammar and Composition’ by Wren and Martin, ’Verbal Ability’ by Arun Sharma, ‘How To Prepare For Quantitative Aptitude For The CAT’ by Arun Sharma, ‘Quantitative Aptitude for MBA Entrance Examinations’ by Abhijit Guha, How to prepare for the Data Interpretation for CAT’ by TATA-McGraw Hill publications, ‘How to prepare for the Data Interpretation for CAT’ by Arihant Prakashan, Reasoning and DI for MBA Exam’ by Arun Sharma,  ‘Business English and Communication’ by Clark Grade C to name a few.

Apart from that, you must keep yourself absolutely updated on the current affairs. This will not only keep your GK cells on toes, but also help your aptitude on Data Interpretation. “My advice would be to read more e-books, e-newspapers etc. This would also prepare you for the computer based format of CAT,” says Anustup Chattopadhyay, 96.3 percentiler in CAT 2010 and an XLRI Jamshedpur student.

Section wise tips: To give you a clear idea about the preparation strategy for the sections of CAT 2012, the toppers share their strategies and suggest you the right way to prepare for CAT 2012.

Quantitative Ability: For Quantitative Ability, brush up your basics well and focus on your calculation in order to lower the mistakes and emphasize on accuracy. “Practice is what makes Quantitative Ability friendly to anybody. Just practice a lot and you won’t need to mug any formula and any trick. Things will turn out eventually in your favor,” says Anubhav.

Data Interpretation:  Data Interpretation is all about studying and understanding the data that are in question. “DI involves a lot of calculations and learning Vedic mathematics is not a bad idea. Analytic skills are tested extensively in DI, so practice well,” suggests Gupta.

Verbal Ability: This is an area which is dreaded by many, as several students find it difficult to have a grasp over English. If you are one of them, then reading and practicing is the best method to get a grasp over it. “Read newspaper's front page, editorial and business page necessarily within 35 minutes. Develop reading habit before sleeping. I know it’s hard talking to people in English around you so try and talk at least to yourself in English. That way sometimes you will need words and that will increase your vocabulary itself. Rest is same for the section. Performance is directly proportional to practice here,” says Anubhav.

Logical Reasoning: There is no formula in Logical Reasoning. You need to think logically in order to find out the solution of the problem. You need to organize your thinking ability and organize your thinking step by step in order to find out a solution. “Unlike Quantitative Ability and Verbal Ability, there is no limit to the possibilities in Logical Reasoning. It is most unlikely that any caselet that you have solved before will ever turn up in CAT. The section has only one thing to learn: approach,” states Anurag Goyal, an alumnus of FMS, University of Delhi.  

Manage your time efficiently: In the new format of CAT, there is equal time distribution for both the sections of Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning. While it is an advantage for you to manage the sections equally, it is equally important to know how to make the best use of the 70 minutes in each of the sections. Subhashish Bhadra, who scored 100 percentile in CAT 2011 shares his experience on time management during the CAT 2011 exam, “Go through the entire questions in the section and make a note which are the questions you would be attempting. In this way you save time in making your choices and hence make lesser mistakes.”

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on CAT 2012.

CAT 2012@ Topper Mantras: CAT 2011 100 percentiler Subhashish Bhadra on his journey to success

Subhashish Bhadra scored a whopping 100 percentile in CAT 2011. The confident CAT aspirant from Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College was sure about his performance as he had made a systematic approach for his preparation. In today’s MBAUniverse.com Topper Mantras, we present to you the interview of CAT topper Subhashish Bhadra.

Subhashish is an Economics graduate from Delhi’s prestigious Sr. Stephen’s College. He did his schooling from Delhi Public School, R K Puram. He has a penchant for public speaking, quizzing, poetry and economics research.

Though he got through IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta and Lucknow but he has decided not to pursue MBA this year and go for a consulting job.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: What was your score in CAT 2011?

A: I got 100 percentile in CAT 2011. My sectional scores are Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation - 99.80 percentile and. Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning - 100 percentile.

Q: How many GDPI rounds have you had? Please share your experiences in detail.

A: I appeared for the IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta and Lucknow GD, PI & Essay Writing sessions. The IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta experiences were similar. The interviews were focused on my academics. Hence, it was imperative to know my own subject matter quite well. The IIM Bangalore and IIM Lucknow interviews were more generic, and it was based more on the personal type of questions, along with a healthy dose of academic questions. As for the GDs, which are held only at IIM Calcutta and IIM Lucknow, the experience was not very pleasant. You get very few opportunities to speak, and hence it becomes important to make sense while you're speaking.

Q: Which are the institutes that offered you final admission? Which institute have you decided to take admission in and why?

A: I was offered admission by IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta and Lucknow. I have decided to not pursue an MBA at this point, and would be taking up a job instead.

Q: How did you prepare for CAT 2011?

A: I started my CAT 2011 preparation in September of my pre-final year. Till March, I just attempted to attend each and every class, without much practice at home. In June-July of the final year, I joined a coaching institute and started solving their worksheets. In August that year, I joined a test series of a reputed CAT coaching institute. After that, it was all about solving as many questions from the QA, D and LR sections as possible.


Q: CAT saw a major change in the format & pattern in 2011. How did you prepare for it? Did this new pattern cause any hindrance in your preparation or exam taking strategy?

A: I do not think the format change made much of a difference. The number of questions and the type of questions from every question type remained the same, and hence there was no change in preparation. At best, I benefited from the coupling of the QA and DI sections because it diversifies the question set, and hence enable those weak in either of the sections to do well, and clear the sectional cut-offs.


Q: What was your preparation strategy for the Quantitative Ability Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning?

A: For the Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section, I used my coaching institute workbooks and the test series. Having gone through a lot of other material in the market from other coaching institutes, the idea was to solve different and new questions, and then to get doubts cleared by my teachers. As for the Verbal Ability section, I did not put in any effort since I was convinced that, having taken the GMAT, my Verbal Ability was up to the mark.


Q: What was your strategy for time management?

A: I sought to run through the entire section once and attempt every question. In that way, I tend to make more mistakes than usual, but am mostly able to manage because of a higher number of correct questions too. However, I don't think it is an advisable strategy to follow, especially in the verbal section where reading and processing speeds might differ from individual to individual.


Q: What was your strategy for GD, PI & Essay Writing rounds?

A: Having been a debater and quizzer most of my school and college life, I was fairly opinionated on a broad array of issues and hence, did not put in any special effort for GD/PI preparation. However, for someone who has not been into these extracurricular pursuits, I would say that reading newspapers is the best way to go about it. The longer you read, the more in-depth your knowledge is. However, one thing that I had to do was to revise my entire economics course. To not know your own subject matter would be a massively embarrassing thing.


Q What is your message for the MBA aspirants who will take CAT 2012 and other exams of the season?

A: Firstly, I would say that one has to realize that the CAT is an aptitude test. There is a limit to which hard work can improve your aptitude. At the end of the day, an enhancement of aptitude requires a process of de-learning and re-learning. Unfortunately, that makes a coaching institute quite necessary in most cases. The choice of your coaching institute makes all the difference - if you don't like the process, I don't see how you'd be able to keep at it for long enough. Secondly, I would suggest that any aspirant start early and go slow, maybe even just two to three hours a week. The idea is that aptitude is a way of life, not something you can acquire too soon.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more Topper Mantras.

CAT 2012 Vocabulary@ Boost your Vocabulary to crack Verbal Ability for CAT 2012

We have been talking about the preparation strategy of Verbal Ability in the past few articles on CAT 2012 preparation. We have discussed about the common question types in Grammar and English Usage and Reading Comprehension basics. The other important area in the Verbal Ability section is Vocabulary. Though vocabulary does not constitute direct questions in CAT exam but having a strong Vocabulary base will always help you earn brownie points in this section.

It is not only about cracking CAT, but in the other walks of your life as well. This article of MBAUniverse.com will show you the importance of having a strong vocabulary base and how you it can help in your CAT 2012 preparation.
As mentioned in the previous article on CAT 2012 Verbal Ability past years’ trends, the share of Vocabulary consists of 10 to 15 per cent.  The questions are asked in the form of sentence correction, appropriate usage of words etc.
Your preparation to strengthen your vocabulary will start by a self assessment of where you sand at present. Your current preparation of vocabulary will lead you to your next stage. For example, if you already have a sound grasp on words, you should go the next level. But if you don’t have sufficient knowledge on words, then you should seriously start working on it in a systematic way.

Having a good vocabulary can help you in Reading Comprehension as well. As Arks Srinivas, CEO, VistaMind Education and former Director, T.I.M.E. says, “A good vocabulary enhances reading speed as well as comprehension.”

Get the right sources

According to him, the best way to prepare for Vocabulary is by going through the words that appear in your mock tests or practice tests.  “The best way to improve vocabulary is to concentrate on the words that appear in the Mock Tests and see that you are thorough in these. Since the words that are given in CAT are the words in vogue, it is very likely that by going through the MOCK Tests and Individual tests, you would come across almost all words that may appear in CAT 2012,” states Srinivas.

Another easy method to prepare for Vocabulary is by picking out words from books, news papers or magazines whose meaning you cannot figure out. “While you are reading an article, passage, book - pick out the words which are of interest to you- find out their meaning-try to understand the context in which they are used and follow the structure of sentence,” suggest SK Agarwal, Author & Verbal Ability Expert – MBAUniverse.com.

Apply the words relevantly

The next step is to implement what you have learnt. The best way of doing so is by utilizing the words in writing. “When you write, try to frame good sentences using the new words.  This will give you ample opportunity to rectify the errors in sentences, improving the vocabulary, improving the speed and accuracy of reading and the skill to pick out the wrong sentences as well as how to complete the sentence or paragraph,” Agarwal adds.

One caveat here, Building a strong vocabulary is not a matter of few days, but you will have to hone it over the years to excel in it. But in case you have not been able to concentrate on your vocabulary building, duration of three to four months is not bad enough.

As Agarwal suggests, “In my view, Vocabulary cannot be built up overnight nevertheless, during this period a stock of fairly good vocabulary can be prepared with a scheduled and proper planning. The way is to learn a few words regularly and put them to correct use. Inculcate a regular reading habit. Get an instinct for reading good material.”


But if you think that just selecting a handful of words and memorizing their meaning from a dictionary will do you good, you would be choosing the wrong way. Mugging the words can never be a way. It is advisable to learn a few words on regular basis, get their correct usage remembered for ever, by writing letters, paragraphs, short essays, Articles to news papers or whatever the way, the student thinks best.”

While you implement the newly learnt words, you will understand the various ways of applications of a particular word. Using the word in your regular conversation with your friends and family members can also give a boost to your word power.

Follow the right methods

A good way to remember the meanings of the words is by learning the roots of the world. “Try to get to the roots of the words. Their prefixes/suffixes make a pattern of the same. This will help you in formulating and following their meaning even if you are not familiar with them,” states Agarwal.

Making flash cards can also help. Write down different words in cards along with their meanings, synonyms and antonyms. Place them in such areas from where they are easily visible to you. This will help you memorize the words and their usages without much effort. But don’ forget to implement them regularly in your daily conversations or writing articles, paragraphs, letters etc. “The best & most fruitful way to this tricky module is to go for more and more reading,” Agarwal suggests.

Solving crossword puzzles, playing Scrabble, Taboo etc. can not only boost your word power, but also help you remember the meaning of the word throughout as you don’t just mug it up, but understand the implication and use it in a relevant way. 

To read the previous articles on CAT 2012 Verbal Ability preparation, click on the following links:

Reading Comprehension for CAT 2012: What they check & how to prepare

Verbal Ability for CAT 2012: Know the common errors in the Grammar questions & the ways to tackle

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on CAT 2012. 

CAT 2012@ Reading Comprehension for CAT 2012: What they check & how to prepare

In the previous article of MBAUniverse.com, you have known about the common six categories of questions which are asked in the Verbal Ability section of CAT, in the grammar portion. Other major areas in the CAT include Reading Comprehension, English Usage and Verbal Reasoning. If you are preparing for CAT 2012 and find Verbal Ability your weak area, fret not. MBAUniverse.com will guide you throughout your preparation journey for CAT 2012.

In this article of MBAUniverse.com, we will guide you on Reading Comprehension preparation, which is an integral part of the Verbal Ability area. Reading Comprehension is given 35 to 45 per cent weight in among the other questions of this area.

With the change in the pattern from paper pencil based test to the computer based test, the Reading Comprehension passages have also undergone some changes. S K Agarwal, Author & Verbal Ability expert – MBAUniverse.com mentions that the length of the passages have reduced from 1200 words to 700 to 800 words.

What does Reading Comprehension check?

The Reading Comprehension section basically checks your understanding of English language, word power and how well you can comprehend a given passage. RC is the ability to read and understand unfamiliar materials and to answer questions about them. Your focus while reading should be NOT to READ fast but to COMPREHEND fast.

Expert Suggestion

One of the most tried and tested method to excel in Reading Comprehension or the entire section is to read as much as you can with proper understanding and implementing the knowledge you acquired while reading. As Gautam Puri, Vice Chairman, Career Launcher states, “Merely reading is not enough; you must read the right books, newspapers, magazines and journals to prepare for the questions on Verbal Ability.” He also adds, “Understanding the English language and its nuances can only be inculcated with regular reading. Read on a variety of subjects and get comfortable with them; national and international dailies, the edit page, the finance section, famous speeches, English literature, all should be given some amount of time.”

Arks Srinivas, CEO, VistaMind Education and ex Director, T.I.M.E. suggests, “For Reading Comprehension, get familiar with the type of questions and paragraphs is the key. Make sure that you spend at least half hour every day on this area so that you are either taking a slip test or reviewing one.”

Practice is the key for excelling in Reading Comprehensions, “There is no limit to practice. Suppose we draw a line from zero preparation to say, a certain level of preparation leading to CAT 2012. The student, who is going to appear in CAT 2012 has at least, an idea of his level of preparation. Grammar, Vocabulary, comprehension passages and other practice exercises should become a part of the regular study till the result of the examination to the desired level is not received,” says S K Agarwal.

Improve your reading Speed
Speed reading is one of the tried and tested methods which help in improving the performance in Reading Comprehension area. “For Reading Comprehension, increasing speed of reading by around 50 words per min from whatever the present state you are in should be the target,” says Srinivas.

To read the other articles on Verbal Ability, click on the following links:

Verbal Ability for CAT 2012: Know the common errors in the Grammar questions & the ways to tackle

Verbal Ability for CAT 2012: Past years trends & preparation techniques

Verbal Ability for CAT 2012: Know the common errors in the Grammar questions & the ways to tackle

Verbal Ability is one of the most important areas of the CAT 2012. You may apparently find it easy to tackle but if you have a closer look, you will know that it takes a little perseverance to excel in the field. It often happens that the aspirants have the basic knowledge but there are some common mistakes they commit which lead to negative marking and eventually end up in having a low percentile.

If you feel that your problem is the same, then you must work on it. If you tend to make careless errors then you must get to work on it and diminish them in order to save your scores from negative marking and improve them. In this article of MBAUniverse.com, we will share with you some of the common errors in the English Usage or grammar section.

According to S K Agarwal, Author & Verbal Ability Expert - MBAUniverse.com, the exam pattern of CAT is designed so as to test whether the CAT takers are well versed in the basic rules of the English so that he or she does not commit any grammatical or structural errors. Agarwal identified six question types where the errors are most common in.

1. Corrections of underlined clauses which may or may not be grammatically incorrect: Four options are given to replace the underlined clause. It can be a part of sentence, a phrase, an idiom with incorrect syntax, tense, verb or other grammatical error. One of the options ( Mostly option A) is same as in the question-which may or may not be correct. Wrong options will either change the message and context of the sentence or are written in more than required words-changing the necessary structure of the sentence. If you find that the underlined part of the sentence is incorrect in one or other way, you may not waste time on reading the option A, as in most of the cases, it is the same as given in the question. Try to read carefully and concentrate on the shortest, aptly written option having no grammatical error, as this may be the correct choice.

2. Re-writing of entire sentence: There is no underlined part of sentence. It may contain one error, multiple errors or no error. If you think that the sentence is not correct-either grammatically or syntax-wise, you may not waste time on reading option A. Careful reading of Option A is required in case, you find no error or unable to find any error in the question. Since the question and the option A are same in most of the cases-reading either of the two will suffice. In this case all the options are required to be closely read before marking the correct answer.   

3. Marking the correct sentences: It consists of four sentences; out of them one or more sentences may be correct.  The options are given accordingly and you are supposed to mark the correct option. The correct sentences can be picked out, if you have clarity of rules of English Grammar and tenses along with the syntax pattern for short and long sentences, as it creates confusion. So a good deal of practice is required.

4. Marking the incorrect sentences-It is opposite to earlier one. Here also, you are given four sentences. The difference is that you have to mark the incorrect sentences, which may be one or more. Correct options can be exercised by following the rules of grammar, syntax and verbosity.

5. Marking the correct use of words in sentences: This  type of questions tests your usage expertise of vocabulary in different contexts. A key word is given which is used in four different contexts, you have to find out the correct use from the given options and mark the answer accordingly.

6. Marking the correct choice of similar sounding/confusing word, used in same sentence- It also tests the vocabulary usage in specific context. Out of the two to three words, used in a sentence, correct choice of the word, supposed to be used is to be marked from the given options.  

These are some of the common patterns of the questions which confuse the students most of the time. To know more about Verbal Ability preparation, click on the following link:

Verbal Ability for CAT 2012: Past years trends & preparation techniques

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on CAT 2012.