CMAT Sep 2013 Exam many changes in the Verbal section.

GA continues to be the deciding

section.

CMAT Sep 2013 is being conducted over a 5-day test window from 26
th
Sep to 30
th
Sep across 2 time slots (9:30 am to
12:30 pm; 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm). The Verbal section is now being made similar to other entrance exams in terms of the
length of RC passages and multiple questions per passage. The test was of a moderate difficulty level, like the previous
tests. In Quant, there were a few questions on topics that are not usually tested by the CMAT. Thus, we advise that
JBIMS aspirants not leave out the preparation of any topic in Quant. Students found the LR section to be the easiest,
though it was time consuming. The GA section had many questions related to the international arena. We have found
that 7 to 8 questions in Quant and LR are different across the two slots on Day 1. 2
nd
Slot seemed to have more
surprises.

Now coming to the sectional feedback:

Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation

This section can be rated as moderate. Like the previous CMATs, it didnt have any set-based questions. In Slot 1, the
topic-wise distribution of questions remains largely unchanged. There were some questions in which multiple concepts
were tested, which is generally not seen in the CMAT.

A general snapshot in Slot 1 is as follows:

Area No. of Questions Specifics
Arithmetic 8 to 9 Profit & Loss, Simple & compound interest, Mixtures &
Allegations, Work, Ratios, Averages
Numbers 4 to 5 Factors of a number, Cyclicity rule
Geometry 4 Co-ordinate Geometry, Mensuration
Modern Math 3 Permutations and Combinations, Progressions, Functions
Algebra 3 Algebraic equations, Inequalities
DI 2 Bar Chart, Table

Arithmetic and Numbers together constitute 13 out of 25 Questions. The questions from arithmetic were
straightforward while those from Numbers were a bit tricky. DI questions required approximation. The new question
types came from Geometry and Modern Math.

In Slot 2, the Quant section had few surprises. Numbers and Arithmetic together constituted the majority number of
questions but probably accounted for 11 out of 25 Questions rather than 13. The number of questions in other areas
varied a bit. The question types also varied across the 2 slots. There were geometry 3 (mensuration, 1 circles, 1
triangles), Modern math 4 (2 questions on Logarithms, 1 on probability, 1 on shares & dividends); DI 2Q, Algebra 4
to 5 (3 questions on roots of a quadratic equation including a 3
rd
degree quadratic equation, 1 on inequality)

Considering the variation in questions across the two slots, students are advised to not leave any topic.

Logical Reasoning
This section can again be rated as moderate. Many questions on arrangements were lengthy and the elimination of
options technique had to be used smartly to solve these questions faster. It is critical to watch your clock when you
solve this section. If you are taking more time than the allocated say 55 minutes, then move on to the other sections and
come back later. Again, there were no set-based questions.

In Slot 1, the questions on Calendar was difficult than the questions that have appeared in previous tests. Also, there
was only one verbal reasoning question in this section.

A general snapshot in Slot 1 is as follows:

Area No. of Questions Specifics
Arrangements 8 to 9 Circular arrangement, Linear arrangement, several
questions on Matrix arrangements
Grouping &
Conditionalities
3 to 4
Coding 1
Family tree 2
Logical Puzzles 1
True False 1
Series 1
Clocks 1
Directions 2
Calendars 1
Data Sufficiency 1
Sequential Input-
Output
1
Visual Reasoning 1
Verbal Reasoning 1

In Slot 2, we saw a deviation from past trends. There werent any questions from coding, series, clocks, calendars,
sequential input-output. Instead we saw 3 Qs on verbal reason, 3 Qs on Family tree. Like slot 1, there were 1 Q each on
true false, visual reasoning and logical puzzle. In slot 2, there were 15 questions across arrangements + grouping &
conditionalities in comparison to 12 in slot 1.

Language Comprehension (LC)

The surprise element of todays CMAT was definitely the fact that there were multiple questions that followed a
passage. There were four passages with 13 questions (critical reasoning, RC, decision making) based on them. The
passages contained 150-300 words. In general, the passage based questions were moderately challenging as in most
cases two options seemed similar. 2-3 questions were difficult, including the single decision making question of this
section. The remaining 12 questions were simple for someone who had been preparing vocabulary and grammar.

A general snapshot in Slot 1 is as follows:

Area No. of Qs. Specifics
Grammar 3 Choose the most meaningful and correct construct
Vocabulary 2 Analogy, synonym
FIJ 1
Paracompletion 1
Parajumbles 2
Decision making 1
Critical Reasoning 6 Assumption, strengthen, weaken
Reading Comprehension 6 Tone, inference, meaning of phrases

Slot 2 was similar to Slot 1.




General Awareness (GA)

Students found the GA section to be difficult as there were hardly five easy questions. The rest of them were of a
moderate to difficult level, with the latter being more in number. 7-8 questions were based on current affairs and the
rest were static. The questions were spread across all areas: science, business and economics, politics, branding &
marketing, history, literature, Indian culture, sports, geography etc. In Slot 2, for the first time, we had a question with
an image. Otherwise the section in slot 2 was similar to that in slot 1.
Like the previous CMATs, the cutoffs for top colleges will remain high. Results will be declared on 20
th
Oct.