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TOC-Home Previous Next         What should you know before taking a CAT? It can be done only with a computer. So, you better get tuned to writing an exam on the computer. It cannot allow you to go back as that means changing the current question. Let us look at it more closely. You answer a question and the test generated the next question based on your performance on that question. What will happen if you go back and change the answer to the previous question? The test now has to generate an entirely different question based on your new performance. If you take more than one step backwards, the number of permutations increases greatly. Obviously, in a PBT you do not have this problem. As a result, a CAT exam by definition restricts you from going back and changing the answers. This is precisely why the test taker ensures that you double check the answer before going to the next question.  In ETS-GRE, you basically have to answer a question by clicking on it, press next to notify the exam that you clicked your choice and then click on "confirm" to notify that you made up your mind. Before clicking on "confirm" you can change your answer. You cannot leave a blank.  As you know, the next question is generated based on your performance on the previous question.  If you leave a question blank, the program has to basically guess that you did not know the answer. In a PBT, you tend to leave questions that you might want to work after answering the easy questions. As CAT does not give you that flexibility, a blank in a CAT is to be treated as a mistake. As this can lead to some potential confusion, ETS-GRE does not let you leave any question unanswered. How to distinguish between a CBT and CAT? The ETS-GRE is a CAT and not a CBT. But most other companies that sell their material are still only selling you CBTs. They may say that they are selling CATs. As practice on CAT is a lot more desirable thing that on a CBT you need to know what you are practicing on. Even CBT is very useful to practice. But, you should know what you are practicing on. Here are a few ways to check whether you are answering a CBT or a CAT. Answer a few questions and end the session. Then start the test again. This time deliberately answer differently. If the questions you get are different, then you are working on a CAT. If the questions are same, you are working on a CBT. If the first question itself is different, it means that the test has a large pool of questions at each difficulty level and it is picking randomly. This is a very good sign. If you do not find that the questions are becoming either easy or difficult, then probably, the test maker did not take enough care in creating the questions. Difficulty is a relative thing. So, the best way to do it is to compare the performances of all your friends on a given question. Last but not least, do not decide that an exam is CAT just because it has a software interface, does not let you go back and asks you to confirm after you answer every question. These can be implemented on any test (CAT or CBT) irrespective of their nature. During Preparation Have you ever worked on PowerPrep? What was the biggest problem? The questions repeat themselves from the second attempt. The reason is very obvious. You always answer either exactly or better than the previous attempt.  As a result most of the questions that follow the questions that you answered correctly will be same. So, what should you do for maximum utility 1. Practice at least 10 times on each exam. This way, you will get exposed to all the questions at a given level. 2. Make mistakes deliberately. Yes! Initially answer as per your actual standard. Then review them carefully. Next time get all the wrong ones also correctly to see a new set of questions. Then review them to check your performance of fresh questions. 3. In this way, answer as many questions correctly as possible until you get all the difficult questions. 4. Now, to get the easier questions from the system make mistakes intentionally. Answer alternate questions incorrectly. Similarly answer all questions incorrectly. This way you can bring out most of the questions that may never have occurred if you had answered correctly. Well, the NeoVeda-GRE has unlimited number of CATS as a part of the package.  What is even better is that they do not repeat until you complete three exams.  i.e. tests 1,2,3 do not have even one question common.  So, you can feel like you are taking three real tests.  Then 4,5,6 will not have any repeats.  So, again you can make a lot out of the exams.  This process can go on and on. Whichever package you may decide to use, remember two things. Don't write the exam without getting used to the CAT pattern (you are talking of a solid 200-300 points gap between with/without practice) Ensure that what you are practicing on are real CATs During actual exam I have conducted some interesting experiments with the PowerPrep software. I answered questions incorrectly to see the scoring patterns. In a quantitative section of PowerPrep   Condition  Score First 5 correct, rest incorrect 200 First 5 correct, rest answered as "A" 240 First 5 and last 5 are correct and rest incorrect  320 First 5 and last 5 correct and rest "A" 500 First 10 correct rest wrong 200 First 10 correct rest "A"  650 First 14 correct, rest wrong 660 First 14 correct, rest "A" 740 How to make most of a CAT exam A number of observations can be made from this study. Answering 50% questions correctly takes your score to the 700 league (what can be termed as a good score). So, you should try to spend as much time as possible in answering 50-75% of the questions correctly.  Rest of the questions, answer a single alphabet (ETS does not seem to prefer any alphabet over other. So, choose any of them and stick to it.)     GRE CD Advantage Previous Next