Common Entrance Test: where is the catch ?

Considering that there is no negative marking, students often try to maximise their scores by maximising the number of attempts. This is where the catch lies.

200 questions to be solved in 150 minutes with no negative marking! That's what the CET written test is all about. If you wish to attempt all the questions, you can afford only 45 seconds for each. Essentially, 'speed' is very important. Keeping this in mind, it is advisable to have an eye on the time. If, after spending a whole minute, you are unable to arrive at the solution, it is better to move on rather than getting stuck on that particular question. Further time spent on the question can be used more fruitfully elsewhere.

For the past few years there have consistently been 30 questions on Visual Reasoning. This is an area where you will either spot the answer immediately or end up wasting a lot of time trying to figure out the pattern of movement. Again remember to time yourself while attempting the paper as Visual Reasoning is an area, where many students get stuck.

While preparing for the CET, students often forget that reasoning questions form a major chunk of the paper. CET 2008 had around 105 questions on Reasoning, while the balance 95 questions were on Maths, Data Interpretation and English. You need to balance your preparation to crack the CET. Focusing only on Math or only on English will not help in cracking the paper.

Source: Research Team, Career Launcher India Ltd, through www.educationtimes.com

Karnataka pattern:

There is a general demand from the students and the parents to improve the transparency in conducting the CET. The example is cited of the Karnataka Pattern. In Karnataka State, separate CET are conducted by the Government and the managements of the private educational institutions. All formalities, starting from filling of the form onwards, are carried out online. The final admission cards can also be downloaded from the website. The most important aspect is the student gets the Question Paper and the Answer Book written by him, soon after the examination. The model answers are declared on the website. Thus the candidate can estimate the number of marks he is likely to get. Similar system is also in operation in the State of Kerala. If the Karnataka example is followed by the other states, that will improve transparency and remove confusion and instill confidence in the examination system.