Typical English test scope and syllabus

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A look at the CAT verbal ability Section

English is a dynamic , rich in tradition, Versatile world language. With ideas in billions and worth pursuing and mastering.

Almost all management and other general aptitude tests (CAT ,GMAT , XAT , FMS, GRE etc ) test your english language skills. The scope of such tests is as follows

• Reading Skills: A passage/text followed by questions. Questions are about details, main ideas, Text Organization Structures ,  Argument Analysis, Tone etc.
• Grammar and Usage: Identifying grammatically correct/incorrect sentences , correct incorrect usage of words and phrasal verbs
• Vocabulary: Direct questions , determining meaning from context , Words in Reading comprehension passages ,
• Critical Reasoning/Verbal logic: Deductive inductive reasoning , Argument analysis.

Level of difficulty , number of questions of each type and time allocation and weight of the section varies from exam to exam .

Reading Comprehension

Traditionally Reading Comprehension questions have been constant in the exams like GMAT, CAT , XAT , and many others.Reading is a skill it can be learnt. It is also a major hurdle for most of the aspirants because this very basic skill has not been acquired primarily because of lack of exposure to English Text and Ideas.

Those who have had sufficient exposure to the language obviously fare much better , even though they might not be aware of details of the process their brain employs , none the less , the basic techniques  have been aquired by the very simple practice of reading. The more they read , comics , books , newspapers , instructions , text books , leaflets, posters ,  mails , wiki , the more their brain acquired the skill. A classic example of learning by doing.

However these people have a fluctuating performance in practice tests. This is primarily because though they have the skill it is not accessible to them on demand in tricky situations. So often their performance in the test depends if they were comfortable with the subject of the passage , so high accuracy in familiar ideas , but low in obscure topics to them. Meaning if there is a passage on say marketing they will do very well but if abstract art philosophy or any topic they don’t know off their skill fails them.

If the basic reading skills are in place , then this is the easiest of sections as many voracious readers will tell you. Not only that,  each passage you read during practice will be about a piece of the world you live in. So preparing for RC you get an introductory course in Politics, Sociology , Philosophy , Art , Branding , History ,and million other topics.

Vocabulary

Chasing Words is probably the funnest part of preparing for exams and the perhaps the most significant factor in your overall cerebral development. Words are ideas and they have always had great power over men. Never more true than today where we live in and information powered world. Cerebral Muscle counts. The dullest way to learn words is by a word list. The easiest way is to fall in love with them. and run after them and cherish them , who knows maybe a poet will kill MBA somdeday.

For starters remember that it is not just about learning BIG words but also how to use the words that you do already no. Building an active vocabulary rather than a passive one. It has to be a habit , a habit of being curious, learning everyday. From as many sources as possible. After some time it would be an automatic mechanism in your head with your vocabulary growing everyday.

Remember words will come in handy when you have to lead a revolution , motivate a comrade, Convince the woman of your dreams of undying attention, or convincing the police that it wasn’t you.

Chase words with us on the blogs or pick the online vocab courses in the courses area

Argument Analysis or Critical reasoning

You are bombarded everyday with thousands of Arguments and you don’t even know it. The ad on the TV , the bai asking for more money ,  all the news debates , your brother saying give me money because iam your brother are all argument.

“you Doggie” says 1 ,” you doggie ” say the other ” no you doggie” is NOT an argument.

“you are a doggie because you bit me ” is an argument although not a strong one. You could always say ” who says biting means being a doggie. may be i am a shark” . one of the Assumptions in the above argument is Humans don’t bite.

An argument is any idea supported by any other idea. Or one sentence leading credence to the other, so that the Audience would buy the idea or believe it .Argument analysis is an integral part of most Management Aptitude exams. And once again if you understand the The basic Mechanism of How an Argument Works , this section is easy peasy. And fun too for you get to play with logic. See the Critical Reasoning Resources for details and learning.

Argument analysis is the ability to analyze the logic of the argument , identifying assumptions, making inferences, Strengthening or weakening an argument , identifying logical fallacies etc. It is a fascinating subject and very relevant to day to day living since most of the information coming your way is in form of arguments , weather it’s someone trying to sell you something , or convincing you of the brilliance of their ideas, or making you believe anything that they want to. Once you will hone your critical thinking skills , you will be able to see through faulty advertisement logic and propaganda and use  that superlative tool of yours to make better choices everyday.