IPMAT mocks – the most crucial aspect of the IPMAT preparation that is going to prepare every single IPM aspirant get ready to the actual IPMAT 2021 examination. Now that there are different IIMs – IIM Indore, IIM Rohtak, IIM Jammu and IIM Bodh Gaya, apart from IIM Ranchi – offering their own IPMAT programmes, the IPMAT mocks become a decider that is going to set apart that candidate who might miss out by a whisker and the other candidate who is going to sail through.
If this is the importance of IPMAT mocks, is it enough if an IPM aspirant decides to just take a mock, and be done with it? NO. While the first step of the process is to take as many mocks as possible, the second step is to analyse a mock. Why is this important?
We will look to answer those questions mentioned above and also explain how to analyze a mock in the due course of this article. Read ahead!
First up, the mock-taking aspect and the necessity
While it is one thing to be a master of all topics across all sections of IPMAT, it is quite another to be examination-ready. This exam readiness reqiures you to tweak certain approaches pertaining to question selection and the ability to sit through the entire duration of the exam.
So, do take a mock TODAY. Now, on to the theme that we are looking to cover in this article…
IPMAT mocks and the analysis
You have taken a mock now (I am going to assume you have taken one, but it would be great if you have actually taken one), and have seen your scores. The scores are going to be good or bad. Irrespective, there is going to be scope for improvement. This is where analyzing the IPMAT mocks become very crucial. Here are certain things that you should definitely need to analyse, understand and infer from a mock.
1) Strengths and weaknesses
This is simple, clear and very obviously straightforward. If you are consistently scoring well in the Verbal section (or at least, scoring better than the Quant), the inference is clean; you need to concentrate more on Quant, while keeping a tab on Verbal.
Is that it?
Of course, not. In addition, you will need to find out which are the topics where you score higher, within a section. It could be Arithmetic in Quant, OR Reading Comprehension in Verbal. This drilled-down view of the stronger topics will help you understand and shape your preparation and revision plans for IPMAT.
2) The time taken to solving a question in IPMAT mocks
Oftentimes, after taking IPMAT mocks, the IPM aspirants tend to fall into the trap of superficially analysing the mock and moving on. While most aspirants tend to complete what has been mentioned in the last point, they seldom go one step further. And that one step becomes the distinction as well.
What is that ‘further step’?
Let us take the Quant section to explore on what we mean when we say “Delve deeper analyse better.” Assuming you have got 10 questions right and 5 questions wrong, the natural inclination is towards checking why those 5 questions went wrong.
You look for the solutions to those and decide that you have ‘analyzed’ the Quant section well. NO, NOT AT ALL.
The right, the wrong, the unattempted and the time taken
While there is no denying the fact that knowing the methods ans solutions for the questions you got wrong is important, this examination is as much about time constraints, choosing the right questions and skipping the ones that you deem unnecessary.
Why are these crucial?
Let us take a question which you have got right. Suppose you have taken 3 minutes to get it right, and there is a better method with which you can solve it in 2 minutes, would it not be beneficial to you?
You have that one extra minute. If there are five questions where you can optimize a minute each, that gives you a total of five minutes in a section. In those five questions, you could again try to solve two or three more questions.
What about the questions I got wrong?
The most important set of questions you need to ask yourself are:
- Did I lose the marks here because I made some silly mistake?
- Was I forced to attempt this because I felt a subconscious pressure of wanting to attempt more?
- Is this question from a topic that I am/have been good at?
- Given some more time, would I have been able to get this right?
Again, the answers to these four questions will give you a crystal clear understanding of whether or not you will want to attempt that particular variant of a question in the next immediate mock You can frame your revision plan accordingly.
Exploring further on the four questions
Points #1 and #4 are tied to each other to some extent. If it were a silly mistake, there could only be two reasons that are attributable – concentration lapse OR frantic solving due to lack of time. The former can be fixed over the course of a few mocks down the line, and that irequires some deliberate mindfulness. But, the latter can be sorted if you identify where time leakges happen when you solve different questions.
If you find that you are tempted to solve Geometry questions, and they eat up a lot of your time invariably in all your IPMAT mocks, you might want to skip them and finish off questions that you can answer quickly.
Given that we have been used to examinations where more attempts translate to more marks (thanks to no negative marking), most aspirants go on a wild goose chase of trying to attempt more questions, sometimes all the questions under a particular section. Remember – always remember – that IPMAT is not an exam where you are expected or mandated to do that. You need to be wise, choose right and optimize your scores better; and this practice has to start from our IPMAT mocks.
In conclusion…
Take mocks. Take a lot of mocks. Analyse them to find out a lot of inferences. Translate them to actionable items. Follow them up with more mocks. You are going to get better and better with this, paving the way for you to come out on top of the actual IPMAT examination.
Stay safe and best wishes for IPMAT preparation.
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Written by Giridharan Raghuraman
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