How to Select the best CAT Coaching center for CAT 2011?

Planning to take CAT 2011? Then this is the right time to start preparing and gearing up for the tough entrance exam that is a gateway for prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). To crack CAT 2011, you need to give your best.

This is the time when students are confused which coaching centre to enrol for. With each coaching centre claiming to be better than the other, the task of selecting one which will suit your needs can be a daunting task. It is for this reason that we give 6 benchmarks to decide on your coaching centre-:

1) Faculty: The most important thing for you to find out is the faculty of the coaching centre. If your teachers are good then there is a higher chance of cracking the CAT. Remember that the centre maybe renowned for a very good faculty but the bigger coaching classes have various branches, and it is difficult for them to have the same set of teachers at every centre. Get to know about the faculty from the current and previous batches. Also try for a demo lectures if possible.

2) Size of your batch: Always go for a small batch. Enquire thoroughly about the size of the batch. Many coaching institutes have huge batches and so what suffers is individual attention. If there are many students in a class, then you will not get personal attention or you may not get time to get your doubts resolved.

3) Study Material: Every coaching institute will provide you with basic study material. You should go through the material to decide if it's comprehensive or not. The kind of study material will help you judge about the centre's worthiness.

4) Location: Always go for a location that is nearer to your home. Travelling for hours to reach the class will not be very useful if you aren't putting in the effort on your own as well. Also, you might lose motivation in a few days if the place is situated too far away.

5) Mock Tests: The number of simulated tests that are taken in a proctored environment is an important factor. Taking such mock tests will prepare you for the final exam day. Ask the institute about their tie-ups with the various colleges, or cyber cafes, and whether there are any hindrances they face while taking the test. Make sure that you are able to take the test in a proctored environment, where you don't face any distraction. You need to know if they will give you also give you feedback on the tests, mark you and ask about the cutoffs.

6) Quality of tests: Go for an institute where there are more test takers as it will help you to know where you stand. However, don't go by tall claims made by institutes regarding the number of test takers. You need to check as they could dupe you.