GMAT | Grockit

Grockit Launches New IIM CAT Product

By jake becker posted September 28, 2011

Earlier this year, we began working to create a new Grockit learning community centered around the Indian Institutes of Management Common Admission Test (IIM-CAT). Over 300,000 students sit for the CAT each year, fighting for as few as 2,000 seats in one of the prestigious Indian management institutes, making it one of the most competitive standardized tests in the world. In 2009, the CAT moved from paper to a Computer-Based Test (CBT), a transition that has simplified the administration process, but presents a range of new challenges to students preparing for the exam.

In helping students meet these challenges, we are thrilled to announce the official launch of the Grockit IIM-CAT group! Here’s the first story covering this news, see the press release below.

With Grockit’s Indian user base growing fast, (in 2010, 27% of GMAT students in India used Grockit) it’s evident that CAT 2011 students are also seeking online solutions. Test Series and practice materials run upwards of Rs. 5000 ($112), and restrict students’ learning environment to test centers, packed classrooms, and the confines of a physical textbook. Grockit expands these borders, providing students 24/7 access to adaptive customizable assessments, social group study, detailed strength and weakness reports and a computer-based experience similar to the one on Test Day.

We are launching with over 3,000 practice questions covering every topic area presented on CAT since 2001. Since we’ve found Verbal Ability to be the most important section for students to practice, two-thirds of our content will be in these areas. We’ve made the Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation sections super difficult, drawing from the expertise of our experienced CAT authors, editors and IIM alumni. And we plan to continue to build out our curriculum on a rolling basis, using information from newly released tests and ongoing feedback from our users. See our official press release, below.

Grockit Introduces Test Prep for India’s CAT Exam

September 28, 2011 — Grockit, the leader in collaborative and social learning, today announced the availability of its test preparation program for India’s Common Admission Test (CAT), the required exam for admission into Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). Grockit, which is currently used by over a quarter of students in India studying for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), is releasing the IIM CAT program in response to customer demand and the company’s rapidly growing Indian user base.

Grockit’s IIM CAT prep differs from existing programs in that it’s built around an adaptive, social and interactive experience for students. Users have the advantage of preparing for the exam in a virtual group setting and receiving real-time feedback from their peers and Grockit tutors. This “anytime and anywhere” approach allows students who may not live in big cities with easily accessible testing centers to have access to an affordable, web-based alternative. The personalised study plan format adapts to each individual user’s level and shifts as the student improves and progresses. And since the IIM CAT recently moved from a paper-based test to a computer-based test, Grockit’s web-based format gives students a similar experience to what they’ll have during the real test.

“Students in India are incredibly enthusiastic about Grockit,” said Roy Gilbert, CEO, Grockit. “We’ve seen remarkable growth in India over the last year, and we’re excited to help our Indian users tackle one of the highest-stakes exams in the world.”

Grockit created the test prep program for the IIM CAT by working with partners on the ground in India, leading American and Indian authors, and IIM CAT specialists and alumni. The pricing for the program is significantly lower than alternative options currently available; for more information visit our programs page and IIM CAT blog.

“Grockit is the most addictive, creative and engaging product for learning I’ve come across. Thanks guys!” says Shuba, a student from Chennai, India.

The launch of Grockit’s CAT test prep follows Grockit’s launch of Rupee pricing and localised Indian payment options earlier this year. Currently, more than 25 percent of people taking the GMAT in India already use Grockit to study, answering 1.25 million study questions in the past year alone.

No Comments »

Grockit “Official Guide” TV Helps Students Help Themselves

By jake becker posted March 14, 2011

Virtually every SAT or GMAT student I’ve met has purchased or sought a hand-me-down version of the “Official SAT Study Guide” or “GMAT Official Guide”. They are the “required” practice material of any serious studier and are considered the gold standard of each test since they are believed to contain questions most indicative of those seen on test day. But the problem is that answering even the best practice questions isn’t an instructional process. At its core, it’s a personal assessment. While you can learn from answering questions and checking your accuracy, this is more emotionally satisfying than it is an efficient learning method.

On the other end, it’s well-documented in education theory that watching an expert present a solution to problem helps students learn how solve similar ones. Why? Because problems with similar material and structure generally have a best solution path. And there’s nothing more predictable than a standardized test question. But without personal context, lectures of practice questions can get a bit boring or fall flat.

This is where Grockit’s “Official Guide” TV comes in.

Grockit’s expert instructors have filmed detailed explanations of over 75 hours for each the Official SAT Study Guide (2nd Ed.) and GMAT Official Guide (12th Ed.) and organized them by page, test, section and question number. Now, wherever students are in their own practice book, they can find a video explanation of that question, anytime, anywhere. No more starring pages to show your tutor. No more waiting two weeks to get a satisfying answer. This is on demand help for students in real-time.

Check it out:

Here at Grockit, we are trying to break down the barriers to student access to expert instruction. By providing students with tools to approach complex material with a discerning eye and a personalized schedule and pace, we hope to enable students to forgo paying $80/hour for an in-person tutor or $600+ on a course.

In addition to the Grockit “Official Guide” TV, Grockit offers students an additional 75 hours of solutions each for every single SAT and GMAT question in the Grockit database. These can be watched as standalone hour-long lessons by topic (SAT Writing or GMAT Quantitative, for example) at your convenience. And coming-soon, each SAT and GMAT question on Grockit will have a video explanation for students to access in their reviews, anytime.

Any ideas for other On Demand Grockit TV programming? Email us at courses@grockit.com.

No Comments »

More GMAT, More GMAT, More GMAT

By farbood nivi posted April 3, 2009

This week we’ve published a couple hundred additional GMAT questions for our GMAT game. This brings our total to almost 10 complete GMATs worth of practice questions that you can collaborate with other GMAT students on.

The latest addition to our question pool, like all our GMAT questions, are written by GMAT experts and come with detailed explanations for each question and each answer choice. So jump into our GMAT lobby and try em out!

3 Comments »