The CAT - that three letter feline acronym that sends chills down the spine of many an MBA aspirant - is now just a few months away. After changing its stripes over the last two years, and with additional guile that its makers seem to embed in it each passing year, this time the chill-factor is probably at its highest!

Problem Solving - A Test of Managerial Abilities - Part-II

Problem: What is the greatest number of regions into which 7 straight lines can divide a plane?

Most students will be overjoyed on seeing this kind of a problem in CAT because conceptually it is a very simple problem. No complicated geometry concept; no need to stretch your mind to reason out; just pick up your pencil; draw 7 lines and count the number of regions. Alas, the euphoria is short-lived. Soon they comprehend that while drawing 7 lines is easier but locating their intersections on a sheet of paper is pretty difficult. Few attempts and a few precious minutes later they realize that the problem is not that simple. Suddenly the golden nugget of their coach's advice to skip the difficult problems rings in their ears and they move on to the trap (read question) lurking next!