Scoring well in the Common Admission Test (CAT) exam is a gateway to admission into IIMs. It is the most popular MBA entrance exam taken in India every year. CAT is an aptitude test assessing a candidate’s verbal and analytical skills required for business management. The more time you spend preparing for CAT, the better are your chances of getting through. While preparing for CAT, all students are different, but the struggle for everyone is that CAT preparation is not dependent on rote memorization. We have a plan to try your hand on CAT with the correct strategy and schedule to crack the exam. In this infographic, you will read all about CAT preparation which will help you bring the desired result with the right efforts.
Introduction
CAT is a computer-based test held in India once a year. The entrance exam evaluates a candidate’s logical reasoning and verbal ability, quantitative ability, data interpretation and reading comprehension to pursue a management degree from an IIM. For admission in a premier management institute, a good CAT score is a must. We have put together some preparation tips that can help you look at how to proceed with your CAT preparation.
How to Prepare for CAT?
Cracking CAT exam is dependent on a host of parameters,
- Build your basics
- Manage your time efficiently
- Look for good books and study material
- Solve sample papers, practice questions and appear for sectional mocks
- Maintain a strict schedule
- Look for more than one way to solve a problem
- Prepare equally for all sections of the CAT exam
- Avoid unnecessary distractions
- Take regular breaks
- Get good sleep
- Focus on vital areas and set realistic and achievable goals
How to Prepare for Each Section of CAT?
Follow the below-mentioned general tips that may help you with the Qualitative Analysis,
- Know your syllabus
- Practice your speed and accuracy
- Formulate a strategy
- Look for quick solutions
- Choose your answers wisely and smartly
Tips for Data Interpretation
- Practice maths
- Practice time management
- Answer easy questions, don’t stick to tricky questions for long
Tips for Verbal Ability
- Read the complete paragraph
- Learn to rearrange the paragraph jumble (five sentence type)
- Learn to solve the para jumble (odd-sentence out)
- Prepare for vocabulary based questions
- Practice grammar-related questions
Tips for Logical Reasoning
- Read logical reasoning questions carefully
- Do not make any assumptions
- Arrive at a valid conclusion
- Focus on facts and keywords in questions
- Pay strict attention to negative prefixes
- Read the questions carefully, visualize and draw conclusions
- Again, don’t spend much time on tricky questions
How to Choose the Right Option for CAT Preparation?
CAT aspirants have two options,
- Joining a coaching institute
- Self-study
CAT Preparation Through A Coaching Institute
- Faculty interaction and peer learning
- Availability of all CAT study material and mock test series,
- Syllabus coverage
- 6-8 hours of daily classes
CAT Preparation Through Self-study
- Familiarize yourself with exam pattern and syllabus
- Obtain online study material
- Make a month-wise study schedule
- Appear for online mock tests,
- Analyze your strengths and weaknesses
Books and Study Materials for CAT
- For quantitative aptitude, prepare from Class X and XII NCERT books
- For verbal ability or reading comprehension, read newspapers, magazines, novels etc.
- Book Recommendation – How to prepare for logical reasoning and data interpretation by Arun Sharma
- Book Recommendation – Pearson guide to quantitative aptitude by Nishit Sinha
CAT Preparation Through Mock Test
Mock tests outline the patterns of the CAT exam, so take these from the beginning of your preparation. Mock tests help you to,
- Improve your weak areas
- Eliminate most of the surprise elements
- Enable you to get over exam day anxiety and pressure
- Better your speed and accuracy
- Equip you to manage sectional time constraints
- Help you in devising exam-day strategies
CAT Preparation Through Previous Year Papers
CAT aspirants must solve at least five years of questions papers. It will give you an idea of,
- Question paper pattern
- Level of questions
- Types of questions
- Topic-wise break-up of sections
- Marking scheme
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