How can i start preparing for cat exam

A directionless preparation can be as bad as no preparation. Forming a right preparation strategy is one of the most important aspects when it comes to cracking the CAT exam. The most popular and the most competitive management entrance exam is just two months away from now.

As soon as the October begins, you would be standing barely two months away from CAT 2018 exam. You should know what exactly you need to do in the last two months to score a high percentile in the actual exam. Here is what you should be doing in the month of October 2018.

Do Not start a New Topic Almost all the previous yearsexam toppers and academic experts suggest not to start a new topic before two months of the exam. Instead of starting a new topic, practise the topics you already know and work on further strengthening your strong areas. It will improve your accuracy in the actual exam.

Start Solving Mock Tests Solving mock test papers at least twice a week is highly recommended in the last two months of CAT preparation. Choose two days of the week as per your convenience to solve the mock tests. Solve one full-length mock test on each day and analyse it. On the rest of the days of the week, work on the areas you need to improve or solve sectional mocks.



There are aspirants who are afraid of scoring low in mock tests and do not practise as many mock tests as they should.Hitesh Lohani, one of the CAT 2017 toppers who scored 99.91 percentile in the exam last year says, One thing I was doing consistently which most of the aspirants dont do only to regret later- is giving mock tests. Most aspirants have this fear of scoring low in mock tests and hence skip them.



He further adds, Taking regular mock tests is the most important aspect of preparation because CAT is more of an attitude test than an aptitude test. It depends on how you maintain your calm during those three hours of D-day. Regularly taking mocks makes one ready to sit continuously for three hours without losing focus. Mocks should be given in proctored mode in the centres and not at home.



Join a Professional Test Series/ Coaching If you have not enrolled into coaching, joining a test series or taking coaching with any MBA coaching institute is a good idea to get a professional assistance on your performance analysis. This way, you will have a professional to check your performance in the test papers who would let you know the exact topics or areas you need to work on to improve your score in the actual exam.

If you feel that your basics are not as clear as they should be for the CAT exam, you should take professional coaching. it would help you clear your basics which will eventually lead to a better score in the final exam.

Revise basic formulae Its advisable to revise all the basic formulae related to all the topics/ subjects covered in the CAT exam. If the basic formulae is clear, you will be able to solve questions quickly which eventually will save your time and you can attempt more questions to increase your score.



Hitesh Lohani ofFMS Delhisays, In the last week before CAT, I stopped giving mocks altogether and just focussed on revising basic formulas.



Prepare Exam day strategy Its very important to pre-plan how you are going to approach the test paper on the actual exam day. You can create your own strategy like how much time you should spend on a question, which type of questions you would attempt first in a particular section or any other strategy to maximise your score.



Relax your mind Keeping your calm and not panicking when the exam is just around the corner is extremely important and possibly the best behavioural thing for the exam day. A relaxed mind performs much better than a panicked one.



Thanks,

Azim Musa Shaikh

Hey Khushi!

How you should start preparing for the CAT exam would completely depend upon the time you are having in hand right now. If you have time around a year, then join a coaching institute preferably a renowned one and start devoting 3 to 4 hrs a day. But, in case you are giving this year, get hold of study materials from your friends and devote almost 10-11 hrs a day for the CAT exam. Join a coaching institute for only giving the mock tests and don't forget to analyze your mistakes section wise, where are your shortcomings. In short, If you are giving CAT this year then give as many mock tests as possible and revise your shortcomings.

You can join coaching institutions which is highly recommended and start witb books by Arun Sharma and TIME Education materials.

After successful completion pf syllabus go for mocksmore than 35+ to ubderstand how you fare and how accurately you answer and how much speed you shall need more. Revise syllabus again and scrutinize allweak sections and focus on them more.

Atlast relax and be confident enough before final exam.