how to prepare for CAT and to get selected in iim?

Greetings Ram Kumar!

Hope you're doing great.

Giving CAT(Common Aptitude Test) is a great career choice when you're looking forward to pursuing a career in management. Apart from CAT, there is several other national or regional level management exam that one can give to get into premium management schools such as; XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test), SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test), CMAT (Common Management Admission Test) , IIFT (Indian Insitute of Foreign Trade), NMAT ( NMIMS Management Aptitude Test), and many more.

For more details on which MBA/ PGDM college you should prefer please, follow this link: https://bschool.careers360.com/colleges/list-of-mba-colleges-in-India

CAT is a national level management computer based exam conducted once every year in the month of November and the application process starts as soon as in the month of September. No doubt, the creamy layer of colleges in Management are only accessible through CAT. It's one of the most difficult management examination conducted and a total of 3 lakhs student appears for this exam every year.

Preparation for CAT requires a dedicated 6 months of rigorous study timetable. However, this will vary based on the level of understanding of the subjects. One can choose a coaching institute for quick learning or like many others self-study had turned out to be the best strategy. The choice is up to you and according to your budget.

As we know, there are three sections in CAT paper:

• Verbal Ability and reading comprehensions ( VARC )
• Data Interpretation Logical Reasoning( DILR )
• Quantitative Aptitude(QA)

Each section carries equal marks. There are certain sectional cutoff marks that one should keep in mind to get admission into IIMs . For details please, visit the individual college website. The main focus of CAT is to get as high percentile as possible. To get into IIM A, B, C one needs to have 98+ percentile to get an interview call(for general category ). The study plan should include an equal distribution of time for each section. One shouldn't take things for granted, VARC remains the most uncertain hence special attention should be on practising as many comprehension based question as possible.

Interestingly, Quant and Logical reasoning can easily be covered though coaching materials or available books in the market. The questions are moderate to difficult in terms of difficulty in this section. One should practice rigorously to earn the art of leaving unnecessary lengthy questions and stick to those which are doable.

Data Interpretation can be a nightmare for any candidates due to tedious calculations and lengthy solutions which they might not be comfortable with. I strongly recommend preparing well for a set questions can fetch you decent marks in this section. However, one should be wise enough to choose the right questions.

Preparation for CAT is not that tough but, it's not a cake walk either. For fresher, I'd the advice to consult with their seniors or mentors to save time and unwanted turmoil.

Hope, this will help.

Feel free to drop in the comment section if you've any query.

CAT is highly versatile and from the recommendation from various toppers, the key to Success is giving atleast 15 Mock exams plus last 5 year Papers.
You need to join a test series which no longer makes CAT strNger to you and will increase your confidence.

You should atleast read one newspaper daily, watch one news channel daily and read 1 self help book a month to gain command over Logical reasoning and Verbal Ability.
For Quants, you simply need practice by top books from authors like Arun Sharma and nishit Sinha.
Post CAT, you can prepare for oersonality tests from wensites like MbaRendezvous.
For GDPI preparation at IIMs, go with books like Manorama for current affairs.

CAT is one of the toughest exam for management courses and admissions in top institutes like IIM's. There are 2 ways 2 prepare for CAT. One is choosing self study and other is coaching. If you are aiming CAT 2017 then you can prefer crash course than indulging in a proper coaching. Or you can do self study if you feel confident about balancing your routine tasks and understanding capability.

Starting with a systematic study plan, you need to plan according to your daily schedule. It is about giving 4-5 hours and more daily in this short span of time.



Along with it giving sectional and full length mocks, practice previous year sample papers, focusing on quality of books than quantity and such important things.



Because past academics keep an important role make sure you give your best in other selection rounds like GD/PI and WAT. Prepare for it wisely. Plan it in your schedule.



Books you can refer to are:

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examination - Abhijit Guha

How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT - Arun Sharma

Word Power Made Easy (The Complete Handbook for Building a Superior Vocabulary)

Competition Success Review" magazine

The editorial sections of major newspapers



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Hope this helps.

All the best!