How to prepare for CAT exam by self study

Hi Prafull,

CAT is a very competitive exam to which more than 1.5 lakh candidates appear every year. You really need to pass through this huge competition in CAT. Preparation for CAT can be done by self-studying. There are a few important aspects about it which you should keep in mind while studying.

For QA and DILR section you should first study the concepts from any book for CAT preparation, e.g. books by Arun Sharma, Nishit Sinha, Abhijit Guha. Try solving some problems immediately after you study a concept. This will help you retain the learnings in your mind for a long time. Once, you learn all the concepts, practice a lot of questions. There are two aspects in CAT which you should pay attention to, speed and accuracy. Practice will help you achieve accuracy. But to gain speed, you need to solve questions using the timer.

For the Reading Comprehension section, make reading a habit. Start reading novels if you do not. Start reading editorials in the newspapers especially The Hindu. This will help you to understand different topics. This will make you familiar with the diverse set of things. This will help because you get 24 questions in this section based on passages which can be from any topic. If you have reading as a habit, there would be a high probability that you would have gone through a similar topic earlier which will help you understand the passage easily and quickly. This will also save a lot of your time in the examination. Further, around 10 questions are asked on grammar and vocabulary in CAT in this section. You should again practice a lot of questions on this so that you have a good command over the grammar part. To build your vocabulary, what you can do is to make flash cards and keep them in your pocket to read 2-3 times a day whenever you not doing anything else. This will enhance your vocabulary which will also help you in understanding the passages very well.

Further, I would suggest you take at least 25 mock-tests before the actual CAT examination to gain a good speed in solving questions.

Self-study is the best Study. if you want free notes and courses I will recommend to CommerceMates.com is good.

Dear Prafull,

Firstly, organisation is the key. Make a schedule for studying. Make small goals for each day and week. Know your weakness and work on them. Get good study material such as How to prepare for Quantitative for the CAT by Arun Sharma, etc. Join test series available online, through this you'll know how much you studied. Don't stress out and be confident.  Solve sample papers as much as you can. Eat and sleep properly in order to work properly.

Regards