I am b.tech 2nd yr now, so what should be my preparation strategy for cat from now to crack IIM-A in my 1st attempt in running yr???

Joining good coaching Institute is must lkke TIME , Careerlauncher, IMS etc.
For first 6 months a minimum of 5 hours is must to complete preparation and revision.
A minimum of 7hours daily is must for last 3months, you can use books like Arhn Sharma , Chandresh agarwal for CAT . read two newspaper daily. For acing well in the exam, A minimum of 60 coreect questions overall and minimum of 22 coreect questions in each sections will help you touch 99 percentile. For more than that, you need to score 80 correct questions overall. As per last 3 year trends, a score of 340 is considered well for 99 percentile. Give online mock exams to predict your score and eliminate your weaknesses. Testfunda, Oliveboard, Careerlauncher, HitbullsEye are some great helpful websites. Solve maximum papers as you can to be a champion. All the Best ahead.

This is the right time to start your preparation as you have ample amount of time to focus on the entire syllabus and topics you are good or weak at. Your academics are good too.



Start with giving previous year CAT sample papers and roughly get an idea which section you are need much focus on.

So therefore you have to assess your weak areas.

Mean while start reading. While reading focus should not be on number of books you completed but focus more on what you are absorbing and how to retain it.



Brush up on the math basics and then work on speed rather than going deep.

Know about your surroundings, be aware of the general things happening all around the world and keep your general awareness active.



Planning a strategy is quite important and so do not over burden your schedule or exhaust your self.

Chill out, stay calm and focus on quality method of preparation.



While preparing for quant, make a list of important concepts and formulas. Once you complete any section or topic , start taking mock tests which are available online easily. You can even join a coaching institute mock for your professional guidance and preparation.



RCs end up being very boring and time consuming due to multiple readings so you can keep this for the end preparation.



For CAT books and references check the complete list in the link below:

CAT Books Recommended



Good Luck!!

Apart from all the acads related expert advice, I would suggest you to also look into the patter of exams, track your desired college in terms of cutoffs, course offerings, student profiles that make to the college and other changes. It will help you understand the MBA life and needs better and be well prepared for it.

Hi! Your acads are strong and therefore you have a good chance of getting a call, provided you Ace your CAT exam. 2nd year is a good time to start off with your CAT preparation as you have good amount of time with you to improve and master the required skills. I would suggest you to do the following:



1. Appear for a couple of mocks right at the start without any preparations. This will help you to understand the pattern of the exams and u will get to know where you currently stand. You will be able to identify strong and weak areas through this exercise.



2. Next step is to practice problems/questions from all the 4 sections - Quant, DI, LR and VA. It is good to start from the basics and move up the difficulty level since you have time with you. This will help you to have a strong base and develop understanding of basic concepts.



3. Appear for mocks periodically (once a month) and check your progress. Identify weak areas and focus on them. Also revise the topics you are strong in so that you don't lose the strong grip on these topics.



4. Start Reading books (fiction or nonfiction), articles on your specialisation/interest and on the current affairs. If you start following the topics from now, after 2 yrs when you are called for interviews you have an entire perspective of events built already. Make it a point to follow news on TV at least for half an hour daily to keep a track of current affairs. Try to follow 2-3 channels to get different perspectives on same events. This will help you to get a better understanding of what is going on. Keep your basics of engineering also clear from now only as you will be asked questions from your Btech in interviews.



5. Attend talks and discussions which are generally hosted by certain associations.(I regularly attended Friday talks by Baroda Management Association while I was preparing). You will meet new people, learn new things during such events. The exposure you will get will be really good!



6. Start improving your communication skills. It is not that important to use fancy words in your communication but what is more important is that you are fluent, effective and clear in what you say. Even if the language is lucid, the interviewers won't mind if you have these things sorted.



This might look like a lot of things but it actually is easy and would require less efforts since you have a lot of time with you. Better to start utilising this time from now! All the best!!