Hi Aditya,

Do not worry about it. I was in a similar situation around the same time when I prepared for CAT. Firstly, Let your mind free and start focusiing on practicing more and more. At this point of time, Mocks are the only thing that will help. I followed this:

Start with 2 Reading Comprehensions per day. Keep a time limit of 15-20 minutes for each RC. Read and answer the questions. Now analyse - this is the most important step.

1. If you got all answers wrong, carefully read the answers again without time limit. Make a brain map of all the RC facts on paper. Then start answering the questions. You should get them right.

2. If your answers for direct vocabulary questions are wrong, don't worry. Note down the word, learn the meaning and keep practising. By the day of CAT you would know 70% more vocabulary than today and that day this practice will help you.

3. Notice patterns as to how your answers are going wrong. If your answers to direct facts from RC are going wrong, take a back step and look at whether you should read the case slowly. This is a strict no when it comes to solving VA section. Factual questions are level 1 and can't go wrong.

4. If inference based questions are going wrong you can be a little relieved. Practice such questions and attempt them only if you are 100% sure.

Divide the 1hr time into 40,20 i,e 40 mins for RC and 20mins for VA. In RC you can do either of the two strategies - 3 full RC's where you answer all questions or 4 RC's where you answer 80% of questions (factual & vocabulary).

In the 20 mins you can do Verbal Logic. In that focus on Grammar as it is mostly rule based and easy to crack if you are thorough with rules. You will be able to do 80% of vocabulary through by the D-Day of CAT. Practice and try to solve at least till level 2 of para restructuring and sentence restructuring.

Following this, you should be easily able to get more than 90%ile.

All the best!

Neeraja - IIM Indore (2017-19)

Hello Aditya,

With effectively 1.5 months left for CAT examination, I suggest you to focus on self-study and giving as many mock examinations as possible. Moreover, the focus should mainly be on the analysis of every mock examination that you have given. Solve the questions which you missed out or were difficult to you.

For the next 15-20 days, practice 3 RCs a day. And for the remaining days till the exam, you should be able to cover 4 RCs a day. Make sure you sit and complete all the RCs in one go. Each RC should not consume more than 10 mins once you have practiced in this manner. The maximum time that you can spend in exam for RCs should not exceed 45 mins.

If you follow the method of mock analysis and 4 Rcs a day, you would have gained enough practice by the end of 1.5 months.

Good Luck.

Hi Aditya,

I will share a short advice from my CAT mentor,

We all are good at something and average at others. So, sharpen your tool and hit as hard as you can.

• After the mock test, take at least 1 hour to analyze what went wrong and improve on those fronts.
• Also, take up sectional tests. these sectional tests will give you a better insight of which portion you are lagging in.
• The most important keyword is 'PRACTICE' there is no substitute for hard work, there are very few candidates who are naturally talented and can sail through without practice, so I would suggest you take maximum efforts.
• Seek advice from your teachers, let them help you in analyzing your mocks and giving you detailed insights.
• Solve previous years papers, get a hang of the paper pattern.
• Memorize the formula and shortcuts they are really helpful in solving a question in a short span of time.

Since you have around 45 days left, Give mocks, make a SWOT analysis, take advice from teachers, try to work on your weakness and never repeat those mistakes, take 1-2 sectional mocks every day.

Solve the paper in 2 rounds,

1st solve all the questions you are 100% confident of and in 2nd round solve the questions you have a bit idea. Don't ever solve a question you don't know anything about. this will reduce your negative score.

All the best!