in which stage it is better to join coaching for cat entrance exam

Hello sufiyan,

First of all, write down answers to these questions:



How much time do I have from now till my serious CAT attempt?What is my current level? Have I had exposure to aptitude based questions?From the time available to me, how much can I devote to CAT preparation?Am I someone who learns better in a classroom setting or am I someone who is disciplined enough to sit and learn on my own with the help of online sessions?How many mocks (approximately) should I take? How many questions should I solve?What are my target institutes?



Answers to all these questions will help you bring more clarity to your preparation. Here is my take:



How  much time do I have from now till my serious CAT attempt?



I am writing this answer in April 2017. With the no major change assumption, we have 19 months. And this time frame is good enough for anyone to have a strong command on the preparation part. We generally recommend anywhere between six to twelve months before your attempt but it completely depends on the individual.



What is my current level? Have I had exposure to aptitude based questions?



If you have taken scholarship tests, or any aptitude based tests in the past or have appeared for some selection processes that involved you taking Quant LRDI and VARC based tests, your fundamentals might be in place. At least, better than those with zero exposure. If thats the case, generally, you start at a higher level. It is okay if you have not had competitive test taking experience, as the syllabus or scope of the test is limited to 10th grade in India. Anything above this can be skipped completely.



From the time available to me, how much can I devote to CAT preparation?



If you are in the final or pre-final year of your course, you will have to remove college duration and assignments to arrive at time available to you. If you are working, you can do the same. So, on a weekly basis, as long as you are getting about 20 hours, it should be good enough for most of the people. Needless to say, this will vary based on your motivation and need.



Am I someone who learns better in a classroom setting or am I someone who is disciplined enough to sit and learn on my own with the help of online sessions?



This is very important. Based on your learning type and ability, decide a course which suits your requirement. Classroom is better as it involves lot of personal interaction but again depends on your coaching institute. Online course needs discipline and action plan.



How many mocks (approximately) should I take? How many questions should I solve?



Considering coaching institute material, mocks, and books available in the market, and past CAT papers, anywhere between 7,000 to 10,000 questions minimum should be solve by a serious aspirant. The distribution can vary. So, one may prepare exclusively through 70100 mocks for this. One may take about 40 mocks and solve remaining questions from other sources.



What are my target institutes?



It is better to start with a top 5, top 25, top 50 institute list for yourself. Be realistic. Your efforts need to be proportional to your desire. The mismatch doesnt work. If you have target of IIM A and thinking that 4 months might be enough, and you dont have aptitude for it, its not going to work. We have seen students preparing for 3 months and making it to their dream institute. We have seen students preparing for 30 months and making it to their dream institute. But do this exercise before you begin your preparation.



Once you make up your mind, start. Start small but do something

I hope you are satisfied with my answer

Best of luck for your future