What is the best Preparation strategy for CAT exam??

Build up the Basics:

Before actually starting your preparation, go thoroughly through the syllabus and exam pattern once. The syllabus is divided in three sections:

Section 1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

Section 2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

Section 3. Quantitative Ability

Building basics is the most important part of your preparation. Only after understanding the basics you can solve all the problems. For this, you can look at online courses or classroom courses or you can prepare by yourself. I would go with online courses as these save the time of traveling, 24*7 hours available and are affordable. As you are writing CAT 2019, I am assuming that you are in your college and it would not be easy for you to find time for going to class. So you can take help of online courses.

Practice:

After understanding the basic concepts of a topic, get a book from market and start practicing questions from it after going through the concepts for that topic. If you stuck while doing the questions, go through the basics again and then try that question. Try out previous years questions as well. Although previous years questions from CAT 2009 are not available in public domain as the exam went online from this year, you can practice the questions till CAT 2008.

Analysis: Analysis of your performance is as important as practicing questions after going through concepts. After completing 70–80% syllabus, you can start writing mock tests. You’ll know your weak and strong areas by attempting mocks. Once you know your weak areas your next task is to work upon them to convert them into your strong areas. Practice more questions until you excel in those topics. Write at least one mock test every week.

Hello Pranshu,

Preparation of CAT requires a lot of hardwork and discipline.

So, CAT paper is divided into three sections: 1. Quantitative aptitude, 2. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension and 3. Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. Lets go through each of the sections and how to prepare for them.

For syllabus, you can visit here https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-syllabus

1st, Quantitative Aptitude: As the name suggests, this section deals with mathematics. The only way to prepare for this is to get the basic concepts clear at first. You need to make a routine and follow it in order to be able to do so. Spend 3-4 hours a day (more if you are weak in this section) in understanding concepts. One topic a day. And do practise sums everyday. Whatever you learn in a day, just don't read the formulae and stop. Do some problems based on that topic. Once you are done with basics, start solving problems from whatever source you get. Quantum CAT is one of the finest book out there to practise.

2nd, Verbal Ability and reading comprehension: Here, people makes the mistake of thinking English as a " subject ". It is not a subject, it is a language . Unless you start using it just like your mother tongue, you won't be able to establish a dominance over this section. You can study a lot of books containing rules of grammar, rules of this and that, it will just give you an idea. You need to read a lot of books, find friends who are willing to speak in english and most importantly, dont hesitate to speak wrong english and be embarrased when someone corrects it. Reading comprehension never asks direct questions. It will ask questions like what you understood, what the writer possibly means and all. Go through a newspaper daily, note down all unknown words you come across and their meanings.

3rd, Logical reasoning and data interpretation: This is just the same as Quantitative section. Lots and lots of practise is required. Data interpretation by Arun sharma is a good book for understanding different concepts.

Lastly, I personally feel like a coaching center is required. They teach a lots of shortcuts and stuffs. Now, this is a personal choice, no hard and fast rule.