Introduction To CAT Exam Preparation
The following article provides an outline for CAT Exam Preparation. CAT (Common Admission Test) is an entrance test for admission in top B-Schools in India. CAT is conducted once a year comprises 76 questions and 228 marks. The CAT is not hard to crack but to be on top requires a lot of hard work and patience. The exam is not tough in itself but the competition to get to the top is. In a nutshell, the numbers of candidates appearing for the exam are around 3.5 Lakhs and to get a tier-1 B-school one needs to be in the top 2500. If we consider tier-B colleges as well then this number can tally to approx. 10,000.
CAT Exam Pattern & Syllabus
Now you know what your competition is. The first thing you shall focus on understanding the pattern and syllabus that will be asked in the test.
There would be 3 sections:
- VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension): 26 questions
- DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning): 24 questions
- QA (Quantitative Ability): 26 questions
The total time for the CAT exam used to be 3 hours (180 min) earlier but now the time is revised to 2 hours (120 min). For each section, the candidate gets a time limit earlier (60 min) now it is (40 min). The questions would be MCQs and Non-MCQs both. Negative marking would be only for MCQs, there is no negative marking for non-MCQs. Each question is worth 3 marks and for wrong MCQs, the negative penalty would be (-1/3) marks.
Tips For Self-Study Preparation Mode
Now you are equipped with syllabus, exam pattern, marks distribution, and time availability. Now one shall turn on his preparation mode for self-study.
- Positive and learning mindset during the whole preparation phase: During the preparation of any competition, one must be positive and have an attitude of learning. There would be several instances when you would feel things are not working out but you must be optimistic. Have a goal in mind and be focused on it no matter if you do not understand a concept. It will come eventually that’s the kind of mindset one shall have.
- Speed and attempt rate: CAT is not tough but the competition is huge, so the speed of understanding the question right and then solving it with speed is needed to ace the test. One must attempt maximum questions to outshine.
- Accuracy: Don’t just attempt, it shall be accurate as well.
How To Check Your Preparation Level?
During the preparation phase, certainly one wants to check the level of preparation he has done. The best way to check one’s preparation level is to enroll in test series and evaluate performance.
One must define the below criteria to evaluate performance:
- Test coverage within the allotted time
- Speed and attempt rate
- Accuracy
It’s okay sometimes if you are not able to get good marks, learn from it, and start working on improving yourself.
Tips For Making Study Plan
Below are the tips for making study plan:
- Divide time for whole syllabus coverage: Be flexible to cover the entire syllabus in your personal time frame. Don’t be rigid if I complete this only then I will move to the next.
- Give as many tests as you can: The candidate shall start giving tests from the day1 of his preparation there is no time to complete the syllabus first and then attempt the test. It’s okay you won’t perform well but you will know the type of problems you would be dealing with.
Conclusion – CAT Exam Preparation
Only 3-4% lands in top B schools, but the good thing is the numbers of questions are going to be the same for each candidate and the syllabus is the same as well. It’s just the hard work with the preparation plan one needs to have to choose correct answers of those 76 questions that’s it.
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This is a guide to the CAT Exam Preparation. Here we discuss the introduction, its pattern and syllabus along with the tips for self-study preparation. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –