1. 1. Make a study plan:
Your must create a blue print of what you will be doing from day 1 all the way till the CAT day. This should
be your key to crack the entrance examination. In simple words, following this plan will give you a good
percentile. Segregate the sections systematically and decide the ones you’ll be practicing on a given day.
One day you can reserve for Quant’s and Verbal’s and one day, for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning.
Follow this routine in order to cover all the sections. Also, decide the number of hours you can devote on
daily studies irrespective of your work or college life. A minimum of 2 hours a day will be sufficient for
your exam preps. If you can give more time than what was prior decided, then please do it by all the means.
2. Brush over your basics:
The first thing you must do is use recommended books or study materials. In order to ensure about the
quality, consult an expert or even a friend before purchasing. There are several websites where you can
download past papers pdf (s) free of cost. Begin with the solved examples and then go on attempting each
exercise. For those who are having a hard time in comprehending the solved examples need to work on their
basics. You can spend a month or two only on consolidating your fundamentals. Enrolling for a good
coaching class will also do. If your basics are shaky, then you won’t be able to solve mock papers. You may
either be weak in mathematics or vocabulary or even both. It can also be the other way round- where you’re
confident in both the areas. Make a target of the things to be achieved on a daily basis and ensure that it’s
done by the end of the day. The word ‘tomorrow’ or the phrase ‘I will do it the next day’ shouldn’t exist in
your dictionary.
3. Get a taste of the exam:
Now that you’ve brushed over your basics- you can start attempting mocks. This will give you a gist of what
to expect during the C-day! You can also begin by first solving all the exercises and then giving a sectional
test.Getting a good knack of the sectional test will naturally equip you for mock solving. While solving a
full length mock initially don’t time yourself. Take as much time as possible in understanding all the types
of questions and how to approach them.
After solving a few couple of full length mocks, you can then start timing yourself. See the amount of time
you spend on each question and try getting as many accurate answers as possible. Attempt a mock daily!
4. Analyze your performance:
After solving a full length mock make sure to check your performance. Make a note of your score on a piece
of paper. This will help in tracking your progress and check whether you’ve improved or not!
Mock analysis is a crucial step as it will help you to improve with each passing day. While evaluating your
performance refer to the solutions and see the mistakes you’ve made. The purpose of doing this is so that
you don’t repeat the same mistakes again.
It may take you about 4 hours to analyze an entire mock, but at the same time you will also get equipped for
the exam. By doing this sincerely, you will be guaranteed a great CAT score.
5. Do a lot of practice:
You need to practice a lot if you want to nail the Common Admission Test. Practice doesn’t only mean
solving questions, but also using various shortcuts to quickly get them solved. Knowing which short cut to
use when is what the exam is all about!
2. Try out different shorts cuts and see which one of them consume the least amount of time. Your goal from
now on wards must be to get a grip of those time saving formulas.
Apart from this, you also require to spend more time on your weaknesses. You don’t want you go for an
examination hoping that only the questions you’re good at might come. What if the opposite of that happens?
Then, you will definitely be doomed.
6. The strategy for the C-day:
You need to work on your strategy for the C-day. This strategy must not only save you a lot of time, but also
give you as many accurate answers within those 3 hours.So, how to get started with it? While solving sample
mocks try experimenting with various approaches. For instance: You can start with the sections that you’re
confident about and then, proceed to the ones that tend to make you nervous. This way you can spend more
time on solving the difficult questions.Another strategy you could implement is solving 7 to 9 problems
accurately every half an hour. This means you may have solved a minimum 42 questions accurately in those
3 hours, thus giving you a great percentile.
7. Don’t study 24/7:
No matter where you go, quality is always preferred over quantity. The same applies for your Common
Admission Test preps as well! A wise person might only study 2 to 4 hours a day & despite being involved
into tons of other activities, he/she will still manage to nail the paper. You might be wondering how?
Well, the secret is how much you grasp in those 2 to 4 hours is where the magic actually happens! Identify
the time of the day where you can study without any hindrances. The results might automatically start
showing.
Try to engage yourself in some other activities apart from studying. Go for a walk or get involved in some
sports. Last, but not the least- get enough sleep.
8. On 4th
December, 2016:
This is the day for which you have toiled the whole year. Treat it just like any other day. Spend some time
on revision and then head straight to the examination center. Avoid studying anything at the last moment.
If you start getting nervous, just ask yourself will it help? Also, many candidates tend to get tired while
answering a 3 hours paper. In such a situation, you can have an energy drink or a bar before the exam. Stay
focused about the strategy you’re going to implement while solving the paper.
Keep a mental image of your strategy in your mind and execute it as soon as you start the paper. Don’t dare
to experiment or try something new during the paper. Stick to your plan and all will end well! Words of
wisdom- don’t get too excited if you find the paper set easy and also don’t panic if the paper is tough. There
is a good chance that others may also find the paper either easy or the latter!
What beyond CAT?
Many students manage to ace the Common Admission Test, but only a handful of them get selected for the
IIMs. There may be multiple reasons for it including being under prepared for the PI’s, GD’s, etc- just to
cite a few!
The personal interviews and the group discussions at the IIMs test an individual’s reasoning ability and
his/her worldly wisdom. The best thing one can do is make a practice of reading a newspaper daily. This
will help in staying updated with the current events.
3. The IIM select only those students who have a potential of making a difference to the nation. That’s where
a student’s profile comes into play. Those having prior work experience have an edge in this area.
Fortunately, CATKing provides students an opportunity to build their profiles through their best of courses.
Being among the top coaching institutes in Mumbai and Pune, they have their classes spread across these
cities. Their branches at Powai, Vile Parle, Borivali and Andheri are well known in India.
