What is the best time to start cat preparation
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the entryway to more than 1,200 additional MBA institutions around India as well as the premier B-Schools in India, including the IIMs. More than two lakh applicants take the CAT each year. Since the CAT is a requirement for admission to the best MBA programmes in India, it is quite demanding and necessitates thorough training. One requires the right direction and a long-term plan in order to pass the CAT exam.
The most frequent query that causes MBA hopefuls the most concern regarding the CAT test is “when to start CAT preparation.” We frequently hear the following questions from applicants:
“When should I begin preparing for the CAT?”
Is it early to start CAT preparation in February?
Can I begin CAT preparation in June?
The appropriate time to begin studying for the CAT test depends on each candidate’s aptitude, capabilities, and daily time commitment. However, the majority of students begin in January or February, which is pretty early.
The following preparation tips will help you ace the CAT in the best way possible.
You cannot take part in the CAT race until you get familiar with the guidelines. The CAT Exam Pattern and CAT Exam Syllabus will serve as cover for the norms and regulations in this case. This would be the starting point for your preparation, providing a sense of topic-wise weightage and assessing the applicants’ general intellectual prowess and depth of knowledge. If you overlook these two characteristics of the CAT test, your CAT preparation process will be incomplete and difficult. By completing the CAT Readiness Test, you may ascertain your degree of ability in the CAT’s testable areas. The outcome of this exam makes it simple to determine if you need CAT coaching or not, which is the most important information to know right away. Consider all the variables, such as funds, location, and time availability, if you intend to enroll in CAT classes. Additionally, make sure you enroll in a programme that will assist you with CAT preparation and offer ongoing encouragement through peer-to-peer learning.
Create a conceptual framework
Speed and accuracy are the two key criteria for a high CAT score. Both of which require a solid conceptual framework, which cannot be achieved without it. Therefore, the next stage is to make your concepts stronger. Strong fundamentals may be attained via practice and review. Practice answering a variety of questions from the topics you have studied, all with increasing degrees of difficulty. Every weekend, go over what you have learned. Your conceptual understanding will be strengthened, and your CAT preparation will gain momentum as a result.
Create a mocking habit:
Keep in mind that mock exams must be a part of your CAT preparation from the beginning as you are ready to start. Don’t wait until the very last minute to take mock exams. The majority of candidates commit this serious error. Months in advance, take at least one mock exam each week. Start taking at least two mock exams weekly as the exam date approaches. Writing practice exams will assist you in becoming comfortable with the test-taking environment, understanding the paper format, and benchmarking your performance against other test-takers.
Solved CAT papers from previous years:
Every year, almost 2 lack applicants take the CAT test. What will give you an advantage over your rivals? Effective Planning! Practice CAT-level problems, take mock exams that are as near as possible to the real CAT level, and complete CAT question papers from prior years. The way you do in a CAT level mock exam will not only indicate how well-prepared you are for the real thing, but also how you rank against other test-takers.
How to Begin CAT Preparation: The VARC Section
Reading comprehension makes up around 67% of the VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension) part and is the section that is most heavily weighted. The best and most efficient technique to raise your VARC scores is to comprehend the question’s basic premise and build your preparation strategy around it. As an instance, when completing an RC section, you can come across some challenging sentences. It may be claimed that, regardless of how accomplished a student the applicant has been, there are some portions in the CAT that are mind-boggling for everyone. The verbal portion of the test emphasizes a candidate’s untapped potential, such as fundamental academic grammar and sophisticated vocabulary, in addition to reasoning.
Here are some CAT VARC hints that can aid you in mastering this section:
The Function of Reading: This may strike you as tedious and time-wasting. But in all honesty, reading improves your capacity for impact and imagery. Reading short philosophical works like Oscar Wilde’s “Picture of Dorian Gray” and Colin Forbes’ “The Savage Gorge” is an excellent approach to start getting ready. Simply read. You embark on a journey when you read. Adventure can’t wait while exams can.
If you are taking cat online lessons, make it a point to pay attention to what your lecturers have to say. Do as you are told as well. Even if you have already completed a prior series of questions in the same context, follow instructions if your mentor asks you to complete a specific set of questions before leaving the class. Don’t quit up too quickly; instead, take breaks. You might quickly gain precision thanks to this, solidifying your foundation.
Improve your vocabulary: In addition to reading books, make an effort to improve your vocabulary. Before you enter the CAT test room, you need at the very least to be familiar with 2,500–3,000 challenging words and 500–600 idioms.
Read about Social Issues: Make an effort to spend some time reading your favorite periodicals or editorials from newspapers like The Hindu, The Indian Express, The Tribune, and Indian Express.
Investing in a grammar manual is the most effective strategy to enhance your grammar. By providing a variety of exercises and test questions, a good grammar handbook may assist you in developing your grammatical abilities.
Practice Critical Reasoning: In addition to odd one out, para jumbles, and para summary, Critical Reasoning is a highly important topic in verbal ability. Facts, inferences, assumptions, and conclusions make up the fundamental parts of critical thinking problems.
Regarding the pertinent factual facts presented in the question, you should comprehend and respond to the questions. It is frequently necessary to examine the current arguments, discover underlying assumptions, and draw implications from the questions. It is quite similar to logical reasoning in that you must reach justified conclusions based on the available evidence.
How to Start Studying for the CAT : The Elimination Technique and RC Passages
Try to apply the “elimination approach,” which entails removing answer choices that are unrelated to the passage, when solving an RC passage. You must increase your reading speed and practice more than 700 RCs up until the CAT Exam if you want to perfect this strategy. Additionally, employing the reverse technique—that is, scanning the answer choices before scanning the passage—can greatly aid in identifying the right response. The most effective approach, as can be shown, has been frequently advocated by CAT 99%ilers.
Whether you are a working professional or a student, your goal for the CAT should be to achieve the 99th percentile and AIR 1. Whatever plan of action you come up with, you must believe in yourself and be your own source of inspiration. In order to overcome your worry and anxiety, you should also concentrate on finding motivation from your peers and academic specialists who have previously established a standard in the management sector setting. They may explain the fundamentals of time management and how important it is to maintain accuracy and speed during the exam.
You may keep your CAT preparation on track by concentrating on the important ideas in this article. Utilize the tools at your disposal, effectively manage the time you have, and maintain your motivation throughout the process. Are you prepared to start the first step towards your ideal business school?