Anna Shajee is a student at IIM Indore. She secured
99.93 percentile in CAT 2017. Here are some of the tips that she has for the candidates appearing for CAT.
Q. What was your preparation strategy for CAT?
A. I started off by attempting mock tests in June and worked on my weaker topics through the course of the next 5 months. While I had initially planned to brush up all relevant topics, I had to restrict myself to only those areas where I was scoring less due to time constraints. Also, mock tests helped me identify my weak topics and the common follies I committed while attempting the paper. Since the questions in mock tests were of an adequately high level, I felt that much more comfortable attempting CAT. In addition, I would spend time on the analysis of my mock test results to figure out better ways to solve questions and the reasoning behind the right response. This helped me answer faster and more accurately. I attempted around 30 mocks.
Q. What are some of the tips you would want to give to the candidates for tackling the three sections of the exam?
A. The sectional preparation strategy I'd recommend:
• VARC: Frequently attempt long reading comprehension passages to ensure that you can stay focused while solving it in its entirety. Attempting mock tests also give you an idea of what you can expect in the paper.
• Quant: Practice. Learn to skip questions if they are more time consuming than you'd first expected. Also, try to identify topics you are strong at, so you can solve them first and gain momentum in this section. Moreover, the analysis of solutions in the mock tests often shows faster ways to solve the same question and try to use these in other contexts.
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DILR: Practice, again. Exposure to different types of DILR sets will ensure you are at ease with the variety of questions that could be posed. During the exam, focus on first attempting the type of questions you are more comfortable with.
Q. When it comes to preparation before the D-day, what strategies would you want to recommend for the CAT-takers?
A. In the days leading up to the test, practice mocks during your slot so you get accustomed to working through those hours. Do not leave any preparation to the last minute.
The day before the test, get enough sleep and flip through a few formulae you'd like to brush up on, before the test.
During the test, focus on staying calm and evenly paced so that you don’t risk making guesses just for the sake of increasing attempts. Scan over sections to ensure you don’t miss easy questions while lingering over longer ones.
Q. Are there any other tips that you would like to share with the candidates appearing for CAT 2019?
A. It’s never too late to shift gears to focus better on your preparation. In addition, it is necessary to spend ample and adequate time on the analysis of mock test results since they point to topics we need to focus on while providing insight on the best ways to tackle questions along similar lines.
Moreover, performing well enough in CAT to secure WAT/PI shortlists is only the first step in the long process to making it into an IIM. It’s also necessary to prepare for WAT/PI by staying updated on current affairs and working on questions related to yourself.
We wish the candidates appearing for CAT 2019 all the very best!