25 Days To CAT - Preparation Plan

The Admit Cards are out. CAT is clawing at your doorstep. For some, there is anticipation. For some, there is fear and pressure while for some others, it is just another examination. Judging by my experience in CAT 2017 and CAT 2018, I would advise you to go for the latter approach and enjoy the examination's preparation because MBA life is going to be a big roller-coaster ride. The CAT is just the stepping stone.

CAT 2019 is well and truly here and we bring to you a preparation plan for the last 20 days which would help you revise all the concepts and put your best foot forward, come the 24th of November. It is expected that all candidates have gone through all the concepts at least once by now. If you have not, do finish the same as soon as possible. The last few weeks before CAT can be extremely stressful and it is important to have a proper strategy in place. Let us go section by section.

The VARC section of the CAT examination has been having a similar difficulty level for most of the past few years. Here, the focus needs to be on the RCs. The number of RCs reduced in 2018 from 5 to 4 and a similar format can be expected this time as well. Hence, it is important to practice at least 2 RCs a day to develop the reading speed as well as the analytical ability to critically answer the questions. The Verbal section can be a little tricky. Once again, the trick is to keep practising as many questions as possible. These questions hardly take any time to solve so you need to use any spare time for these questions. English has always been my strength and I played on it to maximise this section.

Coming to the LRDI section, it can be make or break for any aspirant. It is important to have a proper strategy in place. While CAT 2018 surprisingly had a relatively easy LRDI section, the years before 2018 have seen some really tough LRDI sections wherein even answering 3 sets with a 90% accuracy can get you to the elusive 99%ile in LRDI. Do NOT go for speed in this section as accuracy is of paramount importance. Herein, set your priorities right. If you are good with numbers, concentrate on the DI sets and practice them. If you prefer the LR ones like I did, do spend more time on those sets and look to practice all the types of sums at least till you are comfortable with each one of them. Attempt at least 3 sectional mocks of LRDI every week apart from the full mocks.

The QA section has been traditionally simple but CAT 2018 saw a huge change in its difficulty level. Attempting even 15 questions with 90% accuracy got students a percentile of over 95. Irrespective of the difficulty level this time, there is just one way to attempt this section. Practice. One cannot put a number on how much you should practice but do cover all your strong topics and strengthen them further. Practice getting to answers in the least possible time and use the options in the answer wherever possible. If you are scared of Maths, you must spend the most amount of time on it. Try to improve your accuracy to minimise the negative marks and increase your speed. I was very afraid of this section but managed to clear it by attempting just 12 questions with a 100% accuracy.

HOW MANY MOCKS TO ATTEMPT? There can be no fixed number but on an average, 3-4 mocks a week is recommended. Always remember that analysing the mocks and understanding where you went wrong is way more important than giving the mock itself. Hence, give a mock every alternate day if possible and analyse the mock properly utilising at least 4-5 hours on the next day. This strategy worked for me in my second attempt. Analysing mocks can give you new ideas on saving time and minimising the wrong attempts as well. It can provide fresh perspectives which can be the difference between a 90%ile and a 99%ile for sure.

The CAT 2019, conducted by IIM Kozhikode, is ultimately just another examination you will appear for. Try not to take undue pressure since it negatively affects your productivity. You need to relax at least on the last day before the test if not the last couple of days. Hang out with friends, go for a movie, do anything but try not to think about the exam. Lastly, believe in yourself. If you won't, no one else will! You can do this.