Mock tests are the most important elements of your CAT 2019 preparation, and careful analysis of your performance in these tests is crucial to optimizing your performance on the D-day. But what exactly is the right way to analyse mock tests? What are some effective mock tests strategies that have been used by CAT 99%ilers and CAT toppers? What are some mistakes to avoid during mock test analysis for CAT 2019?
To answer all these crucial questions, here are some mock test analysis tips from IIM students, CAT toppers and CAT experts!
Before moving on to understanding how 99%iler analyse mock tests, it is important to understand exactly how similar/dissimilar mock tests are to the actual CAT exam. In
this article, Rajesh Balasubramanian of 2iim explains what adjustments you will need to make when shifting from mock tests to the actual CAT 2019 test!
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Bishwadeep Bagchi, an IIM Ahmedabad student, took a total of 60 mock tests that led him to a 99.96%ile score in CAT 2018.
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This is what I used to do while analyzing the mocks:
- Solve all the questions that I couldn’t solve or got wrong during the exam without any time limit. This enabled me to reach the solution on my own, which helps in retaining it for a longer period of time.
- Bookmark the problems which had a different kind of question, a novel method of solving it or had anything which I would want to revise again."
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Biswadeep also spent a large amount of time tracking his mock test performance and laying out a strategy to rectify mistakes, and analyse even the questions he got right!
More from him in this article.
Which mock tests should you take? How many mock tests should you take? How can you mirror the actual test environment? What are the major questions should you ask yourself during mock test analysis? And finally, how can you avoid getting demotivated after a mock test result and focus on strengthening your weak areas?
Samaksha Vaishya, an IIM Lucknow alumnus who cracked CAT 2015, answers these five questions in the minds of all CAT 2019 aspirants
in this article.
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"It is imperative that you give at least 15-20 mocks, but what happens with most students is that they score 50-70 percentile in the initial 4-5 mocks and end up giving up or losing their confidence before the CAT even happened.
I have seen many testimonies where students who were scoring 0 or even negatives in mocks ended up scoring 99 percentile in CAT, so never give up and keep on grinding!"
Karan Kakkar, an IIM Kozhikode alumnus and someone who cracked CAT after four attempts, shares some highly crucial tips and tricks to improve your test-taking strategy. This is
one article you don't want to miss from one of InsideIIM's most popular authors!
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Rinku Stephen, an IIM Bangalore alumna, shares three important tips to effectively analyse your mock tests and boost your D-day score! Here is one of those three tips:
"Know What Question to Pass – The important thing to remember about CAT is that it's not about attempting all questions but knowing which questions to skip. This is because of the negative marking component. By practising and taking up mock exams, you will be able to know how sound your knowledge of a topic is and so, decide if you can afford to spend time attempting a tough question. You can always come back to it if you’ve managed to save time."
Read the
complete article by Rinku on mock test strategy here.
If you have any questions to ask or tips to share around mock test strategies, share them on
this dedicated thread.
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Preparing for CAT? Have you checked out our Ultimate CAT Preparation Guide? If you haven't go check it out now for some excellent tips from CAT 99%ilers, CAT toppers, and old-IIM students for some excellent section-wise tips as well as strategies for the D-day.