The
Common Admission Test has become a mandatory entrance exam to be qualified to get enrolled into some of the most prestigious business schools in the country. While the number of candidates for the examination has been consistently increasing, there has also been a sharp rise in the cut off of most reputed business schools. This makes it important for aspirants to do meticulous planning and keep their preparation up to mark, so they fare well in the examination.
1. The CAT is a 3 section 2–3-hour exam
There are three sections in the paper viz a viz, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Adequacy & Logical Reasoning. There are 100 questions in each section and +3 is awarded for every correct answer. As you can see, the basic structure of the exam is simple and becomes easier to handle as there is no negative marking either. Hence, the trick to standing out lies in dividing your time smartly and equally across all sections. Attempt all questions as you won’t lose out for giving the wrong answer but at the same time, do not invest too much time in a question which you are unable to solve. What is important is that you ensure that the questions that you are confident about are answered correctly so you can win marks there.
2. Equal attention to all sections
Most students tend to prepare Quant and VARC sections flawlessly as there is a definite direction to move on i.e. clearly defined syllabus. Hence chalking out a preparation plan and following it through is easy. You also have a plethora of books to refer to. Two of these books are How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT and How to prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT which you can refer to for ample mock tests and practice tests. While devising your study schedule make sure that you assign an equal number of hours to every section. For DI & LR, two books that will come particularly handy are How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT and How to prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT where you also get ample questions in the book and additional tests to practice by scanning the QR code given on the covers of the books which will take you to Pull Marks, an online exam preparatory platform. The absence of a defined syllabus for DI & LR can be a problem but you can always curb it by referring to the right books.
3. Make Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning your strengths
For Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, it is important that you create a target for yourself. Once you have set a target of the number of sets you want to take yourself through, you have an objective against which you can prepare. Even if not as much time as QA and VARC, it is mandatory that at least 25% of your prep time goes into these two sections. Also, please remember that you cannot leave out any questions or chapters as that will drastically reduce the kind of choices you have in the paper. For instance, imagine 3 questions appearing from an uncovered chapter & if you are planning on attempting 18 questions out of 26, you would need to be attempting 18 out of 23. You would have used up almost half the choice you had at the start of the paper – just because you did not manage your preparation timelines well.
Thus, it is of utmost importance to maintain a balance between all sections during preparation so that you can attempt all questions and come out with flying colors. With the above points in mind, you can begin your preparation. Also, remember that practice is the key to success here. So, make sure you take ample mock tests and revision tests to equip yourself with the speed and accuracy you need in the examination.
Arun Sharma is the CEO of Mindworkzz and author of the best-selling books on CAT from McGraw Hill (How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT; How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT; How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT, How to prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT). An alumnus of IIM Bangalore, he has trained many aspirants across the country and continues to guide aspirants towards excellence.