The CAT 2021 notification is out, and registrations have now begun for an exam that is likely to be taken by at least 2 lakh aspirants vying for a few thousand seats at India's top business schools. With just four months to go for the CAT 2021 exam, we asked experts from IMS Learning our community's burning questions around the ideal CAT preparation strategy to score a 99 percentile in the CAT exam. The following is a summary of the conversation with CAT experts who share practical tips that can actually help you further enhance your CAT preparation.
What Is The CAT 2021 Exam Going To Be Like? How Should Aspirants Prepare?
- Given that the CAT 2021 exam is of 120 minutes, as was the case last year, the number of questions is also expected to remain the same i.e. 76 questions with 26 questions in the VARC section, 24 questions in the DILR section, and 26 questions in the QA section. Students can take the CAT 2020 format as a guiding principle to prepare for CAT 2021.
- Your preparation will seem very boring at the start, and you might feel no incremental value is being added, but towards the end it will all add up. It is important to prepare consistently and be wary of distractions.
- Unlike other competitive entrance exams, in CAT, you cannot expect to score great marks with a weak performance in any of the three sections. It is important to have a balanced preparation strategy that covers all three sections and prepares you for an exam of any difficulty level.
InsideIIM Editor's Recommendation→ Kounsel Exam Pro. Get 1-on-1 personalised mentorship to ace CAT 2021.
How Should One Prepare For The VARC Section? What Should One Expect?
- The general trend in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of the CAT exam in the past few years suggests an increasingly difficult RC section. Students must be prepared for this trend to continue in CAT 2021. Expect difficult RC sets in the VARC section. Your score will be defined not by the RCs you pick but the RCs you leave.
- Of the likely 4 RC sets that may appear on the CAT exam, select the easiest 3 and solve them in approximately 25 minutes. For the VA section, choose sets of question types that you're comfortable with and solve them first.
- The best way to practice for RCs is via sectional tests. Your aim should be to attempt 4 RCs in a strict time limit of 25 minutes, and all VA questions in 10-15 minutes.
- In recent years, the CAT exam has incorporated critical reasoning questions in the RCs. Students must improve their critical reasoning skills and attempt past years' papers to get a flavor of what to expect.
- While solving RCs, understanding the contents of the passage is more important than your speed of reading the passage. In other words, don't aim for speed; aim for understanding.
- In parajumbles, IMS experts suggest identifying pairs and identifying opening statements that begin the paragraph. Don't spend more than two minutes and attempt the TITA question with the most appropriate answer.
- When you read newspaper editorials, start reading the passages from the middle and not from the beginning.
How Should One Prepare For The QA Section? What Should One Expect?
- For Quantitative Ability, focus more on Arithmetic and Geometry but if you're targeting 99 percentile, you need to be proficient in all QA areas. Those days are gone when you could be just good at a few topics and get a 99th percentile score.
- To understand the types of questions asked in the Quantitative Ability section, look at the past CAT papers and their level of difficulty.
- In the ABC approach for attempting the Quantitative Ability section in the CAT exam, the section is divided into three parts, i.e., A = Abhi Karna Hai (Easy, familiar questions), B = Baad Mein Karna Hai (Moderate, somewhat familiar questions) C = Chodd Dena Hai (Difficult, unfamiliar questions). The ABC approach for attempting the QA section prevents you from skipping sitters and enables you to become a better test-taker.
- QA is the section in which your stamina and exam-readiness will be tested. Mock tests can help with recreating the actual test environment. Take mock tests in the same conditions that you will attempt the CAT exam in.
- Understand which are the low hanging fruits, i.e., which are the topics easiest to get better at and what is the return on investment by learning that topic. It is likely that you will discover that Arithmetic is the most rewarding topic in Quants.
How Should One Prepare For The DILR Section? What Should One Expect?
- According to IMS experts, the most difficult section to attempt in 40 minutes is the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section of the CAT exam. This is because in a shorter span of time, your leeway to make mistakes has been reduced. Therefore, in this section, question/set selection is of maximum importance.
- In the DILR section, you need to pick the easiest sets first. Take 3-4 minutes, go through all the sets, and mentally assign a rating to each set in terms of its difficulty.
- Through practice via sectional tests and mock tests, it will become easier for you to gauge which sets to pick and which sets to leave. To practice for the DILR section, try to solve 500 sets of different varieties, and try to understand the logical reasoning behind them. Keep a repository of interesting DILR sets and attempt them again later.
- In the DILR section, special attention must be paid to preparing for questions on Arrangements, Venn Diagrams (Set Theory), Chart Interpretation, and Critical Path concepts.
- During the CAT day, carry pens of two different colours that can help you create different cases without making too many tables.
What Should Be The Strategy For CAT Mock Tests?
- Don't wait to complete your syllabus before taking mock tests. You need to evaluate where you stand in terms of your preparation, and mocks can help you determine answers to the questions "Where do I stand?" and "Where do I want to reach?"
- Set an aspirational target for the number of mock tests you take. IMS experts suggest taking at least 25 mock tests to be well-prepared for the CAT exam. Set yourself a mock test schedule right away, and have a target in place.
- For each section, you need to solve just one extra to get a 5 percentile jump in your score. You need to solve one extra question to jump from the 80th to 85th percentile, another extra question to jump from the 85th to the 90th percentile, and two extra questions to jump from the 95th to the 99th percentile. Keep this mindset while preparing for the exam and attempting mock tests.
- According to IMS experts, students who attempt all purchased mock tests religiously (and analyse them) tend to do better what they expect to on the day of the CAT exam.
- Fluctuation in mock scores is natural and prepares you for varying levels of difficulty of the CAT exam. Instead of focusing on why your mock score reduced/increased, focus on which questions you got wrong/right and how you can improve your performance in the next mock test.
Read Next → IIM Selection Criteria In 2021 - Latest Updates