A Non-Engineer's Journey From 48%ile To 97%ile In QA

It takes just one thought and your motivation to reach that goal. I had this Quant phobia as I am from a BBA  and non-maths background. In 2018, I prepared for CAT, but only because of his fear of quant, I had managed to score just 48%ile in the Quantitative Aptitude section.

For my CAT 2019 attempt, I began my classes again in July, 2019. At that time, I did not know where to start and where to end to achieve success. I started from the easiest chapters and started completing my BRM's and study material side by side. Also, I made one separate key point notebook and started noting things down the important formulas and soon, I realised that I was starting to get a grasp of the subject. My friends and my quant teacher were a great help at that time because they made me realise that I knew everything but just do not have enough confidence on the subject because of which I was not able to hold a grip over it.

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Improve Your QA scores For Free - Take QA Sectional Test - 1 and QA Sectional Test - 2

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I took a lot of full-length and sectional mock tests to test myself and to see where I stand. Taking mocks is of no use if you don't analyse it later and revisit the doubts you had during the test. Also, you have to work on the accuracy part and then increase your attempts. The purpose of sectionals was to check on to the things I knew and of full length mocks was to see how much I was able to attempt as QA is the last section in CAT and by then we are almost tired. Also, one thing I did was increased my continuous sitting hours which made me build stamina for mocks.

There's just one thing which helped me gain marks in quant which was told to me by my QA faculty member:Jabb takk apne pe confidence nahi layegi ki mein karr sakti hun, tabb takk kuch nai karr payegi . And this line seriously changed my life. I started to gain confidence even though I didn't score well in some of the mocks. I analysed each and every question and analysed which topic was not fully prepared.

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The Number One Mistake CAT Aspirants Make That You Must Avoid For CAT 2020

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On the D-Day , I attempted my Quant section very calmly because not being calm really messes things up and finally got my result which was 97%ile. The most shocking, yet satisfying part was that I had achieved 100% accuracy in the QA section.

Key Takeaways from my preparation journey - 1. Don't have a  fear for any section. If you're weak in one section, it gives you the opportunity to work even harder on that section. 2. Build up your confidence - if you lack self-confidence, your preparation goes for a toss. Surround yourselves with friends and mentors who boost your confidence. 3.  Start from the easiest topics and build up your basics. Note down the formulas, shortcuts for your easy reference. 4. Don't neglect sectional tests. It helps you keep a check on the topics you know and the ones you need to prepare. 5. Put up a thorough drill-down analysis of each question and topic. 6. Practise building stamina and the mental stability to sit and concentrate for 3 hours at a go. 7. Accuracy over attempts.

So, all the best to CAT 2020 aspirants!  All it takes to achieve success is a thought, consistency , motivation and most important of all, hard work.

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