Preparing for MAT cannot be a cakewalk. With exact 40 days remaining from the examination, how does one prepare for something whose curriculum is slightly vague – with no set rulebook or formula to memorise! Especially with the Language Comprehension - anything and really, anything can come to test your abilities. How to go about it in the first place?
Here are five tips for you to make the most of the last-minute prep days for Language Comprehension section:-
1. Read and comprehend, together at first go:
There is no escape from daily reading. From newspaper to coffee table magazines to fiction, read as much as you possibly can. Your reading ability is checked, first and foremost in the MAT Language Comprehension section. You have to be able to relate to the ideas that are presented in every paragraph, without taking too much time. It's a habit you need to develop and we believe you have, already by now!
Trick: Read a passage really quickly while understanding not just the gist of it, but every little thing about it.
2. No two questions can be solved with one formula
There is no set formula to perform well in the Language Comprehension section - unlike mathematics problems. No two passages will have enough similarities for you to tackle them both in the same way. So, not having had read carefully enough would bear badly on your exam performance.
Trick: Whatever you read now, read quick and try analyse at the same time.
3. You got to have the eye of Sherlock (Almost)
Ones who have developed an eye for detail over time are set for the section of Language Comprehension. In fact, it is a super skill when your eye automatically falls on the mistake or when a grammatical error or typo hurts your eye at the first go.
Trick: If you are not a grammar Nazi yet, well we say, you still got 40 days to become one.
4. Look at the answer options carefully
40 questions with four multiple options in each, where is the time! Therefore, make your first read - worthwhile. In order to choose the correct option, you should be sure of the three wrong ones. You must be able to check off three out of four options without a doubt, and then you’ll be absolutely sure of the right choice.
Trick: Eliminate the wrong options - the right will come out.
5. Vocabulary. Vocabulary. Vocabulary.
General vocabulary plays a significant role in MAT. Analogical relationships involving general vocabulary typically account for 15 to 20 percent of all test items. There is no list that you can possibly memorise assuming it can be the question makers' favourite set of words. However, with hardly any time left, try at least getting your hands on one or two books like Words for Smart Test Takers and see how it goes!
Trick: Don't panic about vocab. You already have it built. You will realise when you take the test.