“I just gave everything I had for two hours... and this is the score I get?”
That was my reaction after one particularly rough mock test. And honestly, I know I’m not alone.If you’re in the middle of your CAT prep and struggling with mock scores that don’t seem to reflect your effort, this might help.
When I started my mock test journey, I thought I'd improve steadily. What I didn’t think was gonna happen is strings of low scores — sometimes even negatives. It was frustrating to keep putting in effort and getting nothing in return, or worse, seeing negative returns.
When approached right, the mocks sharpen your skills. But when you use them blindly, just taking mock after mock without understanding the why behind your performance, they can feel defeating.
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In hindsight, here are the mistakes I made early on:
• Giving mocks without prep on key topics.
• Focusing too much on them rather than learning.
• Not reviewing them properly.
If any of that sounds familiar, don’t worry — let’s do this one step at a time.
Dealing with low mock scores in CAT
1. I created a personal error sheet
After every mock, I opened an Excel sheet and wrote down:
• Which questions I got wrong (and why)
• Which questions I skipped (and should not have)
• Which ones I got right (and how confident I was)
This helped me catch patterns like how I always misread certain question types or wasted time on tougher DILR sets.
2. I gave more time to analysing than to giving
For every 3 hours of mock-taking, I spent at least 4–5 hours on analysis or even a day. I’d revisit questions I got wrong, re-solve them, and understand what logic I missed or what trap I fell into.
3. I focused on section-wise trends
Sometimes it’s not your overall score that needs work — it’s just one section dragging the rest down. For me, VARC was the problem child. Once I identified that, I started solving a daily RC set and reading editorials with intention. It may be a different section or maybe multiple sections, what I’ll suggest is figure it out.
4. I learned not to put too much value on the score
This was the hardest. But over time, I realised that a 60 percentile today meant nothing if I could learn from that paper.
5. Help From The Experts
I also started watching mock analysis videos, especially from Gejo Sir and GP Sir on Career Launcher’s YouTube channel. They broke down mocks in a very simple way:
• Attempted by most + attempted by you = great.
• Attempted by most + skipped by you = missed opportunity.
• Skipped by most + attempted by you = maybe wrong choice.
Low scores don’t mean you’re not CAT material. They mean there’s more to work on. And if you’re willing to do that work, no mock can stop you from improving.
So take a breath, pull out that mock sheet, and start again, and at last you’ll be proud of what you did, that’s a different feeling!
Read More:
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- DILR Strategies to Score a 99 Percentile
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- From a Failed UPSC Attempt to IIM-C
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- VARC Guide For Engineers
- Staying consistent with the 6-month-long CAT journey
- Alternative Options to the CAT Exam
- Avoiding Exam Burnout
- Is this the right Time for an MBA
- Quitting a Job for CAT: Is it the right thing?
- Train your mind for the 2-hour Exam
