Mock tests are the backbone of any serious CAT preparation strategy. They simulate the real exam environment, test your concepts under pressure, and, most importantly, reveal your current level of readiness. But here’s the catch: just taking mocks isn’t enough. The real magic lies in how you analyze and learn from them. If you’re spending 4-6 hours a week on mocks and ₹10,000-₹20,000 on a test series, it’s crucial that you extract every ounce of value from them.
Disclaimer: This isn’t a promotion. I’ll refer to IMS and TIME portals because I personally used both.
Step 1: How Often Should You Take Mock Tests?
The frequency of your mocks should evolve with your preparation:
-In the Early Stages (June–July): 1 mock every 10–14 days is enough.
Focus more on concept-building and analyzing mock performance in detail.
-Mid-Prep Phase (August–September): Increase frequency to 1 mock per week.
This helps you start identifying patterns in your strengths and weaknesses.
-Final Stretch (October–November): Move to 2–3 mocks per week.
At this stage, mock-taking becomes more about performance under pressure and defining your strategy.
Important: Stick to a pre-decided schedule. Don’t take mocks based on mood or motivation. Even if you feel underprepared, take the mock. On exam day, you might not feel 100% either. You’re training your brain to perform regardless of mood or confidence.
Step 2: Developing a Mock-Taking Strategy
When you first begin taking mocks, don’t worry too much about having a fixed strategy. In fact, it’s often better to go into your initial mocks with an open mind. This allows you to naturally observe your instincts—how you approach different sections, where your time drains, which types of questions attract or repel you, and how your stamina holds up across the three sections. Let your early mocks be diagnostic in nature. The real goal in those first few tests isn’t to maximize your score, but to collect data on yourself.
As you progress and get more comfortable with the paper pattern, you’ll need to start working toward a strategy that’s tailored to your strengths and weaknesses. This won’t happen overnight. It will take multiple iterations, a few experiments, and some failures. Maybe you realize that starting VARC with RC works better for you, or that jumping between DILR sets wastes time and reduces focus. Maybe you discover that you peak in QA when you first do sitters and then tackle medium-difficulty problems. These insights only come with experience.
A good rule of thumb is to have a fairly defined strategy by the time you’re one month away from the CAT exam. That doesn’t mean the strategy needs to be rigid—it should still have flexibility built in—but it should be clear enough that you don’t go into the test blindly. The CAT is not just a test of knowledge; it’s a test of decision-making, time allocation, and emotional discipline under pressure. Your mock strategy is your dry-run rehearsal for that big day. Use every mock to refine it—track what works, what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly.
Aim: Have a clear, personalized mock strategy at least 4–5 weeks before CAT. That way, you’re not experimenting on exam day.
Percentages Question Series
Step 3: Immediate Analysis (After Each Mock)
Right After the Mock:
You’ll likely feel exhausted, physically and mentally. Don’t jump into analysis immediately. Take a 30–60 minute break to decompress.
First Round of Analysis (Later That Day or Next Morning):
Here’s how to break it down:
1. Mistakes in Questions You Thought You Knew:
When you’re ready, begin your first round of analysis. Start with the questions you got wrong, especially those you thought you had gotten right. These are your low-hanging fruits. Maybe you misread a question, didn’t notice a unit conversion, or just rushed through a calculation. These aren’t conceptual gaps; they’re avoidable errors. Fixing these can result in significant score improvements with minimal effort. Make it a habit to note down the exact nature of the mistake—was it a silly error, a lapse in concentration, or a misjudgment of the question’s difficulty?
2. Questions You Couldn’t Complete Due to Time:
Next, look at the questions you couldn’t attempt due to time constraints. These aren’t failures- they’re opportunities. Try solving these questions now, without the pressure of a timer. Many of them can be completed within two minutes if approached smartly. If it takes you much longer now, examine the solution provided in the portal (IMS, TIME, or whichever one you’re using) and pay attention to any shortcuts or alternative approaches mentioned. Often, learning just one of these techniques can help you shave off 20–30 seconds per question, which adds up significantly over a full section.
3. Questions You Skipped Immediately:
Lastly, review the questions you didn’t attempt at all—the ones you skipped outright. Ask yourself: did you skip them because they looked too complex, or because you genuinely didn’t know how to approach them? If you revisit them now and find they were manageable, that’s a sign you need to work on your judgment during the test. CAT is as much a test of question selection as it is of ability. Learning to identify which questions to attack and which to leave is a skill developed through repeated exposure—and reflection.
Keep a Mock Logbook:
Record every key learning from each mock- silly mistakes, new methods learned, difficult topics, and timing errors. It becomes your personalised CAT playbook.
Step 4: Second-Level Analysis (Days Later)
This is the most underrated yet game-changing part of mock analysis.
While the first round of analysis helps you understand what went wrong, the second round of analysis is where you dig into why and focus on long-term improvement. It’s this deeper, more reflective phase that separates an average mock-taker from a serious aspirant. Ideally, do this one or two days after your initial review—once the specific memory of each question has faded a bit and you're no longer emotionally attached to the mock’s outcome. This gives you a chance to evaluate your understanding from a more objective perspective.
After a gap of a few days, revisit the same mock—not to solve it, but to check your retention and conceptual clarity.
What to Look For:
Analyzing CAT Mocks For Quant:
Start by going through the same questions or sections from the mock—but this time, don’t try to solve them again from scratch. Simply read the question and ask yourself: do you remember how to solve it? Do you recall the method, the trick, or the core concept it tested? If the solution pops into your head immediately, that’s a great sign. It means this type of question has become part of your active toolkit.
Test yourself to see if you can picture solving it correctly within 90 seconds (for Quant)
If yes, that topic is now a stronghold.
If it takes longer or you’re unsure, revisit the concept and practice more questions of that type.
In Quant and DILR, timing is everything—so if a familiar question still takes you two minutes, you need to practice more of that type until your speed improves naturally.
For DILR:
For DILR sets, you can be a bit more generous with time: aim for around 7–8 minutes per doable set, and work towards solving complex ones in 12 minutes or less.
Logically solving sets faster comes only from pattern recognition, which builds through this kind of review.
Analyzing CAT Mocks For VARC:
For VARC, use this second review to evaluate your comprehension. Reread the passages without time pressure. Are you understanding the structure and flow of ideas better? Are you identifying the author’s tone or the central argument more clearly than before? If so, you’re progressing. Look back at the questions you got wrong in RC and VA—especially summary and inference-based questions. Ask yourself whether the logic of the correct answer feels more intuitive now. If it does, that’s your brain adapting to CAT’s style. That’s improvement.
Pro Tip: Create a folder or document of tricky question types, tough DILR sets, and confusing VARC questions. Revisit it every 2–3 weeks.
Step 5: Build Confidence, Stay Consistent, and Trust the Process
If you’ve been consistent with your mock-taking schedule, followed through with first and second-level analysis, and made note of your recurring mistakes and areas of confusion, then you’re already well ahead of the curve. It’s easy to fall into the trap of self-doubt, especially when a few mocks don’t go as expected. But remember, preparation is not linear. Some days you’ll feel like you’re making leaps; other days might feel stagnant. What matters is your overall direction—and if you’re learning from every mock, that direction is upward.
As the exam draws near, start shifting your focus from just improving scores to building mental stamina and sharpening your test-day mindset. By now, your basic concepts and strategy should be in place. What you need to work on is replicating performance under pressure. Simulate the exam day environment when you take mocks: sit in one place, avoid distractions, and attempt the test in the same time slot as your actual CAT slot, if known. This will train your mind and body to peak at the right time.
Remind yourself that nobody is perfect in CAT. Even 99+ percentilers make mistakes. What separates them is how well they learn from those mistakes.
Final Words: Analyzing CAT Mocks
The journey to CAT success isn’t just about knowledge. It’s about smart preparation, self-awareness, and the ability to adapt.
Your mock tests are not just tests—they’re feedback loops.
Respect them. Learn from them. Grow with them.
And most importantly, believe in your process.
You’ve put in the work. Now trust it.
You’re more prepared than you think. Go ace it!
Read more:
- How Mocks can be the real game changers
- The Quant Trap for Non-Engineers
- FMS Vs IIM Calcutta
- DILR Strategies to Score a 99 Percentile
- Free Formula Book for Quants
- From a Failed UPSC Attempt to IIM-C
- From Journalism to IIM-K
- VARC Guide For Engineers
- 5 VARC Strategies to Begin Your Comprehension Game
- Staying consistent with the 6-month-long CAT journey
