NMAT 2024 vs CAT 2024: How to Prepare for Both Exams Simultaneously

Quants- Modern Maths and Number System which make less than 5-6 questions in the CAT exam carry a good number of marks in the NMAT exam. The percentage of Algebra questions is lesser. Data Sufficiency which is not a part of CAT, is an important part of the NMAT QA. Clocks also form a few questions. DI is a part of the QA section. The questions are easier but calculation-intensive.

Verbal Ability- NMAT focuses on grammar vocabulary, antonyms synonyms, tenses, active/passive questions, and sentence correction more than RCs.

Logical Reasoning- The logical reasoning section of the NMAT exam mainly consists of Critical Reasoning. Unlike the CAT exam which has a difficult LRDI section, in NMAT the questions are easier but very different. It ranges from Venn, coding-decoding puzzles, alphanumeric sequences, family trees, arguments, input-output, and inferences. This should become your key practice area apart from the CAT preparation you have already done. LR sees more individual questions than sets, unlike CAT.

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NMAT 2024 vs CAT 2024: Exam Pattern

Brief Overview: The NMAT pattern included the following sections:

Language Skills: 36 questions in 28 minutes

Quantitative Skills: 36 questions in 52 minutes

Logical Reasoning: 36 questions in 40 minutes

Just like XAT paper, you can choose your order of attempt. But you cannot navigate within a section.
There is no negative marking in the exam. The difficulty of the paper is adaptive i.e. it changes according to the correct/ incorrect attempts you make.

Tips by NMAT 2023 Toppers

Throughout the exam, you'll come across 2-3 Reading Comprehensions, typically one shorter (just 1 paragraph) and the others consisting of 2-3 paragraphs. If you feel confident in your reading abilities, it's advisable to tackle all the RCs, as the questions are quite direct once you've understood the author's main idea. However, grammar questions, especially those related to synonyms or error detection, can be tough to respond to if your grammar skills are not at the required level. The key is to practice for NMAT-specific grammar questions.
In the DI questions of the QA section, you'll be presented with a data set along with 4-5 questions that require solving using that data. These can be quite time-consuming, so my advice is to aim to answer 2-3 questions and skip the ones that may take longer than anticipated.
Do not trade off on sections. Each and every section is important to get a call. People miss out on NMIMS Mumbai calls by 1 mark as well, and there's no such thing as a second list.
During the online proctored test, you'll be allowed no more than two sheets of paper. To minimize rough work, I recommend taking practice tests using only two sheets. It is similar to CAT where you are given a booklet.
As you see a question take time to solve and see it before moving to the next. You can not come back to the same question as in CAT or XAT.
Resources and Mocks: NMAT Guide, and NMAT Official Mocks will help you cover most of your preparation. Additionally, TIME’s Study Material and LoD-1 from Arun Sharma are good options to consider for the NMAT exam

Study Schedule

If You Have Scheduled Your NMAT before the CAT Exam

Even if you have scheduled your exam on the first date of the window you have approx 20 days. Set aside an hour daily to cover the different topics listed above. NMAT is a speed test which is not the case in CAT. Try giving at least the official mocks of the NMAT before the exam. Practice Speed tests.

If you Have Sceduled your NMAT after CAT

Restrict your prep for OMETs to 2-3 days a week. Once your CAT exam is done you can brush up with the easier topics and give mocks to adjust your test-taking strategies. Along with that improve your calculation speed as there will be no calculators

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