How to Crack CAT 2016 within a Month?

CAT (Common Admission Test) is a management aptitude test conducted in order to assess and shortlist candidates for the Master's of Business Administration (MBA) & Post Graduate program. It is a computer-based exam that takes place once a year. The IIMs established by an act of Parliament are renowned management institutes in India. These institutes also provide consultancy and fellowship services in various business and management globally. Currently, there are 20 IIMs institutes in India.

Since last two years, the pattern of CAT exam has undergone a few changes. CAT is a computer based test which consists of 100 objective type questions. There are three sections in the test that are Quantitative Ability (QA) of 34 marks, Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC) of 34 marks and Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning (DI AND LR) of 32 marks.

CAT Preparation may take 10–12 months for a person with average past academic record, 6–8 months for a person with above average past academic record and 3–4 months for a person with excellent past academic record. As CAT’17 is held in the end of November/December, December’16 or January’17 is the best time to start your preparation. However, if one is giving this year’s CAT exam then he/she has to divide the preparation schedule among four weeks. The reason to divide it is that one need to have clear goals for every week.

Your 4-week strategy (28 days) will include the following:

Week 1

Start solving one mock CAT paper every day; it can be hard copy or online test. Start solving it from the very first day. By the end of the week, you should have solved 6 mock tests. Check the answers to every question, after every test. This makes the concept clearer and boosts the confidence. Each day, finish off at least two topics from Maths that includes formula, concepts and all. Practice the verbal section each day, at least two problem sets.

Week 2

Practice as much as possible, this will be helpful in strengthening the concepts. Develop reading habit as much as possible. Reading never goes in vain. Develop a reading habit and it can be of anything like non-fiction journals, magazines, newspaper etc. Start concept-building exercise on DI and LR. Don’t forget to take at least one mock test every day. Within few days one will identify which kind of questions are difficult and which are more scoring. This is the time when you frame your strategy for solving a test. It is better to first opt for high-scoring questions. Do practice on those questions which are difficult. Leaves those that you find too difficult to manage but only if they constitute less 20% of the total questions because you don’t have much time.

Week 3

One should not feel discourage with the fact that they are having few days left for the exam. Utilize the present time in the most productive manner because this is the moment when one make most of the situation. Don’t go for any new concept or topic. Revise and remember whatever you already know. Keep formula and basic techniques in mind. Practice those topics that have greater weight as well as few sectional tests. This is a part of speed-building. Make the better use of new concepts and techniques that you have gathered over the past two weeks.

                                                                     
Week 4

Be ready for surprises that you may counter in CAT. Create flexible strategies for solving the exam. Make sure that you attempt a maximum number of questions. Keep strategies light, this will lower down the nervousness. Keep tough and time-consuming questions for last and attempt the easier questions first.

The last two days should be dedicated to relaxation. No more studying; no more preparation. No more mock tests. Arrange the documents like admit card, application form, photo ID a day before, to avoid last minute panic. whatever stuff you have to take to the center). Sleep for at least 8-9 hours the night before the exam. Reach the center well in time. The invigilators provide you with stationery inside the hall.

Beside the above schedule, it is also important to have information regarding various other MBA entrance exams and one should also develop better reading skills. Develop your reading skills by reading daily newspaper editorials and business news so that you can simultaneously improve your reading speed and knowledge which shall help you during your GD-PI process. Try getting greater insights of the topic by doing self-research on the internet. This will surely improve your analyzing skills, vocabulary, and knowledge. This process of developing reading skills should continue not only till your GD-PI but for the lifetime.

One should also gather a clear idea about various MBA entrance Exams and B-schools. PGDM or MBA is not just about CAT and IIM. There are many other institutes which match the levels of IIM i.e. XLRI, RNB Global University etc. Many of the top institutes conduct their own entrance tests. Go through their batch profile, placement figures, Job offered profile and then decide whether you really want to do PGDM or MBA.

In two sessions on one day that is on December 4, 2016, CAT will be conducted.  The exam will be directed to 138 cities. However, the duration of the examination will be 180 minutes. If the candidate had an encounter with questions that are not of multiple choices then they should type direct answers on the computer screen. The tutorials will be helpful in clearing confusions of this kind. Moreover, basic on-screen calculator for computation is also permitted during the exam. The time duration of 60 minutes will be allotted for answering questions in each section. While answering questions in a section one cannot switch from one section to another. For obtaining better results, candidates should work on the tutorials, available on the website, well in advance. The result of CAT 2016 will be released in the second week of January 2017.