CAT Preparation 2023: Top 10 Myths Busted

With just over two weeks to go for the CAT 2023, it is time to clear your mind of confusions and myths related to this national level MBA entrance exam. So, here are 10 popular CAT preparation myths debunked. 

For first timers, the CAT exam may be giving them jitters as a lot depends on this career defining entrance exam. During the CAT preparation journey, they face many challenges and many questions. Sometimes these questions make then doubt their ability or make them nervous about the exam. 

“CAT is only for Engineering students”, “CAT coaching guarantees success”, “Aspirants with high IQ are perfect candidates for CAT” , “If you are not good in Maths, then you cannot crack CAT”, “CAT is tough for women candidates”, “CAT means entry to IIMs,” you must have heard such comments. Don’t let these thoughts bother you because CAT is NOT a monster.

Preparation of CAT 2023 exam is in the last stage and many of you are ready to take the test on November 26, 2023. There is absolutely no need to worry. Don't think of CAT as a tough exam or 'a make or break'  test. Be confident of your abilities and treat it as just an exam. You will perform better if you won't take pressure. To ease your MBA journey, here we bust the popular myths about CAT exam.

Popular Myths About CAT Busted

Myth 1: CAT has high difficulty level

This is one of the most common myths associated with CAT exam. The exam is indeed of higher difficulty level than other MBA entrance exams but it is never exceptionally tough. Over the years, CAT has maintained difficulty level at ‘moderate to high’. The CAT conducting body has infact reduced the difficulty level in the last few years to widen the diversity of students in MBA and make it an non-Engineering student friendly exam. All that requires to crack the CAT exam is a well-planned preparation strategy of over six months with study routine of 4-8 hours daily. 

Also Read:

• Make These 7 Guys Your Companion For VARC

• CAT Preparation 2023: Your Love For Reading Can Get You Desired Result

Myth 2: CAT requires strong mathematical skills

CAT Quantitative Aptitude (Maths) is all about understanding the fundamentals. It doesn't matter whether your Mathematics score was in 90s or not at the time of CAT preparation. Quantitative Aptitude topics are advanced level of Maths studied in Class 9 and 10. Most of us are familiar with the fundamentals. The key is to capitalise on the understanding of the fundamental concepts and learn their application in different scenarios. Work hard and diligently. If your Maths isn’t strong at the beginning of CAT preparation, it will be by the time the exam date arrives. Just keep practicing.

Also Read:

• CAT Preparation Plan For Quantitative Aptitude

• How to Prepare for CAT Quantitative Aptitude?

• Master the Secret of Acing QA in CAT Exam

• How to Approach Quant Section of CAT Exam

• Six Strategies of Quant Preparation

Myth 3: CAT is easier for students from Engineering background

CAT is an aptitude test, which requires strong logical and analytical skills. Anybody whose logical and analytical skills are strong or anyone who can develop that over a period of time can crack the CAT exam with high scores, irrespective of their educational background. Infact, the VARC section of CAT is tough for students from Engineering background. Most of the Engineering graduates who have cracked CAT in the past, will tell you that they faced problems in VARC section as their English Comprehension and Grammar were weak.

So, CAT is difficult for those whose base is not strong in the relevant subjects.

Also Read:

• CAT syllabus 2023
• CAT exam pattern 2023
• CAT question papers PDFs

Myth 4: Female candidates score low in CAT

This myth rides on the gender stereotype emanating from Engineering and non-Engineering debate. The truth is that for majority of male students, Engineering+MBA is a popular and safe career option but for women, there are a plethora of popular career options after graduation. Thus, lesser participation of women in CAT compared to men. However, in the past few years, it has been seen that the number of female applicants has steadily increased and so has the number of female students in MBA class rooms.

Myth 5: CAT = IIMs

CAT is mainly associated with Indian Institute of Management (IIMs). Well, it isn’t true. CAT score is accepted by not only the IIMs but also by over 1200 B-Schools in India, which include top ranked institutes such as MDI-Gurgaon, FMS-Delhi, SPJIMR-Mumbai and IMT-Ghaziabad among others. Also, scoring well in CAT does not guarantee admission into IIMs as the institutes lay a lot of emphasis on the candidates’ academic and work profile for admission. So don't worry about missing on the IIM seat. Score well in CAT 2023 and you will have a range of good MBA colleges to choose from.

Also Read: IIM Selection Criteria

Myth 6: You can’t crack CAT without coaching

‘Studying from coaching institutes is mandatory. If you do not study from coaching institutes, chances of your success are very low.’ Not anymore. Times have changed. Coaching institutes do play an important role in preparation by guiding students in disciplined study and providing study material; but you can prepare for CAT without coaching as well. In fact, many CAT toppers in the last two-three years studied on their own. Refer to online study material and free tutorials. Join study groups on Facebook, YouTube, Telegram and WhatsApp. They are of immense help.

Also Read: CAT preparation - coaching vs self study

Take CAT Mock Test by Shiksha

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Myth 7: Experienced candidates are given more preference during selection

MBA or PGDM can be pursued both immediate after graduation or after a few years break. The choice is up to you. If you want to explore your interests, gain work experience or take a break of two-three years after graduation you can do that. Take the CAT exam in the year you are well prepared for the MBA journey. Infact, IIMs have the provision of delaying admission by a year for candidates who are shortlisted for admission. Such students can join the IIM after a year if they wish to. Candidates get extra points for work-experience during the selection process for MBA admisson. Every institute has a well-balanced class ratio of fresh graduates and work-experience candidates.

Myth 8: Walk on footsteps of a CAT topper

‘Follow the topper’. This is the most popular myth. Never try to copy others. Taking suggestions and tips from CAT toppers is a good idea but you need make a study plan, which is suitable for you. Just as no two persons can have the same DNA, no two MBA aspirants can work out with a same preparation plan. You can take ideas from their preparation strategies so that and make yours better.

Also Read: CAT preparation 2023: Tips from toppers

Myth 9: Number of questions decide score

No. It's not the number of answers, but the accuracy of answers that matters in CAT. The CAT exam has negative marking for wrong answers. So, if you have attempted all the questions but have got majority of them incorrect, you stand to lose a lot of marks. But if you solve the selected questions accurately, you'd score well. Keep in mind to attempt accurately 2/3rd of the total questions in every section of the CAT to get a good percentile.

Free VARC Questions with Answers for Practice

Free Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers for Practice

Free DILR Questions with Answers for Practice

 Myth 10: Better to skip TITA questions in the exam

Do not fall for this. Many will suggest you to skip TITA questions as lack of option makes it difficult to ensure accuracy of the answer. Even if you get it wrong, your marks will not be deducted as TITA questions have no negative marking in CAT. Give it a try, anyway, you might end up solving it correctly.

Also Read:

CAT Toppers	CAT Topper Interviews
Risshi Agrawal CAT 2022, 99.99 percentile	Mocks play a crucial role while preparing for CAT. It helps you determine the strategy which suits you the best. Read Risshi’s full interview
Parul Arora CAT 2022, 99.93 percentile	I started preparing for CAT in April. My preparation strategy for CAT was to clear my basic concepts in all topics and then maximum practice. Read Parul’s full interview
Aditya Singh CAT 2022, 99.90 percentile	For my first attempt I attended offline coaching classes, post which I only took the online test series. This year I took the test series from two of the most renowned coaching institutes. Coaching really helps a lot.  Read Aditya’s full interview
Atish Naskar CAT 2022, 99.81 percentile	I started my CAT preparation back in January 2022. I set a daily target for all 3 sections that included daily 3-4 RCs daily 3-4 LRDI sets 20-30 QA questions or some QA concept understanding. The last 2-3 Months gave mocks and analyzed them properly. Read Atish’s full interview
Tushar Sarkar CAT 2022, 99.80 percentile	My serious preparation started in the month of June 2022. My overall strategy had three parts: Diagnosing my problems, guiding policy for improving and actions. Read Tushar’s full interview
Chirag Gupta CAT 2021, 100 percentile	I started preparing in March 2021. I focused mainly on giving mock tests and analysing them. I used to work on my weaknesses by watching various CAT preparation YouTube videos on various topics. Read Chirag's full interview
Bir Anmol Singh CAT 2021, 99.94 percentile	I started preparing in April 2021. I solved Arun Sharma sir's CAT books for VARC, LR, DI and Quant. I attempted as many past year CAT questions papers (timed attempt) that I could attempt, on weekends. I used to analyse my shortcomings to improve further. Read Bir Anmol's full interview
Sagar Sengar CAT 2021, 99.48 percentile	I started preparing around the end of June this year and went into the full-throttle mode by end of August. My overall strategy was to first complete the theory end to end and then practice different kinds of problems across all the sections. Read Sagar's full interview
Ved Vineet CAT 2021, 99.40 percentile	It is not at all important to join a coaching institute for CAT preparation. You just need to prepare in a disciplined manner. Read Ved's full interview
Sareen Shah CAT 2021, 99.35 percentile	Don't delay your prep. Start as early as possible. Solve as many questions as you can. Understand RCs and DILR sets properly. Quality over Quantity should be your aim. Read Sareen's full interview