CAT topper tips: Mock analysis helps in gauging the weak areas

Cracking CAT with a great percentile is the dream of every MBA aspirant. The exam is considered to be one of the toughest management entrance tests, but scoring a great percentile in the exam is no rocket science. The right preparation strategy and ample practice can help one achieve the desired marks. 

Anmol Narang appeared for CAT 2016 and scored 99.46 percentile. He believes that CAT aspirants should start their preparation and work towards improving the sections they are weak in. Here is how he prepared for the exam: 

Does coaching play an important role in CAT preparation or is self-study sufficient?

I believe coaching just provides you that constant motivation and nothing else. The faculty at the Institute will keep on telling you what course should be done by now and that's that. Self-study is the key to success.  If you can keep yourself motivated enough for 8-9 months, then it is better to prepare on your own and save the time you would waste in travelling to and fro from the classes. 

When is the right time to start preparing for CAT?

Depends from person to person.  Actually CAT is not very high on syllabus, it is only your aptitude. Some people are good at solving questions right from the start and they don't need to study much to improve.  Mine was a similar case; right from my first mock I was scoring above of 170 marks in mocks.  But roughly, I would say give yourself at least 10 months to prepare for the exam because in the end it is the practice that will get you through. 

What should be the routine study strategy of CAT aspirants?

This again depends from person to person as some people are working while others are studying. Some get enough time from college and job while others don't.  Just see what suits you, and try to keep in touch with the questions every day. Not every day is Sunday, but don't have too much gap between your study days.  Even a couple of hours of study on your busy days and 5-6 hours on a holiday is sufficient. 

Which books/study material should CAT aspirants use?

I believe the material from TIME is great. The questions may seem basic as compared to the extravagant books like Arun sharma, but while preparing the tough questions we often fumble on the simpler ones. So keep your basics strong and don't spend too much time doing unnecessary tough questions. Apart from TIME material, Sujit Kumar for Verbal Ability is a great book that will take care of your verbal part of CAT. 

What should be the sectional preparation strategy?

Prepare your weakest section the most. Mostly Engineering students like to solve Quant and/or LR/DI and often fall behind in the verbal section due to lack of practice. So make sure your weakest section doesn't pull you back.  

When appearing for CAT, how should the aspirants decide which questions to attempt from different sections: Quantitative Ability & DI, Verbal Ability & LR?

This comes from huge amount of practice. One should practise it while taking mocks.  One quick tip for VA is to go for passages first, get the gist of all four-six passages and the questions asked in 2-3 minutes, then choose the passage type you are most comfortable with.  For LR DI, it is very important to scan the section before attempting. If easier sets like bar graph or pie charts are there in DI, then go for that.  If circular arrangement or venn is there in LR, go for those sets first. 

How can an aspirant judge his/her weak areas, and how should one work towards improving the same?

Mock analysis will help you gauge this, and it can be observed in 3-4 consecutive mocks.  Just analyse properly which questions are you getting wrong every time. Give your weak section a lot of time. Solve as many questions as possible from various materials to gain confidence. 

Should candidates also appear for other management exams? If yes, which exams?

It depends on your aim. There are XAT, IIFT, CMAT, SNAP, TISS etc.  It depends on which college you are targeting at, but appearing for IIFT, XAT and CAT is a must. 

Share some do’s and don’ts that CAT aspirants might find useful.

While in exam, even if you feel that you are not able to perform well in a section, don’t lose hope. Just think that others too must have not been able to perform in this section, and continue with the exam.  Don't try to overcompensate in the next section. Keep calm.

Also Read:

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Ajay Kaushik shares his CAT journey: From 70.7%ile to 99.7%ile

CAT 99.87 percentiler's step-by-step guide to crack the exam

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How I scored 99.89%ile in CAT; Ananya Mishra shares tips & tricks

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