How to Prepare for NMAT and CAT Simultaneously?
NMAT and CAT registrations start in the second quarter of the year. Candidates can follow a plan to prepare for NMAT and CAT together.
NMAT & CAT Preparation Simultaneously
NMAT and CAT Preparation Simultaneously: IIM Calcutta will conduct CAT 2024 on November 24. Whereas NMAT 2024 is being conducted from November 5 to December 20. Candidates aspiring for both entrance exams can prepare for both CAT and NMAT together. NMAT and CAT are among India's most sought-after MBA entrance exams. NMAT and CAT share topics in all three sections. Additionally, NMAT and CAT have an identical exam duration of 120 minutes.
CAT is tough compared to NMAT; therefore, candidates preparing to ace CAT 2024 can easily get a good score in NMAT 2024. However, the art of getting a good score in CAT and NMAT can be tricky in terms of taking the exam. Candidates can take NMAT thrice during the testing window. Whereas candidates get only one attempt for CAT. Scroll down to know more details on how to prepare for CAT and NMAT simultaneously.
Reasons to Prepare for NMAT & CAT Together
Preparing for two competitive exams can be tough considering the planning required to devise a common preparation strategy.
Keeping the difficulties aside, candidates can take both NMAT and CAT in one admission session for the following advantages:
Q: Â What is the last date for admission at IMT Ghaziabad?
Q: Â Is the CAT syllabus difficult?
Yes, the difficulty level of CAT syllabus is very high as compared to other MBA entrance exams. However, if you prepare well and follow the CAT exam pattern well, you will be able to score well. Besides having an understanding of the CAT syllabus 2025, candidates also need to be well aware of the CAT exam pattern before they start preparing for the exam. The CAT exam pattern was revised in 2021 and the number of questions were reduced from 76 to 66. The structure of CAT 2023 and CAT 2024 was the same. The syllabus is still tougher than other exams.
The most important things to keep in mind are:
- CAT exam mode is online
- Each question carries three marks
- There is negative marking of minus one mark for wrong attempts
The section-wise distribution of questions and difficulty levels as per the latest CAT exam pattern are listed below:
- Quantitative Ability (QA) - 24 questions, difficulty level - moderate to high
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) - 20 questions, difficulty level - moderate
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) - 22 questions, difficulty level - moderate. to high
Q: Â Is CAT exam tough for an average student?
CAT is a speed based test which is designed to assess a candidate's analytical aptitude, logical reasoning skills, data interpretation and English comprehension. Now, it may sound tough, but these are the skills which we are taught in school so there is nothing new to learn. What is required is to learn these subjects at advanced level. If you are an average student but have studied Science or commerce in Class-12 and graduation, you will find a lot of familiar topics in Data Interpretation, Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning. All you will need is brush up the basics and practice the concepts on advance level problems.
However, since the competition is so high in CAT and less than 95 percentile can break your dream of joining a top college like IIM, the preparation for CAT requires a lot of focus, dedication, discipline and diligence. If you can do that, despite being an average student, you can crack the CAT exam.
- Additional Admission Opportunities: Nearly 64 institutes offer admissions across India and abroad based on NMAT scores. Additionally, more than 1500 colleges, including IIMs, offer MBA admission based on CAT. With both CAT and NMAT scores, candidates raise their chances of admission.
- Decline in Stress with a Backup Plan: Candidates appearing for two MBA entrance exams will reduce performance anxiety which could, in turn, boost their confidence. This is due to a stable backup plan.
- Identical Syllabus Requires Minimal Effort: Syllabus for NMAT and CAT are similar on most fronts leading to no extra effort for NMAT. The VARC section from the CAT exam is identical to the Language Skills section from NMAT. DILR from CAT has identical questions to the Logical Reasoning of NMAT. Similarly, QA from CAT has identical questions as in the Quantitative Skills section of NMAT.
| CAT Section-Wise Preparation |
NMAT Section-Wise Preparation |
Prepare for NMAT and CAT Simultaneously
Candidates can take the first attempt of NMAT 2024 on October 10. Candidates will be able to schedule the second attempt of NMAT 2024 after the exam date of the first attempt. However, there should be a gap of 15 days between two attempts.
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How Should I Schedule NMAT 2024?
With CAT 2024 being conducted on November 26, candidates can schedule their first and second exam attempts in the month of October itself and keep at least a month to prepare for CAT 2024. Candidates can take the third attempt of NMAT after taking CAT.
Planning NMAT Exam Dates Strategically
| Exam and Attempts |
Exam Dates for Best Shot at NMAT and CAT |
|---|---|
| NMAT First Attempt |
On 05-Nov-2024 |
| NMAT Second Attempt |
On 20-Nov-2024 |
| CAT |
24-Nov-2024 |
| NMAT Third Attempt |
Until 20-Dec-2024 |
Tips to Prepare for NMAT and CAT
Candidates aspiring for admission based on NMAT or CAT, must follow the below mentioned preparation tips:
- Make a study plan by laying out unique and common topics from the CAT and NMAT syllabus.
- Firstly focus on obtaining the conceptual knowledge from topics under QA and VARC.
- Prepare short notes for all the topics that can help in the last-minute preparation for CAT and NMAT.
- Plan out all topics from the NMAT syllabus and CAT syllabus in a single prep strategy. This would help avoid duplicacy while studying.
- Attempt mock tests, and practise previous year’s question papers of NMAT and CAT to get aware of the test patterns of both exams.
- NMAT is a speed-based test; therefore, solving questions within a limited time can help candidates prepare better.
- Solving previous year’s question papers and mock tests can help candidates exponentially.
- Consider attempting mock tests of other MBA entrance exams to get a hold of all types of question papers.
Besides NMAT and CAT, candidates can also appear for MAT, XAT, CMAT, IIFT, SNAP, among other exams. Almost all MBA entrance exams have a common syllabus with slight changes in the difficulty level.
Q: Â Are six months enough to prepare for CAT?
Q: Â How can I get admission in IIM Bangalore?
To be selected in IIM Bangalore, candidates are required to have a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% or an equivalent CGPA (45% for candidates belonging to the SC/ST/PwD category). IIM Bangalore admission 2024 is completely entrance-based. Admission to the flagship course, i.e., the MBA of IIM Bangalore, is based on a valid score in the CAT exam, followed by a personal interview (PI) and written ability test (What) round. IIM Bangalore offers admission to Indian students via CAT and international students via GMAT/GRE. IIM Bangalore conducts the IIM-B tests for admission to Executive MBA (EPGP) and PhD courses.
Q: Â How can I get admission in ISB Hyderabad?
Candidates are required to hold GMAT/ GRE scores to apply for the PGP course. The institute also considers CAT score for PGP in Management for Young Leaders. Candidates must complete graduation in any discipline along with two-year full-time work experiences to apply for the PGP course. A TOEFL/ IELTS score is required for non-Indian students who did not have English as the primary language of instruction during their undergraduate studies. Getting into ISB is neither easy nor difficult. Candidates who will be able to score well in all the selection rounds will get admission to the PGP course. While there is no minimum cutoff score for the GMAT/GRE exam, the? range of GMAT scores that was used to shortlist students in recent years was between 600 to 780 and the range of GRE ranged from 311 to 335.
With a creative soul, Abhishek is inclined towards anything in the creative space be it drawing, painting, craft, or writing. He has been working in the ed-tech industry since he started his career. Besides creative... Read Full Bio
IMT Ghaziabad admissions 2025 are now open for PGDM Exe, FPM and MBA programmes. Meanwhile, the registration window for XAT exam 2024 is open for MBA/PGDM admission for the academic year 2024-25.