When is the Best Time to Start CAT Preparation 2024?

CAT 2024 will be be held on November 24, 2024 so the best time to start CAT preparation is March/April. Many 99 and 100 percentiler start preparation in May too. Read what MBA experts suggest to aspirants on the duration of CAT preparation 2024.

It is well known that Common Admission Test or CAT is a tough entrance exam. Every year, over two lakh candidates appear for the CAT so the competition is also high. Since, CAT is a gateway to 1,300 MBA colleges in India. It is of high difficulty level and requires dedicated and long-term preparation. To crack the CAT exam, one needs to have a long term plan and correct guidance. 

Among many questions regarding CAT exam, the most common question that trouble MBA aspirants the most is 'when to start CAT preparation'? Some related questions we get from aspirants are:

• "What is the best time to start CAT preparation 2024?"
• "Is February too early to start CAT preparation?"
• "Is it ok to start CAT preparation in June?"

The right time to start preparing for CAT exam depends on each candidate's skills, abilities and the amount of time he/she can devote on daily basis. However, most of the students start quite early, from January-February.

The CAT 2024 exam date is November 24, 2024 and if you plan to appear for CAT 2024 exam then starting CAT preparation in March-April is a good idea. However, if you start preparation even in May-June 2024, you can crack it. f you start studying in July, then you will have to make a short-term plan of four months from August 2024 to November 2024. 

Ideally, CAT preparation should start by March/April. Given below are expert advice and toppers' experience of CAT preparation. 

Best Time to Start CAT Preparation 2024: What Expert Says?

According to Parasharan Chari, MBA expert and COO at Endeavour Careers, "Candidates should look at finishing the entire CAT syllabus by August. Do not stretch the course till the very end. In June, July and August – candidates should try and complete the entire core CAT syllabus. The primary sections of CAT syllabus are: Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Quantitative Aptitude. Thereafter, candidates can start focusing on speed-building, accuracy building and later on move to full length mock tests," adds Parasharan Chari. 

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CAT Preparation–Coaching vs Self Study

Best Time to Start CAT Preparation: What Toppers Say?

Kartik Bhageria, 99.99 percentile, CAT 2023

"I began my CAT preparation around July 2023. Being an engineering student, I did not spend a lot of time learning new concepts in the Quant and DILR sections. I spent most of my time giving mocks to practice and try to increase my attempted questions with better accuracy in each attempt."

Risshi Agrawal, 99.99 percentile, CAT 2022

 "I started preparing in the month of July. Since I had already taken the exam last year, I was familiar with the pattern. For the first two months I focused on revising the concepts while in the later stages I devoted my time towards solving mocks (average of 1 per day)....Mocks play a crucial role while preparing for CAT. It helps you determine the strategy which suits you the best."

Chirag Gupta, 100 percentile, CAT 2021

“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.”

Bir Anmol Singh, 99.94 percentile, CAT 2021

“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.”

Kshitiz Singhal, 99.99 percentile, CAT 2020

Kshitiz Singhal started preparing in July. He started my preparation by knowing about the CAT exam pattern and syllabus. Once he completed the syllabus, he started taking mock tests. Although he  did not enroll into any coaching institute, I bought study materials and took a mock test series from noted institutes for practice purpose.

Ekansh Agarwal, 99.98 percentile, CAT 2020

Ekansh Agarwal started his CAT preparations approximately 11 months before the CAT 2020 exam. According to him," mock tests are the most important part of CAT preparation. Attempt as many CAT mock tests as possible. 40-50 mock tests are good enough. Focus on the areas you are weak at and accordingly attempt the mock tests. Another piece of advice would be, if you think that you are weak in any section, then try maximizing the other two whilst working on the first."

Somansh Chordia, 100 percentile, CAT 2019

His CAT preparation witnesses multiple breaks. “I had joined TIME in January but for the initial 3-4 months I just gave mocks and attended a few classes to understand CAT exam pattern. During summers, I was busy in my internship, so could not devote any time. From August onwards, I began analysing the mocks and worked upon some of my weak areas. Finally in October, I began focusing properly”, he said.

Rishi Mittal 100 percentile, CAT 2019

Rishi began preparing for CAT in July 2018. “I joined IMS classes for CAT and online study group iQuanta. I gathered the study material of TIME, IMS and iQuanta. Then for five to six months I was referring to these study materials and understanding concepts and going through what all needs to be done and how should I go about my preparations. In March, I started attempting mocks and analyzing them. Around May or June of 2019, I stopped studying from the study material, I was only solving mock tests and analyzing my performance, ”he said.

Rounak Majumdar, 100 percentile, CAT 2018

Rounak started CAT preparation a year before. “My entire preparation was based on taking mock tests. I attempted two mock tests every week and around 40 mock tests in a year. I used to do practice tests on the weekends and analyse my results during the week. Analysing mock tests are more important than actually appearing for them; it helped me understand my shortfalls and device a test strategy,” he said.

Madhur Gupta, 100 percentile, CAT 2017

Madhur started preparing in January but paced up this preparation in August. “I started preparing for CAT 2017 from January and joined TIME for coaching. I ramped up my preparation only in August after quitting my job at Amazon, as Operations Manager. I joined a small start-up alongside CAT preparation from August onwards. In the last-three to four months I gave over 70 mock tests, of different mock series, he said.

Avidipto Chakraborty, 100 percentile, CAT 2016

Avidipto started preparing in mid-May 2016. "In May-June I had summer vacation which I utilized in revising the basic concepts. Once my internship began, I changed my strategy. I would study for four and half hours (9:30 pm to 2 am) on weekdays and dedicated Saturdays and Sundays to mock tests," he said.

Every aspirant has their own strengths and weaknesses. Some candidates take longer than others to grasp basic concepts and then move on to mock tests.

Akshay Mehndiratta, 100 percentile, CAT 2016

Akshay started preparation in June. "I never used to get time during the weekdays. I used to put in 5-6 hours on Saturday for preparation, and a mock test, followed by detailed analysis on Sundays. I started following this schedule rigorously from June onwards," he said. I guess a period of 5-6 months, with concentrated effort for 2-3 days in a week works fine, he added.

According to Rajesh Balasubramanian, who topped CAT 2011, CAT 2012 and CAT 2014, "Candidates with engineering background need about three-and-a-half months to prepare. Three months is still doable. Anything lesser than that and the time pressure adds up. There are too many things moving around and you don’t have enough time to do your Mock CATs. Three-and-a-half months is a good time-frame. You can still cover everything and get a lot of practice for Mocks." Balasubramanian is an MBA coaching expert. 

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CAT Preparation 2024: Month-Wise Time-Table

Here's a quick time-line of CAT exam preparation. This is a broad distribution of CAT preparation time frame into phases. You can alter the time-table according to your need.

Also Read:

• How to Prepare for CAT 2024 exam in 6 Months
• How to Prepare for CAT 2024 exam  in 3 Months
• Last Month CAT Preparation Plan and Tips
• How to Prepare for CAT VARC
• How to Prepare for CAT DILR
• How to Prepare for CAT Quantitative Aptitude

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• How to Prepare for CAT: 2024 Ultimate Tips from Experts
• How to Prepare for CAT 2024: Tips from Toppers
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