CAT Preparation

CA IPCC is way more tough than CA. Exam becuase on comparing Statistics 2lac students appear for CA. Examination in which 1lac students only appear to just gain experience and to learn exam pattern and the real competition is with 1 lac students in which around 20k students get colleges with quite good placements and their career is about to be set in 2 years. Whereas in CA (whether Inter or final) around 1 lac students give exams and only 10k students qualify. And also comparing syllabuswise, CA. Exam is just a MCQ based exam where you just need to practice questions you do not need so much deep knowledge about the topics and chapters, its a skill based exam whereas in CA you have 8 papers and more than 8 subjects in both INTER AND FINAL level you need a very deep knowledge about the whole syllabus and also you need to mug up those books like EIS some LAW. So CA. Is like much more easier than any level of CA.

Candidates preparing for CAT simultaneously prepare for TISSNET exam. However, confusion prevails on how to synchronize the CAT exam preparation along with the TISSNET. TISS National Entrance Test is conducted at the University level for admission to Masters (Master of Arts / Master of Science / B.Ed-MEd Integrated ) Programmes of TISS campuses, whereas, CAT is a national level entrance exam conducted by Iims for admission to Iims and other top B-schools across India. The difficulty level of the CAT is relatively higher than the TISSNET exam. Here are the key tips to synchronize the CAT and TISSNET exam preparation:
1. CAT and TISSNET exam syllabus is divided into three sections. Except for General Awareness in TISSNET. Other sections are similar in both exams. Candidates can devise a preparation strategy for both exams simultaneously.
2. The CAT exam is conducted in November, whereas the TISSNET exam is conducted later in February. Candidates must focus on CAT preparation first, as the exam will have a sectional time limit along with the negative marking scheme, hence time management in CAT becomes important. Whereas, in TISSNET there is no sectional time limit and provision for negative marking.
3. Candidates must ensure to solve the previous year's question papers to become familiar with the CAT and TISSNET exam pattern.

CAT mock tests are a replica of the actual CAT exam. It is so because the purpose of the mock test is to prepare the candidate for a speed based test which requires quick decision making and quick calculation with 100 per cent accuracy. This can be achieved only if the candidates has been in such an environment multiple times. In the CAT mock test, candidate has to solve equal number of questions as the CAT exam, in the same time limit. This, helps them in mastering the art of solving 66 questions in 120 minutes with much ease and confidence. The CAT mock tests have questions of same or higher difficulty level than the actual exam. In many unofficial mock tests, the questions are of previous CAT exams. Candidates must solve a variety of mock tests so that they are well versed with CAT questions of all types and varieties.

Solving the CAT question paper is very important from preparation point of view. Since CAT is a speed based test where candidates have to read long passages, tables and charts, do multiple calculations and solve tricky puzzles, one needs to have prior practice of the same. The CAT mock tests serve this purpose. However, to know what type of passages and puzzles are there in the CAT exam, you need to solve previous years' question papers. Some of the benefits of solving previous years' CAT question paper are:
1. With the help of previous year's CAT question paper, you can understand the latest CAT exam pattern and marking scheme
2. Practicing CAT question papers improves speed and accuracy in solving the questions, which is critical to a speed based exam like CAT
3. Practicing CAT question papers improves time management skills as you would get to know which type of questions take how much time.
4. When you practice CAT question papers, you gain confidence that you can solve all types of CAT questions. This confidence helps in performing better in the exam.

CAT question papers are released within a week of the exam in the form of a PDF as a response sheet and answer key. Candidates who have appeared for the test are able to access the CAT question paper and answer key. The question paper of every slot is released on the same day along with candidate response sheet and official answer to all question. If any candidate needs previous year CAT question papers for preparation purpose, then they can download them from Shiksha website. We have hosted last five years' CAT question papers for aspirants to download and practice. These official CAT question papers are available for download free. You can download the CAT question paper PDFs at this link: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cat-exam-question-papers
Candidates must check and practice the latest CAT question paper to know the latest exam pattern and difficulty level.

The Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT is the third and the last section of the question paper. It has 22 questions and the total marks is 66. This section of the CAT exam is usually dominated by Arithmetic and Algebra. Most of the questions out of 22 are asked from these two topics. In CAT 2022, there were about 7-9 Algebra questions and 7-9 Arithmetic questions (the exact number varied for all three slots). Apart from these two topics, there are questions from Mensuration Modern Math and Number System in the Quantitative Aptitude section CAT. Some of the important sub topics in this section include:
Arithmetic topics: Ratio and Proportion, Simple and Compound Interest, Profit and Loss Mixtures and Allegations Averages, Percentages, Mean Median Mode, Time and Work, Time Speed and Distance
Algebra topics: Basics Algebraic Formulae, Number of integer solutions, Quadratic Equations, Finding out roots, Maxima and Minimal, Higher Degree Equations, Linear Equations, Problems on ages, Descartes Rule of Signs, Inequalities, Logarithm, Functions, Modifications of Graphs, The smallest Value in a Maximum Function
Number System topics: Finding Out Last Two Digits, Number of Trailing Zeroes, Finding out Remainders based on, Basic Divisibility Rules, Binomial Theorem, Simplifying the Dividend (Single and/or Multiple Divisors), Basics of Numbers, Properties of Numbers, Divisibility Rules, Divisibility and Factors, the highest Common Factor and the lowest Common Multiple, Finding Out the Last Digit, Fermat's Theorem, Euler's Theorem, Pattern Recognition and Cyclicity of Remainders, Wilson's Theorem, Base Systems, Conversion of Bases, Addition/Subtraction/ Multiplication in different bases
Geometry Topics: Lines and Angles, Triangles Basic Concepts, Area, Angles, Similar Triangles Polygons, Circles, Solids / Mensuration 3D Geometry, Coordinate Geometry, Trigonometry
Modern Math topics: Sequence and Series Binomial Theorem, Set Theory, Permutation and Combination, Probability.

The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of the CAT exam has 24 questions. This section has the maximum weightage. 24 questions carry 72 marks. The major part of this section is dominated by Reading Comprehension. It covers about 14-16 questions through 4-5 passages. Rest of the questions are asked from Verbal Ability like Para jumbles, Para summary and Para completion. Every Reading Comprehension passage of the CAT carries about four to five questions. There are usually 3-4 para jumble questions, 3-4 para summary questions and 2-3 para completion questions. Lately it has been seen the CAT does not have word meaning or grammar-based questions. CAT VARC is a high weightage section of high difficulty level. High difficulty level, because the CAT Reading Comprehension passages are long, dense and inference based. To read and understand the passages in a short time poses a challenge to a large number of candidates. So, it is very important to develop reading habit if you want to score high in CAT.

The total number of questions in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section of CAT exam is 22 (as per CAT 2024 question paper). Earlier, the number of DILR questions was 20.There is equal number of question distribution between Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, which means both sections have 11 questions each. The total marks for DILR is 66. The questions on Data Interpretation as based on Tables, Graphs, Pie Charts, Venn Diagram, whereas Logical Reasoning questions are based on Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Caselets and Syllogism. This section of the CAT is usually moderate in terms of difficulty level and about 12-14 correct attempts are good enough to score high marks. Some of the other important topics include Series, Proposition, Direction Sense, Coding-Decoding, Assumptions, Clocks and Calendars, Statements, Binary Logic, Data Structures, Data Sufficiency and Data Arrangement. To score high in this section, candidates must practice a good number of practice tests and sectional mock tests. The better you learn to interpret given data and apply reasoning to a given situation, the better you get at solving related questions.