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How To Prepare For CAT? – A Detailed Guide for your Success
For all the students who are interested in doing an MBA from a reputed university, there are many different entrance examinations that they can go for.
From all the different entrance examinations, CAT is probably the one which is considered to be the most popular one for sure.
Well, the CAT 2019 examination is supposed to start in a few months, and there has been a notification regarding the examination as well.
The exam is supposed to happen in the month of November on the last week of this year. So, it is needless to say that all the aspirants are trying their level best in order to score a seat into the Business schools that our county has. However, cracking the examination is really not as easy as it seems to be.
The students need to go through a series of preparation techniques in order to know how to prepare for CAT exam in an efficient manner.
There are many different students that always take the route, which is safer, and they choose their preparation strategies before the notification is even out. However, there are also some students who plan their strategy after the announcement of the notification as well.
There is another group which is always in a dilemma on whether to start preparing or just let it go. For those who are in the third category, this is the best place to find all the information that they need to have in the first place.
Here we are going to talk a little bit about the starting of the preparation of CAT. So, if you want to know how to prepare for CAT, make sure that you read this article for sure.
Before we get into all the details, we would like to tell a little bit about the examination of CAT so that you can have a better idea on how to prepare for it. Here are some of the important pieces of information that you need to know about.
Some Important Information About CAT
There is simply no doubt about the fact that the IIMs conduct these CAT entrance tests for the students and the notifications are released in the month of June or July. Well, the notifications are provided to the students in order to let them know all about the dates in which they will have the exams.
The number of candidates that appear for the CAT examination is increasing by the day, and there is simply no doubt about the fact that more and more students try to appear and crack the exam in their first try.
So, for those who want to apply for the examination, they need to make sure that they have proper preparation as the competition is going to be a lot tougher for sure.
In case the test pattern of the CAT exam is particularly the same as the one that was set last year, then we can say that it is basically a computer based test which has about 100 different questions which are multiple choice ones.
There are three different sections provided, which consist of Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).
There are the sections which would have the questions that the students have to answer in order to get the marks that they want to have. Also, there are some non-objective questions as well, which require some description for the answers.
The total duration of the examination is about 3 hours or 180 minutes in total. The three sections would take about an hour each for the completion.
How Do You Start The Preparation For The CAT Examination
Now that you know a little bit more about the CAT examination, we are going to focus on the more important parts which will be helpful to you during the time of preparation.
Well, the students need to figure out when exactly they should start the preparations for the CAT entrance examinations and that is one of the most important things for sure.
This will also help them in understanding how to prepare for CAT. Well, for those who want to know that we would recommend that you always start beforehand so that you can have some additional piece of information that you need to know about the exam.
Now that you know when to start the preparation of the CAT entrance examination, we are going to focus on the preparation tips and help that you might need in the near future.
Well, here are some of the things that you need to know about the preparation of the CAT examination in the best way. So, without wasting any more of your precious time, let us get started with the preparation tips.
- Coaching Or Self-Study: What To Do?
There are many different MBA aspirants who are always on the lookout for certain coaching websites and institutions which can be a great help when it comes to following the MBA dreams.
Well, the best thing about the coaching methods is that the students will always have a better way of preparing for the exams and that is one of the most important things for sure.
Well, there is no doubt about the fact that coaching is extremely helpful for the students. However, there are some students that even go for the self-study option, although we would recommend that going for the coaching option is the best choice for sure.
Some of the aspirants are always on the lookout for the different coaching options that they can choose in order to make sure that they are able to prepare for the examination at their own benefit and convenience, to begin with.
However, this doesn’t really mean that the students who opt for the self-study options or have not yet enrolled in coaching options are the ones who are at a loss.
There is still time left for the preparation, and one needs to make sure that they get all the concepts right in order to have the best results. There are some students who don’t need to have any form of coaching, and they can crack the entrance examinations just on the basis of their preparation techniques.
Now, doesn’t that sound amazing in the first place? It doesn’t really matter that you have enrolled in a coaching class or not if you have the preparation done perfectly for the entrance examination.
- Use The Internet To Get Study Materials
As we mentioned earlier, there are many different aspirants who don’t actually enroll into the coaching classes and there is no doubt that they need to make some additional efforts in order to have the best results when it comes to the MBA CAT entrance.
However, downloading the study materials which are provided in the coaching institutes is something that they can do for sure.
There is simply not a single speck of doubt about the fact that these study materials are available on the internet for those who want to have the best information regarding the CAT entrance.
Students can easily download these study materials or just look for some other options on the internet. With the help of the right study materials, the process of studying for the examination will also become a lot easier for the students.
Now, isn’t that something that you would want to do? So, what are you waiting for people? Go ahead and get the study materials right now and start your own preparation without the coaching.
- Understanding The Syllabus And The Exam Pattern
One of the most important thing that you need to do in order to prepare for the CAT entrance examination is to get your hands on the syllabus that is provided to the students.
Now there are many coaching institutes that would provide the syllabus of the CAT exam to the students who are in need of it. All you have to do is search the internet, and you will be able to get all the information that you need to have for appearing in the examination.
Also, there is another thing that you need to know about the CAT entrance examination, and that is the exam pattern that is provided. With the help of the exam pattern, the students can make sure that they have all the information that is required for their preparation.
It is essential for the students to make sure that they have all the information about the basics. We would recommend that you look into the NCERT books for the preparation as most of the questions that are asked are from that portion so that will provide you with strong basic knowledge.
- Basics Should Be Strong
After the preparation of the study plan and gathering the proper knowledge about the exam pattern, one needs to focus on the next important step for the preparation, and that is to get the basic concepts right.
Well, that is something you need to do in order to make sure that you have no problems in solving the problems which are given in the question paper.
It is important for the students to make sure that they have proper knowledge about all the different fundamental concepts of the subjects. This is one of the biggest and the most important tasks for the students. With the help of the conceptual clarity, the aspirants will easily be able to solve all the problems which are posted, even the tough ones as well.
- Time Management
Aside from the fact that the sectional knowledge of the aspirants will be tested, there is also going to be a test of the time management skills that the candidates have in the CAT entrance examinations.
The basic thing that you need to keep in mind is that you need to complete all the tasks that are provided to you in the given time. That can be done with the help of the solving plan and the practice that you do before the exam.
You need to make sure that you have enough time to practice all the things in the proper time that is assigned to you in the paper. So, it is needless to say that you need to have a proper strategy of solving the paper so that you are able to solve everything in the provided time.
The sections of the CAT exam paper are divided into 3 hours, with 1 hour provided for each section. So, there is no doubt that you are going to have to practice solving each section in the time of 1 hour. This way, you can make sure that you are able to complete the paper in the given time.
- Take The Help of Books
Books are always the best friends for the people out there who want to crack the CAT entrance exam without any particular difficulty. There are many different top books that one might recommend to the students so that they can prepare for the examinations in the best way for sure.
Apart from these books, the students can also follow the news articles and read the newspapers in order to have all the knowledge and language expertise that they need. This will also help them in the improvement of their General Knowledge, which is really important for the ones who want to apply for the CAT examination in the near future.
So, for those who want to have better preparation for the upcoming exams, this is one of the best ways to make sure that happens. We are pretty sure that it is going to be a great help for the students and that is why we all recommend it for them.
- Sample Papers And Mock Tests
One of the major reasons why students are able to crack the CAT entrance examinations is due to the amazing mock tests and the sample papers which are provided to them in the coaching institutions.
These papers are available at any time; however, one can actually get the real mock tests just one month before the actual examination happens.
Hence, it is important for the students to make sure that they have all the information which is required from them about the mock tests.
With the help of the Mock Tests, you will very easily be able to evaluate the different levels of preparation that you have for the sections in the CAT entrance examinations.
Also, in case you are making a mistake in the strategy of preparation, it will be highlighted when you solve the mock tests. Apart from that, students will also be familiar with the different types of questions that are asked in the CAT examinations.
For those who want to crack the entrance examination in the best way, we would recommend that you choose to solve the test papers and mock tests of the last 10 years.
This way, you can guarantee that your percentile will be up amongst the candidates. It is essential for the students to understand and then analyze the question papers so that they can solve it in the best way and have all the preparation that they need for the examination.
Preparing For CAT Without Any Coaching
When it comes to the level of the CAT entrance examination, it can be said without a doubt that the level of competition will be very high.
There are lakhs of students who apply for the examination every single year, and only a selected few are able to get admissions to the B-Schools of their choice.
So, for those who need to crack the examination in the best way, it is important to make sure that they are all prepared in the best way as well. Here we are going to provide some tips on how to prepare for CAT without any particular coaching.
There are many different students that opt to take the help of the coaching classes so that they can have the guidance which is required in order to crack the examination.
However, there are some other students that don’t really enroll in any particular entrance coaching class because they choose to study on their own.
But studying on your own for the CAT exam is not going to be an easy task for you. In that case, we are here to help you with the information that you are in need of.
When it comes to the preparation of the CAT entrance examination, one needs to be completely aware of certain things. We are here to provide you with all the details that you need to know about the preparation for CAT without any proper form of coaching. Make sure that you read all the tips carefully because it is going to be a great help for sure.
- Have Proper Knowledge About The Examination
We have already made it clear that you need to have a proper idea about the examination in order to make sure that you have the best results. Well, the efforts need to be doubled up when you are trying to crack the examination without any form of proper coaching.
This is one of the most important things that the students need to keep in mind for sure. You need to make sure that you have the best idea about the exam pattern as well as the syllabus that is provided in the examination.
This way, you can have a strategy all set for the preparation of the examination, and that is going to be a great help for sure.
- Study Materials Are Important
Well, where would you go without the help of the study materials, right? These are the supplements that you need to have in order to make sure that you are able to prepare for the examination in the best way.
We are here to tell you that without the proper study material, you will not be able to succeed in the examination. There are many different websites that provide all the information on the study materials which are required for the entrance and how you can get them in the first place.
Choose the website, and then you will be able to download the study material that you want to have for the preparation of CAT entrance exams.
- A Proper Study Plan
One of the most important things that you have to focus on when you are studying for the CAT entrance examination is the amazing study plan that you are making for the preparation.
We are here to tell you that it is one of the most important things for sure. So, why don’t you start making the study plan right now? This way, you can make sure that if there are any particular mistakes in the strategy, then you are able to correct it in the best way. There is simply not a single speck of doubt about the fact that it is going to help you a lot in the long run.
- Study Groups Are Essential
Since you are not using the coaching classes for the preparation, there is no doubt that you need to know how to prepare for CAT without coaching. Well here is an important tip that we have for you.
With the help of the study groups, you will be able to interact with people who are also attempting the CAT entrance examination.
There are different study groups where you will be able to discuss the strategies, topics, problems, and their solutions in the best way with the people who are out there. Also, this will help in broadening your knowledge about the entrance exam too.
- Motivation And Confidence
When it comes to the preparation of CAT entrance examination, it is important that you don’t lose the motivation and the confidence which is required the most from the students who are just applying with the coaching.
There is an equal chance of you cracking the examination as any other aspirant. It is really important to stay motivated and not lose hope just because you don’t have the right coaching, which is essential. You can use the power of the internet to get all the help and information that you need.
Conclusion
CAT is one of the most important examinations for the students who want to pursue a degree in the Business schools of our country. If you want to know how to prepare for CAT, this is the right place to be. Follow all these tips to have the best results.