CAT Exam 2019 or the Common Admission Test will come out in July by last week with the release of the notification. The CAT exam will be conducted in the last week of Nov 2019. MBA candidates aiming for a seat at any of the coveted B schools in 2019. They have already started planning on how to prepare for the CAT.
While some competitors take the safer way and start their preparations even before the notification is announced. Some applicants wait to plan their preparation plan based on the official release of the exam pattern. But there is a different group, which is in difficulty on when and how to start the preparation for the CAT process.
When it comes to studying for the CAT exam and crack it successfully, you are the best interpreter to answer the question of when to start Preparation for CAT. It is best to ask yourself, how several months you require Preparation for CAT.
According to the specialists, 5 to 6 months of dedicated preparations might take you towards your achieve the goal of securing a good percentile. CAT topper suggests that if you are serious about cracking CAT exam. Keep a minimum of 6 months in hand for preparation.
Table of Contents
1. When and How to Start Preparations for CAT
The next big question after “when to start” is how to prepare for CAT Exam 2019. It is one of the most common questions by candidates aiming to crack this tough nut. It often happens that despite knowing the syllabus and pattern, applicants get confused about how to strategize their preparation to make the most of it. Let us now check how to start with preparations for CAT Exam 2019.
2. Self-Study Vs. Coaching
While some MBA candidates take coaching, others follow their instinct and opt for self-study with study materials available on the online. There is no hard & fast rule to follow a particular preparing for CAT. What matters most is how you prepare and which topics you study to cover the entire syllabus of CAT Exam.
As mentioned earlier, some of the applicants might have already started taking coaching classes according to their convenient mode and timing. The time management has just begun, and you can still catch up with the early birds if you follow a systematic approach. Many successful candidates have excelled without expert guidance.
3. Utilize the Internet
The best part of utilizing the internet is that you can get help and direction on anything and everything. There are various education news websites which serve articles & news related to your CAT exam along with sample papers and study materials on their website. You can also join social media groups & pages related to CAT & XAT Exam.
For regular updates, you can follow the twitter handle of CAT Exam authorities and officials. Soumyajit Ghosh, who has turned IIM Bangalore call, says, “Since my workplace is at a remote location, I took online classes. I used to follow their recorded videos. I gave various topic tests, and from August, I started giving mock tests every week.”
4. Understand the Syllabus and Pattern
The first step to crack an exam is to know and understand the CAT exam syllabus and pattern Before preparing you must know the areas or topics you have to make, like we say, before asking you must know what you are aiming. In case of CAT Exam, if there are no changes in the exam pattern this year compare to last year where the sectional time limit was there along with Non-MCQs and use of a calculator, there will be three topics to cover:
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
Quantitative Aptitude
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
It is essential for you to cover the syllabus and clear the basics. Usually, the syllabus for all three topics cover Class 10th & 11th NCERT books, but the questions are a bit tricky and require logical reasoning — the best way to understand and complete the syllabus. The most important phase would be to improve your Basic concept.
5. Section Wise Preparation for CAT
The subtopics and topics of the three sections which are included in CAT 2019 syllabus are given below:
Quantitative Aptitude: Use the reverse strategy for it, take mock paper, try to solve it with timer, and later examine it from the solutions available.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning: Focus on being familiar with versatile forms of data representation like a bar chart, piled bar chart, pie chart, spider chart, line graph, and complex combinations of these. Later, analyze your preparation via mock tests.
Verbal & Reading Comprehension: Focus only on those question types were comprehending the content is a core requirement like Para-jumbles, Reading Comprehension, etc.
6. Proper Time Management
Apart from judging the applicants’ sectional knowledge, CAT Exam also tests the time management. The mantra to complete the exam within the time limit on how a student plan and practice for the exam. It is essential to have the necessary preparation to handle the test.
While last year (IIM Ahmedabad) had added the section time limit of 1 hour to provide better time management to the applicants, the previous years allowed the test takers to manage the sectional time limit as per their convenience out of the total duration of 2 hours 50 minutes or 170 minutes.
How to preparation for CAT exam 2019, Try to attempt each section in 3 rounds. In the first round select the questions that you are sure about and can solve without wasting time. In round two, select questions that are an opportunity for you, while in round three, a select question that you think you can solve but are time-consuming.
7. Create Study Group
Good people surroundings ensure that you are on the right path. You can discuss your topics, problems, strategies, etc. with your study group members. It is not essential that all the group members are doing self-study.
If some of them are taking coaching classes, that can be an added advantage for you. They can clarify your doubts and confusions and also give you a suggestion based on expert inputs. You can also take some mock test together and analyze your competition and get your performance analyzed with your group members.
8. Books for CAT Exam
Some of the top books for Preparation for CAT exam include
The Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by “Nishit Sinha”
How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by “Arun Sharma”
Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by “Sarvesh Verma”
Other than that, magazines and read newspapers daily to get a grip on your comprehension skills and language and comprehension skills along with brushing up General Knowledge.
9. Mock Tests or Sample Papers
The Mock test is the most useful method for evaluating your current preparation level and re-strategize your future preparation plan. It also makes you intimate with the type of questions which might appear in CAT 2018. If you solve the past ten years questions of CAT exam, you have high chances to crack the exam with a good percentile. The students should analyze every mock and sectional test that they make. This will help them in the exam.
Importance of Mock Test, It is essential to recognize your weak areas through mock tests and put all your focus on improving them. Whether you take coaching classes or not, practicing from Test series and online Mock test. It will support you in securing a good percentile. You must ensure to get your performance analyzed after taking each test and implement the expert feedback after each test session.
10. Be confident & stay motivated
This is the essential factor for those students who are preparing on their own. Don’t think that you are not able to crack the exam then your counterparts who are taking coaching. As Kaustubh Vyas 99.99 percentile shares, “Believe in your strengths and do not consider CAT Exam as a tough one.
Be disciplined, prepare well, work on developing the strength to grasp and apply concepts in different scenarios. Know your weaknesses and work on how to overcome them. Remember that it is a difficult path that leads you to a better place.”
Important Facts about Preparation for CAT Exam
Each year, a different IIM conducts CAT exam. Usually issues its notification in the last week of July, information about the test dates; which is generally held in November. CAT, an online mode test has an aggressive exam pattern, which changes almost every year. Last year the CAT exam was taken by close to 2 lakh applicants for admissions to various management programs of IIMs and other B-schools. The scores of CAT exam are accepted by 20 IIM offering around 4000 seats. Apart from the IIMs, over 100 B schools in India conduct their admission through CAT score.
If the CAT exam test pattern continues to be the same as last year. CAT will be online mode test consisting of 100 objective type questions. There will be three sections, Quantitative Ability, Verbal and Reading Comprehension and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning. While Quantitative Ability, Verbal and Reading Comprehension would carry 34 questions each. While Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning would carry 32 questions. There will also be some Non-MCQ’s questions in each section.
CAT exam duration will be 3 hours or 180 minutes. The sections will be time restricted for an hour each. The order of the sections will be Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning. CAT exam 2019 will be conducted in the last week of November 2019 in the online mode.
I hope it will help you and keeps Prepare well.
All the best !