How to Prepare for Cat Exam
CAT is Common Admission Test for entry into prestigious B-schools of India conducted by IIM?s as entrance exam for the management program. Common Admission Test (CAT) is an all India level national test. The CAT exam is designed to develop advanced skills essential to fasten the perceived competitive entrance examination for an MBA course. CAT exam will be held every year in the month of November for the session starting in July-August and the eligibility is about 50% of marks acquired in graduation in any discipline.
The CAT exam paper includes four different subjects are:
Verbal Ability
Reading Comprehension
Problem Solving and
Data Interpretation
All are of multiple choice Questions only and for each incorrect answer the candidate will get negative marks. Since the CAT determines the candidates having conceptualized knowledge, analytical skills and decision making capabilities. So the CAT exam is one the toughest exam which requires lot of preparation strategy, one?s determination and hard work to get through the exam and get into good business school.
Since every year the CAT exam paper pattern will be changed so the candidates preparing for this exam should have the deeper understanding of concepts and ready to accept the changes and challenges in the examination room
Tips for Preparing for CAT:
- Preparation for CAT requires to read innumerous number of books to increase vocabulary and verbal skills of the candidates appearing for CAT exam.? For this the candidates need to read newspapers and magazines especially the editorial page to enhance the verbal and grammar skills, and even know the meanings of new words.
- The candidates preparing for CAT exam should first possess good analytical skills by knowing the strong basics of the subjects. Whatever the nature of exam whether the CAT is a paper-based or a computer-based test, having strong knowledge on basic concepts is important.
- CAT Preparation needs a study material that covers basic concepts explained in a friendly manner. The candidate preparing for CAT exam should assess themselves whether he is proficient, an average or requires more improvement in each subject.
- CAT exam is a test of managerial aptitude and managerial skill sets like Time management so manage time and allocate certain time to each section depending on your strength and weakness.
- The candidate should be able to handle the pressure and uncertainty during CAT exam and should develop good decision making tactics by prioritizing the subjects.
- While preparing for CAT exam first the candidate should try to solve the previous years question papers. Practice the maths of 8th, 9th, 10th standard, revise the maths formulas at the last moment. At this stage having a grip on fundamentals is very essential.
- At the early stage of preparation do not try to solve at speed and do not pressurize while preparing fundamentals. Instead learn with your own competence because without grasping fundamentals clearly, the candidate cannot solve the problems speedily.
- Having positive attitude while preparing for the CAT exam is essential for the candidates to never lose hope on subject. So starting for the exam preparation well in advance is very much important. Otherwise the candidates will not get time to revise or try for new material. No one knew what to be expected on the examination paper, so it is better to get started as early as possible and at the last moment the candidate will be left with only stress and nothing else.
- The candidates should have proper planning which is very essential for the preparation of CAT exam. One must start collecting information about the CAT preparation material, enquire about the CAT coaching institutions. So form a good strategy that works better by spending as many hours as you can for preparing for the CAT exam. A systematic approach will help the candidates to achieve their goals. Always keep yourself motivated but do not stress yourself, by studying all the time.
- Always check the performance and accuracy of your preparation, until and unless you check your performance it is hard to find out whether you have improved in your weak areas or not. Focus on attempting maximum number of questions you know you can solve correctly.
- The candidates preparing for CAT exam should Keep their body and mind healthy by eating healthy food, reading good magazines and novels and try to get information on current affairs. Keep in minds that getting through CAT exam requires smart work rather than hard work.