7 Facts on How to Crack CAT Exam

Millions of MBA aspirants appear for MBA entrance exams every year with a dream to get admission in top B-school. Among all such entrance exams CAT (Common Admission Test) is the most crucial and most attempted one test. Although Syllabus of CAT is aimed for students seeking admission in IIMs, its result is accepted by 150 other Indian B-schools. You may think that cracking CAT is most difficult task that needs lots of hardwork, but here smart work is needed. Ideally CAT is getting held every year in the month of October-November. Entire test pattern is divided into 2 sections: Qualitative Aptitude and Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning. Before starting to prepare for CAT you should have detailed information about it. It is a 2 hours 20 minutes exam and its application is filled online. Every year in the month of July the advertisement for its application is released and the registration closes by September end.

Eligibility Criteria: Eligibility to appear for CAT is candidate must have graduate degree from a government recognized university with minimum of 50% marks. Results are declared in the month of January.

Here are some sure-shot and practical tips to crack CAT Exam:

1. Read More : Cultivate the habit of reading and continue it till your last day of exam. Locate the areas where you lack behind or have short knowledge. Concentrate reading in those areas. It would be a helpful tool to prepare for CAT. This would also be useful for comprehension reading, theme based questions and paragraph formation questions. Make your grammar strong. Your focus should be to strengthen your vocabulary. As an added tip you can always carry a small dictionary with you.

2. Making Mathematics Strong : As a syllabus of CAT, make your mathematics stronger. Take every opportunity to do calculations with numbers and multiplication. For the Quantitative part the focus should be on Number systems and Geometry. Work to make the mental mathematics skills stronger. Teach yourself to do calculations mentally and remember the standardized formulas.

3. Last 7 Days : Utilize the last 7 days before exam to take maximum benefit from the hard work that you have put in.

4. Time Management : Abide strictly to the time schedule. If you are appearing for a 2 hour test, then make it a point to complete it in 2 hours. During practice session of CAT, strictly follow the time and refrain from every disturbance.

5. Preparing for CAT Mentally : Study hard to prepare for CAT is important, but take out at least an hour or half for yourself. Practice yoga, meditation or exercise to keep your body and mind fit. Breathing exercises or pranayam are helpful to relieve stress. Eat good and right while exam preparation. Intake more of fresh fruits and vegetables and limit intake of fried and fatty food items.

6. Mock CAT Tests : Attempt the mock CAT tests as much as you can, at least 30-40 mocks in 3 months is an ideal count.

7. Self Analysis : Keep a track record of the accuracy and speed of all sections separately. Try to achieve a stable figure. If you notice sudden change in those figures, identify the reasons and carry out steps to make it stable.

These were simple yet effective tips to crack CAT entrance exams, you can refer to past CAT toppers experience and stories to take referred tips on this subject.