CAT 2017: Mock tests are key to success

For higher studies, entrance exams are unavoidable. Whichever course you choose to pursue after school, you have to face at least one entrance test. The fact that the best institutions in India and abroad admit students on the basis of a common entrance test, there’s no running away from it. Engineering, MBA, Law, Medicine, Architecture, Pharmacy, Design, Fine Arts, Teaching, Civil Services, Nursing, no matter which subject you choose to pursue, you have to face entrance test.

For success in any entrance exam, the most important thing is to be prepared for the worst. Especially in case of Common Admission Test (CAT), the level of unpredictability is very high. It has been seen that every year, CAT has befuddled test-takers by throwing up one or two surprises.

In CAT 2016, the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section was the trickiest. The lines were blurred between DI and LR which left the test takers struggling. Also the marking scheme saw a major twist. 1 mark was allotted for the correct answer as compared to 3 marks per correct answer. On the other hand, in 2015, the DILR section was of equally divided into easy, moderate and difficult questions but two sets were time taking which posed a threat.

CAT 2017 is all set to be held on November 26, 2017 and the unpredictability is palpable. Over 2.31 lakh candidates across the country are burning the midnight oil to be 100 percent prepared for the big day. The key factor in CAT preparation which can make or break you is attempting mock tests. As each one of us know that CAT 2017 will see over 2.31 lakh students appearing for it, the competition is tough. Each candidate will get mere 3 hours in front of the computer screen to prove their capability.

In such a scenario, only knowing the concepts and having the ability to solve questions is not enough. The most important thing is to be able to apply concepts accurately and solve a question in less than a minute. This is where mock tests play a very important role, something every expert, mentor or CAT topper will vouch for.

Here, we look at a few benefits of mock tests:

• Mock tests build your speed and enhance accuracy. More mock tests mean more practice of questions or type of question that may be asked in CAT. More and more practice helps you time yourself better viz the exam duration.
• By attempting more and more mock tests, you get to solve scores of questions from all CAT topics. So, there is no chance of missing out on any chapter or topic during preparation.
• Mock tests are important for candidates to familiarize themselves with the actual exam atmosphere. This is even more important in the case of CAT as it neither allows the candidate to choose which section to solve first, nor it allows the candidate to leave a section midway to solve another section, and go back to earlier section later.
• Mock tests also prepare you for all sorts of situations – tricky questions, lengthy questions, confusing questions –if you have solved such questions before, there are less chances of getting nervous and losing precious time.
• Mock tests are the best tool to analyse your strength and weaknesses viz the subjects and work upon them. It may happen that, a topic is clear to you, but solving questions related to it is tricky. You will not know about it until you attempt questions. Solving mock tests gives you a clear picture as to where you stand at a given time and where you have to reach.
• CAT is India’s top MBA exam and thus the pressure to perform well in it is extremely high for any student. Just the thought of competing with over 2 lakh students can make anyone nervous. Mock tests are the best confidence boosters. Once you’ve solved all kinds of questions over and over and reached the desired score in your mocks, you will feel lot more confident and be ready to take the bull by its horns.
• Experts suggest, attempting 20 mock in the last two months of CAT preparation suffice but you need to decide upon it according to your prep level and strength & weaknesses. Make a plan for yourself, keep at least a month aside for mock tests and revision.

Here’s what previous CAT toppers have to say about mock tests:

“The right way to build that is by practice (mock tests). It is more about how smartly you prepare in the limited time you have. I guess a period of 5-6 months, with concentrated effort for 2-3 days in a week works fine. You would be able to see significant improvement with each passing week.” Akshay Mehndiratta, CAT 2016, 100 percentile

“CAT is a random exam, in the sense that one wouldn’t know what questions will be asked. It is necessary to attempt mocks as they familiarize you with and prepare you for all kinds of scenarios-easy, moderate, difficult, lengthy, vague etc. If you’ve attempted good enough numbers of mocks, nothing will surprise you. It helps you keep your cool while writing the test.” Avidipto Chakarborty, CAT 2016, 100 percentile

“Prepare a study plan and try to complete everything 3 weeks prior to CAT. Develop a routine, take a lot of mocks, analyse, and learn from mistakes. Focus on all three sections and put extra focus in the weaker sections.” Gokul P Ram, CAT 2016, 99.91 percentile

“Before even starting to prepare, appearing for a mock CAT will reveal a lot in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Subsequently, through regular mock tests, candidates can identify their weak areas by looking at their sectional percentiles and also finding out where they made mistakes by following the solutions that are provided post exam.” Shiladitya Saha, CAT 2016, 99.85 percentile

“Once a person is thorough with mocks, a mere glance through the question paper should be enough to decide the strengths of a person. Also, some questions are very straight-forward and they can easily be identified while reading the question that those do not require any calculations. Those are the questions to be targeted first.” Saurjya Sen, CAT 2016, 99.87%

“Taking mocks is a very important step in the preparation but analysing the mock along with SWOT analysis will benefit you more than the quantity of mocks you take.” Nayan Ranjan Chattopadhyay, CAT 2016 99.84

CAT scores are used for admission to 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and various other top B-Schools. Are you eligible for the IIMs? To know more, CLICK HERE.