Exam On - 30 Nov '25
CAT exam may be the toughest MBA entrance exam to crack but you don't need to panic while preparing for it. If you plan and strategize well, you can crack CAT with high scores easily. Here are 10 popular CAT preparation myths debunked.
For first timers, the CAT exam preparation might be coming off as taxing because the CAT syllabus is vast and process is difficulty. During the CAT preparation journey, they face many challenges and many questions. Sometimes these questions make then doubt their ability.
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“CAT is only for Engineering students”, “CAT coaching guarantees success”, “Aspirants with high IQ are perfect candidates for CAT” , “If you are not good in Maths, then you cannot crack CAT”, “CAT is tough for women candidates”, “CAT means entry to IIMs,” you must have heard such comments. Don’t let these thoughts bother you because CAT is NOT a monster.
Preparation of CAT 2025 exam is all about theory and practice. There is absolutely no need to worry. Don't think of CAT as a tough exam or 'a make or break' test. Be confident of your abilities and treat it as just an exam. You will perform better if you won't take pressure. To ease your MBA journey, here we bust the popular myths about CAT exam.
Popular Myths About CAT Busted
Myth 1: CAT has high difficulty level
This is one of the most common myths associated with CAT exam. The exam is indeed of higher difficulty level than other MBA entrance exams but it is never exceptionally tough. Over the years, CAT has maintained difficulty level at ‘moderate to high’. The CAT conducting body has infact reduced the difficulty level in the last few years to widen the diversity of students in MBA and make it an non-Engineering student friendly exam. All that requires to crack the CAT exam is a well-planned preparation strategy of over six months with study routine of 4-8 hours daily. CAT seems difficulty essentially due to a large number of RC passages. However, with correct guidance you can handle it well.
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Myth 2: CAT requires strong mathematical skills
CAT Quantitative Aptitude (Maths) is all about understanding the fundamentals. It doesn't matter whether your Mathematics score in school was in 90s or not. At the time of CAT 2025 preparation you need to start from where your left. Quantitative Aptitude topics are advanced level of Maths studied in Class 9 and 10. Most of us are familiar with the fundamentals. The key is to capitalise on the understanding of the fundamental concepts and learn their application in different scenarios. Work hard and diligently. If your Maths isn’t strong at the beginning of CAT preparation, it will be by the time the exam date arrives. Just keep practicing.
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Myth 3: CAT is easier for students from Engineering background
CAT is an aptitude test, which requires strong logical and analytical skills. Anybody whose logical and analytical skills are strong or anyone who can develop that over a period of time can crack the CAT exam with high scores, irrespective of their educational background. Infact, the VARC section of CAT is tough for students from Engineering background. Most of the Engineering graduates who have cracked CAT in the past, will tell you that they faced problems in VARC section as their English Comprehension and Grammar were weak.
So, CAT is difficult for those whose base is not strong in the relevant subjects.
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CAT syllabus is vast. It has numerous topics from Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. Covering the CAT syllabus also includes practicing a variety of sample questions on the topics included. Thus, it requires a lot of time. Candidates must given themselves atleast 3-4 months to cover CAT syllabus and keep in mind the following:
· Check the previous years' CAT papers to know topics which carry more weightage so that you can focus on those topics more.
· List down topicsin order of easy, moderate and tough and allot time to them accordingly.
· Make sure to study about 6-8 hours per day to complete the syllabus 2-3 months before the exam.
· After studying every topic, practice sample questions. Balance theory with practical.
It is difficult but not impossible. If you give yourself a good enough time to improve English comprehension, grammar and vocabulary, you will be able to do it. Yes, a non- English medium student will require longer time for CAT preparation as they will have to start reading and improving English comprehension. So, may be they need to start English preparation for CAT in the second year of graduation, instead of final year (much earlier than English medium students). They may also need two attempts to crack CAT with high percentile. But that's not true for all. If you work hard and study smartly, you will be able to crack it.
Myth 4: Female candidates score low in CAT
This myth rides on the gender stereotype emanating from Engineering and non-Engineering debate. The truth is that for majority of male students, Engineering+MBA is a popular and safe career option but for women, there are a plethora of popular career options after graduation. Thus, lesser participation of women in CAT compared to men. However, in the past few years, it has been seen that the number of female applicants has steadily increased and so has the number of female students in MBA class rooms.
Myth 5: CAT = IIMs
CAT is mainly associated with Indian Institute of Management (IIMs). Well, it isn’t true. CAT score is accepted by not only the IIMs but also by over 1300 B-Schools in India, which include top ranked institutes such as MDI-Gurgaon, FMS-Delhi, SPJIMR-Mumbai and IMT-Ghaziabad among others. Also, scoring well in CAT does not guarantee admission into IIMs as the institutes lay a lot of emphasis on the candidates’ academic and work profile for admission. So don't worry about missing on the IIM seat. Score well in CAT 2025 and you will have a range of good MBA colleges to choose from.
Also Read: IIM Selection Criteria and admission process
Myth 6: You can’t crack CAT without coaching
‘Studying from coaching institutes is mandatory. If you do not study from coaching institutes, chances of your success are very low.’ Not anymore. Times have changed. Coaching institutes do play an important role in preparation by guiding students in disciplined study and providing study material; but you can prepare for CAT without coaching as well. In fact, many CAT toppers in the last two-three years studied on their own. Refer to online study material and free tutorials. Join study groups on Facebook, YouTube, Telegram and WhatsApp. They are of immense help.
Also Read: CAT preparation 2025 - coaching vs self study
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Myth 7: Experienced candidates are given more preference during selection
MBA or PGDM can be pursued both immediate after graduation or after a few years break. The choice is up to you. If you want to explore your interests, gain work experience or take a break of two-three years after graduation you can do that. Take the CAT exam in the year you are well prepared for the MBA journey. Infact, IIMs have the provision of delaying admission by a year for candidates who are shortlisted for admission. Such students can join the IIM after a year if they wish to. Candidates get extra points for work-experience during the selection process for MBA admisson. Every institute has a well-balanced class ratio of fresh graduates and work-experience candidates.
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Myth 8: Walk on footsteps of a CAT topper
‘Follow the topper’. This is the most popular myth. Never try to copy others. Taking suggestions and tips from CAT toppers is a good idea but you need make a study plan, which is suitable for you. Just as no two persons can have the same DNA, no two MBA aspirants can work out with a same preparation plan. You can take ideas from their preparation strategies so that and make yours better.
Also Read: CAT Topper Tips: What to Study, How to Study
Myth 9: Number of questions decide score
No. It's not the number of answers, but the accuracy of answers that matters in CAT. The CAT exam has negative marking for wrong answers. So, if you have attempted all the questions but have got majority of them incorrect, you stand to lose a lot of marks. But if you solve the selected questions accurately, you'd score well. Keep in mind to attempt accurately 2/3rd of the total questions in every section of the CAT to get a good percentile.
| Free VARC Questions with Answers for Practice | Free Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers for Practice | Free DILR Questions with Answers for Practice |
To prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, stick to the traditional path of concepts first and practice later. Study English grammar and Verbal Ability first to understand the concept. Then practice a number of sample questions of different kinds to gain confidence, speed and accuracy. For RC passages, develop the habit of reading from early stages. Read books from all walks of life.
Practicing sample Reading Comprehension passages and questions in a crucial part of VARC preparation. This will help you understand the types of questions and RC passages asked in various entrance exams.
As an aspirant, you will be appearing for more than one entrance exam, thus you need to have the practice of different types of RC passages.
CAT Quantitative Aptitude has the potential of 100 percentile if you prepare well. The Quantitative Aptitude topics of CAT are advance level Mathematic topics from Class 9 and 10. So, for any candidate, the foundation is already there, they only need to work on it further.
The important topics of CAT Quantitative Aptitude include Geometry, Ratios and Proportion, Inequalities, Trigonometry, In-equations, Quadratic and Linear Equations, Work and Time, Algebra, Surds and Indices, Percentages, Mensuration, Time-Speed-Distance, Logarithms, Partnership (Accounts), Number System, Square Root and Cube Root, Profit & Loss, Geometric Progression, Probability, Mean-Mode-Median, Binomial theorem, Simple interest and compound interest.
Maximum questions are asked from Arithmetic and Geometry so keep the main focus on these two topic. Understand and memorise the formulas and theorems well, and practice enough questions to be thorough with their application.
Myth 10: Better to skip TITA questions in the exam
Do not fall for this. Many will suggest you to skip TITA questions as lack of option makes it difficult to ensure accuracy of the answer. Even if you get it wrong, your marks will not be deducted as TITA questions have no negative marking in CAT. Give it a try, anyway, you might end up solving it correctly.
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Yes, CAT syllabus is difficult to crack if you do not have enough time. There are three subjects in CAT- VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Most of the candidates find RC passages tough to crack. In Quants, Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry pose significant challenge during preparation. In DILR, Reasoning questions often turnout to be tricky and confusion.