Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
CAT 2024 preparation has entered the final phase. From now on, aspirants need to put forward every step very carefully and focus on the exam day. Nearly 3 lakh aspirants are expected to appear for CAT 2024 so the competition is going to be too high. So test takers can’t be less prepared or make mistakes.
CAT 2024 preparation: Mistakes to avoid
CAT has always been a high stake exam and this year too it will be no different. The competiion will be high as always and so will be the admission cut offs. With only over a month left for CAT 2024 exam day, you need to get into a high speed preparation mode, that is all about strengthening your hold on scoring topics, practicing CAT mock tests and devising the exam day plan. Amid all this, you should also focus mistakes to avoid. So, while you continue with the CAT 2024 preparation, take note of the chances of errors and how to avoid them. To help you in this effort, we have listed down 5 mistakes you can’t afford to make in CAT 2024.
1.Not following the CAT study plan
You’ve been preparing too long for the CAT 2024. It’s been months that you’ve buried yourself in books and sample questions. You may naturally feel the burn out and want to loosen the grip. Don’t do that. The last one month is the most crucial time and you can’t drop your guards now. The best preparation happens in the last leg of the schedule. Whatever you’ll study now, you’re likely to retain more by the CAT 2024 exam day.
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 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.
It is usually suggest to focus more on areas and topics you are strong at and not waste a lot of time in working on weak areas because you will have the option to skip questions. However, this is not the right approach. Nobody knows the composition of the CAT question paper beforehand. The topic wise weightage is not known until the exam day. It may happen that most of the questions are asked from topics that you ignored during CAT preparation. You need to prepare well in all CAT topics and all CAT sections. Identify your weak areas and work upon them. In CAT every mark counts.
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Also Read: CAT 2024 Syllabus
CAT mock tests are the only way your score can reach from 90 to 99 percentile. CAT is a speed based test and the key to score high is the ability to solve maximum questions with maximum accuracy in the limited time. Whatever you’ve studied over months will be fruitful, if you can apply theories to solve questions appropriately and correctly. So, practice as many CAT mock tests as you can but don’t get overconfident when you start getting high scores in them.
| CAT_Mock_Test_1 | CAT_Mock_Test_1 Solutions |
| CAT_Mock_Test_Set_2 | CAT_Mock_Test_2 Solutions |
Many test takers tend to do guess work in the exam in order to maximize scores. It is the biggest mistake to make in an exam like CAT. There is negative marking in CAT and if you make a wrong attempt, 1 mark will be deducted. Thus, don’t do guess work. Mark answers of only those questions whose answers you know correctly. Negative marking can lower down you CAT score and percentile. Do not get tempted for guess work no matter what.
Also Read: CAT 2024 Exam Pattern
Regular revision of important concepts and theorems is mandatory from the first day of CAT preparation to last day of preparation. It is essential to do revision in the last month of CAT 2024 preparation even more to retain the concepts and formulas till the exam day. Many students do not revise much and end up facing a tough time in the exam.
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Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
CAT is one of the accepting exams for admission to MBA at ISMR Pune. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants with a score in CMAT, MAT, XAT, MAH MBA CET, etc. can also get admission. Candidates selected based on their entrance exam scores also need to pass the personal interview round for admission
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 4 days ago
No, CAT scores are not compulsory for admissions into MBA course at Chhatrapati Shahu Institute of Business Education and Research. The institute accepts other national/ state level management entrance exams too. The names of the accepted entrance examinations are: XAT/ MAT/ ATMA/ MAH MBA CET.
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 5 days ago
No, CAT scores are not compulsory for admissions into MBA course at GLA University, Mathura. The university also considers scores from other management entrance exam and one university level entrance exam too. The names of the other accepted entrance exams are: MAT/ XAT/ UPSEE.
C
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, CAT scores are not important for enrollment into Masters of Business Administration course at Chitkara University. Because CAT is not the only scores which are considered by the university, it also accepts the scores of MAT/ XAT/ NMAT/ CMAT.
K
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Minimum qualifying cut off for IIM Ahmedabad is 95 percentile whereas for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, it is 85. However final cut offs for these three top IIMs are between 99 to 100 percentile.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
GIBS is pretty flexible when it comes to entrance exams. They accept almost all the common management tests — CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, State CET, and even GMAT. In my batch itself, we had students who came through different exams, not just CAT.
Honestly, that's one thing I liked about GIBS — they d
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
Yes, you can join Adarsh Institute of Management and Information Technology without appearing for CAT. This is because, the institute also accepts other tests. The accepted exams include CAT/ XAT/ MAT/ CMAT/ KMAT/ PGCET/ GMAT. Hence, if you have appeared for any of these, you can still apply.
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, Myra School of Business does offer CAT scores based Scholarships upto INR 1.5 lakh. In recognition of outstanding performance in CAT, MSB awards special scholarships as follows:
h
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
LISAA School of Design, Bangalore BDes admission is done based on performance in the in-house entrance test. LISAA CAT is conducted at the LISAA centres. Candidates need to connect with the admission team to set up a time slot. Besides, it is important that the eligibility criteria is fulfilled.
M
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, CAT is not mandatory for School of Business and Management, Christ University MBA admissions. Students can alternatively submit scores of other national-level management exams. These include MAT/ XAT/ CMAT/ ATMA and GMAT/ GRE are also accepted.
S
Contributor-Level 10
CAT is a speed-based test of analytical aptitude, logical reasoning skills, data interpretation and English comprehension. Now, it may sound tough, but these are the skills which we are taught in school so there is nothing new to learn. What is required is to learn these subjects at advanced level. If you are an average student but have studied Science or Commerce in Class-12 and graduation, you will find a lot of familiar topics in Data Interpretation, Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning. All you will need is brush up the basics and practice the concepts on advanced-level problems.
However, since the competition is so high in CAT and less than 95 percentile can break your dream of joining a top college like IIM, the preparation for CAT requires a lot of focus, dedication, discipline and diligence. If you can do that, despite being an average student, you can crack the CAT exam.
Hope it was helpful!!!