Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Oct 15, 2024 15:35 IST

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 2023 preparation: Mistakes to avoid

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.  

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CAT 2024 Preparation: 5 Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make

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.

Q:   Is CAT exam tough for an average student?
A:

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 advance 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.

Q:   Is the CAT syllabus difficult?
A:

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.

Q:   Can I prepare for CAT within 3 months?
A:
Hi Swaleha, 3 months are not enough for CAT as there many students with brilliant mind applying for CAT, you have to compete with them. So, at least, you have to start preparing for CAT before 6 months of exam. Rest of the information is given below. Exam preparation tips for CAT: Rather than focusing on all the topics, students need to try and select those topics with which they are more comfortable. Even on the exam day, with the question sheet in hand, students shouldn't try to solve each and every question and waste their energy, they should rather spend 5 minutes in scanning a section and selecting questions from their area of expertise and skill. In order to ace CAT, students should look at questions from the previous year's CAT paper and understand its syllabus. They should assess whether they are proficient, average or need improvement in each of the areas. The areas that fall in the third category should be focused on first followed by the second and third. CAT aspirants should always start early in preparing for the exams as an early start would benefit them in gaining knowledge about the kind of questions to be asked. Another advantage to it can be spending time in developing extra reading habits and increasing vocabulary. The best way to go on with the CAT preparations is to evaluate oneself in every 10-15 days, which is done by mock tests. But one thing that students should be careful about is to not to repeat the mistakes made by them in either the mock CAT or while practising at home or the whole purpose of taking mock tests would be lost. While preparing for the CAT question paper, one must keep in mind that management schools seek to test understanding of basic concepts that the student possesses. So, students should stop looking for the toughest material to practice and realize that their understanding of concepts is not as good as they think it is. Some things which CAT aspirants must do on an everyday basis are- Minimum 10 hours study everyday, especially before the 6 months of CAT exams. Preparation of minimum 10,000 words to enhance Vocabulary, study of newspapers and editorials for 2 hour's everyday and reading at least two magazines and one novel each week. Time management is an essential ingredient to crack the CAT exam and make it to your favorite college. Managing one's time includes balancing speed with accuracy, handling the pressure and you.
  1. Ignoring weak areas

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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  1. Not practicing enough CAT mock tests

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
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  1. Making guess work

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

  1. Not revising regularly

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
Senior Manager - Content
Vipra is a massive Breaking Bad fan. When not watching crime drama series, she spends time in updating the list of places she wants to visit and people she wants to meet, but she is happiest in the company of dogs. Read Full Bio
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