Hard work with Smart work will enable you to ace CAT
By: Reeju Barman
The preparation in the last month prior to the CAT entrance exam is crucial, as there are a few things that can make it or break it. Focus on previous years questions, analyze the pattern and keep away from learning new concepts.
When an aspirant decides to appear for a competitive exam like the CAT, he prepares himself for the hard work ahead of him. However, not all aspirants think about smart work. There is no replacement of hard work, but to ace the CAT exam you must do some smart work as well. It will not reduce the need for hard work; rather it will increase your chance of getting into top B-Schools of India.
Understanding and analyzing the exam pattern:
You must fully understand the exam pattern and analyze questions from the previous year’s question papers carefully. After the review, you need to identify the questions, which you can answer right now and which questions go over your head. From this analysis, you will get an overview of the strengths and weaknesses you have.
Study and Preparation:
From the above-mentioned method, you will be able to make a good decision about the topics that need more attention when you start studying. I would suggest starting with the topics from your weak areas; do as many problems as you can from those topics. You might face some difficulties when solving the problems for the first time however, if you practice enough then you will be able to get a grip on those topics.
You need to have a command on the topics in which you are already comfortable. You have to prepare those topics in the way that every question from your strong areas can be answered correctly in the CAT. These questions will boost your percentile.
There will be some topics that you might find difficult even after solving many problems. I would suggest leaving those topics. Do not practice more problems from those topics, as the CAT exam is more about the accuracy than a number of questions attempted. You need to answer a few questions but correctly. Your target should be, whatever questions are attempted must be correct.
Mock tests:
After finishing a topic, taking a Topic Test (mock) is helpful for self-assessment and getting a clear idea about your understanding of the topic. You should take at least 10 tests from each topic. You can easily review your performance from the scores of these tests and determine your weak areas, which can be improved.
After you have taken Topic tests from all the topics, start taking Sectional Test (mock). This will give you a good idea about your performance in the whole section. This analysis is important in order to increase the sectional percentiles.
After taking at least 10 sectional tests and improving the weak areas based on your analysis, you are now ready to take Full-Length Mock Tests. This is usually recommended when 2 months are left for the CAT. Before you start taking full mock tests make sure that you have fully prepared for all the sections, otherwise, underperformance might demotivate you. Therefore, please make sure that you do not attempt any full Mocks before completing all the topics from all the sections.
Most of the Mock test platforms will provide you with the analysis, follow those, try to find the flaws and improve. This must be the strategy for the last 30 days.
A rough estimation is that you need to answer 15 questions correctly from each section in order to score 95+ percentile. Therefore, the target should be to answer a minimum of 15 questions from each section correctly.
About the Author:
Reeju Barman is a current student of IIM Bodh Gaya. He completed B.Tech in Power Engineering from National Power Training Institute, Durgapur.
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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a year ago
Cited below is the detailed comparison between IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Amritsar and IIM Kashipur on two important factors; one is the total tuition fees and average package offered during campus placements:
MBA Colleges | Total Tuition Fees | Average Package |
|---|---|---|
MBA at IIM Bodhgaya | INR 9.6 lakh | INR 15.92 LPA |
INR 12.5 lakh | INR 16.51 LPA | |
INR 12 Lacs – INR 17.5 lakh | INR 18.1 LPA |
Note: The tuition fee mentioned is taken from unofficial sources. Hence, it is indicative. Candidate
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a year ago
A comparison of all the IIMs for their MBA programmes based on multiple components, such as NIRF ranking, fee and salary packages are tabulated below:
| Comparison Factors | NIRF Ranking'24 | the highest Package (2023) | Total Tuition Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Visakhapatnam | 26 | INR 32.65 lakh | INR 17.22 lakh |
| IIM Sambalpur | 50 | INR 64.61 lakh | INR 10.50 lakh |
| IIM Bodh Gaya | 33 | INR 48.58 Lakh | INR 9.60 lakh |
Note: This information is sourced from official website/ sanctioning body and is subject to change.
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Contributor-Level 10
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No, the admission fee for all the IIMs is different. Once the candidates clear the IPMAT exam, they will be allotted the colleges based on their rank and scores obtained in the IPMAT exam. The fee of IIM Indore is INR 35 Lacs and that for IIM Rohtak is INR 17.66 lakh.
Contributor-Level 10
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The total cost of tuition fee for the MBA programme at IIM Bodh Gaya can vary depending on the specific programme you choose. However, the total tuition fee for the MBA programme at IIM Bodh Gaya falls somewhere between INR 9.1 Lacs and INR 32.6 lakh.
It is important to note that the official IIM Bod
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IIM Bodhgaya offers various management courses in MBA, MBA in Digital Business Management, MBA in Hospital & Healthcare Management. Find below the following table for a course-wise seat intake for IIM Bodhgaya:
| Courses | Seats |
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| Master of Business Administration (MBA) | 300 |
| MBA in Digital Business Management | 90 |
| Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) | 60 |
| MBA in Hospital & Healthcare Management | 60 |
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a year ago
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In 2023, some of the companies that offered placements at IIM Bodh Gaya include
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Contributor-Level 7
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The campus life at IIM Bodh Gaya has all the facilities, such as library, classrooms, computer labs and hostels. The institute has a number of students clubs, that organise a variety of events and activities, such as sports competitions, cultural programmes, and social gatherings. The academic progr
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Only Indian citizens are eligible for admission to the programme.
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