Ananya Mishra
With CAT 2017 likely to be conducted in the month of November/December, it is high time that MBA aspirants start preparing for the exam with utmost dedication. However, only sitting for hours and preparing for the exam does not assure a good percentile. The candidate must ensure that he/she is following the right preparation strategy. Without this, all efforts might go waste. Shiksha spoke to Ananya Mishra, CAT 2016, 99.89%iler about how one should prepare for the exam, and here is what she told us:
Q. Does coaching play an important role in CAT 2017 preparation or is self-study sufficient?
Self- study is a must for the preparation. In addition to that, one might opt for coaching if he/she feels the need of an extra support.
Q. When is the right time to start preparing for CAT 2017?
This is something which depends entirely on the student. For instance, I started seriously preparing roughly 6 months prior to the examination.
Q. What should be the routine study strategy of CAT 2017 aspirants?
Regular practice is something which helps a lot. I would suggest aspirants to practice problems from all three sections regularly. Excessive focus on one often leads to negligence of the other sections which does more harm than good.
Q. Which books/study material should CAT 2017 aspirants use?
There is no such restriction on books. Any book which has content similar to what appears in the examination is good enough. However, aspirants must go through past question papers to get a good overview of the question pattern and difficulty level that is expected.
Q. What should be the sectional preparation strategy?
The key is to identify the section that is bringing down the performance of the student. That section will require special attention. Apart from that, each section will have different topics and the candidate will have to find out which of them needs more practice and allot time accordingly.
Q. When appearing for CAT 2017, how should the aspirants decide which questions to attempt from different sections: Quantitative Ability & DI, Verbal Ability & LR?
This is a highly subjective matter. It depends on the skill of the student. It is for the student to decide which questions fall in his/her comfort zone and which do not.
Q. Time management plays an important role. Any tips for CAT 2017 aspirants on time management?
I would suggest aspirants to monitor the time they are taking for solving the problems and successively try to reduce that.
Q. How can an aspirant judge his/her weak areas, and how should one work towards improving the same?
From my personal experience, appearing for mock tests and analysing the results help a lot in finding out the topics which need improvement.
Q. Should candidates also appear for other management exams? If yes, which exams?
Q. Share some do’s and don’ts that CAT 2017 aspirants might find useful.
Do practice as much as you can. Don’t over exert yourselves. Stay confident.
 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 on the image beside. |
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“Got a question about top MBA exams? Ask students who have already made it to top B-Schools.” |
Also Read:
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Ajay Kaushik shares his CAT journey: From 70.7%ile to 99.7%ile
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
Yes, candidates can get admission in IIM Indore without CAT for two programmes: Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) and Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP). Admission into IPM is based on the IPMAT (Integrated Program in Management Aptitude Test), followed by a Written Abilit
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, candidates can get admission in CGC University, Mohali without taking CAT based on valid score in CGCUET which is conducted by the university if they also fulfill the eligibility criteria.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Yes. CUSAT has two main campuses offering B.Tech: the main campus in Kochi (School of Engineering) and the Kuttanad campus (CUCEK). The main campus cutoffs are significantly tighter than those for CUCEK.
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Contributor-Level 8
Answered 5 days ago
No, CAT is not compulsory to get admission in MBA at SVNIT Surat. The college considers a valid score in entrance exams such as: CAT/GMAT/GRE/XAT/CMAT/MAT for admission into MBA. Other than this, the institute also conducts its own exam for MBA admissions.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, CAT is one of the compulsory exams to be eligible for MBA course at Assam Institute of Management. The institute offers admission to MBA programme based on score of national-level entrance exam (CAT/CMAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA). CAT exam being one of it becomes essential to take admission in the same col
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
Christ Delhi NCR does accepts CAT scores for admission in MBA programme. However, aspirants with MAT, CMAT, ATMA or any other Management entrance exam scores can also get admission. Selected candidates also need to pass GDPI, written assessment and micro-presentation rounds.
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Guide-Level 15
Answered 5 days ago
No, CAT is not compulsory to get admission in MBA at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University. Applicanta are given admission based on their performance in CMAT entrance exam. It is followed by personal interview to get shortlisted.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, you can get admission to the MBA programme at Manipal University Jaipur, but not through direct admission without meeting the admission criteria.
For the regular MBA, you generally need:
A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks.
A valid CAT/MAT/CMAT/XAT/GMAT score.
Selection is based on your aca
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Beginner-Level 3
Answered a week ago
As a current student at DBS Global University, I can say that yes, the university accepts a valid CAT score for MBA admissions. If you meet the eligibility criteria, then you can apply through your CAT score, and you do not have to take the universities entrance exam. The best thing about DBS, is t
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
SAGE University, Indore has not mentioned any other accepted entrance exams other than SEE for MBA courses. Generally, CAT is an accepted entrance exam for MBA courses. Therefore, candidate should get confirmation by asking this from admission desk.
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Contributor-Level 10