Students’ Speak: Be mindful in CAT 2019 last minute preparation

To get a score of about 90 percentile and above, attempt around 120-125 questions with near about 70-75 percent accuracy. Increase this number of questions attempted to 135-140 for achieving a 95+ percentile score.

There is a general tendency to dive into all the topics during last-minute CAT preparation. Abhishek Desai shares the importance of using a mindful approach in your last minute CAT preparation for the best possible results.

CAT 2019 preparation is almost at its threshold and aspirants are pushing hard to make it through this last lap. While last-minute preparation for CAT exam is necessary, it should have any dampening effect on your earlier preparation and learning. Here are a few tips to keep you focused in last-minute CAT preparation:

• My advice for the CAT aspirants would be to have a thorough understanding of all the important formulas, calculation tricks and related shortcuts in these remaining hours. Refrain from covering any new topic or concept right now; rather capitalize well on whatever you have covered over the past few months.
• At this stage, attempt no more than one mock test (of a medium difficulty level) preferably in the morning. However, do analyze it extensively later in the day to eliminate any last probable errors. Also, make a note of such mistakes to avoid losing both marks as well as morale on the exam day.
• CAT being a high-pressure test, I strongly recommend aspirants a day before to unwind themselves by indulging in activities that would not only calm their nerves but also refresh them for the battle ahead. Meditation would prove extremely useful and surround yourself with people having a positive mindset.
• Look how far the test center is from your place of residence in advance and which is the most convenient way to reach there. Ensure you reach the test center on time to avoid last-minute chaos.
• To get a score of about 90 percentile and above, attempt around 120-125 questions with near about 70-75 percent accuracy. Increase this number of questions attempted to 135-140 for achieving a 95+ percentile score. Focus on accuracy more than the total attempts. Usually, by glancing at a question or a data set, one can get an idea of whether it is doable or not.
• Section-wise strategy: Check out the strategy below for individual sections of CAT:
• VARC - Take a quick glance at the Reading Comprehension passages to know whether it can be easily interpreted and solved or not. While attempting the questions in this section, solve those first which are more objective or factual in nature. Skim reading would prove handy here.
• DILR - A similar approach could be used for the puzzle-based questions. Attempt those puzzles first which consist of maximum accurate information in them, since making assumptions would be time-consuming. Out of all the questions in a DI set, solve the ones that do not involve a lot of calculations first.
• Quants – Use the On-Screen Calculator only when required since many questions anyways can be solved with basic mental calculations. Strengthening the basic concepts goes a long way in getting a good score here.
• Solve all the questions involving non-negative marking first. Do not stick to a single question ever, no matter which section it belongs to. Try not to spend more than 5-6 minutes over a question. If a question seems doable at first but is actually time taking, simply flag it and revisit it later.

I wish all the very best to the aspirants out there! Believe in yourself and give your best.

About the Author:

Abhishek Desai is currently pursuing Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) in e-Business from Welingkar Institute of Management. He has done his Summer Internship in the field of Market Research with 'TimesofMoney'. He's also served as 'Secretary of the Green Committee' at Welingkar.