Countdown to CAT 2017: This IIM Calcutta student tells what not to do in the last week

Neerja Maheshwari

The clock is ticking, and with nearly a week left for CAT 2017, test-takers need to utilise every bit of time left. At this moment, it is extremely important for CAT aspirants to know what to, and what not to do in the last week. Starting off with a new topic is a big no-no, while attempt as many mock tests as possible in this last week tops the priority list. 

Shiksha got in touch with Neerja Maheshwari who appeared for CAT 2016, and scored 99.55 percentile. Currently she is a student of IIM Calcutta, and her hobbies include reading fiction and playing badminton. According to her, at this moment CAT test-takers must study for approximately 5-6 hours, but at the same time, should not compromise on sleep. Let’s have a look at Neerja’s CAT preparation journey: 

Does coaching play an important role in CAT preparation or is self-study sufficient?

The coaching classes helps in streamlining the preparation for CAT. So, while it is not necessary, it is recommended to go for a coaching for CAT preparation. Moreover, when you see your peers working hard for CAT, you too get motivated to work hard and compete with them. So, in short, coaching has twin benefits, one, it keeps your preparation on track and second, it makes you competitive. 

When is the right time to start preparing for CAT?

According to me, around 8-10 months of time is sufficient to prepare for CAT. So, ideally, one should start his/her preparation from January or February of the year in which he/she is planning to take CAT. This gives the candidate sufficient time to identify his/her weak areas and work on them. 

What should be the routine study strategy of CAT aspirants?

Devoting 2-3 hours daily in the initial course of preparation and increasing it gradually to 5-6 hours in the final days when the exam approaches is sufficient. Candidates should time themselves while taking mock CATs and wisely distribute time between all the three sections while devoting highest time to weakest section. 

Which books/study material should CAT aspirants use?

Generally the material provided by coaching classes suffice for Quants and LR-DI. There are multiple categories within LR-DI itself. It becomes important to practice questions of each type so that one is prepared for such questions on the D-day. For VA-RC, apart from coaching material, one should read newspapers daily to improve reading and comprehension speed. 

What should be the sectional preparation strategy?

Sectional prep is important once one has the overall idea of his/her current prep status of all the sections. What I suggest is to first prep for all the sections for a month or two and then appear for a few mock tests to gauge the areas where one lacks, after which, for the next few months prepare for particular sections and continue giving mocks to check if you are improving in all the sections or not. 

Share some do’s and don’ts that CAT aspirants might find useful.

Do’s

• Practice a lot
• Give multiple mocks
• Use mobile apps to practice on the go (Eg. Byju)
• Read Newspapers

Dont’s

• Stress about the exam
• Compromise on sleep

What were your weak areas and how did you overcome the same?

VA-RC was my weak area. I realised this in the very first mock which I gave. So, I started reading newspapers daily and novels regularly in order to increase my reading and comprehension speed. Apart from that, I also gave multiple sectional tests to work on all the topics in this particular section. 

When appearing for CAT, how should the aspirants decide which questions to attempt from different sections: Quantitative Ability & DI, Verbal Ability & LR?

In CAT, since all the questions fetch same amount of marks irrespective of the difficulty level of the questions, one should try to attempt all the easy and moderately difficult questions first and then should go to difficult questions. Apart from that, one should also try to attempt all the questions from his/her strong topics/areas. 

In CAT, it is important to know which question to attempt, equally important is to know which questions to leave and go ahead. A candidate should not attach his/her ego with any question and should move forward if a particular question is taking a lot of time. 

Time management plays an important role. Any tips for CAT aspirants on time management?

Candidates need to pace themselves during the examination. It is important to spend adequate time on each question, spending less time on questions that seem easy to solve, increases the risk of committing silly mistakes. So, pacing yourself in the examination is important. The objective must not be to complete the paper early, but to complete it on time. Thus ensuring that adequate time has been spent in each question. 

How can an aspirant judge his/her weak areas, and how should one work towards improving the same?

The aspirant must take mock CATs to identify the weak areas/ sections. A careful analysis of the test includes- identifying difficult questions in each section, time spent on these questions, silly-mistakes made on easy questions and then work towards improving the performance on each of these parameters. 

Should candidates also appear for other management exams? If yes, which exams?

It is always good to have a backup option when a candidate is cent percent sure of going for an MBA. Apart from IIMs, MBA from management institutes like XLRI, FMS, IIFT, NMIMS, MDI, Symbiosis, etc. are highly valued in the corporate world and also helps in a lot of personal value addition. So, apart from CAT, an aspirant can also take XAT, IIFT, NMAT and SNAP. Amongst all these exams, it is highly recommended to take XAT.

Also Read:

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.