When is the Best Time to Start CAT Preparation 2022?

CAT 2022 will be be held most likely on November 27 so the best time to start CAT preparation is now. Read what MBA experts suggest to aspirants on the duration of CAT preparation.

CAT is the most popular MBA entrance exam in India as it is a gateway to the top B-Schools in India the IIMs and over 1,200 others across India. Every year, over two lakh candidates appear for the CAT. Since, CAT is a gateway to the most prestigious MBA colleges in India, it is of high difficulty level and requires dedicated and long-term preparation.

Among many questions regarding CAT exam, the most common question that trouble MBA aspirants the most is 'when to start CAT preparation'? Some related questions we get from aspirants are:

• "What is the best time to start CAT preparation?"
• "Is February too early to start CAT preparation?"
• "Is it ok to start CAT preparation in June?"

The right time to start preparing for CAT exam depends on each candidate's skills, abilities and the amount of time he/she can devote on daily basis. However, most of the students start quite early. The tentative CAT 2022 exam date is November 27 and if you plan to appear for CAT 2022 exam then starting CAT preparation in March-April is a good idea. However, if you start preparation even now, you can crack it. All you need to do is make short-term plans of four months from August to November. 

Ideally, CAT preparation should start by March. Given below are expert advice and toppers' experience of CAT preparation. 

Best Time to Start CAT Preparation 2022: What Expert Says?

According to Parasharan Chari, MBA expert and COO at Endeavour Careers, "Candidates should look at finishing the entire CAT syllabus by August. Do not stretch the course till the very end. In June, July and August – candidates should try and complete the entire core CAT syllabus. The primary sections of CAT syllabus are: Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Quantitative Aptitude. Thereafter, candidates can start focusing on speed-building, accuracy building and later on move to full length mock tests," adds Parasharan Chari. 

Also Read: CAT Preparation–Coaching vs Self Study

Best Time to Start CAT Preparation: What Toppers Say?

Chirag Gupta, 100 percentile, CAT 2021

“I started preparing in March 2021. I focused mainly on giving mock tests and analysing them. I used to work on my weaknesses by watching various CAT preparation YouTube videos on various topics.”

Bir Anmol Singh, 99.94 percentile, CAT 2021

“I started preparing in April 2021. I solved Arun Sharma sir's CAT books for VARC, LR, DI and Quant. I attempted as many past year CAT questions papers (timed attempt) that I could attempt, on weekends.”

Kshitiz Singhal, 99.99 percentile, CAT 2020

Kshitiz Singhal started preparing in July. He started my preparation by knowing about the CAT exam pattern and syllabus. Once he completed the syllabus, he started taking mock tests. Although he  did not enroll into any coaching institute, I bought study materials and took a mock test series from noted institutes for practice purpose.

Ekansh Agarwal, 99.98 percentile, CAT 2020

Ekansh Agarwal started his CAT preparations approximately 11 months before the CAT 2020 exam. According to him," mock tests are the most important part of CAT preparation. Attempt as many CAT mock tests as possible. 40-50 mock tests are good enough. Focus on the areas you are weak at and accordingly attempt the mock tests. Another piece of advice would be, if you think that you are weak in any section, then try maximizing the other two whilst working on the first."

Somansh Chordia, 100 percentile, CAT 2019

His CAT preparation witnesses multiple breaks. “I had joined TIME in January but for the initial 3-4 months I just gave mocks and attended a few classes to understand CAT exam pattern. During summers, I was busy in my internship, so could not devote any time. From August onwards, I began analysing the mocks and worked upon some of my weak areas. Finally in October, I began focusing properly”, he said.

Rishi Mittal 100 percentile, CAT 2019

Rishi began preparing for CAT in July 2018. “I joined IMS classes for CAT and online study group iQuanta. I gathered the study material of TIME, IMS and iQuanta. Then for five to six months I was referring to these study materials and understanding concepts and going through what all needs to be done and how should I go about my preparations. In March, I started attempting mocks and analyzing them. Around May or June of 2019, I stopped studying from the study material, I was only solving mock tests and analyzing my performance, ”he said.

Rounak Majumdar, 100 percentile, CAT 2018

Rounak started CAT preparation a year before. “My entire preparation was based on taking mock tests. I attempted two mock tests every week and around 40 mock tests in a year. I used to do practice tests on the weekends and analyse my results during the week. Analysing mock tests are more important than actually appearing for them; it helped me understand my shortfalls and device a test strategy,” he said.

Madhur Gupta, 100 percentile, CAT 2017

Madhur started preparing in January but paced up this preparation in August. “I started preparing for CAT 2017 from January and joined TIME for coaching. I ramped up my preparation only in August after quitting my job at Amazon, as Operations Manager. I joined a small start-up alongside CAT preparation from August onwards. In the last-three to four months I gave over 70 mock tests, of different mock series, he said.

Avidipto Chakraborty, 100 percentile, CAT 2016

Avidipto started preparing in mid-May 2016. "In May-June I had summer vacation which I utilized in revising the basic concepts. Once my internship began, I changed my strategy. I would study for four and half hours (9:30 pm to 2 am) on weekdays and dedicated Saturdays and Sundays to mock tests," he said.

Every aspirant has their own strengths and weaknesses. Some candidates take longer than others to grasp basic concepts and then move on to mock tests.

Akshay Mehndiratta, 100 percentile, CAT 2016

Akshay started preparation in June. "I never used to get time during the weekdays. I used to put in 5-6 hours on Saturday for preparation, and a mock test, followed by detailed analysis on Sundays. I started following this schedule rigorously from June onwards," he said. I guess a period of 5-6 months, with concentrated effort for 2-3 days in a week works fine, he added.

According to Rajesh Balasubramanian, who topped CAT 2011, CAT 2012 and CAT 2014, "Candidates with engineering background need about three-and-a-half months to prepare. Three months is still doable. Anything lesser than that and the time pressure adds up. There are too many things moving around and you don’t have enough time to do your Mock CATs. Three-and-a-half months is a good time-frame. You can still cover everything and get a lot of practice for Mocks." Balasubramanian is an MBA coaching expert. 

Also Read:

CAT Exam Date	CAT Syllabus	CAT Exam Pattern
CAT Application Process	CAT Question Papers	CAT Books
CAT Admit Card	CAT Result	CAT Cut Off

CAT Preparation 2022: Month-Wise Time-Table

Here's a quick time-frame of CAT exam preparation. This is a broad distribution of CAT preparation time frame into phases. You can alter the time-table according to your need.

Months	Target
March-August	Complete core CAT syllabus
August-end to mid-September	Experiment with exam strategy, take timed sectional tests, practice question selection & prioritisation, focus on accuracy building
Mid-September to mid-October	Start solving full-length mock tests
October onwards	Focus on revision & mock tests

Also Read:

• How to Prepare for CAT 2022 in 6 Months
• How to Prepare for CAT 2022 in 3 Months
• Last Month CAT Preparation Plan and Tips
• How to Prepare for CAT 2022 VARC
• How to Prepare for CAT 2022 DILR
• How to Prepare for CAT 2022 QA

CAT Topper Interviews: Know their CAT Preparation Strategy

Listed below are CAT 2021 and 2022 topper interviews in which they have shared their CAT preparation strategy. You can take inspiration from their CAT preparation plan to make yours:

CAT Toppers	CAT Topper Interviews
Mohit Babu CAT 2021, 99.85 percentile	I started my preparations in April 2021. My strategy mostly involved solving the previous years' mock papers from different coaching institutes. After that, I analysed my weak areas and then focused on improving them. Read: Mohit’s full interview
Vinayak Prabhu CAT 2021, 99.82 percentile	If you are dedicated, self-motivated and can stick to sincere practice then you don't need any coaching. But coaching will definitely give you a competitive edge because they will be sharing their years of experience which you can't have on your own. Read: Vinayak’s full interview
Mayank Kapoor CAT 2021, 99.69 percentile	A coaching institute gives you a routine and this is a pretty big factor. Most of us have other things that we are busy with but if we have a schedule then it will nudge us to be regular with the prep. Read: Mayank’s full interview
Sagar Sengar CAT 2021, 99.48 percentile	I started preparing around the end of June this year and went into the full-throttle mode by end of August. My overall strategy was to first complete the theory end to end and then practice different kinds of problems across all the sections.  Read: Sagar’s full interview
Vinay Kotwal CAT 2021, 99.40 percentile	Being from a mathematics background, I had a hold over the Quant section. I mainly focused on the VARC section. I referred to Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. I also used to read the newspaper daily to improve my English. Read: Vinay’s full interview
Ved Vineet CAT 2021, 99.40 percentile	Along with the CAT preparation, I have limited time on weekdays. I devoted two hours on all the weekdays. However, had to stretch during the weekends; thus, 4-5 hours of preparation on the weekends helped me score well. Read: Ved’s full interview
Sareen Shah CAT 2021, 99.35 percentile	I knew that Quant and DILR was my strong point. Had to attempt the most there. VARC was unpredictable and hence focused majorly on RCs rather than other questions. Read: Sareen’s full interview
Shreshth Khare CAT 2021, 99.28 percentile	I began preparing in August. I joined the All India Test series offered by TIME and IMS. My strategy was to take the mock in the designated window and analyze it thoroughly.  Read: Shreshth’s full interview
Kshitiz Singhal CAT 2020, 99.99 percentile	My suggestion for the aspirants is to work on your fundamentals, speed and accuracy. Read: Kshitiz’s full interview
Ekansh Agarwal CAT 2020, 99.98 percentile	I would say that mock tests are the most important part of CAT preparation. Attempt as many mock tests as possible. Read: Ekansh’s full interview
Naval Mittal CAT 2020, 99.97 percentile	Solve as many types of questions you can from each section. Secondly, focus on your accuracy. Read: Naval’s full interview
Swarnadeep Ghosh CAT 2020, 99.92 percentile	Attempt all kinds of mock tests, difficult and easy. Maximise your strengths and do not stress about the weaker areas. Read: Swarnadeep’s full interview
Sabyasachi Mishra CAT 2020, 99.90 percentile	Focus more on concepts more than the mock tests. I would say that mocks do not matter much. What you learn from the mock tests is what matters. Read: Sabyasachi’s full interview
Ravi Prinshu CAT 2020, 99.78 percentile	Be self-disciplined and take mock tests regularly and decide your preparation strategy accordingly by identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Read: Ravi’s full interview
Aruneet Dutta CAT 2020, 99.52 percentile	You have to decide your own preparation and test-taking strategy through trial and error method. You are the best person to decide which preparation method works best for you.  Read: Aruneet’s full interview
Deepanshu Arora CAT 2020, 99.49 percentile	Take as many mock tests as possible and analyse your performance. This would improve your exposure to the various question types. Read: Deepanshu’s full interview
Gahana Agarwal CAT 2020, 99.30 percentile	It is necessary to keep yourself motivated by any means possible through the entire preparation phase and not to let mocks scores and percentiles affect your mindset. Read: Gahana’s full interview
Arijit Kumar CAT 2020, 99.10 percentile	Work on your strengths. Refer to the CAT preparation books like Arun Sharma and take ample mock tests and practice varieties of question types. Read: Arjit’s full interview

Also Read:

• Your Love for Reading Can Get You Desired Result
• How to Prepare for CAT Without Qutting Your Job
• Best Books for CAT Preparation Recommended by Experts
• How to Prepare for CAT: Ultimate Tips from Experts
• How to Prepare for CAT: Tips from Toppers
• Advantage of Appearing in CAT While Pursuing Final Year Graduation

“Got a question about top MBA exams? Ask students who have already made it to top B-Schools.”

CAT Preparation FAQs

Q: When will CAT 2022 will be conducted?

Q: How many months are good enough to prepare for CAT exam?

Q: Can I prepare for CAT by self-study?

Q: Which is the toughest section of CAT exam?

Q: Is coaching mandatory for CAT preparation?

Q: How many questions are there in CAT question paper?

Q: Will marks be deducted for wrong answers in CAT exam?

Q: Is practicing sample questions enough to cover DILR section of CAT 2022?

Q: How can I master VARC section of CAT exam?

Q: What is the best way to master DILR section of CAT?

Q: Do PwD candidates get extra time in CAT exam?