Exam

Yes, you may start preparing for CAT. There is no right time to start preparing for the CAT Exam. Please understand that regular preparation matters a lot more than the total amount of time invested. What I am trying to say is that if you are studying for 20 hours a week, it is much better if you study for 3 hours a day instead of 10 hours on Saturday and Sunday each. It is the discipline which matters. If you are one of those candidates who are not so good with a particular section; then you need to start early. For example, if you are an Science student who is not very good with English then you need to start your CAT preparations. Also, when you start your main focus should be on improving your Verbal Ability because that is your the weakest section. Verbal Ability takes a long time to improve and the easiest way to improve is to read more and more books.

At Great Lakes, we do not have fixed cutoffs and any minimum scores are decided on after the completion of the application process and review of the overall applicant pool. Since the applicant pool varies in number and quality every year, the cutoffs may vary as well. As a broad indicator based on the past experience, a 90+ percentile in XAT/CAT, 600+ score in GMAT would be considered suitable subject to meeting other criteria. This is however an indicative score and if we find an exceptional candidates with a relatively lower score, we may still consider the application. On the other hand we may reject a candidate with a high aptitude test score but with a poor track record in other areas. So while the test scores are important, we emphasize more on selecting well-rounded candidates with a strong overall track record.