How to Crack CAT Exam in First Attempt: Proven Strategies

Common Admission Test otherwise termed CAT Exam is annual examination administered by, IIM in which students across the country sit with dreams of getting admitted to some of the premier business schools in the country. You have to have your sight focused to perform on the examination and pass it the first time.

Therefore, the cutthroat nature of competition entails the need to secure a berth in the top branded IIMs or MBA Colleges. While understanding your stress it is important we have a few tips in this blog on how to crack the CAT Exam on the first attempt. 
 

What is the CAT Exam? 

Let’s begin with the introduction about What the CAT Exam is.?
 

CAT is a full format for the Common Admission Test. It is a computer-based test score for the MBA programs. CAT indeed remains the key system among many others to enter any of the Indian top management institutes that run post-graduate programs.

The Master of CAT (M.C.A.T.) is composed of three sections: Verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (Quant).

Post pandemic resulted in the change of exam pattern. This is the annual test. It was a 3-hour test before COVID-19. Now it’s been a 2-hour test, and most likely it will become a 2 hour exam forever.
 

Pattern and Marking Scheme of the CAT Exam 

The CAT exam consists of three sections: 

1. Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension (VARC): The one that challenges or quizzes if your language ability and understanding as well as flexing your brain logos.
2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): Enhances the aspect of your analytical and logical thinking to the greatest extent.
3. Quantitative Ability (QA): Measures your statistical and counting capacity.

Each part is administered for 40 minutes, resulting in a total test time of 2 hours.

CAT Exam Marking Patterns

• Correct answers give you 3 marks for each question.
• Incorrect answers in multiple-choice questions (MCQs) lead to a deduction of 1 mark.
• There are no negative markings for non-MCQs.
• Unattempted questions do not result in any marks awarded or deducted.

Preparation Strategy For CAT Exam
 

Early Preparation
 

Preparing for the CAT examination far in advance is one of the most effective strategies to follow. Since, the CAT can be quite a tough paper, the additional time will come in handy, so that one could cover the syllabus in detail. Also, they will allow you to review at your leisure and guarantee that you strengthen your foundation in each topic.

Embrace Mock Tests

Taking mock tests is crucial for your CAT preparation. Here's why:
 

• Understand Question Types: Mock tests help you familiarize yourself with Research-based knowledge on the kinds of questions asked in the CAT Exam, their level of difficulty, and the time limit.
• Analyse Performance: After each mock test, assess your performance closely. Make note of where the majority of your errors occurred and where you excelled. This analysis is vital to your comprehension of your strengths and limitations.
• Fine-tune Strategies: Take into account the information gathered during performance analysis to fine-tune your preparation strategies.

Quantitative Ability (QA) Preparation For CAT

Enhance Vocabulary and Grammar For CAT Exam

Pay extra attention to topics where you perform less and modify your approach to solving the different types of questions. It is crucial to understand basic mathematical concepts, including algebra, geometry, number systems, and arithmetic. Furthermore, you should master time-saving techniques for problem-solving as they can help to increase your speed while taking the exam.

Practise Quantitative Problems Across Various CAT Topics

• Arithmetic: Some of the topics such as proportions, interest, income and cost, averages, time and work, and others.
• Algebra: Linear and quadratic equations, logarithms, difference equations, and other functions as well are included in the program.
• Number System: Explore factors, divisibility rules, and digit properties.
• Geometry: Engage with problems related to lines, angles, triangles, circles, and measurements.
• Modern Maths: Delve into permutations, combinations, probability, and arrangements.

Having a mix of topics in blocking quant questions experience for adoption and self-confidence is vital for facing quant questions on the CAT Exam.

Sharpen Speed and Accuracy

• Allocate Study Time: Use your study time wisely during practice sessions, focusing on both speed and accuracy.
• Simulate Exam Conditions: Practice under timed conditions to simulate the actual CAT exam environment. This helps you get accustomed to managing time effectively during the exam.
• Double-Check Solutions: Always double-check your solutions to avoid careless errors that can cost you valuable marks.

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) 

Enhance Vocabulary and Grammar For CAT Exam

• Learn New Words Daily: Try to learn a few new words every day. You can use flashcards or apps to help memorize their meanings, synonyms, and antonyms.
• Understanding Grammar: Some basics have to be known about grammar, such as parts of speech, tenses, articles, and sentence structures, as VARC’s part is dependent on your grammar performance.

Extensive Reading for Comprehension

For mastering the comprehension aspect, Here's what you can do:
 

• Visit different platforms: start by naming newspapers, magazines, novels, online articles, or anything you love to read. Learn from where they are, to make your understanding stronger.
• Analyse Texts: Pay attention to the author's tone, identify the main ideas, and extract supporting details from the passages you read.

Target Specific Exam Based Questions

Practice specific types of questions that commonly appear in the CAT exam:

• Rearrange Sentences: Practice rearranging jumbled sentences to form coherent paragraphs. Focus on understanding the flow and connecting ideas logically.
• Fill in the Blanks: Work on filling blanks in sentences with contextually fitting words. Choose words that seamlessly align with the passage's meaning.
• Evaluate Arguments: Work on analyzing given arguments, underlying assumptions, and drawn conclusions. This way you will be able to estimate your logic strengths and weaknesses, which is a very essential subject in VARC for CAT.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) Preparation For CAT Exam

Understanding Different Types of Graphs, Tables, and Charts

To make a progression in DILR, it is unquestionably necessary to know different types of graphs, tables and charts. Here's how:

• Know Your Graphs: Acquire deep knowledge of different charts that you can use such as line charts, bar charts, dot graphs and pie charts. Mastering the method of acquiring and analyzing the data presented through the visual forms.
• Master Tabular Data: Learn how to extract relevant information from tabular data. Practice calculating percentages, averages, and other important metrics.
• Explore Chart Formats: Immerse yourself into various chart formats namely histograms, frequency polygons, and cumulative frequency curves.

Solving Puzzles and Logical Reasoning Questions

To do the skills of DILR questions, you need to do puzzles and logical reasoning problems well.

• Engage with Puzzles: Solve puzzles by making seat arrangements, object placements, and schedules. Create a step-by-step fixing process to eliminate them effectively.
• Tackle Logical Reasoning Questions: Practice questions related to blood relations, coding-decoding, syllogisms, and analogies. Strengthen your logical thinking and pattern recognition skills through regular practice.

Stay Calm and Confident During the CAT Exam

Staying calm and confident is a key to perform well in the CAT exam. Here are some tips to help you maintain your composure:

Time Management

• Know Your Time Limits: Understand how much time you have for each section (VARC, DILR, and QA).
• Allocate Time Wisely: Divide your time proportionally based on your comfort level and proficiency in each section. Within each section, assess the difficulty of questions and adjust your time allocation accordingly.
• Prioritize Questions: Former one. The hard ones are best answered within the allowed time rather than the specific ones. Don’t stick to one question over others for too long; in case you have taken longer on one of them, move on to the other one.

Sectional Approach

• Start Strong: Begin with the section you feel most confident in. This will help boost your morale and allow you to accumulate marks early on.
• Save Tough Sections for Later: Leave tougher sections for later in the exam. Stay composed if you encounter a challenging section; don't let it affect your confidence.

Guessing Strategy

• Discard Incorrect Options: If you're unsure about an answer, eliminate incorrect options. This increases your chances of guessing correctly.
• Make Educated Guesses: When time is running out, make educated guesses based on partial information or logical reasoning. Trust your instincts and make the best guess you can.

Conclusion

So, The CAT exam might have been scary but with a perfect plan and complete determination, you can score damn amazing. You just need to practice regularly. Be positive. And always analyze how you are doing. With your dedication and this advice, you will be able to face your CAT exam and take the most essential first step in your MBA aspiration.

This blog has everything you need for a CAT Exam journey – from figuring out how to clear the CAT Exam in one attempt. It's all about putting in the effort, thinking smart, and working hard to make it happen. 

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