5 Things Every Cat Aspirant Should Know Before Starting Their Preparation

By Author: PrepWiz
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Before beginning CAT preparation with the help of your personal tutors for CAT preparation, every CAT aspirant should be aware of the following points. We've seen a lot of aspirants squander their time on things that don't really matter. So we decided to write about some myths that end up wasting a lot of time and effort while preparing for the CAT.

1. Have to cover everything to score a good percentile

And by good, we mean anywhere between 95 and 99 percentile - we have to study everything from arithmetic to algebra, geometry to number system and whatnot is a very common statement we heard from our friends when we were preparing for cat. We used to tell them that if they studied the previous 2-3 years' CAT papers, doing arithmetic only but properly would get them north of the 90th percentile in the quants section, but they never believed him and continued to do everything. They were not particularly strong in any subject, and they ended up scoring in the lower percentile than they had planned.

So, the first suggestion is to focus on the quality of your preparation rather ...
... than the quantity, and this applies to all three sections.

2. Have to attempt 75-80 questions

Anyone who understands how important accuracy is in scoring well on this exam will tell you otherwise.

You can see for yourself how important accuracy is. The above graph shows that if your accuracy is 90%, you only needed to attempt 60-62 questions to achieve the 99%ile. However, if your accuracy rate is 70%, you must attempt approximately 85 questions in the same exam. That is a difference of 20-25 questions (sounds frightening, doesn't it?). First and foremost, you should prioritize accuracy over speed. Even if you get the answer right in three minutes, it is still preferable to getting it wrong in 90 seconds. That is a 4 point difference every 90 seconds.

Focus on accuracy, and you will reap the benefits in the long run. You must master the art of leaving questions, which can only be learned through practice.

The second suggestion is to concentrate on accuracy.

3. Vocabulary should be really strong

Writing word meanings in a pad and attempting to remember them in order to improve vocabulary, which is a critical factor in scoring well in the VARC section, is a complete myth. If you read enough (30-60 minutes per day) and from a variety of sources (novels, newspapers, general articles on the internet, etc.), you should be able to deduce some meaning from a word even if you get stuck somewhere during RCs. Reading will gradually increase your reading speed, so it has multiple benefits.

The third recommendation is to read a lot.

4. Should give full mocks when you have covered most of the syllabus

Aspirants postpone giving mock exams until late September or early October because they believe they must first cover the entire syllabus with the help of best home tutors for CAT preparation, which is an incorrect strategy. It takes time to get used to sitting for 3 hours and concentrating without a break, and you should start giving mocks as soon as you have given 2-3 sectional mocks for each section. Ideally, two mocks in August and one mock every week after that should provide you with a sufficient number of mocks to practice and become accustomed to this paper (15-20 full mocks is something you should target).

The fourth suggestion is to begin giving mocks as soon as possible.

5. CAT is extremely difficult

Yes, it's difficult, but is it unbearably so? No, it most emphatically is not. You do not need to sit for 10 hours a day to prepare for this exam, nor do you need to study for 12-15 months to do well on it. You should be able to score well as long as you are consistent (3-4 hours per day for 4-5 months). This is something that most people who have passed this exam will tell you. When combined with the above suggestions, you should be able to do well and achieve a high percentile, which is the ultimate goal. You should treat this exam as such and not get so worked up about it that you start sweating every time someone mentions it.

So, our final piece of advice is to remain calm and confident in your preparation.

Best wishes.