New Delhi: It is time to start preparing for CAT in the right earnest. With the CAT examinations scheduled to be held from October 11 to November 6 on 21 days (42 slots), you do not have many more days left to prepare.
CAT 2012 test pattern
CAT 12 notification has not thrown any surprises and CAT pattern this year will be similar to CAT 2011. It will have two sections – each having 30 questions to be attempted in 70 minutes. The first section will include Quantitative Ability (Quant) and Data Interpretation DI). The second section will include Verbal Ability (VA) and Logical Reasoning (LR).
Each question will have four options and right answer will get three marks. Wrong answer will get negative one mark. Questions not attempted will get zero mark.You will not be able to start second section even if you finish the first section in less than 70 minutes. The CAT 12 therefore will favour those who have strengths in both the sections and your preparation should take this important aspect into account.
BASICS
Most of you would have started your preparation for CAT about 4-12 months in advance and may have completed about 20-100% of basics. Needless to add, if you have started much later or are starting now, the first and foremost task is to complete basics of all test areas.
If you are a reasonably bright student with no weakness or fear in Maths and English, you should be able to prepare for CAT 12 in the next 75-odd days.
You should aim to complete the basics in all the test areas at the earliest possible. If you have started your preparations late, you should still aim for completing it at least 15 days in advance of the date you are planning to write CAT.
Let us look at what are the key areas in which you should complete the basics:
A. Quantitative Ability Section
- Quant - Arithmatic, Basic Algebra, Geometry &Mensuration and Modern Maths.
- DI: Tables, Line, Bar and Pie Charts, Routes and Networks etc.
B. Verbal Ability Section
- Logical Reasoning - Calendars, Clocks, Cubes, Syllogisms, Conditional Statements, Venn Diagrams, Maxima-Minima, Binary Logic, Games & Tournaments, Logic Puzzles etc.
- Verbal Ability
- English grammar basics
- Reading Comprehension: Reading on various different subjects online
- Vocabulary: Consulting dictionary regularly to know the contextual usage of unfamiliar words/usage
- Verbal Reasoning: Paragraph formation/Completion, Summary of a passage etc.
It is expected that you are reasonably comfortable in each of these areas. Further, you should be able to apply the concepts and solve questions that require application of the same.
During this phase, you should also start taking topic-wise and sectional 'timed' tests to test your understanding of each topic. You should take as many tests as possible on-line so that you develop comfort in taking the computer-based tests. This should also help you build speed.
You should also start taking mock CAT tests as soon as possible. It is advisable to take regular, spaced mock CATs so that you have enough time to analyse and take corrective action.
MOCK CATs
Most of the CAT toppers agree that one of the most important part of preparing for CAT is taking mock CAT tests seriously and analysing the same diligently. Taking about one test per week initially and taking two tests per week in the later stage is quite sufficient for most students.
The key advantage of taking mock CATs is that you are able to judge your relative performance vs. other test-takers. Unlike other exams where your focus is on the absolute score or percentage marks and nothing else, CAT requires you to perform on a relative performance scale measured in terms of percentile rank.
Since most B-schools short-list the students based on percentile rank, you need to have a good estimate of your relative strengths and weakness vs. others.
You should ensure thatthe mock CATs taken by you are taken by a large number of students so that the results are reasonably representative.
Thorough analysis on each mock CAT is extremely important. While it may take 3-4 hours or even more but it is now the most critical element of your CAT preparation strategy. Don't neglect it or take it lightly!
TIME MANAGEMENT
Unlike college/university exams, where most students prepare anywhere between few days to few weeks in advance, CAT requires regular and rigorous practice if you wish to do well. So start today, if not done already!
Devoting an average of at least 3-4 hours every day in building basics, taking online 'timed' topic-based/sectional tests, taking mock CATs, analyzing your performance and taking corrective action is the recommended roadmap should lay a strong foundation for you to do well in CAT.
[The writer is Director, Delhi, Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd (T.I.M.E.). Ulhas Vairagkar is a graduate in chemical engineering from Nagpur University and did his PGDM from IIM, Ahmedabad. He has been a visiting faculty at MDI, Gurgaon.]
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