The CAT exam is one of the most demanding exams in India. There are no sure shortcuts to crack this exam, though, the right strategy and practice can make things easy. Many aspirants spend years preparing and attempting the CAT exam, yet they couldn’t ace the exam with the much-needed percentile. The CAT exam might not be a cake walk to crack but not impossible either. Many candidates have cleared the examination in the first attempt- You can too. The right ingredients to ace the CAT exam includes a strong will, smart planning, clever strategy, and dedication.
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Tips To Crack Cat Exam In The First Attempt
1.Start As Early As Possible
If you are really serious about cracking the CAT Exam, right away, you should check CAT Eligibility Criteria to find out if you fulfill all the criteria. Once you have done checking your eligibility, check the exam syllabus and previous year’s papers. Your next step is to start preparing for the examination without delay. Usually, it requires 6-8 months of preparation to complete all the syllabus- You can do it early also. The more early you start, the better it will be to complete the syllabus. Furthermore, you can allocate the additional time to multiple revisions and giving mocks.
2.Understand The Cat Exam
The first step to crack any examination is to understand the exam pattern. Once you understand the CAT Exam Pattern, you should go through the syllabus and previous year question papers. Your primary goal should be analyzing the past year papers of the CAT to understand the requirements of the exam. Based on your analysis, create a list of the important topics from where most questions are asked. Further divide your list into sub categories like most important topics, less important topics, low scoring topics, high scoring topics, weak and hard topics.
3.Decide Whether To Take Coaching Or Do Self-Preparation
Generally, candidates are in two minds and end up doing a mix of both. It is always better to decide right in the beginning whether to take coaching or do self-preparation. You would see enough examples of candidates who have cracked examinations through coaching or self-studies. So, it is advisable to decide all yourself what fits your requirement. Switching mid-way can waste a lot of your time and can disturb your preparation.
4.Work On Your Concepts Right From The Beginning
Instead of being in a hurry to complete the syllabus, your focus should be on understanding the basics and fundamental concepts. Many candidates commit the mistakes of not understanding the basics to the core in a venture to complete the syllabus early. CAT isn’t an exam that can be cracked by mugging up things. If you have taken more time to complete the syllabus but your basics are strong, chances are high that you will perform better than the one who completed early but has weak basics. So, work on your basics and practice a lot to hone your fundamental concepts further.
5.Analyze The Cat Mock Test
The CAT exam demands a lot of practice and time management. It is more of a time management test than a knowledge test. Without giving adequate mocks, you should not even think of cracking the examination. Try to give at least 3-4 mocks in a week. You should not just give a mock test but also analyze it well. With the help of mock tests, find out your weak sections, further divide them into weak topics, and then plan your study routine accordingly.
6.Choose Your Study Material Wisely
Studying more books won’t help you to crack the examination, instead, studying a few books for more time will. So, prepare strictly according to the CAT Syllabus, see the syllabus yourself and plan accordingly.
These tips might seem ordinary, but, a quote seems apt here, “You get extraordinary results when you do ordinary things for extraordinary times.”
About the Author
Chetan Sharma is a professional digital marketer and blogger at heart. He owns multiple educational blogs like Selina Concise and many others.