CAT 2021: Preparation tips and study plan for August month

NEW DELHI: This year, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad is conducting the Common Admission Test (CAT). Apart from IIMs, more than 1000 MBA colleges will accept the CAT exam 2021 score for admission to various postgraduate management programmes. It is one of the most popular management entrance tests and is taken by over 2 lakh candidates every year. CAT 2021 will be held on November 28 as a computer-based test (CBT). With lakhs of management aspirants vying for some hundreds of seats at IIMs and other MBA colleges explains the level of competition. However, with good CAT preparation and exam-taking strategy, one can crack IIM CAT with a 99+ percentile.

The CAT 2021 question paper will consist of questions from three sections namely, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Going by last year's trend, students are expected to get 40 minutes for each section and there will be a total of 76 questions consisting of 54 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and 22 non-MCQs (TITA) questions.

CAT 2021: Preparation strategy for August month

If one has only four months to prepare for CAT 2021, they should devise a CAT study plan and strictly follow the same. This makes their CAT exam preparation and handling stress easy. Here are some tips to follow while preparing for IIM CAT this month.

Identify where you stand today

• Before starting CAT 2021 preparation, candidates should check whether their basics are clear and strong or not and where they currently stand. Do they know the basic formulas for solving quantitative questions or are they able to easily comprehend the verbal comprehensions? Students can also take a CAT mock test to understand where they stand today and how much preparation is needed and in which areas.

• After analyzing this, candidates can categorize which topics/areas have the best accuracy ratio and which ones need improvement and start preparing for them.

Understanding of concepts and their application

• Once students have gone through with the CAT exam pattern and CAT syllabus, they should pick up each topic one by one and start their CAT preparation. This will enable the candidates to gain ideological clarity and will be able to strengthen their base.

• If one is familiar with the basics, they should start their CAT preparation section-wise and at a fast pace so that by mid of September the whole CAT exam syllabus is over. Thereafter, the candidates can focus on giving ample CAT 2021 mock tests and improve their timing, accuracy, and speed.

Strategy for the CAT Quantitative Aptitude section

• The quantitative aptitude section covers the core of the CAT preparation. Among other categories, the syllabus of CAT quant is vast and includes everything from algebra to percentage. The Quant section tests a candidate's basics in the CAT exam.

• One can devise shortcuts to quickly solve CAT exam quant questions without a calculator and also should have other formulas on tips. This will help the candidates solving questions of quant in CAT 2021 quickly and accurately. Candidates can make handy notes of formulas, tricks, and shortcuts to solve these questions and can keep revising them every now and then.

Strategies for CAT DILR section

• There is no standard syllabus for data interpretation and logical reasoning, which makes this section a bit difficult compared to other sections. If one is good at solving puzzles, one can tackle the logical reasoning section very easily.

• Those unfamiliar with DILR questions should solve previous year papers and solve questions from standard templates, einstein puzzles, grid puzzles, etc.

Focus on self-study

• Self-preparation is very important when it comes to any exam. The best part of self-preparation is knowing where he or she stands, anticipating, and acting accordingly. One can do the following while self preparing for CAT 2021 exam

  • Read the class notes

  • Read the textbook

  • Make colourful and proper notes

  • Look up other online resources

  • Teach someone what you have learned

CAT Mock test, its analysis, and revision- An elixir

• CAT preparation is considered incomplete if one has not attempted the mock tests. Designed to help students understand the structure, type of questions asked in the exam, and difficulty level of the CAT entrance exam, candidates must resort to the CAT mock tests, CAT sample papers, and previous year questions papers.

• The CAT mock tests must be analyzed well and taken as an indication for the CAT exam preparation. Focus on preparing the areas where you took more time to answer or were unsure or had no clue about.

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