This year, CAT will take place on November 28, 2021. File. — Written by Udit Saini
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is an all-India entrance exam administered by IIMs for admission to a variety of business administration programmes across the country. This year, CAT will take place on November 28, 2021.
The CAT 2021 exam will be a two-hour examination and will be conducted in three shifts. Each shift will include a section of the CAT exam that is the verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), quantitative ability (QA), data interpretation, and logical reasoning (LRDI). Candidates will be allowed 40 minutes for each section, with PwD candidates receiving an additional 13 minutes and 20 seconds.
Candidates must focus on their learning aids like discipline, time management, and punctuality to reduce stress and gain confidence. On their final leg of preparation, aspirants must follow these strategies to revise for CAT:
1. Practice 3-4 reading comprehensions daily: It is crucial for candidates to develop a habit of solving 3-4 comprehension daily of different genres. Through this candidates will be able to handle the diverse questions in the paper better.
2. Practice 5 quality data interpretation and logical reasoning sets daily: It is essential for aspirants to choose the right puzzles for the LDRI section. While solving those carefully chosen puzzles, it is equally important to be vigilant with time. Following this diligently will help one prepare better for the LDRI section.
3. Practice 10 verbal ability questions daily: Verbal Ability is an extremely important part of the paper as well as our lives. Aspirants need to put a consistent effort to practice quality questions daily.
4. Practice 20 questions from quantitative ability daily: It is ideal to solve 20 quantitative questions in a day to get an edge over other aspirants. Quantitative Ability is a very important aspect of the CAT exam and must be taken seriously.
5. Prioritise accuracy over quantity: Candidates will achieve accuracy once they have developed a strong reading habit and a good understanding of the various types of questions that appear in the CAT exam. Since the CAT exam involves negative marking, aspirants must prioritize accuracy over the number of questions attempted.
6. Importance of previous year questions: To ace this paper, aspirants need to understand the right technique and approach. They can do this by analysing the previous year question papers properly. This will also help them in eliminating the fear and stress of the exam.
7. Importance of mock tests: Mocks help candidates improve their abilities to assess their level of preparation and performance. It also helps candidates in distinguishing themselves from their current strategies and improving their standard test-taking approach.
8. Analysis of mock tests: Mock analysis is a crucial part of revision as it helps aspirants in identifying their weak areas. This will help aspirants in staying confident through the exam.
9. Read newspaper daily: Candidates must make it a habit to read newspapers every day to keep them updated with current affairs. This will help them in grasping the texts and interpreting the part of the exam that involves such readings and will help them in performing better.
10. Personalise your schedule: Everyone is different and so is their study pattern. Hence, it is important to make your own personalised schedule or a timetable that works for you and follow it diligently.
Following these strategies will ensure a more disciplined revision routine and sufficient preparation for the exam. With less than a month left for the exam, candidates must stay positive, work hard and focus their energies on the final revision.
(The writer is a CAT educator at Unacademy)
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