CAT Mock Test – The litmus test of your preparation through late nights and early mornings
“In spite of the best efforts, I could not improve upon my performance in mock tests.” Disappointed Mr. Hardy remarked.
“Surprisingly, my performance has improved drastically over the last few weeks!” Mr. Smarty said cheerfully.
“I practice for 12 long hours a day and refer to 3-4 books for each subject” Mr. Hardy said.
“I prepare through the proper analysis of mock tests and work on my strengths and weaknesses accordingly” Mr. Smarty replied.
The minute distinction between Mr. Hardy and Mr. Smarty is the CAT preparation style. The students who aim to enter into the most prestigious B-Schools have to adapt. Let’s ponder upon the best approach to get the most out of the CAT Mock Test Series.
PRAQTISE FACT FILE: MORE THAN 90% OF STUDENTS WHO ENROLLED FOR MOCK TEST OPINE THAT THE TEST SERIES WAS CRUCIAL IN HELPING THEM PREPARE FOR CAT.
The ideal way to prepare for, analyze and evaluate the mock CAT question paper.
The students expecting favorable results in the CAT must plan their preparation very systematically and implement the planned schedule properly. In this article, we provide the preparation plan spread over 20 Mock tests to get the expected result with the best use of CAT Test Series. Students have to take the test in a phased manner as explained below:
The Analysis Phase
The CAT exam pattern and syllabus has to be the Bible for the students. It is needless to say that no test series can improve the performance unless the student has the basic knowledge of the sections and topics in CAT. So, the first and foremost thing is to thoroughly study the CAT syllabus.
In the initial 4 CAT Mock Tests, students should focus upon the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses according to sections.
Quantitative Aptitude: Target solving questions from basic topics such as Percentage, Profit and loss, , Time, Speed and Distance etc.
Verbal Ability: Attempt basic Grammar and Reading Comprehension questions on general and familiar subjects. Para-jumble questions should be the focus area for better performance in the next attempt.
DI and Logical Reasoning: Students need to have grip on basic concepts of LR and DI such as Graph and Chart interpretation, Directions, Seating Arrangements, Puzzles etc.
The Strategy Formulation Phase
This phase stretches from mock test #5 to mock test #10. Students can treat this phase as the experimentation phase. Develop a habit of solving the entire paper once, without restriction of time, after the test is done. Try to adopt different approaches in the way you attempt topics or types of questions.
Dedicate a bulk of your time to tricky topics such as
Quantitative Aptitude: Permutation and Combination, Probability, Numbers and Higher Mathematics.
Verbal Ability: Vocabulary related Questions, Reading Comprehension on Abstract Topics and Unfamiliar Subjects, Fact/Inference/Judgement sets
LR and DI: Data Sufficiency, Making Judgement, Logical games etc.
The Excelling Percentile Phase
The final phase is spread between mock tests # 11 to 20. Students must have covered 80% of the CAT syllabus by this time.
Paper Solving Exercise after each CAT mock test:
Students have to analyze each and every paper thoroughly. Solve all the questions, without setting a time limit, after each test. This is beneficial in three ways. First, you will get to learn from your mistakes. Second, it will be a reality check for the amount ground you have covered. Third, you will be able to pin point areas of strengths and weaknesses.
Make sure that you read through all the questions asked in the Mock Test. This is the simplest approach to test yourself against a wide range of questions. Develop the knack of being able to solve the same question in multiple ways. These exercises will bring about progressive improvement in this phase of preparation.
Evaluation of Results:
In this exercise students must diligently evaluate their performance in each CAT Mock Test. Students may evaluate each mock test in tabular form. For example, the table given below evaluates the performance of Quantitative Aptitude in Mock Test No.13.
| CAT Mock Test No. 13 | ||||
| Section/ Topic | Asked | Attempted | Correct | Incorrect |
| Time and Work | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Number Theory | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
A Praqtical Look: We can paint a clear picture about CAT mock tests using some sports analogies. Each mock test is meant to help you reach match fitness. Disciplined preparation helps you be agile mentally. A number of cognitive processes become subconscious, enabling you to react to situations more quickly. This clears the clutter, allowing you to focus on more difficult aspects of the test in a better way.
How do you approach CAT mock test series? Do you have some useful tips/suggestions that you would like to share? Let us know in the comments.
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