Rahul and his father are sitting together for dinner for the first time in 3 months. Rahul usually came late from MBA coaching and ate alone. He is preparing for CAT exam and aspires to get into a top management college. His father is a government officer, working in a different city. He gets a chance to come home once in a few months.
Dad: Rahul, how is your preparation going on? I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to you about it.
Rahul: CAT exam is approaching, dad. I am giving my best by preparing and giving mock tests regularly. But honestly, I am really nervous.
Dad: Why so?
Rahul: I score well, but some people are performing far better than me.
Dad: Why don’t you try to speak to such people and know what they are doing differently than you? Then maybe you can work on your strategy for the exam.
The people who have been there, done that!
Many times, CAT aspirants do all in their capability to prepare for the exam but get a low percentile. They don’t know why some people score better than them. What is it in their exam preparation method that gets them higher scores? It was a mystery. But not anymore.
To help you here’s a compilation of 5 unique tips and tricks from CAT toppers.
PRAQTISE Fact File:
| Name | CAT year | Percentile |
| Sneha Mittal | CAT 2013 | 97.91%ile |
| Pranjal Agarwal | CAT 2015 | 100%ile |
| Nishchay Budhiraja | CAT 2015 | 100%ile |
| Tanya Gupta | CAT 2013 | 99.47%ile |
1) Group preparation
Sneha Mittal, CAT exam topper 2013, says, with a group of fellow CAT aspirants, brainstorming and trying to solve each other’s doubts can be of great help. It lets you think differently. When in a group you also get to learn new ways of solving a problem. For this purpose, she had a particular WhatsApp group where she and her friends posted questions. This method was easier and less time consuming.
2) From the beginning? No!
On asking a question about CAT preparation, Pranjal Agarwal says “Don’t study everything from the beginning, because some topics are too basic to spend time on”. Pranjal has joined IIM-A for the batch 2016-18. CAT has topics from 10th class Math and English which is elementary level. So, instead of studying them again why not spend time on building on those basics.
3) Don’t practice topics in isolation
Nishchay Budhiraja, CAT exam topper 2015, says “Take sectional tests which cover questions from all topics”. This will help you solve questions which are cross-sectional covering 2-3 topics in one question. It will allow you to get better understanding of the applications of concepts.
4) Shortcuts
“Try skimming through the passage instead of understanding each and every word”, say Budhiraja. But he also mentions that this trick only works with the right type of passage. He talks about how the ability to use other shortcuts to save time can come in handy during the actual exams.
5) Strategize wisely
When Tanya Gupta, CAT topper 2013, was asked how to prepare for CAT, her reply was simple. “Start preparing for CAT five months in advance.” According to her, the strategy is “to first solidify the basics for all the sections and then deep-dive into each one of them. It is important to go for an exhaustive numerical practice and tests for each section. ”
A PRAQTICAL Look
Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. With the CAT exam approaching, it is imperative for students to prepare as much as they can because that is the key to success. But along with this, you also have to work smartly.
By using the tips mentioned above, you can enhance your strategy for the main exams. But the ultimate war is yours to fight. So, gear up soldier because those who have prepared have half won the battle.
Did you find this article helpful? Do let us know in the comments below.
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