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What difference can last minute preparations make in CAT Exam?

Praqtise — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 12:28:44 +0000

We did it in school, then why not the CAT exam?

We did not have many thrills during our college days, but one such thrill which we consistently and thoroughly enjoyed involved last minute preparation. The adrenaline rush while constantly looking at the clock, like a metronome, the sweaty palms, the thumping heartbeat, and the untidy t-shirt hanging off your pant waistline. This is not too different from a bungee jump off a mountain of books.

However, after college ended, our last minute preparations seemed to become more and more tabooed. What was once a staple method of gaining the last ounce of confidence before a test became more like a crime. But, is this truly warranted? Do we need to taboo such an obscure sport form?

This is a question which might have bothered many CAT exam takers. Last minute preparation was an important ritual during school exams. We used to study the whole night till the exams started and give a satisfying paper and crawl through the questions to gain the minimum required marks. So, it can be logically concluded that last minute preparations made a lot of difference to us then. But would that also be true in the case of CAT exam?

PRAQTISE Fact File:

Activities	Timeline
Admit Card Download Window	24^th October 2016, 1:00 PM till Exam Day
Test Date	04^th December 2016 (Sunday)
Release of Results	2^nd week of January 2017 (Tentative)

An earthen pot maker never forgets to give the finishing touches to his pot. He knows that a rough and unfinished pot makes it to no one’s home. In the same way, last minute preparation is also important. It can definitely pay off during the CAT exam if done wisely.

Last minute preparation can be in the form of numerous practices, which can act as powerful ways to prepare yourself for what is to come:

Revise – If you revise in the last few days, you will have a chance to get a better look at what you have studied so far. This will allow you to go through your notes and study materials to brush up on the basics from CAT syllabus. Revision will ensure that you have your basics clear, be it mathematical formulae or vocabulary revision. This will give you more confidence with different types of questions.
Practice – Revision is not limited to looking at notes. You might also like to try a few questions based on CAT exam pattern. These can be section or topic-wise in nature. This practice will make you work more on maintaining accuracy and completing the questions in time. By solving questions from all different sections and diverse topics, you can be updated and acquainted with the different types of questions that you can expect.
One last mock test – During the last weeks avoid following your old CAT mock test schedule of taking 2-3 tests a week. Instead of straining yourself, you can take 1-2 tests and analyze them thoroughly. This might be your last chance to understand the areas that you still need to work upon. In this case, the important aspect to understand is that this process needs to be taken in the form of a ritual that cannot be avoided.
Analysis– You can analyze all the previous tests that you have taken, especially the last mock test thoroughly. Such an approach will bring to notice the mistakes that you are committing more often or the areas that need more attention. This will give you a chance to cover up those spots and get ready for the exam.
Test taking strategy– By now you have taken a number of mock tests and know which strategy works best for you. On the basis of that, during last minute preparations, you can finalize your final test taking strategy. Since you would not have the choice to start with your strong section, you should focus more on choosing the right questions to attempt. You can put this strategy to test in the “one last mock test” ritual. You can decide the time you want to spend on each question. A strategy will help you go in with more confidence.

Praqtical look:

Last minute CAT preparation can make a huge difference to your results. It will give you the satisfaction of having done all you could. The most pristine and sacred time during preparation is the last hour before the exam. Use the last hour in the wisest manner possible. Firstly, you should avoid taking up new topics. Neither would you be able to grasp it, nor would you be able to revise your already prepared topics properly. This will mount tremendous stress on you and you might lose out your confidence. It is alright to leave out few topics. Revise, practice, analyze and strategize to make the best of this time. Spend this hour sharpening your battle axe rather than finding the right weapons to use. You shall make it to the top colleges with flying colors. Godspeed!

Let us know your opinion about last minute preparation in the comments below.

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CAT paper – How Creating a Confidence Index for each section will help you

Praqtise — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 00:04:17 +0000

I looked out of the window of my car at the polluted, bustling city road, amidst a plethora of noise and voices. After eight hours of constant preparation for the CAT paper, my head was throbbing with a painful headache. As I sat, contemplating on whether all those hours seemed to make any difference to my knowledge, my eyes fell upon a group of beggars. These little children in rags were moving around amidst the automobiles, with little trinkets in their hands. As I started to observe them move around, I started to notice their “marketing strategy”. It was incredible to see how they somehow changed their begging techniques or “marketing approach” as an MBA aspirant would say, according to the people they encountered. They somehow picked the people who looked more prone to sympathy and spent more time and effort on them.

This gave me a brilliant idea. As the signal turned green and the chaos on the street lurched forward, I wondered if I could systematically arrange my CAT preparation. This was when I decided to create a confidence index for my CAT paper preparation.

Confidence Index for CAT Paper

Preparing for the CAT exam requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Considering the enormous number of applicants who take CAT each year, one must regularly analyse their performance. Creating a confidence index that will help you in evaluating your performance will guarantee an improvement.

A confidence index is a tactically designed method to assess your weaknesses, using which one can efficiently work on the challenging subjects. This is similar to the technique that the urchins on the road use, whereby you segregate the chapters that you feel most confident about, while simultaneously singling out those chapters in which you are weak. Studying with a more structured approach, by planning out your study hours, while you compare your performance routinely will boost your percentile.

PRAQTISE FACT FILE: THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF ENROLMENTS FOR CAT EXAM WAS IN THE YEAR 2008, WITH 2.76 LAKH REGISTRATIONS. AND THE LOWEST NUMBER OF REGISTRATIONS WAS RECORDED IN THE YEAR 2014 WITH 1.89 LAKH.

Take a diagnostic test

Before beginning with CAT preparation, take a dose of diagnostic test. Start with this test, as it is an eye opener that gives you a reality check of where you stand.

CAT paper comprises of topics divided across the three broad sections including Quantitative Aptitude (QA) to Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC) to Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR). Evaluate each section by checking the number of question attempted. Based on the number of attempts, rank each section from high to low in terms of confidence. Concentrate on sections based on the rank, by giving more time to ones with that are lower on the confidence index.

Section	Attempts	Confidence Index
QA	20/34	Medium
VCR	18/34	Low
DILR	25/32	High

Next, set your minimum target score for each section that you want to cross within a set amount of time. This will give you a direction by quantifying how much effort you need to put in while preparing to reach your set target.

Divide and Conquer

This is the basic step for building up your understanding of the subjects and concepts. Each section being equally important, one must begin by getting their fundamentals right for each topic. Be it quantitative or qualitative your syllabus must be at your fingertips.

As you start learning from scratch, you would be amazed by the confidence that you will gain by building a robust foundation. An in-depth, pragmatic approach while preparing for the CAT paper would be to keep a close track of your problem areas. This enables students to ensure that they work on their lacking areas correctly. So, jot down the topics from each section and segregate them on the basis of your confidence, while you solve questions from each topic. Also mentioning your problem area for each topic would help you plan out your study hours effectively. This is an effective way to ensure that one doesn’t neglect their drawbacks.

Quantitative Aptitude: Confidence Index – Medium
Topic	Problem area
Number System	Nil
Complex Number	Slow Speed
Probability	Concept, More practice of sum

Empowering mock tests

To become perfect at any thing requires regular practice. This applies for your MBA entrance exams as well. To get acquainted with the CAT question paper style you must get used to it. This is achievable only if you develop the regular habit of giving a complete test. More the number of tests you give, better are your chances to score more.

Begin giving mock tests at least three months before the day of CAT exam. Fix a day in a week to give the test and make sure you attempt the test as a real one. This exercise might drain you mentally initially, but as it becomes regular, you will feel more comfortable sitting for 3 hours straight. This is a fruitful exercise because of two main reasons:

You will understand time constraints while attempting examinations and will also be able to get a better idea on how to manage your time efficiently while jumbling between questions or entire sections.
You will know which area or section you are weak in, hence allowing you to track your performance intricately.

A Praqtical Look: As you prepare for entrance MBA exams, you will have your strengths and shortcomings with each section. But, remember no one is perfect. It is practice that makes one perfect. Don’t focus too much on the end score. Keep your focus on the present task, as this will improve your overall result.

Was this suggestion useful? Do you already use a confidence index? Let us know in the comments.

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CAT paper Archives - PRAQTISE - India's most fun, adaptive and personalized online preparation platform for MBA entrance tests like CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, IIFT, etc.

What difference can last minute preparations make in CAT Exam?

CAT paper – How Creating a Confidence Index for each section will help you

Confidence Index for CAT Paper

Take a diagnostic test

Section

Attempts

Confidence Index

Divide and Conquer

Quantitative Aptitude: Confidence Index – Medium

Empowering mock tests