CAT 2008 : Your Strategy & Perparation Status

[The_Big_K]

I'm sure a good bunch of our CEans are preparing for the Common Admission Tests conducted every year by Indian Institutes Of Management. Now that the mighty CAT is just few days away, how you prepare yourself in the next few days matters a lot.

How are you going to handle the weak areas? How many hours are you putting in? How's the progress so far? How are your scores in the mock tests? - share it with others and let's see if you can benefit.

Best!

[aashima]

Well have only bumped in, not to share strategies, but to ask for some
Its going to be my second attempt and seems will once again won't end up belling the giant CAT!
The basic strategy that seemed to work so far is analyzing your strong and weak areas and giving COMPARATIVELY more time to areas you're good in while taking the preparatory tests and to areas you're weak
in while doing your self study!

[The_Big_K]

When it comes to CAT, we have Kidakaka to help you with anything - everything

Kidakaka - over to you, sire!

[kidakaka]

Well folks, this is going to be a long one.

1. Dont solve the problem - instead eliminate the options, then choose - go for the lucky guess (its called guesstimate), it doesnt hurt that much
2. Solve as many questions as you can. I dont see the point of attempting only 20 questions ... 20Qs wont even get you 70%ile, then why aim for such a thing. Minimum should be 60Qs, and that too with 80% accuracy. For an IIM call, it has to be higher.
3. The whole idea with constant practice is to keep on increasing your attempts, and more importantly your accuracy.
4. The secret to crack the CAT, is TO KNOW that you can do it. All it needs is practice, practice and more practice. Oh, and some more practice.
5. Read the TOI editorials, if you have the ET or the Hindu, start reading the paper, put in atleast 1 hour a day in reading newspapers. Its a good habit. Itll help increase your awareness levels, increase your reading speed, and increase your comprehension.
6. Try to clean up your english. Focus on being grammatically correct. Start thinking in English.
7. Recite tables - 2-30, Squares - 1-100, Cubes - 1-20. Make your mind flexible and fast enough to do complex calculations without breaking a sweat.
8. Stop all other ancilliary activities and focus on studying only. No socialising, no games, no roaming around, no parties, no vacation.
9. Which study material do you have? IMS or Time? I havent seen Time myself, personally I liked the IMS material, its very comprehensive. Go through it atleast twice completely. Solve all the small module tests once, see where you have not done properly. Once you are done with all the tests, then re do them, and see to it that the mistakes are not repeated.
10. Whenever you finish a CAT paper, analyse your scores, see where you made mistakes, focus on that area, then give the next paper, analyse, repeat the cycle. Your scores should rise.

In the last month, be prepared to put in at least 8 hours a day, alternating 1 big mock CAT and a few smaller block tests v/s 2 big mock CATs (that takes a toll on your head, trust me ... giving two of them back to back drains you ... but I know you can do it ).

Try revisiting the same papers after 10-15 days, that should boost your confidence, since your scores are bound to increase. But be dead sure to finish all your material and revisit it once.

Feel to dash me a mail for any more gyaan.

All the best, now get back to your studies!!!

[The_Big_K]

Great tips, Kidakaka

CEans - pay attention to Kidakaka's post. He's been there, cracked CAT. I wish you all best of luck!

[techfreak!]

Really good information kidakaka gave us!
I am so new to all this! Just starting for preparing CAT stuff...hope I do it really well! Tensed!

[Neha]

Originally Posted by kidakaka

Well folks, this is going to be a long one.

1. Dont solve the problem - instead eliminate the options, then choose - go for the lucky guess (its called guesstimate), it doesnt hurt that much
2. Solve as many questions as you can. I dont see the point of attempting only 20 questions ... 20Qs wont even get you 70%ile, then why aim for such a thing. Minimum should be 60Qs, and that too with 80% accuracy. For an IIM call, it has to be higher.
3. The whole idea with constant practice is to keep on increasing your attempts, and more importantly your accuracy.
4. The secret to crack the CAT, is TO KNOW that you can do it. All it needs is practice, practice and more practice. Oh, and some more practice.
5. Read the TOI editorials, if you have the ET or the Hindu, start reading the paper, put in atleast 1 hour a day in reading newspapers. Its a good habit. Itll help increase your awareness levels, increase your reading speed, and increase your comprehension.
6. Try to clean up your english. Focus on being grammatically correct. Start thinking in English.
7. Recite tables - 2-30, Squares - 1-100, Cubes - 1-20. Make your mind flexible and fast enough to do complex calculations without breaking a sweat.
8. Stop all other ancilliary activities and focus on studying only. No socialising, no games, no roaming around, no parties, no vacation.
9. Which study material do you have? IMS or Time? I havent seen Time myself, personally I liked the IMS material, its very comprehensive. Go through it atleast twice completely. Solve all the small module tests once, see where you have not done properly. Once you are done with all the tests, then re do them, and see to it that the mistakes are not repeated.
10. Whenever you finish a CAT paper, analyse your scores, see where you made mistakes, focus on that area, then give the next paper, analyse, repeat the cycle. Your scores should rise.

In the last month, be prepared to put in at least 8 hours a day, alternating 1 big mock CAT and a few smaller block tests v/s 2 big mock CATs (that takes a toll on your head, trust me ... giving two of them back to back drains you ... but I know you can do it ).

Try revisiting the same papers after 10-15 days, that should boost your confidence, since your scores are bound to increase. But be dead sure to finish all your material and revisit it once.

Feel to dash me a mail for any more gyaan.

All the best, now get back to your studies!!!

Thanks for it Kidakaka!
wat my say on it is make sure to be as much accurate as possible, this definitely helps! *TESTED*

[aashima]

Originally Posted by kidakaka

Well folks, this is going to be a long one.

1. Dont solve the problem - instead eliminate the options, then choose - go for the lucky guess (its called guesstimate), it doesnt hurt that much
2. Solve as many questions as you can. I dont see the point of attempting only 20 questions ... 20Qs wont even get you 70%ile, then why aim for such a thing. Minimum should be 60Qs, and that too with 80% accuracy. For an IIM call, it has to be higher.
3. The whole idea with constant practice is to keep on increasing your attempts, and more importantly your accuracy.
4. The secret to crack the CAT, is TO KNOW that you can do it. All it needs is practice, practice and more practice. Oh, and some more practice.
5. Read the TOI editorials, if you have the ET or the Hindu, start reading the paper, put in atleast 1 hour a day in reading newspapers. Its a good habit. Itll help increase your awareness levels, increase your reading speed, and increase your comprehension.
6. Try to clean up your english. Focus on being grammatically correct. Start thinking in English.
7. Recite tables - 2-30, Squares - 1-100, Cubes - 1-20. Make your mind flexible and fast enough to do complex calculations without breaking a sweat.
8. Stop all other ancilliary activities and focus on studying only. No socialising, no games, no roaming around, no parties, no vacation.
9. Which study material do you have? IMS or Time? I havent seen Time myself, personally I liked the IMS material, its very comprehensive. Go through it atleast twice completely. Solve all the small module tests once, see where you have not done properly. Once you are done with all the tests, then re do them, and see to it that the mistakes are not repeated.
10. Whenever you finish a CAT paper, analyse your scores, see where you made mistakes, focus on that area, then give the next paper, analyse, repeat the cycle. Your scores should rise.

In the last month, be prepared to put in at least 8 hours a day, alternating 1 big mock CAT and a few smaller block tests v/s 2 big mock CATs (that takes a toll on your head, trust me ... giving two of them back to back drains you ... but I know you can do it ).

Try revisiting the same papers after 10-15 days, that should boost your confidence, since your scores are bound to increase. But be dead sure to finish all your material and revisit it once.

Feel to dash me a mail for any more gyaan.

All the best, now get back to your studies!!!

Thanks for the valuable tips Kidakaka. Things were really helpful. Of these, am already into reading as in novel and newspaper (TOI) is a daily job for me. Besides, have gone through CL material, these days working with TIME. Still things don't seem to work that good with VA. But yeah would practise more.
Thanks again

[rishabh_iit]

hey plz tell me how to overcome gd/pi phobia..........

[The_Big_K]

Originally Posted by rishabh_iit

hey plz tell me how to overcome gd/pi phobia..........

By participating in as my GD/PI sessions as you can. That's the only way.

PS: Do not use SMS text while posting on CE Forums.