Anisha has done MBA in Marketing from NMIMS And Executive Management(PMNO) from Harvard Business School. She has been instrumental in growing CATKing Digital with her experience with Marico and Henkel in the past.
CAT preparation in 4 months
CAT in 4 months, What should be the plan of action? How to Crack CAT? Where to channel my efforts? We answer these questions in a simple manner with the goal of "FOCUSED and SMART Learning". Our strategy is to divide the entire preparation into three phases, Assume you are preparing for a SPRINT Marathon and crack cat in 4 months.
DO THE GRIND:
In phase, I, cover the basics and become GOD in it. Like it’s always said, “Skyscrapers are well sustainable if built on a strong foundation!” Solve as many questions as possible for quants. This is the phase where one builds on first principles to prepare the mind for the tougher battles ahead. For the verbal section, set aside two hours every day to reading. Read lots of stuff and with as much variety as possible.
The topic, style, subject, and size do not matter (Fiction, non-fiction, sports, politics, economics, science, anything goes). Just build the reading habit and get the mind ready to receive written content. Start by reading newspapers, business magazines, or favorite English comics like Calvin & Hobbes, etc. This phase is similar to an Olympic athlete player spending hours in the gym. This phase should go on for about six weeks.
BUILD INTENSITY
Start building intensity. Take section-wise tests, set yourself targets for sets of 15, 20, or 30 minutes. “Practice, Practice, and Practice!!” Start practicing for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Increase the intensity steadily by mixing up topics and setting varying time targets.
This is the phase where you should select one DI bunch, one LR puzzle, two passages in RC, and 8 questions in Number Theory and set yourself 50 minutes of high-intensity preparation. It is akin to an athlete training muscle by muscle and play-by-play. This is probably the part of CAT preparation that is heavily underestimated. People who are used to spending 10 hours in the office or eight hours in college think that writing a 2 hour 20 minute-exam cannot be that taxing.
Taking a test for 140 minutes without concentration "drops" is challenging and will not come without getting the mind ready for it. The better you do this the less tired you will get handling regular questions in CAT and more energy you will have for handling tougher ones. This should go on for about four weeks. Make your body used to the Grind of solving with a calm mindset for hours at one Go!
FINE TUNE YOUR PREPARATION
Phase III is simple. Take mock exams. Analyze them vigorously. Plug whatever gaps you find by revisiting the basics, strengthen our weak areas, and master your strengths. How to Analyze Mocks?
- Focus on what kind of questions you have gotten wrong
- Which ones you should have attempted but have skipped?
- What are the questions that took time without giving you much in return?
- Which questions should you have skipped straightaway, etc?
Do not waste time on studying percentile patterns and such. Most mock CAT percentile scores are nothing more than a distraction. This should ideally go on for about five weeks. This is the phase where the athlete simulates match conditions, studies opponents, figures out the draw, etc. Follow this as you go to the gym in routine and CAT is sorted!!
Also read:
Top Colleges through CET How to crack verbal ability
CET Preparation MAH-CET Preparation Plan
How to prepare for CET in one month How to Crack CET
How to crack LR in MBA CET CAT & CET
