It is never too late to start preparing for the CAT, especially if you have just 2 months left. The CAT notification has just come out and the question that you have in your mind is “Can I crack CAT in 2 months?”.
Honestly, it does require a lot of effort and focus from your end if you are looking to crack CAT in just two months. If you are repeater, it helps. If you are not, you know that all you have got is two months, but the good things is that CAT is not a knowledge exam. It is an aptitude exam.
And in an aptitude exam, the amount of time you have spent in mugging up theories doesn’t matter. In fact it is not even required. All that is required is your presence of mind.
In this article, we will give you a step-by-step study plan that will help you in preparing for CAT in this little but enough time that you have. This study plan will ensure that you are ready on the D-day and can perform at you maximum performance levels. Therefore, let us deep-dive into the study plan and get cracking!
Let us first start by dispelling a few myths about the exam As I have already mentioned. CAT is an aptitude exam and not a knowledge exam. Which means you don’t have to memorize a ton of things that are crucial for your success. In fact I would say that the more knowledge you have doesn’t mean that you’ll get a higher score in CAT.
CAT is an aptitude exam. Which simply means that you need to be good at solving the questions purely on the basis of the most rudimentary concepts. These are usually whatever you have learned in English and Maths till class 10th.
Now, let us share with you a study plan that will help you make the most of these two months that you have with you.
Just starting out with your CAT preparation means you need to get all the basic concepts under the belly. This is required more in case of quant and lesser in case of VARC, DI and LR which require more of exam practice right from day 1.
The first thing you need to start off with is a CAT mock. Take a CAT mock right on the first day of your preparation. This will give you and idea of what is your current standing and how much of an effort will be required to propel you towards the ideal percentile.
Further, take a target of 10 days and cover all the basics of Quantitative Aptitude. You could learn from a good Quantitative Aptitude book or can take Books and Materials package from a reputed coaching institute. Covering the basics includes solving he solved examples in that book.
Having covered the Quantitative Aptitude basics, now is the time to put the foot on the pedal and get the ‘match-practice’. For the next four weeks you will take three mock per week. This mock-taking exercise should be followed up with an in-depth mock analysis.
Further, for Quantitative Aptitude, solve all the previous year actual CAT questions. This means all the CAT questions from the year 1990 till the previous edition of CAT.
For VARC, in the mocks that you will be taking, ensure that you attempt all the questions of VARC. That is the eventual goal for you in the CAT exam. To be able to solve all the questions of VARC with around 80% accuracy.
For DILR, the fractions and the basic vedic maths questions that you would have studied in the first week should help. Spot one simple thing, where you able to find out the easy questions across the sets. If not, keep an eye on them in the next mock.
By this time, your CAT admit card should be out already. Therefore, it is important for you take all your mocks in exactly the same time slot as the time slot of your actual CAT exam.
It goes without saying that your mock taking should be followed up with deep analysis of each mock and going back to the drawing board, if required, to revise the concepts you are weak at.
After 3-4 mocks you will be able to solidify a strategy for yourself and it is advisable for you to follow that strategy.
This is the time when you need to take a break from your work if you are currently working somewhere. Sit back at home. Decrease your mocks to about 2 per week but do a full revision of the concepts of all the topics that you have studied.
The revision of the concepts should not take you more than one day once you are at home. On the other days, take up all the mocks that you had attempted earlier and go through them. Resolving 2-3 of your worst mocks is a good idea as it will refresh all the mistakes that you made.
Take your last mock here, which should also be the only mock that you take this week. Do not take any mock in the last 4 days. Light revision and glancing through some previous mocks could be helpful.
Let go of any kind of studies in the last 3 days. Go and enjoy a good comedy movie in these three days. You mind needs rest before you take the CAT exam.