How To Prepare for the CAT in 180 Days?

1) Know your test: First things first, be aware of the sections in CAT, namely VARC, DILR and QA. Know the pattern and number of questions asked. Generally there are a total of 100 questions in CAT. The distribution is 34, 32 and 34 for VARC, DILR and QA respectively. The questions are of MCQ and TITA(type in the answer) types. Each question carries 3 marks, hence the paper is of 300 marks. For a wrong answer in MCQs, you get -1 while there are no negative marks in TITA questions. Please note there is no hard and fast paper pattern. This is the pattern that is observed in the past years. CAT has a notorious reputation of throwing in surprises. 2) Strategy for VARC: The VARC section will consist of 24 Reading Comprehension questions and 10 Verbal Ability questions. The RC section contains passages from varied fields like, science, business and economics, social sciences, current events. Please note the list is not exhaustive. CAT may, and does surprise you. Since RCs are given from such diversified sources, your reading habits should also be diverse. A prior reading habit would really help. The following reading sources are suggested: a) Newspapers: It is a must for any MBA Aspirant. You should focus on the editorials and the front page. b) Magazines: Preferably business magazine. c) Novels: Expose yourself to novels of various genres. Try solving two RCs every day, hence in 180 days you will be done with 360 RCs. No one can stop you then. For the VA section, the only strategy is to practice, practice and practice. The VA section contains para jumbles, para summary and picking the odd sentence out of jumbled paragraphs. Reading habits will again come in handy. Solve as many questions as you can from previous years and test series. Try solving ten questions for VA everyday. You may choose 10 para jumbles one day, 10 para summary the next day and 10 odd one out the third day. Solving 1800 VA questions will make you unstoppable. C) Strategy for DILR: The DILR section consists of 8 sets, each set containing four questions. There is no distinction between LR sets and DI sets as logical thinking is required for solving the DI sets too. In recent years, the DILR section is generally the most difficult, and hence you must focus on accuracy rather than speed. You should not expect to get specific question types like seating arrangement for this section. Questions are made to test your ability to think out of the box at the spot. Hence, for this section, it is advisable to solve new questions types, without others help. In the exam you will face new question types demanding out of the box thinking. Your mentor cannot develop this for you, you need to do it yourself. Solve previous year papers and study materials. Try to solve at least two sets everyday and in 180 days you are done with 360 sets! Also note, in the past 2-3 years, solving only 3-4 sets correctly will fetch you outstanding percentiles. D) Strategy for Quantitative Aptitude: Unlike DILR, you can expect similar questions from your textbook and previous years for this section. If your basics are not clear, go topic wise first and clear all the concepts. If you know the concepts, then start solving practice test, identify which chapter seems difficult. If there is any, read the concepts from that chapter. You should try to complete all the topics by three to four months max. Once all the concepts are clear, try to solve test papers and practice sets with questions from all the topics. Remember, the CAT paper will have questions distributed from all the topics. It is advisable to solve 15-20 questions daily back to back. Solving 2700 - 3600 problems in 180 days will be the last nail in the coffin to seal the best score in CAT. E) Strategy for MOCK TESTS: Any top percentiler in CAT has solved anywhere between 50 to 100 mocks. As you have only 180 days, try to write at least 50 mock CATs. On the days you write the mocks, you may reduce the number of daily practice questions prescribed above. ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR CAT PREPARATION FROM TEAM CAREER LAUNCHER!