The Indian Institutes of Management will conduct computer based common admission test (CAT) 2017 on 26th November 2017 in two sessions. Aspirants can start applying from 9th August 2017 and last date of applying form is 20th September 2017 (5:00 pm). Admit card of the exam will be available on 18th October to 26th November 2017.
Study Plan To Crack CAT 2017
You can but can you really give it all in those 4 months is what I would have wanted to know. If yes, get up & start working right away.
CAT has 3 parts. All need different types of preparation. However, the one common thing that runs across is Hard Work which is pretty much required for any exam and which you are anyway doing. I tell you some points you remember that…
• Start with basics first, brush up all the concepts as quick as you can, dig into important topics and make note of formulas or shortcut and target July end to complete your basic level.
• Improving on calculations: This is important not only in DI, but also in Math. If you are able to do most of the calculations in your mind then you will be much faster as compared to dong written calculations.
• When you start preparing for the exam, you will get to know what your weak and strong areas are. If you are comfortable with the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section but find difficulty in solving problems related Quantitative Aptitude, then you should dedicate maximum time in practicing such problems.
• You should prepare a study plan which distributes the syllabus in a day wise or weekly schedule. Make a plan to accommodate the entire syllabus of the CAT. You should be very careful when making your study plan, so that nothing is left-out and ample time is allocated to all topics.
• If you feel the need of guidance from an expert, you can enroll yourself in a coaching centers. There you will have experienced professionals guiding you. They would provide you with proper study materials & also teach neat and handy tricks needed for the exam.
• Unless you are an expert in English or have been an avid reader from a long time, it is advisable to read atleast one hour everyday till the day before your exam. Ideally one should read articles on topics in which one is not comfortable with.
• Another way of preparing for the exam is taking online mock tests. Taking mock tests will improve your speed & give you a real time experience of solving the paper. You can also go through previous years question papers & modal question papers for the same.
Quantitative Aptitude Preparation
1. Speed and accuracy are very important to finish this section on time and get each answer correctly.
2. Try to Attempt easy category questions first such as Simplification, Problems on Ages, Percentage, Average, Simple Interest, Profit and Loss, Ratio & Proportions, etc.
3. Each topic has its own unique way to answer its questions and there are shortcuts that should be learned while practicing to improve speed. You should be familiar with the concepts and short cut routes to solving questions.
4. Your speed also depends on how well you know each question, so do not dwell on questions you are not particularly good at.
5. When practicing quantitative aptitude, do not try to study everything in detail. Be very familiar with your strengths and dwell on topics you have weaknesses in.
6. Quantitative section consumes most of your time if you are not familiar with shortcut tricks.
7. The key to success on this section is practicing as many mock tests as possible.
I would highly recommend to start with Arun Sharma for quantitative aptitude. Its a well designed book with lots of tricks and tips. Although the level is high but for an excellent aptitude you must follow it.
Logical Reasoning Preparation
Read the question carefully and make sure you establish why an option is incorrect.
• Do not assume information that is not given in the question.
• A valid conclusion is one that definitely follow from the information you are given
• An invalid conclusion is one of that definitely from the information.
• Read both the factual passage and the sentence completion instruction carefully. Both must be considered in making your choice.
• Be sure to read all the response choices carefully before eliminating or choosing one of them.
• You should also be very careful if any response choices that contain the quantifiers "all" or "none". Generally, in both the sample practice questions and in the actual CAT assessment, these words are NOT signs of incorrect response choices. They will appear in both correct and incorrect response choices.
• Pay close attention to the word "ONLY" and to the phrase "IF AND ONLY IF". Saying "The car lock will open IF AND ONLY IF original keys are used" sets up a highly specific condition that must be met. There is exactly one way to open the car lock - you must use the original keys of the car. By contrast, if the sentence says, "The car lock will open if the original key is used," there may be several ways to open the car lock besides by using the original key.
Verbal Ability Preparation
1. First step: Build a reading habits –
you must be in a habit of heavy reading! Start with simple books. Don’t go for Indian authors as the writing style of most Indian fiction writers is very simple and is not the perfect match to get CAT reading started. From the newspaper, at this level, you should try reading simple articles on philosophy or spiritual readings like the “Speaking Tree” by Times of India. Monitor your progress.
2. Reading Style
Always read keeping in mind the Central idea or the main theme of a paragraph. This helps you map a passage at one go. Good trainers will further teach you ways to speed read after you have done months of good central idea based reading. Keep noting what you read and keep moving. Do not get slow by getting too much into why and how.
3. Focus more on the main topics
Focus mainly on Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Summarization and Odd Man out. These topics cover almost all of 34 questions that come in CAT verbal.
4. Work through Verbal sectional and topic tests
Accuracy is the key in verbal as in the last 3 years the level has been easy to moderate. You can build speed at this level; accuracy becomes the main parameter for success then. Attempt at least 100 tests on Verbal, apart from the full mocks. Remember, clear your doubts and build appropriate mistake patterns in mind before you attempt the next test.
"There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with HARD WORK, there are NO LIMITS."
ALL THE BEST!!!
