CMAT 2020 Preparation Tips and Strategy without Coaching
What is CMAT?
CMAT or the Common Management Admission Test is an annual entrance exam that the NTA conducts to help the colleges to shortlist candidates for the second stage of the MBA admission process. It is an online computer-based test of 3 hours in which the applicants have to attempt 100 questions divided into four sections. Each section consists of 25 questions and 100 marks.
What are the sections of CMAT paper?
There are four sections in the CMAT paper.
- Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation
- Logical Reasoning
- Language Comprehension
- General Awareness
What is the Marking Scheme of CMAT?
- Each question carries four marks.
- Candidates will get 4 marks for answering every question correctly.
- For every incorrect response, there will be a deduction of 1 mark from the total marks of the applicant.
- There will be no negative marking for not attempting a question.
Is Coaching necessary for CMAT?
There is no need to join a coaching institute if you are familiar with the basic concepts of the skills tested in CMAT. A candidate who is not in touch with the quant or reasoning section from a long time can join the classes to brush up the concepts. Aspirants who need guidance and improvement regarding any topic of CMAT sections can also join a coaching institute.
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Preparation Strategy for CMAT without Coaching Class
- Prepare a Time-table: Decide how many hours you can give every day for the CMAT preparation. Divide the time you have set for daily preparation into five equal parts.
- Equal Attention: To score a decent percentile in CMAT, you have to give equal attention to all the sections. A candidate targeting 96+ CMAT percentile cannot afford to avoid his/ her weaker areas. For example, if you have decided to study for 5 hours every day, you should allot one hour each for every section and reserve one hour for revision.
- Regular Practice– Any aspirant of any exam practising every day scores more marks than the candidates trying to finish the syllabus at the last moment. Daily practice will improve your accuracy and also boost your confidence.
- Daily Revision– Revising what you have studied in a day will not let you forget the topics easily. It will not only boost your confidence but also make your preparation strong.
- Set Goals– Set daily, weekly and monthly goals and strive towards achieving them. Such goals help the candidates to finish a topic in due time. Often candidates think, “ I will finish this topic tomorrow”. This results in piling up of topics and in no time the exam date starts approaching. Trying to achieve a target helps in disciplined studying and preparation. Nonetheless, only set realistic goals. Setting targets that you can’t achieve will only demotivate you.
- Mock Tests– Joining an online mock test series will help you to analyse your weak areas and identify your strong sections. The feedback will prevent you from repeating the mistakes. It will also give the aspirants a real-time CMAT exam atmosphere.
- Time Management- Even though there is no sectional time limit in CMAT, applicants must not get laid back regarding this factor. Assign 45 to 50 minutes solving the first three sections of the paper. The General Awareness section can be attempted in 20 minutes as well. Imbibe this strategy while solving the mock tests to increase your speed.
- Select the time of the day when you feel like studying. It can be morning, afternoon, evening or night. Try to study at the time desirable to you. This will result in productive preparation as you will be able to concentrate on your study more.