The Common Admission Test or the CAT is knocking at the door. Test-takers are ready to take the CAT this Sunday. Preparations of the past few months will see fruition. Candidates are busy with last-minute revisions. Both full-lengths, as well as section-wise mocks, occupy students’ days and nights.
Most test-takers carry butterflies in their bellies, much as nervousness is the one state to avoid. Relax when you enter the center and continue to keep calm until after you submit your test, as you wait to get the results and selection to PI/WAT/GD.
What you should or should not do
IIMs have reduced the test duration to 120 minutes from the previous 180 minutes. But there is no clarity on the number of questions in each section yet. You need to work smartly to attempt the questions diligently. Solving with speed and accuracy is the key to score well.
You want to maximize your score – attempt all the TITA (Type in the answer) questions and as many of the MCQs (Multiple choice questions) accurately.
This strategy will minimize our negative markings, as you will be marked negatively for incorrect attempts on MCQs while the TITA questions do not carry negative marks.
Read the questions and options quickly, keeping in mind the negative marking of MCQs. Attempt questions that you are confident of the answer.
skip questions that seem too difficult or too time-consuming. But you cannot skip all the passages in VA RC. Select at least three passages that you find comfortable attempting – topic, style, question types that seem more familiar to you.
|
Section |
Total questions |
Minimum number of questions you should attempt |
|
Q A |
34 |
23 |
|
VA RC |
34 |
22 |
|
DI LR |
34 |
20 |
Mocks
Continue to take mocks daily. Take at least one full mock and one sectional mock of each section every day. Analyze each mock and check work on improving the accuracy in each section. Mocks give you the practice you need to complete the questions within the given timeframe.
Revise whatever you have learned till now. Analyze the notes and exercises that you had solved in the past few months. The more time you spend on revision, the more polished your concepts get.
You might keep short notes of some parts of each section. Revisit these short notes a day prior to the test – on the 28 November 2020. Avoid picking up big books on the 28th. This exercise will give you more practice on important texts while saving precious time searching for notes.
You would do well to stay away from new concepts at this juncture.
Serene is the new cool
Keeping your cool is crucial to staying on top. On D-day, ensure you are prepared in all respects. Turn in early on the 28th so that you sleep well. Whichever slot you are due, report ahead of time. Visiting the location a day or two prior to the test is a good idea.
You will have an idea about the commute time, route, and exact location. You can avoid wasting time in finding the center if you know the location beforehand. Familiarity with the test center is mandatory especially if you are taking the CAT in the first slot when you must report at 7 AM.
All the best!
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