The preparation for CAT 2019 is completely dependent on the individual and will definitely for different Cat 2019 aspirants. However, there are some golden rules which will never change and we all know that there is no substitute for hard work. Therefore let’s try to understand the nuances of the preparation strategy that a CAT 2019 aspirant should be considering to be completely well prepared for the examination. The following are the guidelines that PaGalGuY wish to deliver to its readers. A huge number of years of experience in MBA entrance exams and especially the CAT have gone in creating guidelines.

1. When to start preparations for CAT 2019:

The best person to decide this is the candidate and no one else. However there is a way to decide on this.

• Take up tests from last three CAT exam question papers. Consider real time and also ensure that you are in an exam environment.
• Set your goal percentile. If it is above 90 percentile, and the average of the three tests taken is around 60% to 70% of the total score, then it calls for a rigorous preparation of six to eight months.
• CAT exam is conducted in last week of Nov every year, therefore April or May 2019 would be the ideal time to start preparations for CAT 2019.

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2. How to Prepare for CAT 2019:

In order to decide about the mode of preparation, it is essential for an aspirant to understand the following things:

1. The structure of the CAT 2019 examination
2. The Candidate’s strengths and weaknesses
3. The candidate’s mode of study – Self-study or instructed mode (Coaching)

Let us understand the above mentioned aspects in details so that we have complete clarity on individual’s preparation strategy.

a. The structure of the CAT 2019 examination :

The know-how of the exam pattern is the most important thing to focus upon. The CAT 2019 would be divided into:

1. VARC( Verbal ability and reading comprehension) – Consists 34 questions and approximately gets valued for a score of 102 marks
2. DILR – Data Interpretation and logical reasoning, weighs around 96 marks and consists of around 32 questions.
3. Quantitative Aptitude (QA), which tests your mathematical capabilities, weighs again a score of 102 and will ask you to answer around 34 questions.

b. The Candidate’s strengths and weaknesses: It is highly essential for the candidate to know about themselves. The regular possibilities observed are:

• Engineering graduates might be great at Mathematics and might be struggling with Verbal and reading comprehension
• The non-engineering students are usually great at English and need practice in mathematics
• Some students are excellent at logic but struggle to answer memory based questions, because of the style of the study that they built over long years in their career till now
• The majority of the students who have studied in English medium schools in tier – 2 cities, feel that they are great at everything, but fail to reach the epitome level of either English or Quants. This is because of lack of exposure.

In the similar ways, it is clear that there are strengths of each and every candidate and shortfalls as well. Therefore, the intention of preparation for such candidates would be to address their shortfalls and go blazing with their strengths.

c. The candidate’s mode of study – Self-study or instructed mode (Coaching):

While some MBA applicants take training, others pursue their sense and select self-study with proper study materials accessible on the web, which can be for free of cost or paid.

Despite the fact that there is no firm principle to pursue a specific preparation strategy, what makes a difference is your capability to understand and recognize, which part of the CAT 2019 syllabus would be tougher for you and need additional instructive coaching and which of it can be managed by self. This judgement is the key and crux of choosing the coaching or self-study.

As discussed before, a portion of the CAT 2019 aspirants may have just begun taking training classes as per their helpful planning and mode. This does not imply that the individuals who have not taken a crack at instructing or intending to go for self-ponder are at a misfortune.

The coaching material, both offline and online are available in parts ensuring that they only cover one part of the syllabus, for Ex; say VARC. Therefore, with self-awareness of which part of the syllabus would need additional coaching, one can go ahead and take up respective courses only.

Therefore, the conclusion is that the preparation strategy would remain highly individualistic and need a thorough understanding of the subject and also about self. The combination of these, that it would fetch maximum marks to you is the best preparation strategy.

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For more CAT 2019 Articles please check below:

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