Mistakes to Avoid While Preparing for the CAT Exam

Analysis of CAT Exam faults made during preparation and getting rid of them are equally as vital as working hard to pass the exam.

So, if you're studying for the CAT, attempt to avoid the mistakes listed below.

1. Ignoring the Foundations

For the CAT Exam, it's imperative to develop the fundamental ideas and lay a solid foundation before moving on to the more advanced areas. You will get into difficulty if you skip the fundamentals and move right on to the advanced level.

2. No Daily Time Table                                                                                          

Most of the students work hard, but not many prepare a daily/weekly timetable. Time Table is the most decisive element while you prepare for CAT. It is advisable to every CAT aspirant to plan his/her daily preparation by making a schedule and stick to that discipline. This timetable should be prepared in such a manner that it can be practically followed.

3. Inadequacy in Regular Revision

You need to regularly revise all the concepts, formulae and shortcuts learned; else it might become difficult to recall them on the day of final CAT exam. In this regard, you can keep half a day aside every week or fortnight, wherein you can revise all that you have covered so far.

4. Avoiding Self-Preparation Strategies

Not everyone has the same ability to study. Some students have good verbal skills and some are good with quantitative aptitude. So identifying one’s own methodology of preparation is a vital part. When you create your own preparation strategies, it would generate more favorable results and give you a boost of confidence in your own abilities. Avoiding self-preparation will only keep things difficult.

‍5. Not taking Mock Tests

Even after having enough access to practice papers and mock tests many of us do not take advantage of them because of our laziness. We all know but forget that these mock tests not only help in time management but also help in boosting the confidence.

6. Over/under analyzing mocks

Mocks are serious business. If you’re scoring well, keep at it and try not to get overconfident. At the same time if the scores seem low don’t let them break you. Remember that mock scores will not decide your actual performance.

The most important thing is to analyze them and look for gaps in your preparation.

7. Neglecting one section

Either focusing too much on one section or neglecting one whole section because you are weak in one section and strong in another section is not a good idea.

8. Improper or Nil Analysis on what to attempt and what not to attempt

CAT is time-based paper. If time was unlimited, you would have solved to the best of your knowledge, but being time bound you have to make a choice of which question to select, which to leave and more importantly if you have selected, you must be ready to move on to next question if you are not able to solve in a predesignated time. This is exactly what people don’t do because you may not realize it but it actually takes time from other questions, so read the question think for a second if you are actually going to solve the question, rather than traditional read and try to solve.

9. Every Exam is important

Most students focus just on CAT but then if they don’t appear for the other exams, they would miss the opportunity of being in some really good colleges.
With the IIMs giving so much weightage to academics, it becomes important to focus on other exams like the IIFT, TISS, XAT, SNAP, NMAT and more. Similarly, keep working on your GK, vocabulary, and decision making even though CAT doesn’t have a question from these.

And don’t stop after you are done with CAT, that’s not the time to lay back and relax. Your preparation should be geared up even more to face the GDs and PIs that follow.

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