CAT 2022: The Common Admission Test (CAT 2022) will be held on this Sunday, November 27. As just a week left for the B-schools entrance, the candidates should have their best strategy plans to ace the CAT 2022. But, do you want to know how toppers of previous years got success in one of the toughest entrance exams- CAT?
Soham Katkar, last year topper in CAT shared last-minute tips to ace the B-schools entrance with Careers360. The topper advised candidates to stress on mock tests and revise important topics at the last moment. "By now, I assume you must have solved at least 5-10 mocks. So you must have gotten acquainted to the paper pattern, time constraints, and must have modelled a basic strategy for the exam," the topper said. ALSO READ | CAT Exam 2022 On November 27: Test Format; Marking Scheme Explained
CAT 2022: Last-Minute Preparation Tips By 2021 Topper Soham Katkar
Finalise Your Strategy - This includes how you approach your paper, the order of question, and the average time you assign to a set of problems (like an RC, or a DILR set, etc). You must fine tune your strategy with the ticking clock at the top right corner. Everyone needs to come up with their own strategy, as different things work for different people. My strategy used to be - 8 mins per RC passage, start with 2 passages, then complete all Verbal questions, and then back to RCs, depending on time, 1 or 2 RCs. For DILR, solve the 4-question sets first, as they are generally easier, and then the 6-question sets. For Quants, attempt the easier questions first (based on the concepts you are well versed with), and if time permits, come back to the tough questions you skipped. If you know that a specific type of question is your weak link, skip it right away rather than wasting time on it. READ MORE | CAT 2022 After 7 Days; Know What Is Exam Day Document Verification, Registration Process
Analyse Your Mocks - Now that you have given enough mock tests, it is important to analyse what you have done right and what you have done wrong so far. If you are doing something right consistently, build up your confidence on that - those are your scoring areas on the final day. Don't doubt yourself or double check on those answers on the exam day - follow your gut, you'll mostly be right. These are the questions where you save time. Coming to what you have done wrong - try to find out a pattern in your mistakes. There is always a pattern, a common area, or some conceptual issue, and you have to work on it (and 'only it' in the last week, you shouldn't have a lot of prep lined up for the last week).
Focus On Accuracy - Never rush through questions just for the sake of the ticking time. It is always better to solve 2 questions correctly in 5 mins, than trying to rush through 3 of them, and getting 1 right and 2 wrong. Maximising the number of solved questions is not the aim - maximising the marks is. READ MORE | CAT 2022: Is Switching Among Sections Prohibited?
Be Calm On The Exam Day - Friday night 23:59 is the last time you should be studying for CAT. Saturday should be a nice day off. You tend to be finicky on the exam day, and it never helps. That's just restlessness. The calmness should extend to the exam day as well. Eat well before the exam, rest well, and enter the exam hall calmly. Even after the exam is done, don't try to figure out what others are scoring, or don't try to figure out if my slot was easier/tougher than other slots.
Mr Katkar topped the CAT last year with 100 percentile. The topper is now pursuing MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM Calcutta). Sharing his experience in studying at IIM Calcutta, the topper said, "IIM Calcutta has a great environment. It's competitive, but healthy. It gives you the correct amount of push to keep working on yourself, and teaches you learn from others' experiences."
