How to begin studying for the CAT exam is a crucial question that necessitates a well-thought-out plan of action for students who want to pursue a career in business and corporate administration. A candidate must pass the CAT exam, an aptitude screening examination, in order to be considered for MBA admission to one of the nation’s more than 1200 management schools.

In addition to passing the CAT 2023, candidates are also evaluated in the WAT, GD, and PI rounds. Candidates who are considering how to begin their preparation must create the necessary foundation. The two most crucial tools for exam preparation are consistency and focused work because they provide a solid conceptual basis and excellent precision.

With so many CAT preparation methods available online, the question is: how do you choose which one to use? This post includes some key methods outlined by BYJU’S experts to make it simpler for you.

Tips to Start CAT Preparation: Pre-preparation Plan

The aspirants must check the latest CAT Syllabus and official exam pattern to start their preparation. A scheduled time plan is also important to stay focused at the time of preparation.

Here in the section below our exam experts have listed some pre-preparation plans which will help you crack the CAT in the best possible way.

Check the Latest Paper Pattern

You cannot take part in the CAT race until you get familiar with the guidelines. The CAT Exam Pattern and syllabus will serve as cover for the norms and regulations in this case. This would be the starting point for your preparation, providing a sense of topic-wise weightage and assessing the applicants’ general intellectual prowess and depth of knowledge.

If you overlook these two characteristics of the CAT exam, your preparation process will be incomplete and difficult. Keep in mind that the CAT combines accuracy and aptitude.

Judge Your Current Knowledge Level

The candidates must check their position before start preparing for CAT 2023. Judging their knowledge will help them to understand where they have to start. You can also attempt one free CAT mock tests to evaluate your subject-wise knowledge for the CAT exam.

Consider all the variables, such as funds, location, and time availability, if you intend to enrol in CAT classes. Additionally, make sure you sign up for a programme that will assist you in CAT online preparation and offer ongoing encouragement through peer-to-peer learning.

Build Conceptual Foundation

Speed and accuracy are the two key criteria for a high CAT score. Both of these require a solid conceptual framework, and it cannot be achieved without it. Therefore, the next stage is to make your concepts stronger.

Strong fundamentals can be acquired through practice and revision. Practice a variety of questions from the topics you have studied, all with varying degrees of difficulty. Your conceptual understanding will be strengthened, and your CAT preparation will gain momentum as a result.

How to Start Preparing for CAT: Section-Wise Preparation Tips

Chapter-wise or section-wise preparation for any competitive exam is very important to build a basic fundamental understanding of the topics covered in that exam.

Here, our experts have listed section-wise preparation tips that you can follow to get a good score on the exam.

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

  • Enhance your reading habits, although you are not interested to read long passages or stories. Because the exam conducting authority asks for long RC passages, so if you practice reading, it will improve your visualization power.
  • Before you enter the CAT exam room, you need at the very least be familiar with 2,500–3,000 challenging words and 500–600 idioms.
  • The best approach to sharpen your grammar is to follow Grammar Manual. By providing a variety of exercises and test questions, a good grammar manual can assist you in developing your grammatical abilities.
  • Work on your critical thinking skills

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

  • Read the questions carefully to understand their concepts and the hidden clue. Never assume the answer as it may lead to a negative marking.
  • Practice the questions related to caselets, bar graphs, various charts (line, pie, radar), and table-based data interpretation sets.
  • The candidate should concentrate on steadily increasing their speed and accuracy while practising. Setting timers for practice sets and gradually reducing the time will help you do this.

Quantitative Aptitude

  • Review the CAT important formulas and learn the key equations for subjects like geometry, menstruation, and profit & loss. When answering questions, it will speed up the process and cut down on time.
  • Get CAT books that cover the maths curriculum taught in schools, then start answering the questions. You’ll be able to improve your comprehension of many ideas and formulas by doing this.

Start Preparing for CAT Exam: Attempt Mock Tests

When preparing for the competitive entry, mock exercises can be your holy grail. It will aid in time management and the creation of a test-taking plan. It will not only assist in controlling your preparation but also in helping you effectively manage your time and boost your motivation.

Frequently Asked Questions on Tips to Start CAT Preparation

Q1

How to start preparing for CAT?

In order to start preparing for CAT, the candidates should know the official exam pattern and syllabus. Check all the details related to marks distribution, weightage, and chapters and then start your preparation.

Q2

Should I start preparing for CAT 2023 in advance?

Yes, the aspirants must start CAT 2023 preparation as the earliest. Early preparation will help them to complete the syllabus on time and give them enough time for revisions.

Q3

When should the candidates start preparing for CAT?

The candidates should start preparing for CAT from their college days, as the syllabus is huge. Read the article to know when is the best time to begin CAT preparation

Q4

Is 1 year in hand enough to do CAT preparation?

Yes, it is enough time to do CAT preparation. But the candidates must be focused and dedicated in their preparation, otherwise, all the efforts will be wasted.

Q5

Is CAT mandatory for MBA admission?

If the candidates are only interested to join IIMs to study MBA then CAT is compulsory to crack. Otherwise, you can also attempt the other MBA exams, like MAT, CMAT, XAT, IIFT and SNAP.