Prepping up for CAT 2022? Or wondering the how’s and what’s of CAT 2022 exam?
Well, forget about doing all that strenuous homework. All you need to know are a just few important things; precisely just 10 basic pointers!
So, let’s begin:
- Gateway to the Topmost B-schools
As you know, CAT scores are accepted by thousands of B-schools across the country. But if you are investing everything in acing one of the toughest entrance tests, you should ideally target the IIMs and a few other reputed B-schools like MDI, FMS, SP Jain, etc. MBA/PGDM counts among the expensive courses worldwide. So, you must gauge through an institute’s course ROI if you want to land up in a high-end corporate job.
- Test of General Aptitude
You do notneed to have any particular educational background or subject expertise to nail CAT 2022. The exam mainly checks your knowledge and application abilities in three basic areas: mathematics, English, and reasoning. Simply put, you are tested for your analytical abilities, grammatical skills, critical thinking, andinterpretation proficiency. All such efficiencies are necessary for a good manager and leader.
However, CAT exam 2022 does not have any definite syllabus, which is why you will need to draw upon the frequently asked question types and focus on topics that are given maximum weightage.
- Complexity-Handling Over Speed Skills
Unlike most other entrance exams, CAT is not really a speed test. Nevertheless, it is one tough nut to crack; which impliesyou will have to pay more attention to gaining accuracy than maximising the number of attempts. Besides, the exam also assigns penalties for incorrect answers, which requires you to maintain a good balance of speed and accuracy.
In the corporate world, top-level managers are often faced with complex decisions and dilemmas. Keeping this in mind, the CAT 2022 exam is devised to evaluate the candidate’s readiness for management education.
- Every Section Matters!
While every B-school sets a particular CAT cut-off for shortlisting candidates, the majority of these also consider the sectional percentile. This is especially applicable for the top-ranked B-schools. All three sections serve to test your skills in a different way, but carry nearly equal weightage in the exam. It is seen that several candidates attain a 99+ overall percentile but still could not get into a good B-school due to less score in one section.
So, you need to perform well in all three sections of CAT to get into a credible institute.
- Clarity of Fundamentals
CAT 2022 exam will assess your hold over fundamental topics and concepts, rather than your knowledge of complicated formulas. The great thing about this exam is that you will just need to be aware of some basic formulas and tricks in order to tackle tough questions. CAT questions are generally application-based and judge your ability to implement the basics effectively.
- Reading to Learn and Understand
Once you have set your mind on acing CAT 2022, you must develop a regular habit of reading. This will not only improve your vocabulary but also boost your reading comprehension (RC) skills. You must spend some time daily reading newspapers, books, magazines and other good sources. Eventually, you will be able to go through CAT RC passages in less time and answer the related questions with better accuracy.
Besides, reading helps you stay abreast of the latest events and widen your understanding of different topics. And this will contribute to your preparation for admission rounds of B-schools.
- Must-follow Rule of Practice
You must have heard the well-known cliché, ‘Practice makes you perfect’, and yet clichés are there for a reason!
Entrance tests like CAT heavily rely on the amount of practice you have put in! Be it quant, reasoning, data interpretation, verbal, or RC; each part requires sufficient practice. Once you are well-versed with all the crucial concepts and grammatical rules, you must begin testing and implementing your knowledge. A smart way to start is by taking topic-wise tests, then proceedings section-wise tests, and finally taking the full-length mock tests. Also, remember to use shortcuts and tricks for solving practice questions. While preparing for CAT 2022 exam, you must also refer to its previous year papers and practice its questions.
Past year CAT papers prove an authentic source of learning about exam pattern, difficulty level, and expected types of questions.
- Reflecting and Strategizing
No doubt, you will do great with practicing mock tests for CAT 2022, but it will not be enough unless you analyse your test performance and learn from your mistakes. In other words, there is a high chance you will keep repeating the same mistakes in practice tests, until you pause and reflect on what went wrong. Presently, there are many platforms that offer CAT mock tests, followed by a detailed analysis of your performance. Portals like that of Hitbullseye extend AI-generated analytics that brings out a thorough evaluation of your test soon after you complete it.
This test analysis tells about your strong and weak spots, so that you know which topics still need work and what strategy should you adopt for the exam.
- Choosing the Right Questions
When you are required to solve a certain number of questions correctly within a time restraint, you must choose the questions wisely. This implies that you begin with the questions you are most confident about and then, move on to the ones that are more complex. Further, you must also solve the least time-consuming ones first and keep the lengthy ones for later.
Besides, there are some questions that appear easy but are merely traps set to waste your time. If you get stuck on such questions, better leave them in between and move on to the next.
- Staying Calm in the Storm
Although you will prepare for CAT 2022 as per the last year’s pattern and expected questions, you must also be ready for a few surprises. Over the years, CAT exam structure and number of questions had undergone changes due to varied reasons. So, even if you happen to come across certain modifications during the actual exam, remind yourself that all your competitors are in the same boat. All you need to do is stay calm and give your best shot in CAT 2022.
Lastly, as Robert Collier said, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
