How does CAT 2018 preparation look right now for you?
Well, it is an understatement to say that we (students and mentors alike) have entered the final lap of CAT preparation. And it is at this stage that the maximum doubts are going to cloud your judgment.
Currently, depending on your mock scores and confidence levels, you have two paths in front of you:
- Buckle down and keep executing your plans; focus on your preparation and make sure you keep learning.
- Give in to anxiety and quit your preparation. Or even if not quit, continuously think about your preparation and search for some magical solution that is going to fix it all.
Well, I will be honest here and shatter your dreams: there is no magic fix!
There is no overnight cure for your low scores (be that in all sections or one section).
So then, what should you do right now?
The first step is to be honest with yourself. Ask yourself how badly you want this. Accept your current strengths and weaknesses. Identify what you need to work upon. And most importantly, identify and acknowledge whether you have the mental strength to put through the next 75 days. Look at it in another way: it is just another 75 to 80 days of meaningful preparation time. Why not commit yourself to the process and use every moment to improve your skills?
Once you have an answer to this question, you can build a clear outline concerning what you need to do over the next 75 days.
Let’s have a look at what you need to do over the next 75 days, one section at a time.
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
– Read and Read without fail! There is no other way to improve your reading skills other than reading.
– Solve RCs. Set a minimum daily target. Keep solving RCs. Focus on the process and forget the results. Even if you solve 5 RCs a day from now till the time you take the CAT, you can solve 400 RCs. This is all the practice you need in the world.
– Grammar and Vocabulary: Are you preparing for NMAT, IIFT, SNAP and other Non-CAT entrance exams? If yes, you need to include these areas in your preparation.
– Take at least 1 section test a week; preferably take two tests a week.
- Quantitative Aptitude
– List down all topics.
– Allocate specific time to specific topics (for example 1 week for Number system, two weeks for arithmetic and so on). Make sure you allocate this time limit based on your strengths and weaknesses.
– Be absolutely clear about the topics you are not going attempt in the exam. For these topics, you just need to cover the basics. Remember, you can give yourself some leeway with some mathematics topics. It is not about being perfect in every topic; rather, focus on being perfect in some topics and maximizing your score through this route. You can’t ensure a lifetime of learning in just about two and a half months, but you can show enough wisdom to pick the right topics to prepare at this stage. If you exhibit enough selection prudence at this stage, trust me you can do amazingly well in the exam.
– Include area tests and section tests in your practice.
– Make sure you solve a sufficient number of challenging problems. Don’t delude yourself by solving only easy questions. Yes, it is important to solve easy questions to build confidence, but then it is equally important to challenge yourself. MOCK CATs are the best source for these questions.
- Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation
– Keep it as simple as possible for this section.
– Set yourself a daily target for set-solving. If I am in your position, at this stage, I will look to solve 4 to 5 sets a day at least.
– Expose yourself to a variety of sets.
– Do not be happy if you can solve easy level sets. CAT LR-DI is no longer an easy nut to crack.
– Challenge yourself with Mock Level sets.
– With every tough set you solve and learn to solve, you learn.
– LRDI is all about ONE SET AT A TIME. Keep solving. Keep Learning.
Overall:
– Do not over think stuff.
– Focus on simple things. At times, it is all about doing things such as reading and solving sets.
– If you read at least three good quality articles a day and solve 3 RCs a day, you expose yourself to close to 500 high-quality pieces. Will you not improve even after this regular exposure to such quality content? You absolutely will.
– Be clear with your focus topics at this stage. Clarity of thought is what drives clarity of action.
– Stop asking your peers and stop looking around at what others are doing. This is not going to help you. Your preparation; your scores; your effort; and at the end of the day: YOUR RESULT. Own up to it.
Well, these were all the thoughts that were swelling in mind and I wanted to share you with today. Hopefully, these help your streamline your preparation and perform to the best of your ability. If you want someone to streamline your VA-RC preparation and make sure you are on the right path, then we are there for our special VA-RC course.
