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Avoid these mistakes while preparing for the CAT Exam

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The CAT exam is arguably the most important exam in India for students wanting to secure the coveted MBA seats in various management institutes of the country. This is obvious from the high level of competition with more than two lakh candidates competing for seats in various MBA programs such as Finance, Marketing, Operations, etc. and only 11 candidates scoring 100 percentile in 2018. In such a competitive scenario, it is very important to create a well thought out CAT preparation strategy as a single mistake can hamper your chances of success! But there are some stupid mistakes that many candidates make even if they are seriously preparing to crack the CAT exam. So this article deals with these mistakes that can be easily avoided with some effort…In other words “What not to do while preparing for the CAT Exam?”

What mistakes should you avoid?

Some of the common mistakes that many candidates make are highlighted here so that you can avoid them and in turn prepare for the CAT exam much more successfully.

1. Don’t skip any part of the syllabus thinking it’s easy

CAT has three sections namely Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) with each of them having almost equal stakes in the exam. But some candidates foolishly focus only on Quantitative Aptitude and Verbal Ability thinking that only these are tough while the rest of the topics are a piece of cake! They believe that there is no need to separately study Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Data Interpretation as these can be understood only by giving mock tests. So don’t make this mistake and give equal importance to all the topics in the CAT exam. Of course, you should focus more on the topics that are your weaknesses and plan your study schedule accordingly but that doesn’t mean you neglect certain topics at all!!!

2. Don’t forget to plan a strict study schedule

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

And that is certainly true in the case of CAT preparation. You should plan a strict study schedule which has both long term and short term plans for your study preparation and the most important thing is…you should stick to this schedule! This will provide you with a clear path to follow that is uniquely suited to your strengths and weaknesses. However, having said that, it is also important to schedule a little leisure time in your preparation otherwise you may burnout!

3. Don’t ignore analyzing the results of mock-tests

Mock-tests are an integral part of your CAT preparation but just giving them is not enough. They are essential tools to analyze your preparation level and understand your strengths and weaknesses so that you can prepare accordingly from thereon. In such a scenario, it is very stupid to just give the tests and not analyze their results….that’s the express purpose they are for! In fact, it is best that you give a full-length CAT mock test even before you start any CAT preparation so that you can obtain a general idea of what to focus on in your preparation. This will also help you in creating a customized study schedule.

4. Don’t just focus on formulae and skip conceptual clarity

It is very important to learn all the required formulae for CAT preparation as they are necessary for solving questions. But this does not mean you can ace the CAT exam by just learning all the formulae and knowing the various tips and tricks. In fact, the key to acing CAT is actually conceptual clarity. You should have a deep knowledge of all the CAT topics with an understanding of all the applicable laws and principles. These take some time to learn of course and in case you have any doubts, you should consult the various resources available. This is the only way to really achieve success in this hyper-competitive exam.

5. Don’t focus on the quantity but the quality of your preparation

It is quality rather than quantity that matters.

And this is certainly true even for the CAT exam. Some students measure their preparation on the basis of a number of hours studied or even number of mock tests attempted. Well, quantity is certainly no measure of success in this case. Rather you should focus on coving all the topics and clarifying all the concepts in the CAT syllabus regardless of the time it takes you (Less or more!). As they say in this case, working smarter not harder is the better option.

6. Don’t forget to revise all the concepts and formulae learned

It is very important that you understand the concepts and formulae you learn during CAT preparation. However, it is equally as important that you revise them regularly so that you can remember them long-term. A common mistake that CAT aspirants make is not leaving space in their study schedule for regular revision sessions. So don’t make that mistake and revise the concepts and formulae you learn weekly and monthly. In fact, it is best to prepare a formula sheet while learning the formulae and refer this sheet daily so that you can remember all the formulae long-term.

How to avoid these mistakes?

All the mistakes mentioned above are quite common that many candidates accidentally make in their CAT preparation. However, some of these pitfalls can be avoided if you create a structured studying method that includes all the important aspects of preparation. To help with this, GeeksforGeeks has created the CAT Preparation Course 2019 which is a FREE course with 1500 questions on all three sections of the CAT exam along with 27 Sectional Mock Tests and 3 Full-length Mock Tests. CAT-Preparation-Course-2019 This course has dedicated tracks for all the topics in CAT syllabus which provide the relevant theory for each topic so that you can learn all the concepts and formulas and it also provides subjective quizzes and contests so that you can understand all the aspects of a particular topic thoroughly. Also, after the content competition, a detailed explanation is provided so that you can analyze your performance and understand your strengths and weaknesses better. You are just a click away to begin your CAT preparation journey. Register now for the CAT Preparation Course 2019 course by clicking on the button below. 

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Last Updated : 18 May, 2022
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