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What are the Daily Habits for Successful CAT Preparation?

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CAT (Common Admission Test) is a very popular exam for students wanting to secure the coveted MBA seats in various management institutes of the country. It scores the candidates on the basis of their Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension(VARC) as well as their Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) skills.

Success is determined by your daily habits and choices.

And this is indeed true for the CAT exam as well. The level of competition is quite fierce with more than two lakh candidates competing for seats in 20 IIMs and other renowned institutes such as FMS, DMS, etc. However, achieving success in such a scenario is merely tough, not impossible! And your daily habits play a big part in eventually leading to this success as they set the tone for your overall preparation. So this article attempts to answer the all-important question “What are the Daily Habits for Successful CAT Preparation?”

Daily Habits to Follow

Some of the daily habits you should follow while preparing for CAT are given below. Keep in mind that you can inculcate these habits based on your preferences and requirements in order to achieve the best result in the CAT exam.

1. Practice 2 Reading Comprehension’s (RC’s) Daily

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) forms a major part of the CAT exam with 34 questions out of the total 100. Also, developing good verbal and reading skills is critical not just for acing the CAT exam but also while doing your MBA. So you should make it a point to solve at least two RCs daily so much so that solving RC’s become a muscle memory by the time you finally sit for CAT. While solving the RC’s, try to understand that they are not a jumble of random words, but a flow of thought illustrated in the paper. All you need to do is try and catch that flow. The trick is comprehension and not speed, so understanding what is being conveyed is more important. Many aspirants start reading the passage but due to lack of concentration and unfamiliar domain their mind wanders, and they are unable to retain what they have read and have to re-read it. So, what you need to master by solving two RC’s daily is reading without losing concentration and keeping up with the thought process of the writer.

2. Practice 2 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) Problems Daily

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning is one of the 3 sections in CAT, with a total of about 32 questions. Obviously, it is very important to prepare for it thoroughly. So you should practice 2 problems of DI and LR every day to build a strong foundation in these topics. Many problems of Data Interpretation require a lot of calculations as they deal with data, diagrams, puzzles, etc. In such a situation, you should make sure to read the question carefully and notice the units used. Also, use approximations whenever possible. On the other hand, Logical Reasoning usually deals with puzzles that can only be cracked using common sense coupled with lots of practice. So, make sure to practice at least 2 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning problems daily so that you can be prepared for the variety of questions asked.

3. Practise Quantitative Ability for 2 Hours Daily

Quantitative Ability is perhaps one of the most important sections in CAT because if done properly, it also helps in the Data Interpretation section. Also, 34 questions out of a total of 100 are asked from this section alone so it is essential that you don’t neglect it. Quantitative Ability contains 5 major topics in CAT namely, Number System, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry & Mensuration as well as Modern Maths. So you should devote at least 2 hours daily for practicing Quantitative Ability so that eventually you can solve most of the questions under 2-2.5 minutes each. In case this is not happening, you need to search for a trick that maybe you are unaware of. Make sure you are always working on faster ways to solve the Quantitative Ability questions and evolving your approach.

4. Read the Newspaper Daily

It is very important to read the newspaper daily while preparing for the CAT exam. Reading the newspaper improves your focus in the long run which is absolutely essential in CAT for the Reading Comprehension. Also, the vocabulary and grammar used in the newspaper are quite good which is helpful in the verbal section of the CAT exam. And that’s not all! Reading the newspaper is also helpful for the Group Discussions after you crack the CAT exam and the General Knowledge sections of some other MBA exams. So make it a habit to read the newspaper daily, especially the editorial section. Then make notes of all the important facts so that you can recall them later when required. Some of the best newspapers for this are The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, etc.

5. Revise all the Important Formulae Daily

While doing the initial CAT preparation, learn all the relevant formulas and also make a cheat sheet for them. Eventually, this will mean that all the formulas you learn for CAT are available in the same place. Then revise all the important formulae on this cheat sheet daily so that you can eventually by-heart them. Then, whenever you solve the questions for CAT practice, don’t look at this cheat sheet. You should have learned it by heart with all the revising and if you are still unable to recall it then learn all the formulas again and do the questions again the next day. In general, it is best if you put up the formula cheat sheet in front of you wherever you sit for studying and also carry it with you whenever you travel.

How to Inculcate These Habits Successfully?

All the daily habits mentioned above are quite important for your CAT preparation as they provide a structured studying method that includes all the important aspects of preparation so that you can ace the CAT exam! To help with inculcating these habits successfully, 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. These Sectional Mock-Tests along with the above habits will prepare you thoroughly and individually for Quantitative Ability, DILR, and VARC and then the Full-length Mock Tests will provide you enough practise for the actual CAT exam. CAT-Preparation-Course-2019 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 : 13 Oct, 2022
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