subject: Three CAT Toppers on how to start with CAT 2010 Preparations [print this page] Three CAT Toppers on how to start with CAT 2010 Preparations
My strategy was to go through the three sections of CAT for two hours each everyday:
Siddhartha Saxena, 97.27 percentile in CAT Exam 2009, admitted to MDI Gurgaon
There are about five months left for CAT 2010 Exams. If you are planning to take CAT 2010 Exams with full CAT preparation and confidence, you should move in a structured way. With the CAT expert and your mentor's guidance, you can surely move towards CAT 2010 preparation.
But apart from CAT 2010 preparation, the CAT toppers who have already been there and done CAT preparations can also be good role models for you. In this article, we will share the CAT preparations strategy which the CAT 2009 toppers had utilized to get through the top B Schools in India.
Following are the common strategies which the CAT 2009 toppers such as Shipra Pandey
(94.89 percentile), Siddhartha Saxena (97.27 percentile) and Gaurav Swarnkar (94.34
percentile) followed.
Be regular with studies: If you have started with CAT 2010 preparation for CAT 2010 Exams along with your graduation or work, you have to balance it accordingly. You have to spend at least three to four hours every day for CAT 2010 preparation according to your preparation level. You should not leave even a single stone unturned for CAT 2010 preparation. If you have joined an MBA coaching institute, after your classes you should go through the notes and revise the lectures carefully. "I followed the lecture schedule very closely at my home, i.e. whichever lecture was taken at class, and I personally tried to solve as many questions, related to that topic at home, as possible. I always tried to be parallel with the class schedule. This gave me an advantage in accelerating my CAT preparations," says Gaurav Swarnkar who will soon be joining NITIE, Mumbai.
Siddhartha Saxena, who got through to MDI Gurgaon emphasizes on the fact that every day,two to three hours of study is a must for CAT preparations. "My strategy was to go through the three sections of CAT Exam for two hours each every day," he says.Balance between the sections: You are the best judge of your CAT 2010 preparation. You
should know which sections are your strengths and which are your weaknesses. As per experts,you should spend more time in making the weak areas strong but that does not mean you will ignore your strong areas. Thus, a balanced approach is necessary for CAT preparations. "Time management is crucial and mock tests are the only way to ensure mastery in CAT 2010 preparation. Quantitative Aptitude is mainly aptitude based and if you have solved enough questions sincerely then there is no reason not to score well in it. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section is a matter of good choice as well as practice," says Shipra Pandey who has taken final admission in MICA.
Take regular mock tests: This is a tried and tested strategy for Cat preparations which has
been approved by all who have come out successful in the CAT exams. After the basic CAT 2010 preparation is done and you are clear with the concepts, you should start taking regular mock tests. This will not only show you the true picture of your CAT preparation level but you
can also decide upon the strategy which is best suited for you for the final CAT exams. "I
regularly took mock tests of T.I.M.E. and also took up old exam papers from some friends of mine and tried my hand at the questions," says Shipra. Siddhartha mentions that in the last two months, he only took test series and revised accordingly. "Last two months involved revision and CAT preparation through the test series," he says. "I was very regular with my test series and also with the test analysis once the solutions were out and then accordingly planning strategies for next tests," mentions Gaurav.
"While solving tests or practice exercises whenever I came across some different strategies or formulae or approaches, I noted them down and kept revising them so that they no more remain surprises for me," he adds.
Update your CAT preparation: After taking the mock tests, analysis is necessary. Along with the results you will also know what should be your next move for CAT 2010 preparation.It might appear after a mock test that you have fared poorly the section you were comfortable in and vice versa. In such a situation, you will need to change your strategy opted for CAT 2010 preparation. You need to spend more time in your weaker areas and also keep a track on the stronger areas for better results in CAT 2010 Exams."I analyzed all my mock test papers and the mistakes I had committed. I kept solving a lot of aptitude questions," Shipra mentions.Be aware with current affairs: Adding more CAT 2010 preparation, it is a common trend that CAT aspirants prepare for the GD & PI after the written test but this is not the right way. You should be constantly updated with the current happenings by reading newspapers regularly. "For increasing the level of general awareness, I went through two to three magazines. As I was not an avid news paper reader, my general awareness was low which proved to be disastrous in the IIM Kozhikode interview,"
Siddhartha shares his experience. Not only will this help you in the GD & PI processes later on,but for CAT exams 2010, you will be in a much better position for the Data Interpretation section and will increase the speed of Reading Comprehension section.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on CAT 2010 preparation.
