How to prepare for CAT from Scratch

Posted on GKmojo

How to prepare for CAT (or OMETs) from Zero (Or Scratch)

First Believe that you can do it. And remember that Slow and steady wins the race.

It takes time to crack CAT. You can’t crack it preparing for 1 or 2 months only. It needs your continuous efforts or regular study for atleast 5-6 months. CAT is a test of your hard work and Discipline.

  1. First You should know the exam pattern and section details.

    You have to cover all the topics from all the sections because you need to perform well in each of the three sections. Don’t rely heavily on any one particular section. Don’t leave any topic. If you are weak in any topic then give more time to it and be strong in it.
  2. Get to know about your level or capability, Prepare accordingly.

    If you are from Art background or non-engineer background

    or If you are very weak in Quant or verbal etc
    or if you are targeting Top 5 or 10 B school then accordingly you need to put in more efforts. There is no shortcut for grand success.

  3. Self Preparation

    Start your self preparation first before joining any coaching institute. Many students do this mistake. When you are zero or average student then first you need to do a lot of self study.

    Do not join any coaching institute until you reach a certain level of capability. Otherwise, you will get lost and lose your confidence.

  4. Verbal Prep

    For Verbal, you should start reading. Reading should be on daily basis. Start with simple books and news and slowly graduate to more difficult articles, passages and books. Watch English News or Watch English Serials.

    While reading, keep a dictionary with you and look up the meaning of the words that you don’t understand. There is no other short cut. Allow your comprehension skills to naturally develop. This will have to continue till the CAT.

    Speak in English whenever you get an opportunity to. Speaking is also important for confidence boost up..

  5. DILR,

    You should start solving simple puzzles like sudoku or from books that are catering to easier exams like bank exam/ SSC Exams. This will make you comfortable in the topic and build your base.

    You need to be good in calculation. So improve your calculation, speed it up. Try to find percentage, addition, division or multiplication through your mind . Dont use pen for simple calculations.

    Be strong in Arithmetic topics like: Percentage, Ratio, Average, Profit and Loss etc for DI & LR.

    You need to solve atleast 100 sets each for DI & LR to become master in it. When you are done with east sets then solve past year CAT sets.

  6. Quant or Math

    Solve as many questions as you can in Quant.
    Start with basic books like RS Agarwal or 8th/9th and 10th standard books.

    If you can find a personal tutor, nothing like it. Once you are quite thorough with each topic, you will start to feel confident. then move to CAT level stuff.

    CAT Quant is not tough, Questions are not calculation based. Most of the questions are conceptual based. so prepare accordingly.

  7. Mocks

    After 2-3 months of self study, you can take past year CAT paper as a test. It is available free on multiple sites. If you have done the above activities well, you would do well.

    Solving mocks and past year papers is a necessary exercise for every aspirant. because Once you are done with your basic preparation it is necessary for you to take online mock tests to understand where you stand on the ladder of preparation. This analysis is very important as it helps you to change or continue on your path of action accordingly. Start with one to two tests a week initially and then move up to 3-4 tests a week.

  8. Right Study Material

    There is ample study material available even for those who do not take coaching for CAT.

    Getting the right material is important for systematic studies.

  9. Take Assistance of various sources

    Education websites and social media groups on FB/Telegram/whatsapp can be of great help.

    You can also form a little study group where you can bounce off ideas on how to prepare for a particular topic in CAT or which is the best way to deal with a topic, etc.
    Discussing problems, sharing your queries and strategies helps you prepare better.

 

Here are Top Books for CAT (OMETs) that you can purchase:-

  1. CAT books Arun Sharma: https://amzn.to/3aOnlyU

  2. CAT LR Book: https://amzn.to/3hmVWq1

  3. Quantum CAT Sarvesh K Verma: https://amzn.to/32cFdzm

  4. Word Power Made Easy Norman Lewis: https://amzn.to/2QhdR5u

  5. Logical Reasoning RS Agarwal: https://amzn.to/2QhNHjk

  6. Puzzles shakuntala Devi: https://amzn.to/3l711F7

  7. NCERT Math Books from Class 6 to 10: https://amzn.to/2YjrXYH

  8. Verbal ability and RC By Nishit Sinha: https://amzn.to/3aJPIy4

  9. CAT Past year solved papers: https://amzn.to/3aUjKzi
 

Novels that you can purchase and read:

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  2. God of small things: https://amzn.to/34ohXB2

  3. A brief history of time: https://amzn.to/329S45q

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  5. The monk who sold his Ferrari: https://amzn.to/2E6JTPt

  6. Rich Dad and Poor Dad: https://amzn.to/2QhQeKm