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    CAT 2024 Mistakes You Must Avoid on Exam Day: Guidelines to Follow

    CAT 2024 Mistakes You Must Avoid on Exam Day: Guidelines to Follow

    #CAT
    Himanshu ShekharUpdated on 24 Nov 2024, 02:10 PM IST

    The CAT 2024 exam is conducted by IIM Calcutta on November 24, 2024. Candidates who want to crack the IIM entrance exam with a good score and get a call from one of the top IIMs must know some common mistakes that many of them often make during the exam. For better performance and good marks in the CAT exam, candidates are advised to avoid these mistakes. CAT is the gateway to admission at IIMs and other leading MBA colleges in India.

    CAT 2024 Mistakes You Must Avoid on Exam Day: Guidelines to Follow
    Mistakes to avoid on CAT exam day

    CAT 2024: Mistakes you must avoid on the test day

    The below-mentioned mistakes are frequently made by candidates while taking the CAT 2024.

    Getting Stuck on Tricky Question

    No denying, CAT is one of the most difficult MBA entrance exams in India. Though CAT questions are of easy to moderate difficulty, the paper also contains some tricky questions where many candidates get stuck. Such questions consume a lot of time.

    As per the CAT 2024 exam pattern, the question paper of CAT will be divided into multiple-choice questions as well as TITA questions. Candidates should scan the questions and answer the easy ones first, then the medium and difficult ones. With this approach, candidates can answer more questions accurately.

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    Losing Patience While Reading Question Paper

    Sometimes it happens that, on account of nervousness, candidates tend to read questions abruptly. This is where the mistake occurs. While reading questions, do not hurry up. Focus on the question so that you can properly understand it. It is important to understand the question to answer it correctly.

    However, candidates should keep the time in mind. Do not take too much time to read a question. In CAT 2024, candidates will be provided 40 minutes to answer a section. After the time limit is over, they will automatically move to another section. Solving more questions matters, but what matters most is answering them with high accuracy.

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    Avoid Curiosity of Knowing About Others

    Concentrate on your own workstation. Once a candidate enters the exam hall, their sole aim should be to concentrate on their activities. As one of the tips on CAT 2024 mistakes you must avoid on exam day, candidates are advised to not be considerate about what others are doing. The focus should be on your personal computer screen. Putting your nose into others' business may lead to writing the wrong answer or, worse, being expelled from writing the CAT exam. Hence, do not get distracted and do what you are there for.

    Carry Important Documents

    Around 3 lakh candidates are expected to appear for the CAT 2024. All registered candidates must carry a hard copy of their admit card of CAT 2024 along with some other important documents. Candidates should keep all necessary documents handy beforehand to avoid forgetting to carry them on the day of CAT 2024. One of the most common mistakes candidates make is bringing only a copy of their CAT 2024 admit card. As per the CAT 2024 admit card, there are certainly other major documents that are necessary to be carried along on exam day.

    Understand Time Policy

    As per the exam pattern of CAT 2024, candidates will have a total of 120 minutes to take the exam. Moreover, to solve the three given sections, only 40 minutes per section will be provided, i.e., there will be sectional timing in CAT. Hence, as part of the tips for avoiding CAT 2024 mistakes on exam day, candidates must ensure that they follow the given time schedule. Managing the time will be beneficial, as candidates will be able to save some time and solve more in the given time. To have a strong hold on time management, candidates are advised to take a CAT mock test, solve previous year question papers, or attempt sample papers while keeping time in mind.

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    Other Important Guidelines To Be Followed

    Apart from the above-mentioned CAT 2024 mistakes to avoid on the test day, candidates must adhere to the below-mentioned guidelines on the exam day to ensure security. Let us look at each guideline one by one to gain a better understanding.

    Find a Suitable Attire

    Do not carry or wear heavy jewellery/jackets/improper attire. Candidates wearing jewellery and jackets will be asked to take it off. Be in proper and suitable attire so that no one can question your presence.

    Be On Reporting Time

    It is clearly mentioned on the admit card of the candidates for CAT 2024. No candidate will be allowed to enter the examination hall after the reporting time is over. Carefully check your admit card and be on time for reporting. Once the exam centre of CAT gates is closed, no candidates will be allowed to get inside. The reporting times for CAT 2024 for every slot are provided below.

    CAT exam slotReporting timeLatest entry allowed
    Slot 1 (8:30 AM to 10:30 AM)7:00 AM8:15 AM
    Slot 2 (12:30 PM to 2:30 PM)11:00 AM12:15 PM
    Slot 3 (4:30 PM to 6:30 PM)3:00 PM4:15 PM

    Do Not Panic

    Above all, leave all the worries aside and focus on what is important. Remember that in a panic situation, you will ruin all the good as well. Answer questions only after reading and understanding them carefully. Forget the worry and hope for the best. Try to imagine that you have already cleared the exam and are getting into your dream B-school to pursue an MBA degree.

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