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How to prepare for CAT 2025 - How to prepare for CAT is one of the most commonly asked questions by fresh graduates or working professionals. CAT is one of the toughest MBA entrance exams in which few students can make their way through the IIMs. To ace the CAT 2025 for MBA admission, Careers360 brings you the CAT preparation tips for beginners. All CAT aspirants must run through these CAT 2025 preparation tips for beginners to crack the CAT exam with an excellent percentile.
For beginners preparing for the CAT, start by understanding the exam pattern and syllabus thoroughly. Focus on building a strong foundation in all sections: Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. Create a consistent study schedule, dedicating specific time slots for each section. Let us understand a few CAT preparation tips for beginners.
Understand the exam format: Familiarise yourself with the structure, sections, and types of questions asked in the CAT exam. Knowing the format will help you tailor your preparation effectively.
Plan your CAT exam preparation: Create a detailed study plan that covers all sections of the exam. Allocate sufficient time for learning concepts, practising problems, and revising regularly.
Regular practice is necessary: Consistent practice is crucial for mastering the concepts and improving your problem-solving speed and accuracy. Solve a variety of questions and take regular mock tests to track your progress.
Effective time management is crucial: Develop strategies to manage your time efficiently during the exam. Practice solving questions within a set time limit to enhance your time management skills.
Work on weak areas: Identify your weak areas and focus on improving them. Spend extra time understanding and practising topics that you find challenging.
Stay healthy and positive: Maintaining good physical and mental health is important during your preparation. Take breaks, eat healthily, exercise regularly, and stay positive to keep your mind sharp and focused.
Effective study techniques for CAT exam preparation include several key strategies. First, break down the syllabus into manageable parts and create a detailed study schedule, dedicating specific time slots for each section. Focus on understanding the fundamental concepts before moving on to advanced topics, ensuring a strong foundation. Let us discuss all the effective study techniques for CAT preparation.
Create a Study Schedule: Break down the syllabus into small parts and plan your study time. Dedicate specific hours for each section, ensuring you cover all topics without feeling overwhelmed.
Understand Basic Concepts: Focus on learning the fundamental ideas of each topic before moving on to harder problems. A strong foundation helps you solve advanced questions more easily.
Regular Practice: Solve previous years' papers and take mock tests frequently. This helps you get used to the exam pattern and improves your speed and accuracy.
Analyse Performance: After taking mock tests, review your answers to find out where you went wrong. Work on these weak areas to avoid making the same mistakes again.
Use Active Learning: Engage with the material by summarising what you learn in your own words, teaching concepts to someone else, or using flashcards for quick review. This makes the information stick better.
Take Short Breaks: Include short breaks in your study routine to rest your mind. This helps you stay focused and prevents burnout.
Stay Consistent and Positive: Keep a regular study routine and stay motivated. A positive attitude helps you tackle challenges more effectively and keeps you going during tough times.
Students must note that completing the syllabus of the CAT is not sufficient to pass the CAT exam, it also requires a versatile approach and incorporating changes in the study plan. The CAT exam pattern consists of three sections with a sectional limit of 40 minutes. CAT will be conducted in online mode.
It is advisable to begin CAT exam preparation early. One of the tips for CAT preparation by toppers is that one cannot improve verbal ability in a month or so, as it requires continuous practice and attention. Students must know that the formation of a reading habit takes time, hence, one should start early to have good reading skills. As per the experts, starting preparation nine months before the examination is the ideal time.
One of the important and foremost things to do is to know the CAT syllabus. Many students spend time on obscure concepts. For example, students might know that reading comprehension is a major component of verbal ability; hence, practising vaguely without knowing the topics from which reading comprehension is given is a waste of time. Students must make a list of topics that are covered under each section and know the percentage of each question asked.
Not having a plan of action is similar to walking through a maze. If you learn something and don’t put it into practice, then it is a sheer waste of time. Also, avoid practising questions from one skill set. Remember, if you can’t solve basic questions while practising, then surely there is an error in strategy. Make sure to have a weekly schedule on how many questions you will practice and the mocks you will give. As the syllabus of CAT is vast, cover the topics by setting weekly goals and learning formulas to build confidence.
It is always easy to solve questions from the areas you are strong in, however, one of the important CAT preparation tips for beginners is not to focus on the short term but rather to focus on long-term goals by building the foundation and working on the areas you are weak in. Take ample time to understand the topic you are weak in before jumping to another topic.
Students should learn to make a difference between passive learning and active learning. Passive learning is understanding the concept through lectures and videos, and not implementing it in practice. Whereas, active learning is understanding the concept and practising several questions related to that topic. Therefore, students should not presume that they have understood the topic without practising at least 5-10 questions from each set.
Many beginners fixate on the target of achieving the 99 percentile rather than focusing on preparation. It is always advised to focus on your preparation and accuracy to answer questions over the percentage you desire to achieve. Despite having scored less in class 12th or graduation, always focus on the future, on how to get an additional 1 per cent through preparation.
In order to crack the CAT 2025, it is crucial to have a well-structured plan in place. The main components of CAT exam preparation include maintaining consistency, making a schedule and dedicated hard work. These tips will help you in your section-wise CAT preparation:
Quantitative Ability questions cover a wide range of topics including averages, percentages, compound interests and more. It requires quantitative skills and logical and analytical skills required for banking jobs, civil service posts, management projects and so on. Here, we provide you with consistent quality Numerical Aptitude Questions for Engineering, Law, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Banking, SSC, UPSC, etc.
The syllabus of CAT quantitative ability is generally covered from class 10th, 11th, and 12th level, which includes common topics like Arithmetic Progression, Time, Speed and Distance, Time and Work and so forth. While practising the questions from the topics above, note down the time you take to solve questions from a topic. You know how much time you need to devote to a particular section to manage time effectively.
When you decide to appear for CAT 2025, you don’t know what might appear on your plate. On the other hand, you know the topics from which questions are likely to be asked, hence prepare your strategy accordingly on how to tackle the questions with accuracy.
Once you know the topics, the next step is to work on speed and accuracy. A sectional limit of 40 minutes is given for each section, hence, for each question, we have less than 1.5 minutes. Make sure you practice each unsolved/ wrongly marked question a minimum of three times so that they become a part of your subconscious knowledge.
Also, while you read the question paper, be selective about which questions you can attempt correctly and leave the difficult questions for later. Also, improve your calculation speed by learning the tables, square roots, and fractions every night before sleeping. Dedicate your calculation with the help of the options that will be provided.
CAT DILR questions often spoil the mood. If you don't get them right, you can get into trouble. Here at Careers360, check the complete study materials for data interpretation and logical reasoning. Check them out to clear your ideas.
Data Interpretation evaluates the candidate’s ability to solve the questions. DI questions usually involve a lot of calculations, hence, Vedic math helps to solve questions quickly and with accuracy.
Logical reasoning questions are set-based; hence, before selecting the answer, read the question properly and collect the facts shared in the question.
Always read the question properly, and don’t take a shot in the dark. Stay alert with keywords like, ‘none’, ‘some’, ‘all’, ‘unless’, and so forth.
Learn in-depth material on CAT DILR Preparation
Verbal ability makes up one-third of the CAT question paper, along with reading comprehension. It usually consists of para jumbles and odd sentences. Verbal ability is central to all other competitive exams. Verbal Ability includes three components – vocabulary, English grammar, and verbal reasoning. Let's understand the verbal ability part of MBA entrance exams and the preparation strategy.
Reading is one of the important ways to improve your vocabulary. Always read from different genres and step out of your comfort zone. By reading from different genres, you will run into new words. Make sure you take note of the new words and definitions.
Promise yourself to learn a new word each day from the text you read. What about downloading the mobile application and making it a piece of cake? Applications such as Vocabulary.com, Magoosh Vocabulary Builder, Word to Word, and many more help you learn new words and their usage in a sentence.
Now that you are learning a new word each day, try to use that word in your daily life. Also, if you hear any new expression, idiom, or phrase, try to incorporate them into sentences while talking to friends or family. It becomes easier to remember the more often you use it.
Assess your current reading by noting the time you take to read a passage. To know your capability, pick a passage from any magazine, book, newspaper, or novel and note the instances where you lag, for example, difficulty in understanding a few words. If you take the time to understand a few words, focus on improving your vocabulary by creating flashcards of the words you were not able to relate to. Write the definition of the difficult words and, twice or thrice, take a quiz of yourself from the vocabulary you have written on your flashcard.
Know the preparation tips for the CAT VARC
Practising CAT model papers should be one of the main tasks in the exam preparation plan. Solving the CAT sample paper is helpful for high-weight candidates to understand the paper pattern and topics before taking the final exam.
Candidates can check the CAT sample paper with Solutions here.
CAT Question Paper Year | CAT Sample Paper Download Link |
---|---|
2023 | CAT 2023 question paper PDF |
2022 | CAT previous year question paper PDF |
2021 | CAT practice papers slot-wise |
2020 | CAT sample papers with solutions |
2019 | CAT question paper with answers |
2018 | CAT exam question paper PDF |
2017 | CAT question paper with solution |
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Therefore, candidates are advised to solve more and more sample CAT questions and previous years' solved questions. There are many advantages to solving the CAT exam sample question paper. For exams, it allows candidates to gain more knowledge about the CAT syllabus and topics. Candidates who are going to study for CAT 2025 are advised to take as many CAT mock tests as possible. Or they should take at least two or more CAT sample papers in a week.
Aspirants preparing for CAT 2025 should check out the resources below, as these ebooks are specially designed to support their exam preparation and can be highly useful.
eBook Title | Download Links |
3000+ Most Important Words - Vocabulary Builder | |
500+ Most Important Idioms and Phrases | |
300+ Most Important Phrasal Verbs | |
Permutation & Combination - Video Lectures and Practice Questions | |
Mastering DILR Questions with Expert Solutions |
The ideal preparation time for CAT varies from candidate to candidate. However, a structured 6-9 months of dedicated preparation is recommended to cover all sections thoroughly. Those with a strong foundation in Quant and VARC may require less time, while beginners might need more practice.
Candidates should aim to take at least 20-25 full-length mock tests before the exam. Regularly analyzing mock test performances will help in identifying weak areas and improving accuracy. Sectional tests are also useful for focused practice.
Some common mistakes include starting late, not following a structured study plan, ignoring mock tests, neglecting weak areas, and not focusing on time management. Candidates should also avoid relying only on passive learning without sufficient practice.
Reading comprehension is a crucial part of the CAT VARC section, contributing to nearly 70% of the total VARC score. Improving reading speed, comprehension skills, and practicing different passage types will significantly enhance performance in this section.
Yes, many working professionals successfully crack CAT by following a disciplined schedule. Allocating 2-3 hours daily for focused study, using weekends for mock tests, and maintaining consistency in preparation can help in balancing work and studies effectively.
No, the coaching institutes are not mandatory for CAT exam preparation. Many students in the past have scored 99+ percent through self-examination. However, whether or not to enroll in a training institute is a personal decision that must be made with personal discipline and time available for CAT preparation. The advantage of coaching is that students will get a guide to guide them through their preparation journey.
Hello aspirant,
The question papers for CAT MGU University can be found on their official website, or you can also visit careers360 website for the same.
The link of which, I am attaching here,
https://university.careers360.com/articles/mgu-cat-2025
Regards
Hello Anshuman!!!
You have gotten 86% in 10th, which is a good score. 70% in graduation is not the best but decent. But the main problem is your 12th score which is 62%.
You would be already aware that the Top IIMs (BLACKI) give a big emphasis on your academic score. Let me tell you one example of IIM Ahmedabad,
According to a research i read a few days ago, in IIM Ahmedabad,
70.8%
of students has 90+ percent in 12th,
25.8%
has 80-90 percent and around
3.8%
has less than 80% with the bracket of 60-69 having only
0.26%
students of the total batch. Nearly same is the case of the other top IIMs like IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Indore.
Statistically, getting into these TOP IIMs is possible with 62% in 12th is possible (0.26% has done it) but practically you cannot get into these TOP IIMs unless you top the CAT exam.
See, I don't wish to dishearten or demotivate you but I wish to tell you the truth. Although the probability of you getting into these TOP IIMs is very less, but trying is better than doing nothing. You have a good score in 10th which will certainly help you. The least you could do is try your best.
My advice would be that you should not focus on these things like "Will I get top IIM" or negative talk like " I got low marks I won't qualify" etc.
The main focus should be on your preparation.
Give 100% in your preparation because that's the only thing in your hand. You can't change your 10th/12th/Graduation scores but you can put some more effort in your preparation which would certainly help to get better percentile.
Keep working hard and give your best. You might surprise yourself!!! And if not BLACKI, there are many other good colleges like FMS, MDI, newer IIMs etc.
Hello,
Yes, with a 622 rank in IPU CET for MBA and being a Delhi candidate, you have a good chance of getting admission in MAIT (Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology).
You don’t need to worry about not giving the CAT exam. IPU CET rank is enough for admission in MAIT under the CET quota.
Just make sure to keep MAIT high in your preference list during counselling.
Hope it helps !
Hello,
A NEET 2025 score of 333 marks, an All India Rank (AIR) near 3,56,000, and belonging to the SC category from Andhra Pradesh suggest a fair possibility of obtaining an MBBS seat within the state quota, especially in private medical colleges under Category A (government quota seats in private institutions).
In Andhra Pradesh, SC category cut-offs for Category A seats in private institutions generally vary from 320 to 370, influenced by the college and the counselling round. Government medical colleges tend to be more competitive, with the SC cut-off for MBBS frequently rising, often exceeding 400 marks.
Although obtaining a government MBBS seat is improbable, you stand a feasible opportunity in private medical colleges within A category (which offer lower tuition than B and C categories). In Round 2 or the Mop-Up round, you can anticipate improved opportunities, since cut-offs generally decrease when other students move to superior colleges or vacate seats.
Colleges such as NRI Medical College (Guntur), Katuri Medical College (Guntur), Great Eastern Medical School (Srikakulam), Alluri Sitarama Raju Academy of Medical Sciences (Eluru), and Fathima Institute of Medical Sciences (Kadapa) are among those where seats could become available for SC students in subsequent rounds under Category A.
Hope this helps. All the best!
Yes, candidates who qualify in CUSAT CAT can gain admission to various participating institutes based on their rank. These include engineering colleges associated with CUSAT, such as its own School of Engineering in Kochi, Model Engineering College, and over 20 government and private engineering colleges across Kerala like College of Engineering Thrikkaripur, Co-operative Institute of Technology Vadakara, and MG College of Engineering Thiruvallam. The final seat allotment is based on your rank and your choice of program during the counselling process.
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