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CAT 2025 Tricks for Quant, DI & LR, VRC from 99 Percentilers: Common Management Test (CAT) is the national-level entrance exam that is held to test the aptitude of candidates for management programmes. CAT is a hard nut to crack but quite possible if the perfect strategy is followed. With proven tricks and tricks given herein, candidates can ace this most difficult MBA entrance exam in India. Here are some of the tricks and tips for each section that were followed by CAT toppers.
The quant is often the most challenging section for the CAT aspirants. Also, this section has the most number of questions. So candidates need to prepare for the Quant well. Let us see what past toppers have to say about acing this section. Soumyajeet Ghosh, a CAT topper emphasizes practice. He says this requires a lot of consistent practice. Speed is very important for it, and candidates can improve their speed by practising more and more. One should adopt all small and simple tactics to increase his practice and reduce his errors.”
Check out the complete CAT Toppers List here
Candidates can utilise these Quant preparation tips for the CAT 2025 exam and achieve the aim of scoring well in this section.
Book Title | Authors/Publisher Name |
Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT | Sarvesh Verma |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
High School English Grammar and Composition | Wren and Martin |
How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT | Arun Sharma |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | Gautam Puri |
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT | Nishit K. Sinha |
How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT | Arun Sharma |
Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency | Ananta Ashisha |
The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT | Nishit K. Sinha |
CAT 2025 Solved Papers | Arihant Experts |
The Data Interpretation (DI) and Logical Reasoning (LR) section in the CAT exam is there to test your decision–making ability within the given time. To ace this section, 99 percentiler Kumar advises, “You must bound your time for solving the questions of this section, I did not give more than 8 minutes to any puzzle questions irrespective of the fact that I got stuck in some questions that seemed to be easier.
So one should adopt this as one of the tips that he/she not is allowed to spend much time on a particular question whether it is easy, moderate, or difficult instead, one should spend some minutes at the start of the test to categorize the questions as easy, moderate and difficult. In common, all the 99 percentilers suggest that aspirants should spend most of their time on the analysis of mock tests as it will lead them to land up at any management school of their choice.
CAT 100 Percentiler Rahul Gupta shares his DI & LR preparation strategy, he quoted - I used to practice many questions from particular topics and focused a lot on them while taking the mock test.
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The VARC sections may prove to be the easiest section to improve the sectional and overall score, says CAT topper, Madhur Gupta. Further, while sharing his preparation strategy, he says – “this was not the area I was good at and consequentially, I landed up in a conundrum about how I should deal with this section. Then I decided to look for some simple tactics to ace this section. I adopted the strategy of eliminating the wrong options to help me decide on the right one. This helped me later.”
99 percentiler in CAT, Naman Singhal while sharing his preparation tips, stated that he solved RCs and Para jumbles as much as he could during his preparation for CAT and used them to analyse the VARC section after taking mock tests. He used to practice the questions of Verbal Ability (VA) and Reading Comprehension (RC) from the modules of different coaching institutions.
Topper Mayank Raj, while sharing his strategy says, - “I faced major challenges in this section. So, to improve my verbal ability, I started reading newspapers, novels, etc. This helped me increase my reading speed and also in developing an understanding of the passages I was reading”.
CAT topper, Lakshya Kumar shares his experience of the VARC section with us, quoted “My approach was building up my reading speed and that was achieved by reading newspaper daily as it contains an article from various fields of life ranging from psychology to biology which is similar to the Reading Comprehension section of CAT. The verbal ability section was a tough nut to crack for me but thinking about the question from an examiner's perspective and allocating it a greater percentage of time during the actual exam (feasible due to fast reading pace) did help me a lot.
For last-minute preparation for the CAT, focus on these key tips to maximize your performance:
Revise Key Concepts: Quickly review important formulas, concepts, and shortcuts for Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, and Verbal Ability. Focus on areas where you feel less confident.
Practice Mock Tests: Take a few full-length mock tests to gauge your readiness and practice time management. Analyze your performance to identify and correct any remaining weaknesses.
Focus on Accuracy: Prioritize accuracy over attempting too many questions. Avoid making random guesses and focus on solving questions you are confident about.
Review Mistakes: Go over previous mock test errors and ensure you understand where you went wrong. Avoid repeating these mistakes in the actual exam.
Stay Calm and Confident: Maintain a positive mindset and avoid last-minute stress. Practice relaxation techniques to stay calm and focused during the exam.
Plan Your Exam Day: Ensure you know the exam location, required documents, and exam time. Plan your journey and get everything ready a day before to avoid any last-minute hassles.
Healthy Routine: Get adequate rest, eat a balanced meal, and stay hydrated. Avoid cramming late into the night and ensure you get a good night’s sleep before the exam.
Here are some common mistakes to avoid in the CAT exam:
Ignoring Time Management: Failing to manage your time effectively can lead to incomplete sections. Practice pacing yourself during mock tests to ensure you can answer all questions within the allotted time.
Overlooking Instructions: Not reading the instructions carefully can result in missing key details or misunderstanding questions. Always read the instructions for each section thoroughly.
Neglecting Revision: Skipping revision or last-minute cramming can lead to confusion and mistakes. Ensure you revise key concepts and formulas before the exam.
Getting Stuck on Difficult Questions: Spending too much time on challenging questions can affect your performance on other questions. Move on if you’re stuck and return to tough questions if time permits.
Making Random Guesses: Guessing answers without a solid understanding can decrease your accuracy. Focus on questions you can solve confidently and avoid unnecessary guesses.
Ignoring Mock Test Analysis: Not analyzing your mock test results can prevent you from identifying and addressing your weaknesses. Review your mistakes and work on improving those areas.
Neglecting the Verbal Section: The Verbal Ability section is often underestimated. Ensure you practice reading comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar to improve your performance.
Panicking During the Exam: Stress and panic can negatively impact your performance. Stay calm, follow your strategy, and focus on one question at a time.
CAT is one of the most competitive exams in India. This exam aims to check the candidate's level of intelligence and perseverance. To get 99.5 in CAT candidate must start their preparation well before 7-8 months of the exam. Dedicated study material, strict timetable and consistent practice are the main key points to get 99.5 in CAT.
You can get better at CAT quant by understanding the basic concepts behind the questions and by regular practice. To get success in CAT you have to do consistent practice. You should dedicatedly solve the practice questions and take mock tests daily. Daily practice helps in the improvement of both accuracy and speed. You should pay special attention to your weaker areas.
To prepare well and to score the highest percentile candidates need at least 7-8 months for CAT syllabus preparation. It is one of the most challenging entrance exams in India. You can get 99 percentile in CAT with focused preparation. Rest it all depends on the candidate's efforts, skill level, dedication and other factors.
Nothing can be impossible. The only thing to do to score 99 percentile is to do hard work, consistent practice, practice mock tests, and previous year's papers.
Important topics for NIFT CAT are mostly based on your creativity, observation, design thinking, and visual communication skills. So here's list of important topics you should focus on:
- Observation and drawing skills: Human figures & gestures, nature & Scene drawing are important
- Creative Visualisation: In this you'll have to convert 2d shapes into 3d, making imaginary scenes from a theme, and story illustration from given situations.
- Design & Concept Development: You'll be making logo, posters with creative slogans, book cover design and many more designs.
- Color theory, creative use of texture & patterns.
- Imagination & Innovation: merging two object to make new thing, designing eco friendly or festive based products
Hello Aspirant,
On the CAT form, you should put your name exactly as it is on your class 10 marksheet, as that will be the official educational record. Then during document verification, you can bring a Gazette notification or affidavit for name change so that documents can match your Aadhaar.
Hello aspirant,
The CUSAT CAT 2025 inaugural real-time spot admission will take place at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) from August 4–6. For admission to a variety of undergraduate (B.Tech) and graduate (MSc) programs, the Common Admission Test, or CUSAT CAT, is an entrance exam. Every year, it features sections in mathematics/biology, chemistry, and physics.
For complete information, you can visit our site through following link:
https://www.careers360.com/exams/cusat-cat
Thank you
Hello Aspirant,
Yes, if your caste is listed under Central OBC and you come under the category of Non-Creamy Layer, then you shall be eligible for the OBC-NCL reservation in the CAT exam and IIM admissions, irrespective of its being categorized as OEC in Kerala. Remember to get a valid OBC-NCL certificate obtained as per the format prescribed by the Government of India.
Hey Vijay:)
Thanks for reaching out!
OEC,(Other Eligible Communities) is a state-specific reservation category used in Kerala,and it is not recognised as a separate category in central-level exams like the CAT.
For Central govt exams candidates must choose from the recognised categories: General,SC,ST,OBC-NCL,EWS or PwD.If your community is listed under OEC-SC or OEC-ST in Kerala,you should check whether it falls under SC or ST in the central list and apply accordingly.
Similarly,If your OEC community is in the central OBC list and you meet the non-creamy layer(NCL)rules,you can apply as OBC-NCL, otherwise you need to apply under the general category.
You can verify caste's status in the central list on the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) website.
Hope this clears your doubt!
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