Great Lakes - PGPM & PGDM 2025
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It is commonly stated that "winners do things differently." Understanding the format of the CAT exam pattern is one method to improve your chances of success. Looking at prior years' exam patterns will help you understand how the examination is structured and what areas are addressed. This include areas such as Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability. Learning the tactics used by CAT toppers will give you an advantage and help you understand what makes them different. For more information on "How to Crack CAT 2025 Strategies from Toppers" and the recommended books for each part, read the entire article by Careers360.
The CAT exam pattern consists of three main sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The exam is conducted online and typically has 68 questions. The total duration is 2 hours. Questions are a mix of multiple-choice and non-multiple-choice types.
Creating a study plan for CAT involves a few key steps:
Understand the Syllabus: Know the topics covered in each section: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation andLogical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).
Assess Your Strengths and Weaknesses: Identify which areas you're good at and which ones need more work.
Set Realistic Goals: Break down your preparation into weekly or monthly goals, focusing on covering all topics.
Create a Schedule: Allocate specific times each day for studying different sections. Make sure to include time for revision and practice tests.
Practice Regularly: Solve previous years' question papers and take mock tests to get used to the exam pattern and improve your speed and accuracy.
Review and Revise: Regularly review what you've learned and revise important concepts and formulas.
Stay Consistent: Stick to your schedule and make studying a daily habit.
Take Care of Yourself: Ensure you get enough rest, eat well, and take breaks to avoid burnout.
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Extended Application Deadline: 10th Feb 2024
250+ Companies | Highest CTC 16 LPA | Average CTC 8 LPA | Ranked as Platinum Institute by AICTE for 6 years in a row | Awarded Best Business School of the Year
To prepare well for the CAT 2025 exam, follow unique tactics for each section. Make it a practice to read various sources, such as books and newspapers, to increase your vocabulary and comprehension. To improve your Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) skills, start with the basics and practice different sorts of questions regularly to increase your speed. To maintain speed and accuracy in Quantitative Ability (QA), ensure you have a good understanding of basic arithmetic principles, apply shortcut approaches, and tackle varied problems daily. Following these concentrated techniques will improve your performance in all sections of the CAT exam.
Develop a Reading Habit: Regularly read newspapers, magazines, and books to enhance your comprehension skills. Exploring different genres can broaden your understanding.
Build Your Vocabulary: Make a habit of learning new words and understanding their usage to improve your performance in this section.
Practice Reading Comprehension: Daily practice with reading comprehension passages and summarizing them can boost your speed and accuracy.
Master the concepts: Make sure you understand the concepts of logical reasoning and data interpretation methodologies.
Practice frequently: Solve multiple DILR tasks regularly to spot trends and improve your problem-solving skills.
Take mock exams: Taking mock examinations regularly allows you to simulate exam conditions and identify your weak points for targeted improvement.
Build a Strong Foundation: Focus on mastering basic mathematical concepts, including algebra, geometry, and arithmetic.
Learn Shortcut Techniques: Practice shortcut methods and formulas to solve problems quickly and accurately.
Daily Practice: Solve a variety of quantitative problems every day to keep up your speed and precision.
It is not easy to appear for and pass the CAT exam. CAT preparation requires an immense amount of effort and commitment. There are certain commonalities among toppers' strategies, such as their constant attention to critical subjects. In every section, each CAT topper has a unique viewpoint. For example, most high scorers state that "Even a non-reader can score well in Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section" while discussing VARC sections. In addition to this approach, they follow an organised study schedule and routinely administer CAT practice exams to evaluate their readiness and performance.
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Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) is all about understanding the text and comprehending the ideas that the author or writer wants to convey. Usually, the reading comprehension section consists of a total of 4-5 passages with approximately 300 to 400 words and each passage will consist of a minimum of five questions. Read the following tips from CAT toppers on how to prepare for the CAT VARC section.
Ravi Prinshu - On asking for VARC preparation strategy Ravi says- “I used to read a lot of novels and while preparing for VARC, I used to just give the mock tests. To ensure that I could answer the question with ease, again I used to practice a lot of CAT mock test”
Ashish Sen - For VARC preparation, Ashish added “This was the section that troubled me a lot in mocks and I put a lot of effort into it. I used to read articles daily from sites such as aeon (aeon.co) and aldaily(aldaily.com). Along with that, I used to solve at least 3 RC Passages daily. Consistent practice improved my performance in this section considerably."
Shivam Chandak - On the other hand, Shivam Chandak says, "My VA was weak, so I had to really work for it, like a lot of reading but was not pretty consistent with it, which got me really scared. I knew I wasn’t good at VARC. So in the first few CAT mock tests, I tried to understand the questions I could solve correctly in the section. This is where analysing the mocks comes to the rescue. Once I understood that I wasn’t comfortable with inference-based questions and para jumbles, I started practising more RCs and more para jumbles daily. Also, I started reading an article or two daily for one month to increase my reading speed."
Books Name | Author |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
Mastering the Verbal Ability for CAT | Ajay Singh |
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT | Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay |
While preparing for the Quantitative Ability section one should focus on their mathematical skills, numerical ability as well as problem-solving skill. Most of the questions asked in the QA section are related to elementary mathematics. As per experts, those who have good command over fundamental concepts can easily ace this section.
CAT topper, Ashish shares his CAT Quantitative Ability preparation tips. He says “I first focused on strengthening my concepts in all the topics asked in CAT, for this I completed the entire module provided by TIME, after which I was pretty confident about my Quantitative section."
CAT topper, Ravi Prinshu also shares his QA preparation tips. He quoted “I searched Facebook groups from where I could get to know about the formulae and their short cut and I could execute them while solving the questions. For Quantitative ability, I used to give four to five hours in a week. After every CAT mock test, I used to analyse the questions and see where I had made a mistake and work accordingly and ensure that i fix my mistakes at the earliest."
The Quantitative Ability section is considered as the most challenging section for all CAT aspirants. Aditya Devalla (CAT topper) shares his QA preparation journey and says, “For Quantitative Aptitude, I made the short notes of all the important concepts of quantitative aptitude. I managed my time for each section equally. I appeared in sectional and overall tests every week to know my performance. Also, it is very important to go through your wrong answers, this is what I used to do after all tests.”
Book name | Author |
How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT | Arun Sharma |
Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT | Nishit K. Sinha |
To attain a high sectional and total score on the DILR exam, applicants must follow an effective preparation plan throughout. Following the QA section, the most difficult section in the CAT syllabus 2025 is Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Consistent and intense preparation can give you an advantage in the DILR section. In the DILR section, evaluate the toppers' techniques and advice.
For Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, Shivam Kumar (CAT 2020 topper) says “For DILR, I religiously solved all the sets which were there in the mocks. I maintained a list that detailed my analysis of all types of sets. It helped me in categorising the sets into easy, medium, and tough buckets."
Aditya Devalla also shares his preparation strategy for DILR section. He quotes “ For DILR, I practised a lot. The more you practice the better you will be. The practice helped me to attain accuracy in the CAT exam. I would further move on to the last minutes, I would just solve the questions which could be solved with either specific data or less data and eventually would end up doing 4-5 complete sets and around 2 partial. Even on the D-day, I attempted 6 complete sets and 2 sets partially. DILR is more about accuracy than speed. On the exam day, I found the Quantitative section easy and I can say I solved easily. The DILR section was definitely the toughest this year. It was not easy to answer the questions in one go. Meanwhile, Data interpretation and logical reasoning questions were on moderate level, you can answer if you practiced and appeared for CAT mock tests."
Book name | Author |
How to prepare for Data Interpretation for the CAT | Arun Sharma |
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT | Nishit K. Sinha |
To prepare for the CAT exam, students should focus on each section with the strategies like, Read newspapers and books to improve comprehension and vocabulary, Understand key concepts and practice different problem types regularly. Master basic math concepts, use shortcut techniques, and solve problems daily.
CAT toppers focus on key topics and follow a structured study plan. They believe even non-readers can do well in the Verbal Ability section and regularly take mock tests to track their progress.
Yes, many candidates find it difficult because it includes lot of calculations, analysis and interpretation
For DILR, understand key concepts and solve various problems regularly to recognize patterns. Take mock tests to simulate exam conditions and identify weak areas.
To excel in QA, master basic math concepts like algebra and geometry. Use shortcut techniques for faster problem-solving and practice different problems daily to maintain speed and accuracy.
Improve your basic math skills and practice consistently. Focus on grasping arithmetic, algebra, and geometry topics, as well as learning shortcut approaches for problem-solving.
Practice solving DILR sets regularly. Categorize them as simple, medium, or difficult, and focus on improving accuracy over speed.
Solve several sets from prior mocks. To improve, focus on accuracy and examine your faults after each mock.
Yes, sample exams are essential for learning the exam format, increasing speed, and identifying areas of weakness. Always evaluate your performance following each mock.
Each portion of the CAT exam is crucial, but you should try to complete them all on time. Practising using a timer helps you strike a balance between speed and precision.
Concentrate on practising RC portions and comprehending the sense of the text. Regular practice with these types of questions can help you answer them more efficiently.
Prioritize practising different DILR sets. To increase performance, focus on accuracy rather than speed and practice in exam-like settings.
Hello there,
With a 65 percentile in CAT and belonging to the General category , getting admission to USMS (University School of Management Studies) can be challenging, as their cutoffs are generally higher, typically around 85-90 percentile or more. However, admission can depend on factors like:
Category-wise cutoff
: Sometimes, the cutoff for the General category can be higher, but you may still apply as there might be specific reservation relaxations or fluctuations based on the number of applicants.
Interviews and GD
: Even if you meet the minimum cutoff,
interviews and group discussions
are a mandatory part of the selection process. They assess your communication skills, leadership qualities, and overall fit for the program.
Recommendations:
Top MBA colleges based on CAT, XAT, SNAP, and NMAT scores include some of India’s best institutions. For CAT, the IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta) and FMS Delhi are highly regarded. XAT results in prestigious colleges like XLRI Jamshedpur and XIMB. SNAP is known for Symbiosis Institutes, such as SIBM Pune and SCMHRD. NMAT scores open doors to NMIMS Mumbai, SPJIMR Mumbai, and ISB Hyderabad. Each exam has unique eligibility requirements, and their cutoffs vary, so it's important to research the specific criteria and select based on your preferences and strengths.
Hello,
Here are important points regarding your query :-
Hope it helps !
Hi,
Based on the previous year analysis, According to your CAT 2024 percentile some of the colleges in which you have chances to get a seat includes:
You can predict more colleges using the CLAT 2024 college predictor tool .
Hope this information will help you
Hello Greetings
With a CAT 2024 percentile of 68.28%, you may face a challenging time getting into IIT Delhi, as their cutoffs are typically higher. However, being an SC female student, you may be eligible for relaxation in the cutoff criteria .
To give you a better idea, here are some general CAT cutoff percentiles for IITs and other top B-schools:
- *IIT Delhi*: Typically above 90 percentile for general category students.
- *Newer IIMs*: Such as IIM Vishakapatnam, IIM Shillong, and IIM Udaipur, may have lower cutoffs, around 80-90 percentile.
- *Other top B-schools*: Like IMT Ghaziabad, XIM Bhubaneswar, and TAPMI, may also consider students with lower percentiles.
It's essential to note that CAT cutoffs can vary from year to year, and other factors like your academic background, work experience, and performance in the personal interview (PI) and written ability test (WAT) also play a significant role in the admission process.
To explore more options and predict your chances of getting into various colleges, you can use online CAT college predictor tools .
Have a great day
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