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The Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the coveted management entrance exams which keeps the students perplexed even during the course of their preparation owing to its changing nature. In order to avoid such confusion and maintain calm on the day of CAT, candidates can learn from the experience of others and know “how toppers prepare for CAT.” Read this article to know the toppers CAT preparation strategies, tips, etc.
The CAT exam pattern consists of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The exam typically features a total of 66 questions. The duration of the exam is 120 minutes. The CAT follows a multiple-choice question (MCQ) format as well as a non-MCQ format, with some questions requiring direct answers instead of selecting from options. The sectional time limit requires candidates to manage their time effectively within each section, as moving between sections is not allowed during the exam. The detailed CAT exam pattern is given below:
CAT Exam Sections | Number of questions | Time limit | The time limit for PwD students |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 40 minutes | 53 minutes and 20 seconds |
Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 20 | 40 minutes | 53 minutes and 20 seconds |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 22 | 40 minutes | 53 minutes and 20 seconds |
Total | 66 | 120 minutes | 160 minutes |
The CAT 2024 syllabus is divided into three main sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). VARC focuses on English language skills, including reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and sentence correction. DILR assesses your ability to interpret data from various formats and solve logical reasoning problems. QA covers a range of mathematical topics, such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and number systems. Mastery of these areas requires strong conceptual understanding, problem-solving skills, and effective time management. The complete CAT 2024 syllabus is given below:
CAT 2024 Sections | CAT 2024 Topics |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | Grammar or English Usage Synonyms Antonyms (Vocabulary Based) Fill in the blanks Meaning/Usage Match Jumbled Paragraph and Close Passage Verbal Reasoning Reading Comprehension Analogies and Reverse Analogies Summary Questions Facts Inferences Judgments Verbal Logic One-word substitution |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | Bar Graphs and Column Graphs Caselets and Tables Venn Diagram Combination of two or more types linked to each other Line Charts & Pie Chart Calendars, Clock ,Cube Number and Letter Series Binary Logic ,Seating Arrangement Connectives Matching/ Puzzle Logical Sequence |
Quantitative Aptitude | Higher Order Equation HCF and LCM , Circles Average Graphs Base System Combinations Quadrilaterals Percentage Linear Equations in Two Variables Factors Probability Mensuration Races Inequalities Divisibility Functions Trigonometry Logarithms Digits Sequences & Series Triangles Maxima and MInima Complex Numbers Progressions Polygons Higher Powers Set Theory Coordinate Geometry Theorem Number of factors and number of trailing zeroes Surds and Indices |
One might be thorough with the syllabus but they can learn some vital tips for CAT 2024 from those who got an edge over the others as this will help them crack the exam without much difficulty. Read the full article to know “how toppers prepare for CAT,” check their sectional and overall percentile, and what difference did they make to ace the exam without much difficulty.
A candidate might be very intelligent or brilliant but anxiety continues to haunt you till the day of the exam as you are not certain what kind of questions will be asked or if there will be a change in the exam pattern of CAT.
Before knowing how toppers prepare for CAT, let us know their section-wise score and overall score. Despite being a volunteer in various societies of college or being a working professional, nothing stopped these toppers to achieve their dream. The table below mentions the section-wise scores of toppers, through which you can assess how much you need to score to get the desired percentile in CAT.
Quick Link- When and how to start CAT preparation
Name of CAT 2023 Topper | CAT Topper Score | Topper Interview Link |
---|---|---|
Rounak Tikmani | 99.90 | Click here |
Nishakar Kumar | 99.83 | Click here |
Shreemant Singi | 99.28 | Click here |
Suvam Debnath | 99.52 | Click here |
Pulkit Daga | 99.14 | Click here |
Also Read: Full List of CAT Toppers
CAT preparation tips from toppers often emphasize the importance of a structured approach and consistent effort. Some of the CAT preparation tips suggested by toppers are mentioned below.
Understand the Exam Pattern: Familiarize yourself with the CAT exam pattern and syllabus to create an effective study plan.
Strengthen Basics: Focus on building a strong foundation in all sections by thoroughly understanding fundamental concepts.
Practice Regularly: Take regular mock tests and solve previous years' papers to get used to the exam format and identify areas for improvement.
Manage Time Effectively: Practice solving questions within time limits to develop speed and accuracy.
Review Mistakes: Analyze your mistakes from practice tests to learn and adjust your strategy.
Stay Motivated and Balanced: Maintain motivation and balance your study routine with breaks to ensure sustainable and effective preparation.
To have a decent score one has to begin preparing a few months in advance to score 99 percentile or more. Some relentlessly worked hard, analyzed their performance by taking mock tests, and overcame those mistakes. Such were some toppers who have shared their exam preparation plan with Careers360.
One of the working professionals, Sukumar who bagged 99.3 percentile proved that no barrier can stop one achieve a dream in this regard he shares, ’My idea was to have some work experience to improve my skills and chances of getting into Top tier B-Schools, as I secured placement in a company I wanted to work in. So, I planned to use this year to get some calls and have some Interview experience so that I would know the areas where I have to work on. My preparation strategy was, I took the TIME test series and came to know which questions I can do and which questions I should leave rather than preparing for the content because the time available for my preparation was limited.’
Another CAT topper focused on clearing concepts before taking the next step of preparation, Ronit Baerjea, who takes immense pleasure in watching sitcoms and poetry states, “My journey started with joining a couple of the most prominent Facebook groups (such as iQuanta, ElitesGrid, and Quantifiers), in September 2018, and going through all the questions and solutions posted by previous year's aspirants. I spent a lot of time analyzing the shortcuts mentioned and rigorously dissecting their mathematical robustness. The 2-3 months I spent re-introducing myself to mathematical concepts untouched since my JEE days were crucial to my eventual confidence and consistency in this particular section.”
Also Read- CAT Exam: Tricks for Quant, DI&LR, VRC by 99 percentilers
To tackle one’s weak areas is the biggest challenge while preparing for CAT. However, few toppers share their experience as to how one can overcome their mistakes and weaknesses. Ankit Desai believes that overcoming the fear of failure is the first step toward success and so he scored 99.1 percentile.
To tackle his weak area, he shares, “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 analyzing the mocks comes to the rescue. Once I understood that I wasn't comfortable with inference-based questions and para jumbles, I started practicing more RCs and more para jumbles daily. Also, I started reading an article or two daily for one month to increase my reading speed.”
Another topper, Lakshay Kumar who thought QA to be his weak point, scored the 99.7 percentile. To tackle his weak area he states, “For the weak area, there was no synonym to hard work there. If practicing 2-3 hours didn't cut it then I worked 4-5 hours on that section. Geometry as a whole is a very wide topic and I always had the fear that there were a lot of concepts that I had not prepared. To counter that, I carefully understood the pattern and extent of the topic and prepared accordingly.”
With a sectional time limit of 40 minutes for each section, it is a challenge to solve all the questions in a stipulated time period, wherein no balanced time from the previous section can be taken forward. Such was the challenge for toppers and thus succeeded by showcasing their management skills by planning a strategy to attempt questions from each section. Such was a topper Lakshay Kumar who says, “For Reading Comprehension, I made sure that I completed it in the first 40 minutes (skipping any difficult questions) and then gave 20 minutes for the Verbal ability section.
For Reasoning, I gave the first 7-8 minutes reading and deciding the difficulty level of each question set and then the rest 52-53 minutes in attempting the sets with the easiest being attempted the first. For quants, the rule of them for me was to attempt in order of question paper but skip the question if within the first 30-40 seconds the approach does not strike your mind.”
One of the most common dilemmas that every aspirant faces is choosing between self-study or coaching. No matter if the student belongs to an engineering background or not, every candidate feels an urge to join a coaching centre so that they can learn the tricks of the trade. However, many toppers believe that the only ingredient that adds to success is discipline and dedication towards your plan no matter if it is self-study or through coaching.
Somansh Chordia who scored 100 percentile shares how he decided to prepare, “I had joined TIME. With so much content and guidance available online and CAT being a relatively easy exam in terms of the syllabus, I wouldn’t say coaching is necessary but it certainly saves a lot of time as the experienced faculties help you find out the common approaches taken by students so that you can easily discover what suits you the best. Other than this, what coaching institutes primarily offer is a competitive atmosphere that is necessary to remain motivated to push our limits. But how important this again depends on the individual and if there are friends around you going through the same process, this might not be necessary.”
Mock tests are trial exams that help you have the same exam environment and prepare you for D-day. Without taking the mock test one often stays in anxiety and as the question paper appears things are forgotten in a flash. To reduce such mishappenings and keep you motivated, mock tests will help you analyze the difficulty level of the question paper and prepare you as per the exam pattern of CAT.
Anumay Ashish highlighted his weak points by taking mock tests frequently, he says that “The last part was the CAT mock tests, I gave around 25-26 mock tests and evaluated the performance of each of them properly; highlighting my disabilities and weaknesses.”
Candidates might be interested in-
Hi,
Based on the previous year analysis, According to your CAT 2024 percentile some of the best colleges offering MBA and PGDM course in Telangana in which you have chances to get a seat are the following
For more information about the colleges in which you have chances to get a seat you can predict using MBA college predictor tool provided below
https://bschool.careers360.com/cat-college-predictor
Hope this information will help you
Hi,
With a CAT 2024 score of 93.94 percentile, you have a good chance of getting calls from several IIMs. Here are some possibilities:
IIM Jammu
IIM Bodhgaya
IIM Udaipur
IIM Kashipur
IIM Vizag
Apart from IIMs, you can also consider other prestigious B-schools like:
Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon
FMS Delhi
IIT Delhi
IIM Lucknow
IIM Indore
IIM Raipur
CAT exam is conducted every year for purpose of admission to various prestigious business school and management institutes in India. The exam is also considered among toughest entrance exams in India. The exam rats the logical skills of the candidates. You can get the college list based on your CAT score by simply visiting CAT College Predictor 2024
You can use CAT recommended books for self study like Arun Sharma, Nishit Sinha, and Gautam Puri, covering key areas like Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Logical Reasoning (LR), Data Interpretation (DI), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA), including CAT past year papers and mock tests to practice effectively;
It is generally considered to be effective for preparing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) as they are specifically designed to cover the exam syllabus, provide relevant practice questions, and often include strategies from experienced educators, making them a valuable resource for serious CAT aspirants.
To know more CAT VALUABLE RESOURCE
CAT score of 78 percentile is considered good score and you can get admission to several colleges, including private colleges and some B-schools:
Some Private colleges you can consider
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon; SDA Asia Center; MD Murshidabad; NIA Pune; IFMR, KREA University; ISBM Pune; BIMTECH, Greater Noida; IMT, Nagpur; IBS Hyderabad; SDMIMD, Mysore; KIIT School of Management; LIBA, Chennai; SIES, Navi Mumbai; VIT, Vellore; XIME, Bangalore; IMI, Bhubaneswar
B-schools which may call you for interview and group discussion
Birla Institute of Management and Technology (BIMTECH), Noida; Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal; Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai; Institute of Financial Management and Research (IFMR), Chennai
A excellent CAT score for admission to IIMs is around 97-98 percentile, while for other top MBA colleges, a score of 90-95 percentile is considered good. Many B-schools accept candidates with CAT scores in the range of 80-90 percentile.
CAT percentile predictor tools can be used on any device, including laptops, desktops, tablets, or mobile phones. To get the most accurate results, candidates must enter their CAT performance information precisely.
GOOD LUCK!!!
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