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Last Minute Preparation Strategy for CAT 2025 - With the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 scheduled for November 2025, candidates should move towards effective CAT preparation. It is high time to focus on the last-minute preparation strategy for CAT exam. In order to ace the toughest entrance exam of Management of Business Administration (MBA), last-minute CAT strategy plays an important role. A few days before the exam is known as the high time to gear up and take the necessary steps toward CAT preparation. Read the full article to know the last-minute section-wise preparation for CAT 2025.
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Every year prior to a few days before the exam one should take the CAT mock test which will be released by the exam authority to get more familiar with the CAT question paper.
Prior to a few days of CAT, one should evaluate themselves, and how well they are prepared to tackle the exam day pressure. Apart from that how you are going to apply the concept while solving a question on the exam day to not lose the accuracy level and manage time as well. Check the CAT last-minute preparation tips that one can apply during the last-minute preparation strategy of CAT 2025 and fetch the desired score.
If we talk from the point of view of CAT preparation for the last five days, it is totally different and crucial as compared to the early days' preparation strategy. At this point, candidates should slender their CAT preparation and should avoid doing unnecessary things such as taking new topics to cover, investing too much time in lengthy questions, and getting overconfident about the CAT.
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These are the things included in the last-minute preparation strategy for CAT 2025. For those who are taking CAT 2025, this article belongs to them, it contains all the important tips and strategies that one needs to follow at the CAT last minute tips.
A few of the most important CAT last minute preparation tips for the CAT 2025 exam are given below:
In these last few days of CAT 2025 preparation, do not touch on any topic that is new to you. Learning an entire topic in these crucial days will lead one to confusion. The main demerit of taking a new topic is, that it will reduce the quality of understanding and it will make it difficult to memorise pre-learned concepts. Candidates should only focus on and polish such topics about which they are confident.
Expert says- keep polishing learned concepts and get command over them. On the exam day prior to solving any question from the section, one should invest five minutes to scan the section so that one will get to know, which question they should take to solve first so that time will be easily managed.
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As per experts, it is good to do last-minute CAT preparation with the prepared sticky notes and not touch the books that they have used during the early days of preparation. Doing revision through handouts will help you to brush up on such topics in which you are confident about it. Sometimes, candidates can easily figure out the answer while just taking a look at those notes (This clearly saves candidates time if they are able to do the calculation in their mind).
Apart from saving time, practising with handouts in the last days of preparation will boost the candidate's confidence level. So, candidates are advised to avoid preparing from the textbook and from other study materials in the last days of CAT 2025 preparation.
It is always better to give mock tests every day, but due to the length syllabus of CAT many candidates would not be able to take mocks every day in the last five days of the examination one should take mocks and keep track of the time. While taking final mocks one should set an aura like they are sitting in the examination hall for this they need to keep aside their phone, the room should be locked, have your rough sheet and a pen, and the timer should be set.
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Candidates should ensure that, do not take such questions first when they are not sure of what. By doing this one can lose their confidence level at the beginning of the exam. Firstly, they should solve such questions that they can solve while reading the question. At the beginning of every section one should keep aside the difficult questions, through this candidates can increase their overall number of attempted questions.
Losing speed and accuracy is always a bane in any entrance exam. When the exam day is near one should keep the focus on them, as speed and accuracy are an integral part of the CAT. If someone is seeking an answer how they can maintain speed and accuracy level? Then here is the answer- candidates should try to increase their calculation speed in a smart way.
Do mental calculations as much as one can. As per the past year's trend, the questions asked in CAT do not require complex calculations, hence, candidates are easily able to do the mental calculation, try to avoid an on-screen calculator as it will save time. There are lots of tricks available over the internet and in textbooks to increase mental calculation speed. Those questions related to the reasoning part will be easily solved by doing mental calculations. This is one of the most important last-minute preparation strategies for CAT.
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After taking command over speed and accuracy level candidates should take a look at time management. Firstly, they need to evaluate whether they are able to solve a section within the stipulated time or not. If we talk about the CAT 2025 time management strategy, then one should classify their time into three parts. In the first part, one should attempt those questions, which they can answer at the time of reading the questions or need a bit of calculation.
After that candidates should take such questions, that they find they can solve but need some additional time. In the end, candidates take such questions which are time-consuming and tough ones. If a candidate is able to solve 75 percent of questions from the whole paper with good accuracy and speed one can expect a decent percentile. By doing time management, candidates can stay relaxed on exam day.
All candidates must follow the Do’s and Don’ts written on their admit cards.
The list of important CAT exam day dos and don’ts are as follows:
Do's | Don'ts |
Reach the CAT examination centre as per the Reporting Time (90 minutes before the test) | Don’t carry any electronic gadgets like a watch, calculator, digital car key, tablet or mobile phone. |
Carry only your original ID and CAT exam admit card with your affixed photograph | Women candidates should not wear jewellery, apply henna (mehndi) on the palm side. |
Follow the dress code detailed on your CAT Admit card | |
Follow the security check guidelines |
Don’t use social media like Instagram, Facebook or YouTube for the latest updates and information as there may be confusing information there. You should visit CAT's official website for any updates. This is an important last-minute tip by CAT Toppers.
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In the last moments of preparation, candidates need to focus on major as well as minor things. No doubt preparation as a whole is very important for any competitive exam but at the same time, it is also essential to emphasise specific sections of the test as it ensures how well one can attempt the paper. Check preparation strategies given to ace each section of CAT 2025.
The quantitative aptitude section is considered to be the most difficult section in CAT. To ace this section, one needs to have a good speed and accuracy rate. The major part of this section is covered by concept-based questions. Thus, it is quite important for the candidates to first, clear their concept for each topic.
To excel in this section one should have a strong command of calculation as well and one should try to calculate in mind without using pen-paper in order to save time. In the last days of CAT 2025 preparation, candidates should go through the previous year's question paper so that one should know the dominating topics of the Quantitative Aptitude section and attempt such questions first while taking the CAT 2025.
The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section is wholly based upon practice. Generally, the question asked under this section is to check the analytical and logical thinking of the candidates. There is no need to learn any kind of formulae to ace this section. One needs to apply his mind logically to get the answers. The elimination method can also be used to perform better in this section i.e., one can eliminate the options that are totally irrelevant and illogical to get the right answer.
The Verbal and Reading Comprehension section is well known for taking the time. The only section which can disbalance time management. In this section, candidates will have to read long passages and answer all the asked questions pertaining to the passage. This section requires good reading skills. Another important thing is that the aspirants must have a good command of their vocabulary as it is very important to ace the verbal ability section of the paper.
Only those candidates who can easily tackle questions from the Verbal Ability section did their Verbal Ability preparation for CAT 2025 from day one. In the last-minute preparation of CAT 2025 for the Verbal Ability section, one should read the flashcards they have prepared at the initial stage of their preparation.
Those who have a good command of reading can easily excel in the Reading Comprehension section. Those who have developed the skill of concluding the long passages by reading at the time of preparation can score well in this section. Experts say while taking this section at the time of CAT 2025 one should read very carefully the whole passage and try to understand it in the first read. Do not read the paragraphs in a hurry, because sometimes questions asked in the Reading Comprehension section are tricky ones.
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Check out the list of leading B-schools accepting CAT scores to offer admission into MBA programs.
IIM Ahmedabad | IIM Bangalore |
IIM Calcutta | IIM Lucknow |
IIM Indore | MDI Gurgaon |
SPJIMR Mumbai | SJSOM IIT Bombay |
DMS IIT Delhi | FMS New Delhi |
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Yes, 1 mark will be deduced for each incorrect answer.
The CAT exam is divided into three sections including Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA).
There is no shortcut for the preparation of the CAT exam. You need at least 6 months for the preparation of the CAT exam. The CAT exam seems to be very difficult for candidates who are not completely prepared for the exam. So, you should plan to prepare as early as possible if you want to score a good percentile in the CAT exam.
On the last day before the CAT exam, you should relax don’t panic. Don’t study any new topic. You should revise key concepts, your notes and formulas. Revise the mistakes you made during your mock tests and practice tests. Maintain a positive mindset.
Greetings! Here's a detailed response to your query:-
Determination of the best time to start the journey of CAT examination is based on individual factors like your current skill level, knowledge ,potential, learning pace and availability. To give yourself the best chance of success on the CAT exam , which usually takes place in November, it's advisable to begin studying between January and March of that same year. This 8 to 12-month preparation window is widely recommended by experts. But if you're managing your college along with the CAT preparations make sure you start from 2nd year onwards. It will hep you manage stress and you'll have ample amount of time to get along with the syllabus , pattern and various practice and mocks .
You'll be able to build a strong foundation in each sections and be able to know your strengths and weaknesses in different topics. The CAT syllabus is extensive, and early preparation allows for thorough coverage. Assess your learning speed and adjust your preparation timeline accordingly.
Essentially, while the ideal start time is subjective, beginning your CAT preparation well in advance is generally considered the most effective strategy for achieving optimal results.
The CUSAT CAT previous year question papers are available on the Careers360 website. You can find question papers from 2012 to 2023, which can be downloaded in PDF format HERE
Additionally, the official website of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) also provides previous year question papers. To access them, you can follow these steps:
- Visit the CUSAT official website - admissions.cusat.ac.in.
- Click on the resources tab from the homepage.
- Select the previous year's question papers from the drop-down menu.
- Select the Common Admission Test (CAT) question papers link.
- Now click on the B.Tech course.
By practicing with these previous year question papers, you can get familiar with the exam pattern, identify important topics, and improve your time management skills.
Hey Shathvika, that's a great question! So, you're wondering about MBA entrance exams besides the CAT , right? Absolutely, there are quite a few others you can consider in India. Here's a rundown: Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) : XLRI Jamshedpur runs this one, and over 150 B-schools across India accept it. You'll usually find it in January. What's cool about the XAT is that it often includes sections on Decision Making and sometimes even an Essay Writing part. Management Aptitude Test (MAT) : This is conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA). A lot of schools – over 600 in India – take MAT scores. The best part? You can take it four times a year: February, May, September, and December. Plus, you can choose between Paper-Based (PBT), Computer-Based (CBT), and even Internet-Based (IBT) options. Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) : If you're eyeing a Symbiosis institute for your MBA, this is the one. Symbiosis International (Deemed University) conducts it, and it's usually in December. SNAP's also known for having a somewhat unique way of scoring. Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) : The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the CMAT. AICTE-approved institutions all over India will accept it. This one's also typically held in January. It checks you on things like quantitative skills, logical thinking, how well you understand language, and your general knowledge. NMAT by GMAC : The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is behind this exam. NMIMS and quite a few other management schools accept it. What’s interesting is that you have a 75-day window, usually from October to December, to take it. And, you can even retake it up to three times if you want to improve your score! Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Exam : NTA also conducts this one. If you are keen on IIFT Delhi and Kolkata, this is your ticket. Expect to take it in December. This exam puts a little more weight on questions about international business and trade. MICA Admission Test (MICAT) : MICA Ahmedabad uses this for its PGDM-C program. They hold it twice a year, generally in December and January. MICAT looks at how creative you are, how well you write, and your general abilities. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) : GMAC runs the GMAT as well. Many B-schools in India, and even more worldwide, accept GMAT scores. You can take it pretty much any time of the year. People often go for the GMAT if they're thinking about executive MBA programs or schools with a focus on international business. Lovely Professional University National Entrance and Scholarship Test (LPUNEST) : LPU conducts it for admissions into its undergraduate and postgraduate programs. It's held multiple times throughout the year. It also works as a scholarship test, so doing well can get you some financial aid. So, there you have it! Each of these exams has its own quirks when it comes to structure, who can take it, and the scores you need. It’s worth digging into each one a bit to see which one fits best with what you've studied and where you want to take your career. Good luck!
Hello Ayush,
K.R. Mangalam University utilizes a blend of MCQs, descriptive formats, and practical assessments to evaluate student performance. The continuous evaluation system ensures that students are assessed regularly throughout the semester, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of their academic progress.
Hello,
Here are some simple tips to prepare for the CUSAT CAT exam:
1. Focus on Physics, Chemistry, and Maths (PCM).
2. Give equal time to all subjects.
3. Use NCERT Books as they are best for basics.
You can refer to following study materials for better practice :-
Hope it helps !
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