The worst advice you have heard for CAT 2020

LogicalOne | A mentoring portal for CAT students by IIM Alumni

The worst advice you have heard for CAT 2020!

Oh! MBA aspirant? Well, congratulations! Lots of worst advise you must have heard for CAT 2020 already. Being someone who belongs from commerce background, I can understand how hard it can get when people just keep misleading you and think that CAT is all you can prepare for if you had commerce.

Well, here are some of the worst advises you have heard for CAT 2020

1. Marks are everything

Anyone saying this to you needs to research about how people who had 92 percentile got admission in IIM, Ahmedabad and students who scored 96-97 percentile couldn’t make it to ABCs of IIM. Also, their eligibility criteria are just 50% in graduation degree. Linking the IIM, Ahmedabad’s website for the reference.  https://www.iima.ac.in/web/pgp/apply/domestic/eligibility

2. No importance is given to extracurricular activities

If you ever got this advice while preparing for CAT and you’re still sitting in the room with that person, the first thing you should be doing is to leave the room. If your aim is to crack good B-schools, never underestimate the importance of Extra-curricular activities. While your marks may help you to get in the room, your personality and other things that you did in your graduation and schooling years are what is going to help you to seal the deal. This is, in fact, one of the most important things in the interview.

3. Only commerce students can give CAT exams

Well, its 2020 and we have internet connection to tell you how wrong this statement is. In fact, major B-schools are now looking for diverse students in their campus. By diversity, we don’t only mean diversity in culture and region but also in gender, different educational background and experience. Because a) It helps the student to learn about teamwork and b) When you connect with people who don’t belong from the same background as yours, you learn something new. And that is really important for businesses to grow. After all, business needs to work in dynamic situations. (You read that in your Business studies book, haven’t you?)

Next in our list of the worst advises you have heard for CAT 2020, is

4. Preparing for Interview is not a very big deal

Well, It is. No matter how good you performed in your school or in your college or how good your CAT percentile was, if you fail to produce results during Interview, your dream of getting into your favourite B-school would be shattered. And that is the last thing you would want, right? So, we would suggest you invest good time while preparing for Interview as well. As it would be the last thing to be left to be done and you don’t want to leave any stone unturned for it, right?

5. Luck is all you need to crack CAT

Honestly, we won’t really deny the existence of little luck while giving the competitive exams but it is all that you need to excel is what is completely wrong. Your luck might help you solve 3 or 4 questions but your practice will make you get the percentile required to excel the exam. A continuous practice for 6-7 hours daily will help you and solving lots and lots of practice papers. In fact, when a month is left for the exam, practice paper is all that you are supposed to solve.

6. Learning formulas is equal to knowing concepts

A lot of people learn formulas and think that they understood the concept. No, to understand the concept you have to invest proper time while learning it. Not that it will help you to understand things in a better way but also it will help you to gain the confidence required while giving an exam and reduces the time of doing a particular question, which is very important when doing competitive exams.

7. Avoid silly mistakes

If you would have known that this is going to be the silly mistake then you would have obviously avoided it. While considering the fact that silly mistakes can happen when you know you have a limited amount of time, the fact that it reduces the possibility of getting a good percentile can not be avoided. And the only way you can overcome this problem is by having a detailed eye for every answer that you attempt and solving lots of practice papers.

Last but not the least in our list of The worst advises you have heard for CAT 2020, is

8. You have to ace in every area

While saying this is obviously very easy, it is not practically possible. One can not ace in all the areas that are, Quant, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation and Verbal. But its good to know where your USP lies. For example, if you’re good in Verbal then try to get all the answers correct in that particular area. It enhances your chances of getting a good percentile.

Well, that’s all as of now. We know that there is no end of worst advises you have heard for CAT 2020 while preparing for it. And just in case you ever find yourself getting frustrated or mentally exhausted while doing it, all that we want to say is- Hang in there!

We’re sure you’ll get through this. Till then, we wish you All the Best for your exam!

Some things you should know before giving CAT 2020

things you should know before giving CAT 2020

Some things you should know before giving CAT 2020

As we all are aware CAT exam dates are already here. 27th November 2020 will be the date when many of the students will enroll for their dream college. If you are one of those, here we have listed some things you should know before giving CAT 2020 and they are as follows

1. Sectional cut-offs

A lot of people focus on getting good percentile in their strong section but end up getting poor percentile in other sections. Thus, reducing their chances of getting a call from IIM. To get a call from IIM, you must score well in all the sections. That’s the key to success and for that to happen, you must give time to each section.

2. Questions would be more of application-based

If you think learning formula is just enough to get the good percentile, then my friend, you are highly mistaken. The CAT tests are based on more of what you understand than what you can memorize. And application based exams not only test what you can remember but also how much you understand about the concept in general.

3. Use your time wisely

Okay, so this happens with a lot of people that they get stuck with one question and end up giving more time to it than required, thus, wasting a lot of time, effort and energy. So, use these things very wisely and if you see your self stuck with one question for more than 5 minutes, then just leave it and move on with another. Time management is very important as you get only 3 hours to complete your exam and 1 hour is being allotted to each section, which means you can not shift to another section even if you have finished completing one section before 1 hour. So, that’s where time management becomes important so make sure that you don’t take this lightly during your preparations

4. Accuracy plays a very vital role

A lot of people solve more questions but end up getting lower percentile so its also very important that whatever question you solve, it must be correct because of everyone correct answer you get +3 and for every wrong answer you get -1. Use the rule of quality over quantity here. That’s important.

5. Avoid getting panicked

As much as we are aware that it’s easier said than done but there is always a moment when you see any question and know that you might know the answer of, so, just when you know that you have seen that question, avoid trying to solve it at that time and move ahead with another question, solve 3-4 more questions because by that time you must have gained enough confidence to try the question you are not sure about answering it correctly. And there is one more benefit of doing it, that is, it even when you’ll not be able to solve it correctly, it will not completely shatter your confidence and helps you keep calm the whole time.

6. Do not get distracted

Okay, this is a small and silly mistake but very often people end up wasting some crucial time while doing this. So, here we felt the need to address this thing in: Some things you should know before giving CAT 2020. A lot of people focus more on other’s paper rather than their own and constantly try to match their answers with others which not only wastes a lot of time but can also result in the lower percentile. For example, consider this situation that the option you have selected is correct while other person’s answer is incorrect so when you try to match your answer with their answer, not only you’ll waste some crucial time but also it will badly affect your percentile in general. So, do not commit this mistake and make sure you’re only focused on your answer sheet.

7. Mock tests are very important

We can’t underestimate how important mock tests are for your percentile to improve. These not only provide students with the exam like atmosphere but also helps them to understand the common mistakes they make while giving an exam. It also helps students to analyse where they could go wrong while giving actual exam and if done on regular basis, boosts the confidence of students as they’ll feel more prepared and would be able to solve question in less time.

8. Leave some time for revision

It’s extremely important for candidates to have some time for revising the whole paper, so, when you get 60 minutes for each section, make sure that you have enough time left in those 60 minutes that you not only do the whole section but also revise it.

9. Come prepared in the exam hall

No, we are not just talking about the importance of knowing everything related to the exam in your examination hall but also to not forget the various things like carrying everything you need for the exam like some stationery which includes, scale, pencil, eraser, pens, etc and also to be in the examination hall on or before your reporting time cause if once the gate closes, there is no way you can enter the examination hall and all your preparations that you must have done until now will go in vain.

10. Taking care of your physical as well as mental health

Last but not the least in Some things you should know before giving CAT 2020, A lot of times we are so invested while preparing for any competitive exam that we forget how important it is to take care of your physical as well as mental health. We often underestimate the need to be healthy while preparing for any exam, it doesn’t only reflect externally but is also very dangerous for you to function nicely, internally. There have also been cases where it was observed how people who have been preparing for CAT for months and years could not give their exam because of deteriorating health conditions. So, be wise and take care of your health as well.

things you should know before giving CAT 2020

The list is endless as there will always be more to add in Some things you should know before giving CAT 2020 and as there will be more to it, we will keep updating this. So, watch this space. But as of now, we have listed all the important things we thought you should know before giving your CAT exam. As we came to the end of this, we want to add one more thing, there will always be situation life when you’ll feel stuck but don’t ever underestimate the importance of keep moving ahead. We wish you All The Best for your future endeavours!

We also have mentioned “Top 10 MBA colleges in India” so if you face difficulty in selecting in which college you should go make sure you check that list

Smart ways to prepare for CAT in 4 months in 2020

LogicalOne | A mentoring portal for CAT students by IIM Alumni

“It’s not that we have little time, but more that we waste a good deal of it”, said a Roman philosopher, Seneca. Now that the date for CAT has been released, which is, 29th November, 20 and there are less than 4 months left and if you’re someone who has just decided to give CAT, then don’t lose your heart. Here we are with smart ways to prepare for CAT in 4 months in 2020. We have seen ample incidents where people prepare for CAT in 3-4 months and get good percentile. This time IIM, Indore is preparing the questionnaire for the same and the forms will be out on 5th August 2020 and the registration will be closed on 16th September 2020. There will be two-time slots, morning and of the evening. The morning session will be from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and the afternoon session will be from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Registration fees are Rs 2000.

Smart ways to prepare for CAT in 4 months in 2020

Quantative aptitude syllabus

Data Interpretation & LR syllabus

Verbal reasoning syllabus

Number system

Tables

Fill in the blanks

Profit, loss & discount

Caselets

English usage or grammar

LCM & HCF

Bar graphs

Close passage

Speed, time & distance

Line graphs

Vocabulary based

Percentages

Column graphs

Jumbled para

Time & work

Venn diagrams

Summary ques.

Ratio & Proportion

Other basic reasoning ques.

Sentence correction

Averages

Pie chart

Verbal reasoning

Quadratic & Liner equations

Calendars

Meaning- usage match

Complex Number

Clocks

Reading comprehensive

Simple & Compound Int.

Number & letter series

Analogies or reverse analogies

Logarithm

Cubes

Facts- Interferences- judgments

Sequences & series

Seating arrangements

 

Inequalities

Binary logic

 

Probability

Logical matching

 

Surds & Indices

Logical sequence

 

Set theory & function

Syllogism

 

Permutation & Combination

Logical connectives

 

Mixtures & Allegations

Blood relations

 

Trigonometry

 

 

Co-ordinate geometry

 

 

Geometry

 

 

Mensuration

 

 


 You can visit https://logicalone.in/cat2020/ and the related sectional links to know more. 

Here are smart ways to prepare for CAT in 4 months in 2020, step by step

  • Decide from the three modes of doing it: Offline, Online or self-study There are generally 3 modes of preparing for CAT, that is, online, offline, or self-study. But since we are all in the pandemic and coaching classes are yet to start, we are unsure of how long it will take for offline classes to resume. So until then, there are only two ways left, that is - online classes or self-study. And we would also suggest you go for online classes only, even if your institute starts with the offline classes. We all still believe in 'Health is Wealth', right? Another option that you’re left with is self-study and it is one of the best ways to prepare for CAT but obviously, a little guidance doesn’t harm anybody.
  • Check exam pattern and syllabus for 2020 After deciding on your choice from the above-mentioned modes, the first thing which you need to do is to look for the exam pattern and syllabus for CAT 2020, as it helps you organize from where you need to start preparing for. This year's exam pattern would be the same as last year. 100 questions would be there in the exam which will be divided into 3 sections - 34 questions will be from the Verbal ability & Reading comprehension section, 32 questions from the Data interpretation & Logical reasoning section, and 34 questions from Quantitative ability’s section.
  • Analyzing Test series and Mock tests are the most important thing Never underestimate the importance of test series and how fruitful it can be in a situation like this, where you have to prepare for the CAT in a short duration. We would rather say it is one of the best methods to crack the college of your dream. If you analyze your practice papers well, your chances of repeating silly mistakes will ultimately go. Also, Mock tests not only help you acknowledge where you are in your journey to get a good percentile, but it also helps you in time management - which is extremely important during your exam.
  • Look for books that are available This is important as the writers of the books and coaching centers are the people who are experts in their field. So learning from them is the best way to get a good percentile no matter how you are preparing - online, offline, or self-study with the little help from online classes. There are many writers available and Arun Sharma happens to be one of them who is pretty famous amongst people who prepare for CAT. It is not important to get older coaching center notes, the most recent ones being shared with you should suffice. Although there are tons of books that are available, we would like you to research and find the best one suitable for you. Do not overburden yourself - Keep yourself limited to books and study them wisely.
LogicalOne | A mentoring portal for CAT students by IIM Alumni
  • Give sufficient preparation time to each section Once you have decided how you will be preparing for the CAT and have seen the pattern and syllabus for the same, it is now the time to decide on your strength from the DILR, VARC, or Quant sections. Prepare a plan for a dedicated time during which you’ll study a specific topic. However, for you to get a good score we would suggest you give sufficient time to your stronger areas as well in each section - so that you increase your speed in parallel to learning new concepts
  • Take help from people who have already given CAT Even though this is not the most important thing but sometimes it helps as people who have already given CAT once will be able to tell you how things work and what is the atmosphere of an examination hall. This comes handy while you’re giving your exam. And during your preparation, you can also look for interviews of the people who have cracked the CAT and been to their dream college and listen to them whenever you feel demotivated while preparing. It helps!

Here are few testimonies from the students who have prepared for the CAT in 4 months or less time and see what they have to say…

  • "Last 4 months were really crucial, I made sure that I solved every type of question from LR, DI, and Quant sections and knew my strengths and mistakes. This is the key to shortlisting and targeting questions in the main exam." - Rohit J. from IIM Lucknow 2015 batch.
  • "I was preparing for CAT parallel to my job - so I made sure that I did not compromise on my early morning and late night 2 hours study session. This was clubbed with reading articles throughout the day" - CAT 2018 Topper, Rahul S., CAT 2020 Topper (IIM Calcutta)

Some things you should know before giving CAT 2020

1. Sectional cut-offs

A lot of people focus on getting a good percentile in their strong section but end up getting poor percentile in other sections scoring below sectional cut-offs. Thus, reducing their chances of getting a call from IIMs. To get a call from IIMs, you should target to score well in all the sections. That’s the key to success and for that to happen, you must give preparation focus to each section.

2. Questions would be more of application-based

If you think learning formula is just enough to get the good percentile, then my friend, you are highly mistaken. The CAT tests are based on more of what you understand than what you can memorize. And application based exams not only test what you can remember but also how much you understand about the concepts in general.

3.Use your time wisely

Okay, so this happens with a lot of people that they get stuck with one question and end up giving more time to it than required, thus, wasting a lot of time, effort, and energy. So, use these things very wisely and if you see your-self stuck with one question for more than 5-6 minutes, then just mark it, leave it and move on with another.

4. Accuracy plays a very vital role

A lot of people solve more questions but end up getting lower percentile so its also very important that whatever question you solve, it must be correct because of every correct answer you get +3, and for every wrong answer you get -1, with a few non-MCQs offering zero negative marking. Use the rule of quality over quantity here. That’s important.

5. Time management is everything

Time management is very important as you get only 3 hours to complete your exam and 1 hour is being allotted to each section, which means you will be forcibly shifted to another section even if you have not finished completing one section in 1 hour. So, that’s where time management becomes important so make sure that you don’t take this lightly during your preparations. 

We guess that’s all for now. We’ll keep updating this list. So, watch this space! We’d just end this by saying – Don’t panic because there is just 4 months left cause a lot can be done in 4 months. We wish you All The Best for your future endeavours!