100 days to CAT - Strategy and planning !!!

The countdown has begun, with just 100 days to go. Soon the days remaining will be in 2-digits. Our heartbeats may have started to pace. Our minds may be full of different variety of questions:

Can I crack CAT this year?

My scores in mock tests are very low, is there any chance for me? 

I haven't started my preparations yet, should I even apply for the exams? 

I am usually scoring 95-96 percentile in two sections of mock tests but my score is very low in the third section, do I stand a chance of getting calls from IIMs? 

My college/ office going on full-fledged, how can I plan so that I get my dream percentile? 

Numerous questions leap in our mind regarding CAT preparations. The list seems to be endless, in fact. The crux of these questions is the single point : How should we plan our preparation for CAT in next 100 days to maximise our score and get an admission in our dream college?

If you are getting these thoughts or similar other thoughts related to CAT exam then you are on the right track. These thoughts and feelings are natural and they are bound to arise. Ways in which we should respond to such thoughts and feelings are more significant. So let us understand the methods of keeping our preparation on a full swing for next 100 days.

Regardless that you are starting your preparation now, in the remaining 100 days you can certainly improve your chances of getting a higher percentile. I can still recall some of my students getting invitations from IIMs just in 100 days of preparation. Although the number of such examples are not high, but certainly it is achievable .

Firstly, we need to understand is that we should devote approximately 500 hrs (minimum) for preparations in order to attain a good percentile. I will divide these 500 hours as following:

QA: 100 hours

LRDI: 100 hours

VARC: 100 hours 

Mocks: 75 hours

Mock Analysis: 125 hours.

Above cited division of time is an estimate for students starting their preparations. This is the minimum I would recommend you to follow. This implies that an average of 5 hours per day dedicated towards preparations. Simple and an achievable task! If you are sincerely dreaming to score a good percentile, you have to put very sincere efforts. These timings can change from person to person, as per their strengths or weaknesses. Hence, if you are relatively more confident in one particular section, then you can decrease the time devoted to that section and the additional time should be devoted to sections that you perceive as weaker. 

I usually recommend my students to take at least 25 mock tests of national level. Analysis may need more time . 

The '100 hours' devoted to each section can further be sub divided topic-wise. For example, in QA we have 5 major categories: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Number System and Modern Maths. QA altogether has around 20 chapters. So the total time of 100 hours (minimum) should be sub-divided as per our strengths/weaknesses and/or as per the recent trend of CAT question papers. Normally, the weight of Arithmetic is the highest and should be given a priority. Arithmetic also helps us in DI. Next, in the order of importance are Algebra and Geometry. Both the topics are important and students usually face lot of problems in both these areas. Hence, we need to have a good understanding of basic concepts pertaining to these topics, as quickly as possible, prior attempting to solve their questions. 

After you divide seemingly mammoth task of preparing for CAT and attaining a good score into smaller tasks, the journey will always seem feasible. CAT exam is more about planning such small steps and finishing them as per our timeline. 

The most important parameter will be writing mock tests and analysing your performance in them. After each mock test you should try to find your mistakes and categorise them. Do not repeat same types of mistakes in subsequent mock tests. Selection of questions is very important. You have to understand and analyse the types of questions that take a lot of time to solve during mock tests, so that you can develop a sense of selecting questions that are easier and less time-consuming in your next mock test. 

Work on your accuracy rather than speed. Your confidence level will become very high while attempting questions. It is disheartening to lose marks on account of negative marking. For improving accuracy, you need to work on those questions / areas which you have marked wrong in your mock tests. My suggestion to you will be to aim at nearly 100 percent accuracy in QA & LRDI, and nearly 80+ percent accuracy in VARC. 

In next 100 days, you can follow a routine that ensures that you sit for 3 hours in one stretch. This helps in building up your stamina. Even though, it is not a mock test, you should have a habit of keeping your phones away and study for 3 hours, without any break. That will make a lot of difference. When the admit card is received and you get to know your exam's time slot (morning or afternoon), then you should certainly work on your body-clock. That is done by making yourself sit and study for 3 hours at a stretch, in the same time slot as per your CAT exam's schedule. As per psychologists, if you follow a routine for 21 days, it becomes an effortless habit. I have done it myself and so you can do it too.

An important point to help you in your preparations for CAT will be to find a 'mentor' and follow his or her advice religiously. If you prepare under guidance of an expert, then be assured that the journey to success will be easier and results will be much better. With only 100 days left for CAT exam, time to experiment is over. My advice to you will be to find a suitable mentor and align your preparations in accordance with his / her guidance. If you have not applied for this year's CAT exam yet, then I would request you to do that ASAP. Once we are done with submission of CAT exam form. we may start getting more and more motivated to study and get a good score. Believe me, one thing that is really a differentiating factor in getting a good score is MOTIVATION. Staying motivated for next 100 days will be a tedious task. Owing to many distractions in our journey of CAT preparations, it becomes difficult to stay motivated at all times. There comes the role of your mentor to push you and motivate you towards your desired goal. Your mentor is someone who acts like a positive 'catalyst' - not participating in the reaction itself, but still increasing the rate of reaction dramatically.   

Choose your mentor wisely.

 Happy Learning!!!