Common Admission Test or CAT  is one of the most common examinations in India given by approximately 2 lakhs candidates to get admission in top colleges for management courses. The examination is not only given by students but also working professionals for their career growth in the corporate sector. However it is a bit difficult for the working professionals to prepare for CAT as they have to manage between their job and studies in comparison to the students as studies are their only job.

This article is for the working professionals considering various important tips and strategies regarding CAT preparation 2021.

Do you have to quit your job to prepare for CAT

This is the first question which comes in the mind of any working guy when it comes to CAT preparation. The answer to this simple question is a NO, as you require a maximum of 4-5 hours in a single day to prepare for CAT. One can easily utilize this amount of time from their day and considering the situation of work from home opportunities for many people it can be more easy. Thus the first job for you in your /cat preparation is a strict schedule dividing your daily hours into working, preparation and minimum amount of extra co-curricular activities.

Do you need to taking coaching for CAT preparation

This is another common question raised by almost every aspirant who is preparing for CAT. The answer to this question can be answered by yourself only as it will be based on the fact that you actually require coaching or guidance of any mentor while preparing or you can easily understand the concepts of various topics while you are preparing. Mentorship or guidance can be a bit advantageous while CAT preparation but finally it depends on you how you are able to utilize that advantage for your CAT preparation. Also for the working professional, it will be a bit hectic as first you have to do your office and after that attend coaching sessions and a little time for self study.

The only thing which can be required by a working professional from coaching is their coaching material and test series.

Right Study material 

After you have cleared various doubts in your mind, the first thing you require is the right study material. You can acquire a variety of materials from different sources like old study material from any coaching or you can search the internet for the right book according to your caliber. After getting the material you can look for the Quantitative and Logical reasoning part. For VARC section you can you can prepare for reading comprehension from different sources like newspaper and and different articles published by renowned agency and person. However we must advise you to subscribe for test series offered by different coaching institutes or you can get test series from us at reasonable cost.

Time Management and Mocks

For any competitive entrance examination, time management is one of the most important factors to be excelled at. As every paper has a time limit, one while preparing for the competitive examination should be able to solve a given number of questions in a limited time.

Time management skills can be improved by daily practice through solving questions in a set period. Another way for time management is by attempting mocks. Solving the whole paper within the given time period not only improves your time management skills but also provides you the experience you will go through while attempting the paper thus there is no need to get anything new on the exam day.

Some important preparation tips and strategies for CAT preparation 2021

• Utilize maximum number of hours: As discussed above, try to consume the maximum amount of time from a given day for your CAT preparation and try to divide the time equally among 3 sections. In that way you might be able to excel in all the three sections.
• Go through the syllabus: First thing first is to go through the syllabus and picking and sorting out the topic i.e. which ones are easy and for which you are not familiar with.
• Start with the easy one first: it is important that you start and complete the topics first with which you are familiar with as you can complete them in a given amount of time.
• Never start a difficult topic: At this point of time you might not want to get involved in any topic which is time consuming and you are having difficulties while solving it.
• Mocks: Mocks are the most important part for your CAT preparation. One should start giving mocks by today itself and try to give at least 1 mocks in a week. In that way you will be able to track your progress and have an idea how much improvement is required from your side.
• No matter how late you start or how much syllabus you have completed, attempting mocks is a must.
• Calculation speed and mental calculation: While solving the question, your initial approach should be to attempt and solve it in a minimum amount of time for which you have to improve your calculation speed. Try to solve the questions in your mind.
• Approach while learning something: While understanding the topics, one should be able to understand the concepts and get an idea on how the formula came and not just learn the formula in that way you might be able to solve more complicated problems accurately based on that formula.

Also make a notebook of all the formulas you have learned during the course of your preparation.

• Vocabulary and Reading: These are the things for which you can prepare for in your spare time also. Pick a novel or newspaper article and for your reading and vocabulary and make a list of words which you do not understand.
• Do not try to do everything: One of the very reasons that you have difficulty in preparing is that you try to reach various numbers of sources at the same time. While having a study material you go through different books and different numbers of sources. It is practice which matters, not the courses and material which one picks.
  Just pick one book or course only and solve it and only after completing it go through another if you had enough time left. You can contact different people like CAT toppers through social media and get their opinion on how they prepare. Always be positive.

Sheri gill