CAT Preparation Tips 2021 | Know How to Prepare Without CAT Coaching

CAT Preparation Tips 2021: Are you an MBA aspirant? Applying for the CAT 2021 Exam? CAT is one of the topmost entrance examinations for admission into an MBA degree. There are just a few months left to prepare for the CAT 2021 Exam. This test creates fierce rivalry for admission to IIMs and other top B-schools. Candidates must have the best CAT Preparation Tips. So, we are providing the CAT Preparation Tips in this article.

How to Prepare for the CAT in 2021?

Change in CAT Exam 2021	Required Change in CAT preparation
Number of questions to go up from 76 to 100	Test-taking strategy to be tweaked. Selection of questions becomes important
Increased Overall CAT duration to 3 hours and Sectional duration to 60 minutes each	Students should focus on preparation. The exam could prove more beneficial with a better scoring opportunity
Difficulty Level may go up	Improve your skills in each section, IIMs may decide to have stronger skilled students
Change in Mock Test-Taking Strategy	Increase the total number of questions and duration for your mock test. This will give you a real feel of the new CAT pattern

When to Start CAT Preparation?

Well for proper CAT exam preparation, one must require 6-9 months. With complete dedication and hard work, candidates can crack the CAT exam with a high score.

• Do’s and Dont’s for CAT 2021

Below is the time frame required for CAT preparation

• Learning concepts and knowing the foundation: 3-4 months
• Revision and Practicing: 2-3 months
• Attempting Mock Tests: 1-2 months

To become a master in any topic, knowing the basics is a must. Candidates must be thorough with the basics and know their strong and weak areas. 

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CAT Preparation Tips 2021

Wondering how to start CAT Preparation? Well, one must follow a dedicated preparation plan to score more in the upcoming CAT Exam 2021. Here, we have listed out detailed CAT Preparation Tips for candidates who are appearing for CAT Exam 2021.

You have to create a proper preparation strategy to crack the CAT exam. By following these CAT Tips and Tricks candidates can score more without any CAT Coaching.

• The first and foremost important tip is to know the detailed CAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus. Make sure you are aware of the topics which are asked in the CAT Exam.
• Make a list of topics in which you are strong and weak separately. 
• Start studying regularly with the right CAT Books available online. Make sure you have the right preparation materials which will help you to score more.
• Start learning the concepts of each topic. The CAT syllabus mainly includes Class X and XII level mathematics, logical reasoning, and English.
• Practice with a timer and do not use a calculator, especially while practicing Data Interpretation. 
• Practice each topic properly. This will help in assessing your strengths and weakness.
• Instead of solving 20 questions of one type, solve 4 questions of 5 types from each topic.
• Start taking up CAT Mock Tests after completion of studying the topics. Don’t lose hope if you are scoreless. Mocks are for you to recognize the areas you need to put more effort in.
• Analyze each mock test you have taken. The more mocks you take, the better the strategy you will be able to form. It is recommended to take a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 mock tests in a week.
• Once you finish the entire syllabus, focus primarily on mock tests and sectional tests.
• In the last 2 months, do not prepare for any new topics. Work on strengthening the ones you are good at.
• Attempt CAT Previous Year Question Papers. Question papers will help you to know different types of questions.
• Take adequate breaks, and get enough sleep while preparing for CAT.

Section-Wise CAT Preparation Tips 2021

As you are now aware of how to prepare for the CAT exam with detailed tips and tricks provided above, here is the section-wise preparation plan. 

Quantitative Ability

Quantitative Ability mainly covers the following areas of mathematics:

• Algebra
• Arithmetic
• Geometry
• Trigonometry
• Mensuration
• Modern Mathematics

While preparing for QA, candidates must follow these CAT Preparation Tips mentioned below to score more:

1. Set the foundation and brush up on the concepts. If you don’t know the basics of any topic, you cannot solve complex questions. So, make sure you are strong in basics.
2. Learn time-saving techniques or tricks like tables till 40, squares up to 30, cubes up to 20, and percentage equivalent of fractions till 25.
3. Maintain a formula book. Note down all the essential and direct formulas and go through them regularly.
4. Practice solving questions within 2 minutes. This is the average time you get to spend on each question in Quantitative Ability.
5. When you attempt QA in mock tests, break the entire section into three parts as per the difficulty level of the question: easy, moderate, and difficult.
6. You need to solve more questions in less time. It is better to solve 3 easy questions than 1 difficult question.
7. Lastly, practice a lot. The more you practice, the more you can be master in this section.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

For the last two years, this section is proved to be the toughest of all. The absence of the syllabus makes this section difficult. So, practice is the only way to ace this section. Here are tips to score more in this section.

1. Be familiar with all kinds of graphs and charts in DI and puzzles in LR.
2. Practice quick calculation. Learn the percentage equivalent of fractions which are a big time saver
3. Solve puzzles like Sudoku and crossword to sharpen your grey cells.
4. Attempt 20 questions or 4 sets each of DI and LR daily. Each set usually takes 10-15 minutes to solve. Try to solve them within 8-12 minutes.

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

This section is designed to mainly test the English skills of a candidate. The English section mainly involves the following topics

• Critical Reasoning      
• Grammar & Usage
• Sentence Correction   
• Word usage
• Fill in the blanks         
• Para Jumble
• Para completion         
• Para Summary
• Idioms

Go through the below CAT Preparation Tips for English and Verbal to score more.

1. Reading is the best way to get better in this section. Read fiction and non-fiction novels, newspapers, business magazines, etc.
2. Learn the basics of grammar like articles, adjectives, tenses, modifiers, etc., and practice them as well.
3. Prepare cue cards. Put down all the new words, you come across, along with their meaning. Revise these cards regularly.
4. Get in the habit of reading questions first instead of passages. Just give a glance at these questions and get an idea of the difficulty level.
5. Then sweep through the passage quickly and assess how easily you understand it.
6. Make a combination of both. Attempt the ones with more straightforward questions first.

So, we hope these tips can help you to kickstart your preparation for CAT without regular coaching. Stay tuned to our site for the more latest information regarding the CAT exam. For any doubts or sharing your feedback, you can comment in the below comment box. 

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