Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), Indore, will conduct Common Admission Test (CAT) 2020 on November 29, 2020. The registration for the exam is over, and all the registered candidates will be getting CAT 2020 admit card from October 28, 2020 at iimcat.ac.in. CAT is the biggest national level management entrance exam, for which are around 2 lakh candidates have applied. The examination is highly competitive and is accepted by more than 200+ B-Schools, excluding IIMs. Hence, to crack it, candidates need to
This year, IIMs has made few significant changes in the entrance exam. The game changer among these is the reduction in the duration of the exam. Earlier, candidates used to get 180 minutes to solve CAT exam. However, now they only have 120 minutes. As always, there will be 3 sections in the exam. However, for each section, candidates will now get an allotted time period of 40 minutes. Another change is that the exam will be conducted in three sessions instead of two.
Due to the changes introduced in the exam, here is how experts are advising the students to prepare as per the revised time duration.
The thing to note is that the exam duration has been reduced but the number of questions to be asked in the exam has not been notified to change. Thus assuming that the number of questions remains unchanged and is still 100, the candidates have to focus on increasing their speed.
However, with the speed candidates need to also need to maintain accuracy, to score more and avoid negative marking. Each correct answer in CAT will fetch marks but one wrong answer will take away 1 mark.
Time management is for sure the key. To do so, candidates need to first realize the importance of it. The best way to focus on time management for CAT 2020 exam, divide the 24 hours of a day in such a way that each section of the exam can be practiced daily
To be able to practice time management at ground level, take CAT mock tests everyday. Start mock test series online as soon as possible and aim at completing the mock tests with at least 95% accuracy. This way on the day of the exam, candidates can strive to get the entire paper done with good accuracy level to score decent marks in the exam.
while doing so, candidates can also build confidence by solving the questions with accuracy, focus on the strengths. After analysing which are the strong areas from the syllabus of CAT make them stronger by regular practice. As per the experts, in order to achieve good scores, candidates must focus on their strengths first and then move towards the lesser strong areas
CAT 2020 paper is divided into three sections of 40 minutes duration each, namely: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). According to experts and previous year toppers, understanding the syllabus and pattern of CAT 2020 is of paramount importance. This shall provide a direction to the candidate while chalking out a study plan. Once the plan has been chalked out, candidates must stick to this plan till the end.
Below are some tips to prepare for each of the section of CAT 2020 exam:
Starting with VARC section, the only way to prepare for it is to read and practice CAT mock tests. Reading Comprehensions (RCs) can be exhausting to read under stressful conditions. To overcome this, candidates must read the text and try to understand the central idea of the author. By doing so, candidates can easily solve the text-related questions with 80% accuracy. Reading newspapers, reference books like Wren & Martin can help candidates develop their speed-reading capability.
The DILR section is random and unpredictable. There is a general idea behind the questions being asked in this section. But a new concept is always introduced in the examination, particularly in this section. Experts and toppers suggest to solve as many mock tests for this section as possible. Mock tests can enhance a candidate’s thinking and calculating capacity. Most of the questions in this section are based on simple mathematical calculations. Knowing tables up to 20, squares up to 25, fractions and multiples, understanding of sets and subsets, etc may come in handy.
The QA section is again based on mathematical calculations and formula. Candidates can ace this section and save-up time by thoroughly knowing formula and short-cuts. The best strategy to recall and revise important formula, short-cuts and useful tricks is to constantly revise and give as many mock-tests as possible. Mock-tests not only provide a clear idea of the type of questions being asked but also helps in conceptual revisions. CAT 2020 examination is also about speed, conceptual clarity and recalling ability. By following a strict time-table and abiding by these tips, candidates can easily clear the CAT 2020 examination with flying colours!
