90 days for a 3hr CAT Exam

To,
CAT Aspirants,
Batch 2015.
Introducing: Pre CAT - PDP PRACTICE, DEDICATION, and PATIENCE.
All the above three are what we need to sail our boat over the tumultuous sea of CAT. Remember you are
not alone. We as a team are rowing your boat over the high seas. The journey is as important as the
destination. It is important to strategize the journey, so I am writing to you about how to be calm and
focused in this journey of 9odays.
As we are reaching closer to the CAT examination, the feeling of giving our best shot and anxiety is
increasing proportionally. Every CAT aspirant has different reasons of writing this CAT exam. Some want
to prove to their family and relative that they have potential, somebody wants to show his girlfriend or her
boyfriend that you lost the goldmine and some of them really dont want to face the excellent appraisal
meeting in which they will be proved that they are asset to the company but the company cannot give you
more than 10% hike and finally that I was not able to crack IIT-JEE..uffffffffff the list goes on. So many
reasons to write CAT.
But dear CAT friends /aspirants, you guys dont need to prove yourself anymore. WHY? You all are well
educated to fend for yourself and you are part of as well as contributors to the booming economy of this
world, and you are the one on whose behalf our Prime Minister is showing his grit and power.
I believe that everyones preparation must be in full swing, there must be some people who are still
confused from where to start, how to do the revision, which all test series I can join and finally previous
year CAT papers and above all after putting so many efforts my performance is not reflecting in the Mock
papers. What to do?
Here are certain guidelines; I am sharing with you all on the basis of my experience in the teaching
industry. Please try to follow I am sure it will surely ease out your pressure.
1. Interaction with Mentor: This is the most important pillar of your preparation which majority of
students overlook. Try to sit and discuss your strength and weak areas, process and progress of your
preparation with your concerned faculty. Do not have communication gap with your faculties till the last
day of your exam and make sure that keep updating your Mentor about your performance.
2. Work also with your weak area: It is extremely important that you should not leave any topic
blindly just because you are not able to solve any questions from that topic. Try to discuss the approach of
this topic with your Mentor and go ahead with this topic. Do not try to solve the questions from this topic
only with objective of getting the answers as it may not give comfort to you but only for some time. Try to
solve only basic and fundamental questions. Continue with this topic till the end of September.
3. Revision: Its a myth that learning can happen when every time you solve new questions. As we all
know that none of the questions are going to be the part of the CAT exam or any exam rather what is going
to be the part of CAT exam is the conceptual application. Try to start you revision from first week of
September and simultaneously keep on solving the questions from the test series.

4. Objective of test series: I am sure everyone must be writing the test papers of various coaching
institutes and I am hoping that they are giving you the true reflection of your efforts but writing the mock
paper is a very simple job which anyone can do. Yes my dear CAT aspirants its a very simple job and after
writing the test passing a comment that Quant was challenging , LRDI no chance of any interpretation and
English vo kabhi sahi hui hai !! is even more simpler. Its really disappointing to listen to all these things
from young blood, as this was never the motto of Test Series.
Now everyone understand this part very carefully that next when you are going to write the Mock paper do
two simple things.
a) First, try to be alert, active and focused for those 180 minutes irrespective of the level of difficulty or
the number of questions you are able to answer. Trust me the only thing which is going to be constant in
any test series and CAT is 180 minutes, so train your mind for those 180 minutes and not just for those
questions.
b) Two, get an overview of the question types you can solve consistently and the ones you cannot. Set a
target of ten days till the next mock to work with the ones you could not and keep revising the ones you
could.
5. No research only solution: I have seen some of the students come and discuss challenging questions
and say sir we have given 2-3 hours but not able to get the answers but remember if you are not able to
answer those questions its ok, your only focus is to get exposure the moment you stick to the problems you
are wasting your crucial time.
6. No Predictions: Now days new psychological discussions are around the corner - like IIMA is setting
the paper so, Quant is going to be challenging and they never ask flat or simple LRDI and English is their
forte so overall CAT is not happening WOW!!!! You should be happy that you are the part of the world
where technology has played a very important role in your life ..so use it positively. As a student your job is
just to prepare for the exam and get ready to deal with those 180 minutes thats it. No prediction and no
judgment. Next time if somebody says something like this please say Best of Luck and why dont you come
on Aaj Tak Aapke taare.
7. Group studies: Sometimes it is very important to take out some time and sit with your friends who are
preparing for CAT and then discuss of some questions . This will surely give you some breathing space and
it will help you not just academically but how to work as a team and in a team, If you are good then try to
add some value and if you struggling then try to learn. At the end it is nothing but just the Aptitude Test
1st to 15th September: Revision
a. Quant: Glimpse the theory and then try to solve only 10 - 15 questions of every topic.
b. LRDI: Identify the good sets which you have solved earlier and try to solve them one more time
c. English: Revise your class notes and sheets. Any doubt with the concept please connect with your
mentor. Work with the online module tests, analyze your performance.
16th September to 30th September:
a. Sectional tests: Try to wind up the entire sectional tests which are still pending from all the topics.
b. Work on your weak areas and make sure if you are still struggling psychologically in any topic
discuss with your concerned Mentor.

1st October to 30th October:

a. Analyze all the previous mock papers if you have not.
b. Take the new mocks seriously and immediately analyze them as soon as the solution is published.
c. If you are not able to improve your performance in the weak area then it the time to move on and
leave that topic.
d. Whenever you get time try to look at the formulas and theorems
e. Try to solve at least one set of DI/LR/RC and 10 questions of quant/vocab from various sources or
forums.
The objective of this article was to outline a general plan of action about how to go ahead in these
coming months and how can you make the process of preparation stress free. Wait for the next article
in which will let know what to do in the month of November till then
Stay Focused, Stay calm coz what matters is the RIGHT ATTITUDE
Anurag Sharma
Mentor
Genesis Mentors