Ultimate Guide to Kickstart your CAT Exam Preparation

Are you interested or preparing for this year’s CAT examination? If yes then you have landed at the right place. Those who are interested in giving the CAT exam this year must be thinking about how to start CAT exam preparation. Which is why we are here with an ultimate guide to kickstart your CAT exam preparation. People usually give the CAT exam so as to get admission in top notch B schools in India. This is quite a competitive exam which is why thousands of graduates appear for this exam every year. The exam is conducted by the IIMs on a rotational basis. This is one exam which not only fresh graduates but also experienced professionals also give which makes it all the more crucial as an exam.

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As far as CAT exam preparation is concerned here we have got the ultimate guide to kickstart your CAT exam preparation. To start with, we have mentioned the CAT exam pattern for your reference. 

CAT Exam Pattern & Syllabus 2023

Section	No. of Questions	Time Allotted	Main Topics
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	40 minutes	RC passages, Inferences, Summary, Para jumbles, etc.
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)	20	40 minutes	Graphs, charts, syllogism, arrangements, etc.
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22	40 minutes	Algenra, arithmetic, trigonometry, probability, etc.

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CAT 2023 Timeline

1. CAT exam will be conducted on on 26th November 2023
2. Registrations for CAT are open from 2nd August and it will remain open till 13th September 2023.
3. Last date for CAT registration is 13th September 2023.
4. The official CAT 2023 notification was released on 30th July 2023.
5. CAT 2023 results shall be declared tentatively in the First Week of January 2024.
6. College interviews shall be conducted between February-March 2023.

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Questions asked in Different Sections of CAT 2022

Below are the number of questions asked in different sections of CAT 2022 exam.

Section	Number of MCQ and Non-MCQsIn each Section
Verbal Ability&Reading Comprehension (VARC)	MCQ -21Non-MCQ – 3
Data Interpretation&Logical Reasoning	MCQ – 14Non-MCQ – 6
Quantitative Ability	MCQ – 14Non-MCQ – 8
Total no of Questions	66

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Tips to Kickstart your CAT Exam Preparation

While you are preparing for the CAT exam there are a lot of things that you need to consider. Check out these tips for the Ultimate Guide to Kickstart your CAT Exam Preparation:

Shortcut Techniques

Try to solve questions by using shortcut techniques. If you are taking coaching then your mentors or guides will guide you through these and make sure that you follow these in order to get the best results.

Practicing Previous Year Questions

Mock tests and of course previous year questions will help you to a great extent when it comes to preparing for the CAT exam. Those who are preparing must be knowing that there is no set exam pattern for CAT and every year there are changes happening in the exam. Above, we have mentioned the exam pattern for the year 2022. Candidates can check previous year papers and you will get to know what kinds of questions have been asked in the previous year examinations.

Improve upon your Vocabulary

Reading skills and vocabulary are important and need to be worked upon constantly. The best way to do this is to read editorials, books, journals and newspapers.

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Prepare for CAT by Self Study

Self study as many people think is difficult to do for CAT, however there are many sources and study material available on the internet which can guide an aspirant well in case he or she is willing to do self study for CAT. Below, let’s discuss some preparation tips for CAT by self study:

• Self study for CAT boosts confidence thus, helps in enhancing their knowledge
• It further enhances the problem solving skills which is extremely important in order to crack the CAT examination
• Self studying gives you the flexibility to study at your own ease and pace without any external pressure
• It inspires motivation and curiosity among candidates and always motivates them to do better
• The best way to do self study is to pick a trusted study material for the same, prepare and then practice as many mock tests and questions related to that
• Practice exercises and try to do self analysis and keep revising the topics
• While doing self study, candidates should know well their strengths and weaknesses as in the topics in which more effort is required

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This brings us to the end of the article. Keep preparing and sign up for a free mock test.