How to Crack CAT in 3 months - Last Mile Tips (2024)

How To Crack CAT In 3 Months - Essential Tips

If you plan on pursuing CAT preparation in 90 days, you know you require a rigorous study plan and an effective exam strategy. So to reach the top percentiles, here are some measures you must take diligently during your CAT preparation:

Understand the CAT Syllabus & Exam Pattern

As the IIMs do not release any set CAT syllabus, it is essential to identify and understand the syllabus before beginning your CAT preparation. Alongside this, the exam pattern highlights the division of questions and popular topics to study.

Create a Study Plan For CAT 2024

A study plan will help you focus on your preparations sincerely and allow you to give enough time to all the sections and concepts in the required time. Devote individual time to each topic and ensure that you follow the plan dedicatedly.

Attempt CAT Mock Exams

Giving mock exams will familiarize you with an actual CAT paper and the exam pattern while also keeping track of your preparation and progress. It will also help you identify weak areas that require more focus along with your strengths.

You can also access our FREE CAT Mocks to stay one step ahead of your competition and take your CAT preparation to the next level.

CAT Practise Previous Papers

CAT previous year's papers will make you accustomed to what you can expect in the exam and also prepare you for the most frequently asked concepts. Simultaneously, you will be able to check your preparedness and test your exam strategy.

How To Prepare For CAT In 3 Months: Important Do's and Dont's

The last few months are crucial in a candidate's preparation journey. These last days are important for picking up the pace of your preparation. However, remember that if you don't pay proper attention during these days, it might lead you down negative paths. Therefore, it is important to understand the critical nature of time and plan your study schedule accordingly.

Here is a list of a few things you must or must not keep in mind in the last 3 months before your CAT exam:

Things To Keep In Mind	Things To Avoid
You must solve CAT previous year papers at least past 10 years	Stay true towards the CAT syllabus and avoid any additional topics
Pace up your speed, and focus on accuracy rather than attempting recklessly	Don’t jump to the answers directly; try to read the complete question before proceeding towards the solution
Mocks are a must, evaluate and analyze your performance regularly	Don’t panic during the exam; try to maintain your calm and not be in a hurry to solve your paper
Avoid distractions - Stay focused on your routine and follow your study plan.	Last 3 months of CAT prep could be scary, but try not to lose hope

How To Crack CAT In 3 Months: Weekly Strategy & Study Plan

Let us first start by dispelling a few myths about the exam. CAT is an aptitude exam and not a knowledge exam. It means that you don’t have to memorize a ton of things to score well and ace CAT 2024. Simply put, having more knowledge does not ensure that you’ll get a higher score in CAT.

As mentioned before, CAT is an aptitude exam, which implies that you need to be good at solving questions purely on the basis of the most rudimentary concepts. These are usually whatever you have learned in English and Maths till class 10th.

Now, let us share with you a study plan that will help you make the most of these three months that you have for your CAT preparation.

12 Weeks to CAT

Just starting out with your CAT preparation means you need to get all the basic concepts under the belly.

A conceptual understanding is required more in the case of quants, which contain mathematical formulae and equations. In the case of VARC and DILR, the focus must be on exam practice right from day 1.
As you begin the CAT preparation with a three-month timeline, ensure that you give a mock test at the start. This will give you an idea of your current standing and the effort required to propel you toward the ideal percentile. Analyzing the mock will also enable you to identify your weak and strong concepts, ultimately propelling your preparation in the right direction.
Further, take a target of 2 weeks and cover all the basics of Quantitative Aptitude. You could take the help of a good Quantitative Aptitude book or enroll with a reputed coaching institute to access their books and materials. The solved examples in that book will help grasp the concepts quicker, while practice questions will help retain them.

10 Weeks to CAT

Now that you have established the foundation for Quantitative Aptitude, you can move to the next step, i.e. give mock tests.

For the next two weeks, you should aim for one mock per week. This mock-taking exercise should be followed up with an in-depth mock analysis to observe the process.
You should also start solving all the CAT questions from previous years. This means all the CAT papers from the year 1990 up to the latest edition of CAT. The reason is simple, all the questions will be similar, and once you have covered this corpus of questions, there is hardly anything that you will not be able to do in Quant.
For VARC, in the mocks that you will be taking, ensure that you attempt all the questions. That is your eventual goal in CAT. To be able to solve all the questions of VARC with around 80% accuracy.
In the DILR section, the fractions and the basic Vedic maths questions that you would have studied in the first week should help. While practising mocks, the focus for DILR should be on quickly identifying the easiest sets.

8 Weeks to CAT

By this week, you should have completed a considerable chunk of the CAT previous years’ questions.

From this week onwards, all your preparation has to be through the mocks. Your mock frequency should increase to 2 per week for the next two weeks. Each mock should be followed up by an in-depth analysis.
In the analysis, you should reattempt the questions that you were not able to solve to see if you would have been able to solve the question if you had more time. This will tell you where you need to revise your concepts.
Further, you must also solve the questions that you were able to do correctly again to identify a faster method to solve the questions. For the VARC section, go back to the mock solution and try to understand the author’s way of solving that particular RC or that particular VA question.

6 Weeks to CAT

As mentioned before, the focus in the last few weeks has to be on learning entirely from the mock experiences.

By this time, your CAT admit card should be out already. Therefore, it is important for you to take all your mocks in exactly the same time slot as the time slot of your actual CAT.
For the next four weeks, your mock frequency should increase to 3 mocks per week. After 3-4 mocks, you will be able to solidify a strategy for yourself, and it is advisable for you to follow it.
It goes without saying that your mock-taking should be followed up with a deep analysis of each mock and going back to the drawing board, if required, to revise the concepts that are your weakest.

2 Weeks to CAT

This is the time when you need to take a break from your other daily tasks if you are currently working or studying and sit back at home to prepare.

Decrease your mocks to about 2 per week but do a full revision of the concepts that you have studied. The revision of the concepts should not take you more than one day once you are at home.
On the other days, take up all the mocks that you had attempted earlier and go through them.
Resolving 2-3 of your worst mocks is a good idea as it will refresh all the mistakes that you made and remind you to avoid them.

The CAT Week

Take your last mock here, which should also be the only mock that you take this week.

How to Crack CAT 2024 in 3 Months: Section-Wise Preparation Tips

If you are aiming to ace CAT 2024 with flying colours, then you must gear up your preparation at a high pace. The last few months are very challenging for every candidate as they are the deciding months for your MBA journey. But remember, there is no need to stress over it. Excessive stress will only harm your performance. Instead, just keep your focus on your preparation. Try to find new learning each passing week up until the final day of the exam because you never know which of them may work at the time of the exam.

Cracking CAT in the last 90 days can be tough but not totally impossible with the right strategy and approach. By following a study plan customized to your needs and areas of improvement, you can definitely ace your CAT preparation in three months.

Here are some tips that you can adopt in the last 3 months of your CAT preparation period suggested by top CAT experts, which will help you improve each section of your CAT exam. You can follow this schedule for CAT preparation in 3 months and score a good percentile in the exam.

3 Months Strategy For CAT VARC

Generally, candidates take this section very lightly as there isn’t much to prepare but a lot to practice. Preparing for the CAT VARC section isn't a cakewalk; rather, it requires your calm, patience, and an active mindset, along with an excellent paper-solving strategy, which can only come from practicing a number of RCs and mock tests.

Here are some tips that you can use to enhance your CAT VARC preparation that you can incorporate into your study routine for better results, as follows:

Give at least 2 hours of your daily time towards VARC and divide equal hours towards RC and VA parts, as both are equally important in the exam.
Solve 2 RCs and 6 VA questions per day, and increase the count as the exam date gets closer.
Study the fundamentals of grammar, which you may do even from school-level grammar books to build your foundation.
At least 45 minutes of daily reading the newspaper and practicing comprehension passages will help you answer questions faster.
Mocks are the key to acing any exam; however, sectional tests are equally important in building an apt test-taking strategy, particularly for this section.
You can also utilize tools like Aeon Essay and 3 Quarks. They provide articles and essays written in sophisticated and proficient English, allowing aspirants to improve their reading ability.

CAT aspirants can also benefit from VARC1000 by Gejo Sreenivasan, which can definitely bring them one step closer to gaining admission into their dream B-school.

3 Months Strategy For CAT DILR

Many of you must have solved puzzles in your childhood; if not anything else, you must have come across Sudoku, which requires the use of your brain cells to deduce what to do and what not. This leads your brain to think about how to come to a common conclusion. The same is the case with DILR, said to be the most challenging section of CAT, which tests candidates' logical and analytical skills.

Here are some tips that you can use to enhance your CAT DILR preparation in the last 3 months to maximise your scores, as follows:

Familiarize yourself with different types of DI and LR questions by solving past year questions, which will give you an idea of the types of questions asked in the exam.
Make it a habit of solving at least 3-4 sets of questions per day, and make sure you include variety and do not just stick to any particular type.
Slowly and steadily increase the difficulty of practice sets for LR and DI, and try to include more complex problems with multiple logics to improve your thinking.
Selecting the right set is a must; mocks will help you determine which set is right for you and that you can solve correctly within the limited time frame.
CAT aspirants must learn how to prioritize questions based on the difficulty level by taking sectional tests that will help them strategize better.

If you are aiming to improve your DILR sectional score and get into the 99%ile bracket in the most unpredictable section of CAT, with DILR1000, curated by our CAT experts, Gautam Puri (IIM-B), Gautam Bawa (IIM-C) and Raviteja Mahavadi (IIM-Kashipur).

3 Months Strategy For CAT Quant

The most difficult section of the CAT exam, despite candidates having the right formulas and full conceptual clarity, is the one where they find it hard to solve questions from a particular topic. There is no hard and fast rule for acing this particular section. For this section, Practice! Practice! and practice! The more you practice, the better you will be prepared. Revision of weak topics is also beneficial. These approaches can help you improve your accuracy and stay up with the time constraints of the exam.

Here are some tips that you can use to enhance your CAT QA preparation in the last 3 months to improve your Quant scores, as follows:

At the start of your preparation, it is critical to focus on understanding and mastering the numerous concepts in this part. This will serve as a solid basis for the rest of your preparation.
Devote at least 2-3 hours of your day towards the CAT QA section, and practise 20 questions per day questions of different types to improve your accuracy.
Regular revision is a must in this section; otherwise, you will tend to forget the concepts.
Challenge yourself with complex and advanced-level questions to test your problem-solving ability. Be inquisitive about the different ways you can come to a conclusion.
Until the CAT day arrives, try to learn at least one new trick or concept that may be useful during your exam every day.
Focus on solving a particular problem using smart tips and tricks in order to manage your time during the exam.

CAT Preparation in 90 Days - Study Hours Per Day

For candidates worrying over whether they can crack CAT in 3 months, fret not; it doesn't matter whether you're a fresher or a working professional. With an apt preparation schedule and focus, you can crack CAT in the given time and achieve a good percentile.

But you must be ready to put in 7-8 hours every day in this last mile. If you feel that 3 months is not enough time and you may not cover the entire syllabus, then we must clear your doubt that you don't need to cover the entire CAT syllabus in order to achieve a good percentile. This exam is to check your aptitude and pressure-handling skills, which demand the right approach and proper strategy to ace it.

You must follow the 500-hour Study Plan. If you can dedicate 500 hours to self-preparation in the next 90 days, you will be in a perfect position and have a good chance of cracking the exam. Allocate 3-4 hours and divide the time according to your strengths and weaknesses. You must devote equal hours to sectional and topic tests to enhance your scores and accuracy in the exam.

Remember, if you are stuck somewhere and unable to find a way out, seeking help or guidance from experts or your peers is something that everyone does, so there's no need to hesitate.

How To Prepare For CAT in 3 Months While Working?

Acing CAT 2024 in 90 days while working is definitely possible; however, it requires utter dedication and proper commitment towards both areas. Here are a few tips for working professionals to follow while they are preparing for CAT in 3 months:

CAT Previous Year Papers: The competition is tough, and there’s no way you’d emerge on the winning side without taking the competition head-on. You must solve CAT previous year papers, at least from the last 10 years, to have a better grip on the type of questions asked in the exam.
Time Management: If you are serious about your preparation, then you must manage your time accordingly. CAT preparation is extensive and requires equal attention, just like a full-time job; thus, a proper balance between both is a must.
Efficient Study Plan: Start your preparation by taking a few tests to analyze your areas of improvement and your strong points. Once you are through with that, you must plan a customized study plan focusing mainly on your weaker areas.
Mock Tests: For an exam as competitive as CAT, it is best to know where you stand in the competition of over 3 lakh CAT aspirants. Candidates must take regular mocks to keep track of their progress and analyse them for better results. Mark, finding an effective CAT test series is very important for acing your exam.
Health Check: "Health is wealth" is the most appropriate saying nowadays. Remember not to hamper your mental health while preparing for CAT while working.

Also Check: CAT Preparation for Working Professionals