How To Analyze Your CAT Mock Test?
Take a CAT mock test! – That’s all you’ve been hearing ever since the beginning of June – or at least that’s what I hope you heard. Please continue reading this article only if you’ve attempted at least one CAT mock test ever since your CAT prep began!
Coming straight to the point – for most of you freshers, the first CAT mock test is usually not so great. The score is low, percentile is abysmal and motivation has taken a hit! But it’s very important that you still power through and take the first three – five mocks to just get it out of your system. It develops your endurance – gives you a hang of the exam and tunes you in for the coming days where the mocks are going to get tougher.
Coming to the analysis part of your CAT mock test – I’m breaking this into 3 parts – VARC, DILR and Quant – how to analyze each one of them.
VARC Analysis:
For the VARC part alone, I’d suggest you finish the analysis part as soon as possible, since the method that I’m going to suggest – works best if you can do it while your memory of the way you solved the questions is still fresh.
Please note that it’s okay if you can’t review the mock right away due to other commitments, you can still do this whenever you get the time.
The Know – Hows of Analyzing RCs!
Let’s start with RCs since that’s how most of us go about a mock. Pick the RC(s) that you’ve attempted in the exam. Read the entire RC again, not as fast as you would have in the exam, but not too slow either. Re attempt all the questions and see if you are landing at different options; are you able to appreciate the logic behind the option you are selecting, or have you ticked something that made sense under time pressure? Not sure? Damn sure? What’s your basis?
If you think another option could be the right answer – note it down. If you are landing at the same option, it’s okay. Follow this process for all the questions and then match them with the answers given. Here, I would like to suggest some tips:
- Does your answer match with the examiner’s answer? If yes, did you get it right in the 1st attempt or in your analysis?
- If your answer went wrong, when? First attempt or review? Or both? Why did it go wrong? Did you get the main idea behind the RC correctly?
- What was the question setter’s rationale behind picking some option as the right answer and why didn’t you think of it?
Also, here is one more caveat – if you’re someone with good reading skills, you’ll find out that you’re able to answer the questions correctly during the analysis part but somehow end up marking the wrong answers due to stress/time pressure etc. The only way you can overcome this is by reading articles/ newspapers/ novels at least 1 hour per day!
You can also check out 2IIM’s Effective Reading Strategies to help you with RCs.
Resist the temptation to check the explanations for the questions right away while following this process. Post this analysis, you should be able to answer where you went wrong, why you went wrong, should you have left this RC during the exam.
Repeat this over the next couple of mocks, while pairing it with leisure reading everyday and you’ll see your RC scores improving steadily over the period next few weeks.
Verbal Ability – A Gamble!
Now comes the VA part – a gamble! Or at least that’s what most of us do.
Make it a point not to skip VA questions entirely. I’d recommend at least attempting the TITA ones since you’ve got nothing to lose there. How do you analyze? Make a note of why your point of view is not aligned with the examiner’s. Checkout the explanations and the rationale behind the correct answer.
Why should the 3rd sentence be the opening line? Why should that statement come in that place in a para completion – you’re getting it. Checkout this video to learn How to Solve Verbal Ability Questions as our VARC faculty solves the CAT 2022 Slot 1 VA questions!
For most part, yes, I do stick by what I said about VA – it is a gamble!
Analysing DILR post your CAT Mock Test!!
How many sets did you solve? 1? 2? None? It’s alright, don’t panic.
See if you’ve gotten all the questions right in a set, or do you have any errors? If yes, go back to the question and see if it was just a silly mistake or is something wrong in your solution. If that’s the case, re solve the entire set and then answer all the questions again.
For the sets you have not attempted, spend time and solve those sets as well. Get as close to the answer as possible before you give in to the temptation of watching the video solution.
Ignore it when people say you should be done with the mock analysis part within 3 hours etc. It doesn’t apply if you are in the beginning stages, you’ll get there – not immediately, but definitely. Focus on laying the foundations right at this stage.
You should have understood by now that LRDI tests your decision making skills as well.
After you are done with the aforementioned points, spend time on figuring out which set you should have attempted first, was there an easier set? Should you have started with that simple DI set?
Also make note of why you left a particular set. If you gave CAT 2022, especially slot 3, you’ll know there was a big set with intimidating boxes and graphs on population & deaths. For me, the set was a no-go zone at first sight. However, it turned out to be the easiest set in the entire slot and remaining sets were relatively tougher and tricky.
Get rid of complexophobia (fear of complex graphs & images; pun intended!) while solving DILR, there is a decent chance that the set is an easy-peesy one, only disguised as a tough one!
At the same time, all that glitters is not gold; please, please do not jump at every set that is complex looking because I mentioned the previous point in italic. Frustrated? You’ll pick up the instinct as you practice more and more sets, just hang in there and don’t give up on it.
2IIM has made an elaborate Blog on Set Selection for LRDI along with a video on the same! Hit the hyperlink to check them out!
For LRDI, do checkout the video solutions given by the CAT mock test provider for the sets that you got right as well. The reason being, the solution provider, in all probability might let you in on a cute method using which you could have solved the set in half the time! May be there was some small verbatim in the 4th constraint which you didn’t grasp the way it was meant to, leading you to brute force. Such nitty gritty – only the examiner can let you know!
Another caveat I’d like to add here is, don’t let the mocks alone be all the DILR practice that you do. Often aspirants make this mistake not solving anything in DILR beyond the mocks. Make it a point to solve at least one DILR set a day.
To sum up, solve the entire section once again no matter how long it takes.
The Elephant in The Room, QUANT!
How to?
Well, you won’t find anything that you don’t know in what I’m about to write since the section is such. However, there is one thing I can tell you. Go back to the questions you didn’t attempt deliberately or didn’t get a chance to attempt and try solving them.
Why Did You Mess Up??
For most people, the result of this exercise turns out to be a pleasant surprise. You’ll find that some questions that you didn’t touch in were actually easier than the ones you solved during your CAT mock test.
In the beginning, it’s usually 3 – 7 questions. As you improve, the goal is to make these additional questions you could have solved to not more than 1.
Was it bad decision making – question selection wise?
Did you waste more time solving questions that you should have left? Were there easy questions that slipped by you during your first attempt in the CAT mock?
Is it fatigue due to solving VARC and LRDI that you were a little tired and thus not at your best?
More often than not, it’s a mixture of everything. If there are any questions whose concepts you don’t know, go back and learn them since you have ample time to learn.
Found a question on a GP series where you felt ‘oh shit! If only I remembered the sum of the GP formula I would have nailed this simple question’? Revisit progressions.
This applies to all the topics. Practice makes a man perfect, especially in Quants!
Often, people are good with Speed time Distance, but bad with circular races. They’re good with ratios, but fumble with allegations. If you belong to this set of people, go back and learn them thoroughly. Revise continuously to ensure the ideas are always fresh. Practice to make sure the idea on your mind reflects smoothly on paper while solving.
Simultaneously, make it a point to take sectionals along with the CAT mock tests.
Some people maintain an important formulas/concept book that they revise before taking a mock, you can try that for a couple of mocks to see if it works for you!
We at 2IIM offer intricately structured courses along with free sign ups through which you can access 40 hours of our course content for free! Hit the above link to check them out now!
That said, I end this here with a few cliched words that you’d have already heard. Don’t let a great score get to your head, likewise don’t let a bad mock get to your heart. Be generous with the number of CAT mock tests you give. Don’t let it be a single digit. The first 3 – 5 mocks don’t count!
As you practice, endurance builds up and your fatigue post 2 sections comes down – be patient with yourself and with your CAT preparation.
Best Wishes!
Pranav
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