We’re going to be looking at the habits one should build while preparing for CAT on a daily and weekly basis (this won’t be an overall schedule but a set of CAT 99 Habits to follow on a regular basis).
These are precarious times we live in. You might want to check out this article about CAT and COVID-19 to gain some insight into the implications of the pandemic on the CAT exam. We hope you wear a mask if you ever need to go outside!
1. Have a clear timeline for preparation.
Have a time slot every day and every week. Whatever you decide to do during that hour, fix that time slot, and make it non-negotiable. You’ve got to be able to put other things on a hold, and focus on this. This is extremely vital when it comes to CAT 99 Habits. Make sure you anchor around a daily or weekly plan that is rigid.
Don’t have an overambitious plan where you prepare for 6 hours every day. That’s going to break down over the next few months. Have an achievable and simple plan for the number of hours you’re going to put in and stick in those hours on a calendar. For example, if you decide on 8 hours per week, then divide these hours within the week accordingly.
Whichever time slot works for you is subjective. Check out the broad schedule for preparing for CAT on our website, for an overall idea of what to cover.
You might be a night person or a morning person. Quant may be a cakewalk for you, whilst DILR may be the elephant in the room. Whatever you feel the need to focus on, build your fundamentals on that and schedule your preparation accordingly. Check out this fabulous article on preparing for CAT 2020 from July!
2. You’ve got to read every day.
This habit takes a long time to build but it isn’t just game-changing when it comes to CAT, but also for your brain and life. You have got to read for at least 45 minutes to an hour every day, throughout.
Take a breather here, for this does not have to be rigid. You can read in the morning, in the evening, when you’re out somewhere (please wear a mask), and even while you find yourself with some free time. Scramble all of these times and mix it up however you want. The goal is that you have got to get those 45 minutes of reading done every day. This is the second among the CAT 99 Habits to anchor around.
We highly recommend checking out Bharath’s Curated Reading List with over 500+ articles. It is truly a gem to behold not just for your CAT Prep but for knowledge, information, variety and life.
3. Have a bias towards Quant Prep early on, and shift towards DILR later on.
While we know that sectional preferences are diverse when it comes to CAT, a majority of students struggle the most with Quant. If you have not mastered the fundamentals of Quant, then DILR is likely to be more than just puzzling. Check out this wonderful article on preparing for Quant from July.
You might also want to give this concise video on preparing for DILR a go.
4. Make sure you stay away from sensitive-reactive media outlets.
Most outlets where you have to post and interact, will mean you’re in trouble. Don’t get us wrong, you can read on the internet and watch something in your free time. But if you read, comment, post, debate, and challenge…then you’re in trouble.
You go into a vortex where it seems like you’re doing something useful but at the end of it you come out none the wiser. Not only will you end up wasting time, but you’ll end up wasting energy.
We are frequently guilty of this, but I am telling you, you must minimize this as much as possible if you’re preparing seriously for CAT. It’s one of the more criminally overlooked CAT 99 Habits.
2IIM’s Free Question Bank with Solutions is a formidable tool you might want to consider adding to your disposal. Check it out!
Stay Safe and Best Wishes for your CAT Preparation.
Rajesh Balasubramanian takes the CAT every year and is a 4-time CAT 100 percentiler. He likes few things more than teaching Math and insists to this day that he is a better teacher than exam-taker.
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