With around 55 days to go for CAT 2020, what should be your sectional strategy for your last leg of CAT Preparation and how should you write this paper? Let us dive into this topic now!
Sectional Strategy for Quant
Firstly, remember that there is no hard and fast rule that whatever I say has to be the truth. Given the pattern changes in the CAT 2020, everything boils down to calculated risks and speculation at this point. The best you can do is prepare well, as I hope you have been doing, and await the mock tutorials to be released by IIMCAT later this month.
Having said that, I still hope that Arithmetic will have a bigger weightage than the other topics. I have an inclination to believe in this notion that Arithmetic could still be a game-changer, so you should look to prepare for it meticulously. It helps to try to understand Arithmetic in terms of how you relate to the question in reality and what you would do in the scenario posed by the question.
This video elucidates the details regarding Arithmetic Preparation and is a must-watch for any CAT Aspirant!
Another crucial topic to never forego is Geometry. In terms of your sectional strategy for quant, look to continuously strive towards acing Arithmetic and Geometry. I cannot emphasize this enough. Geometry is doable.
By Geometry, I refer to Geometry (obviously), Mensuration, Coordinate Geometry, and Trigonometry.
If you’re having trouble preparing for it, I highly recommend perusing this article on Geometry Preparation. 🙂
Moving on to the rest, it is good to know the basics of Number Theory, Permutation Combination and Probability. Never miss out on Set Theory because it is part of both Quant and DILR. you should be looking to knock all the questions from this topic out of the park!
I understand that innumerous CAT Aspirants crib about Inequalities, Functions and Logarithms. It may interest you to know that I am one of them as well! 😛 Having said that, it behooves me to say that the amount of interest and importance these topics have been getting has been steadily increasing year after year. So look to understanding the basics of these topics and practising some questions from them.
Many aspirants have trouble remembering Quant formulae and are often disheartened by this. Here is a wonderful article about remembering Quant formulae effectively. 🙂
Learn everything well and revise from the basics.
To clarify, revision need not mean solving tons of questions ALONE. It also means going back to the drawing board and learning things again. The first time you learnt percentages, let us say you took 3-4 hours. During revision, this could take merely 25-30 minutes. So do it!
Why should you do this? So that your brain makes more connections where it remembers the ideas you learn really well. Watch this wonderful video to know the importance of revision, and how it could make a huge difference during the day of your CAT attempt. Rule of thumb: any topic that you have not touched upon in the last 3 weeks cannot be afforded to be kept aside. Revisit, relearn, solve and ace!
This concludes the sectional strategy for Quant.
Sectional Strategy for DILR
One could argue that until the Mock Tutorials containing the new pattern are released by IIMCAT, it is futile to delve into sectional strategies for various sections. I do not entirely agree with this. There are certain basic things that are prerequisites for nailing this exam, regardless of any pattern change. With less than 2 months to go, what is the best sectional strategy for DILR?
Solve tons of puzzles.
The best material for DILR can be found in previous CAT Question Papers. 2IIM’s free Question Bank has detailed solutions for previous year CAT Papers with more than 50 high-quality puzzles. So definitely check it out and try solving them! Mocks are everything when it comes to nailing DILR and there is nothing more that is required.
At this point in your CAT Preparation, you should look to solve at least 3-4 sets on a daily basis. Our question bank should keep you covered for the next 15 days, in terms of previous year CAT Papers, apart from our own numerous puzzles and sets, which will power you through till November. 🙂
How do we select the right puzzles in DILR?
Finding patterns and Time Management is everything when it comes to selecting the right puzzles in DILR. This video about Puzzle Selection Rules for CAT DILR is Absolute GOLD and is a must-watch!
Sectional Strategy for VARC
Keep reading. Keep on reading. Reading is everything. Read for the joy of reading. Check out Bharath’s Curated Reading List for your daily reading needs, apart from whatever piques your reading interest. The ideas and concepts within every article will help hone your reading abilities and broaden your knowledge base as well.
We have explored tons of sectional strategies for the VARC section in our blog. Here are the links to the most useful of them, within this short time-frame we find ourselves in.
1) 3 Key Ideas to Nail the VARC Section of CAT.
2) How to Read for Reading Comprehension for CAT.
3) CAT Verbal Ability Preparation.
Margin of error in choosing RC passages:
The margin of error has to become lower and lower, especially with a 40 minute limit for each section. Having said that…it is not that you cannot read a passage and understand it.
Take CAT 2019 Slot 2, for example. Almost all the RC’s were tough and tricky, with jumpy questions. It was nothing short of a nightmare BUT if an aspirant had put their head down, they could have answered at least 3 passages. An aspirant who read regularly and meticulously, would have answered 4 passages accurately.
Point is, do not worry about skipping passages when needed. It is alright to do so. I skipped 1 passage in CAT 2019 because I did not have time to even read it, and ended up scoring 99.21% in the VARC Section.
Another key point to remember is that just because you have invested time reading one passage, it does not mean you have to answer all the questions within that RC Passage. Aim for accuracy and when unsure, skip it. It takes great temperament and a lot of guts to unmark an answer or skip it, but it pays off in terms of accuracy and reducing your margin of error.
If a passage is unusually tough, you can bet that other aspirants will find it difficult as well. No matter what passage you choose, put your head down, take your time and answer as accurately as you can.
Understand the passage and assimilate its ideas.
This is the key sectional strategy when it comes to VARC.
A Final Note
There are a lot of uncertainties cropping up in the minds of many Aspirants due to the CAT 2020 Pattern Change. Read this article to find out how to deal with these uncertainties.
Remember to pause, reflect and breathe when you feel burnt out.
After all, it is not the end of the world (we’re looking at you 2020). It is just an exam. 🙂
Stay Safe and Best Wishes for CAT!
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