Preparing for and taking the CAT can be a significant endeavour, and, like anything else that involves performing at a high level, the path to your CAT score goal may involve making moves that don’t immediately come to mind for most people.
In other words, your mastering the CAT will likely involve more than learning about CAT-related concepts and developing skill in answering questions. It makes sense to work on the project from a variety of angles, and one key aspect of CAT success for most people is mindset.
Professional athletes, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, presidents, understand the power and importance of constructive thinking and positive self-talk. After all, you view the world and yourself through the lens of your mind. You want this lens to be one of positivity and confidence so you can achieve your goals. As the old saying goes, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”
Your mindset is a huge factor in everything you do, including your CAT performance, and, just as your CAT -related skills are stronger in some areas and not as strong in others, your thinking about yourself, the CAT, and how to hit your goal surely has room for improvement.
So, let’s go over some common types of less than optimal CAT-related thinking and compare those to thinking that is more conducive to CAT success.
Problematic Thinking: The CAT preparation process is too difficult.
Constructive Thinking: Hitting my CAT score goal is worth the time and energy it will take.
Your CAT score can be a significant asset in your applications to business schools, and all else equal, an applicant’s CAT score can be the determining factor in acceptance (or denial) into a program. So, with the importance that the CAT carries, it’s worth putting in the proper amount of time, energy, and effort to earn a competitive score.
To begin, it is important that you be realistic about how long the process will take. Some of your peers will underestimate the time required to properly prepare, become frustrated, and give up prematurely. This is your opportunity to remain slow, steady, and dedicated to obtaining a high CAT score. Putting in the time and operating with patience and tenacity will pay off in the long run.
Many people preparing for the CAT have full-time careers and are charged with “fitting in” preparation time. If you are exhausted by the end of your busy day, you might consider waking up two hours earlier than usual to study with a fresh, clear mind. To keep your mind and body balanced, regularly incorporate exercise into your day. Even a 20-minute run can make a difference. Endorphins can lift your mood and help reduce stress. Another component to having ample energy during the day is what you do at night: sleep. Getting enough sleep is paramount to reaching your mental potential during the day.
Problematic Thinking: I can’t do CAT Quant.
Constructive Thinking: I can master anything I set my mind to mastering.
Quant, particularly the Quant on the CAT, can be daunting for many people, but it doesn’t have to be. If you learn to break math down into step-by-step procedures and master one aspect at a time, you will find that you can learn to handle math questions with confidence.
Humans are not born knowing much other than how to breathe, but along the road of life, with hard work and practice, we can master an extraordinary, wide range of skills. Mastering CAT math is no different.
You can implement the following simple steps when approaching CAT Quant:
Review the basics.
Arithmetic, algebra and geometry basics will need to be fresh in your mind. Take your time when reviewing or relearning this material.
Pace yourself.
Avoid the tendency to become anxious when thinking about math. Read problems carefully and methodically, understanding each portion as you go.
Proper Practice.
It may seem trite, but proper, deliberate practice really does make perfect – or close to it. Repeatedly going through the exercise of approaching and answering a quant question will help you become more comfortable.
Believe that you can master CAT math. You have no room for negativity during preparation for the CAT. Positive thinking and believing in yourself will take you a long way. You can get detailed CAT quantitative tips and strategies from this article.
Problematic Thinking: I am just not a verbal person.
Constructive Thinking: Like CAT quant, CAT verbal is logic-based, and I can become amazingly good at verbal.
Many people find CAT verbal challenging at first and don’t see a path to mastery of it, often because CAT verbal seems so different from anything that they have succeeded at before.
This perception of CAT verbal as something only “other people” can handle is not really right, as I have pointed out to many students and test-takers. In fact, CAT verbal questions are actually similar to math questions in a way, in that finding their correct answers requires noticing key details and using tight logic. Is that something you can learn to do? Of course it is.
You could think of CAT verbal this way: To get the correct answers to Sentence Completion questions, you just have to get to know some not particularly complex rules and learn to notice key issues in sentences. Not a big deal. Anyone who speaks English well already has many of the skills necessary for Sentence Correction. Critical Reasoning involves seeing the logic, or lack thereof, of arguments, something anyone can learn to do.
Finally, getting Reading Comprehension questions right largely comes down to being careful to notice what passages do and do not say.
There is no mystery here, no special ability that some people have and others don’t. With some studying of rules and some practice, you too can learn to see which verbal answers make the most sense, and you can make the verbal section part of your CAT success story.
A wide range of simple yet effective strategies for mastering CAT verbal can help you become a veritable verbal maven!
Problematic Thinking: I really don’t feel like preparing for this test.
Constructive Thinking: As I get further into it, doing what I have to do to prepare will come more naturally, and I can get a lot out of the experience of preparing for the CAT.
Before you decided to take the CAT, you may already have been plenty busy. Then maybe you learned that people can take months to prepare for this test. Perhaps it seems difficult to imagine yourself spending dozens if not hundreds of hours preparing for the CAT. You can be sure that others who have felt similarly have ended up preparing well and seeing great results. Here are some ideas to help you do the same.
One issue people have with preparing is fitting it into their schedules. If you don’t see how you can fit CAT preparation into your schedule, one thing you can try is finding room for an occasional hour of CAT preparation. In doing so, you will start wrapping your mind around what you can do to make time for CAT preparation. You may even be pleasantly surprised to find that an hour turns into much longer because you got into the work.
The more you prepare for the CAT, the more natural doing it will become. It will start making sense as a (temporary) part of your life, and finding time and energy to do it will become second nature. You can stay in CAT preparation mode by taking the following attitude: On days when you don’t really feel like preparing, at least do some preparation; on days when you are in the mood for CAT training, run with that feeling and go all out. Over time, you could very well see the days when you want to prep become the vast majority.
Furthermore, it can be motivating to realize that you can get a lot of value out of CAT preparation, value that goes well beyond your actual performance on the test. For example, many people find that through working on Sentence Correction, they see improvement in their writing and speaking skills. Other areas of the test can bring similar rewards. Many people find that their CAT preparation turns out to be, in some way, life-changing.
So, dig in, embrace your preparation, get excited about taking the CAT and master the exam.
Problematic Thinking: I can’t master the CAT. It’s a hard test.
Constructive Thinking: I’m going to beat this test!
It may not be easy, but you can master the CAT. You may have to put in a great deal of work, but you can do it. To help ensure a high score on the CAT, be smart in your studying approach and preparation process, and give yourself an ample amount of time to prepare. If, for you, that’s four months, or longer, that’s OK.
During my years working with people preparing for the CAT, I have seen people put in the time and effort to drive their scores up hundreds of points. When they started, the CAT seemed hard to them. By the time they finished, having hit their score goals, the CAT had become their playground, the scene of their success. You can do the same.
Problematic Thinking: I feel overwhelmed.
Constructive Thinking: I can take it step by step.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, you are likely experiencing anxiety or irritability, worry or doubt, or full-blown panic. It’s difficult to prepare for the CAT if you are having these feelings, so it’s important that you learn to manage the feeling of being overwhelmed.
We often hear the term “multitasking.” If you are multitasking, you may be doing too many things at once and juggling too many thoughts. Compartmentalize your to-do list and address one thing at a time. Handle what is happening presently and make a plan for things that will happen in the future.
Breathe deeply and remind yourself that you are driving this ship and you have the ability to give yourself permission to relax – and then do so. If stress or anxiety proves to be too much, take a break to clear your mind. A short walk, or even more concentrated exercise such as a run, can do wonders to realign your concentration.
Problematic Thinking: I have to be perfect every day.
Constructive Thinking: If I can improve even 1% each day, I’ll make great progress.
We all have days when we feel we are on point. We have it all together and everything runs like clockwork. On the other hand, we sometimes have days when we have to work a little harder to accomplish our goals for the day. And that’s OK.
Striving for perfection isn’t a bad thing. However, when you have many balls in the air, it’s OK to go easy on yourself. In order to grow, you must be willing to be imperfect, and at times, fail. The healthiest way to approach this is to realize that between success and failure is a space where you are “your best that day.” If you’re able to identify the areas where you can improve some, then you are already succeeding.
Remember to set realistic, quantifiable standards that can truly help you grow and succeed. Think about this quote from Mark Zuckerberg: “Done is better than perfect.”
Problematic Thinking: Other people must be so talented. They all earn high CAT scores.
Constructive Thinking: I’ll figure out exactly what they did and replicate their process. If they can do it, so can I.
Let’s be clear: You are you, and not anyone else. However, you have just as much potential as anyone else. It’s all about sharing best practices and learning to implement them. This applies to most anything in business and certainly to preparation for the CAT.
The saying that there is “no need to reinvent the wheel” applies here. If other test-takers have identified preparation methodologies that work, then applying those methods is a time-saver and an efficient way of managing your study habits.
If you know anyone who has scored high on the CAT, then by all means query that person regarding his or her most helpful preparation tips. You also can search online for CAT group chats and discussions, where test-takers are sharing strategies and tips with one another. The important thing to remember here is that it’s OK to need and ask for help.
Problematic Thinking: My coworker prepared for two weeks and crushed the CAT. I’ve been preparing for two months and still am not ready.
Constructive Thinking: All people who take the CAT prepare for different amounts of time. So, I can’t worry about how long it took my co-worker to prepare.
As we already mentioned, while it is a good idea to recognize and implement good preparation methods used by other people, you should make it a point to go at your own pace. A certain amount of self-imposed pressure can be healthy, but you don’t want stress to become a distraction or obstacle in your learning process.
If your coworkers have shared solid study habits with you, then by all means, take note. But don’t attempt to replicate entire preparation approaches of others. Everyone has a different speed at which they take in and retain information. Additionally, due to factors such as college majors or work focus, people come to their CAT preparation at differing levels of readiness. Only you can determine the time it will take for you to learn – and retain – what you need to in order to hit your goal.
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Don’t let unreasonable comparisons of your preparation to that of others get in the way of your success.
Problematic Thinking: My plan didn’t work. I guess the CAT is not for me.
Constructive Thinking: I can devise another plan, and then another, if necessary.
Life is a series of trials that result in varied degrees of success. Not every hit will be a home run. But if you don’t succeed, you have an opportunity to improve by learning from what didn’t work, and in the case of the CAT, you can have a “do-over.”
If your plan of attack hasn’t worked, your first duty is to identify what needs to change in order for you to get different results. There are a few common reasons why people’s CAT preparation plans don’t work. Some people underestimate the scope of preparation necessary and don’t spend enough time studying or cover enough of what appears on the test. Some don’t fully realize that the CAT is a reasoning test, and so they focus on learning rules and concepts without building skill in finding correct answers. Some don’t take a sufficient number of practice tests or don’t effectively use practice test results to direct their training.
Of course, your plan could account for all of the above and more and still not get you to your goal. In that case, you can be sure that there are other methods out there to help you achieve your CAT score goal. I have seen people use everything from daily reading of dense writing to hypnotherapy to succeed in their quests for CAT mastery. To the question “What can I do now?” there will always be a fresh answer, and every positive preparation move you make will bring you closer to your goal.
By Achieving a Constructive Mindset, You Can Turbocharge Your CAT Success
Mindset is key for succeeding at anything challenging, and the CAT is no exception. The most important thing to remember is that the CAT is not insurmountable. You can figure out how to get your mind into preparation mode, come up with effective approaches, find time to do the work, and hit your score goal. If your first try doesn’t work, try, try again. You can study, improve, and conquer. You are the captain of this ship. It’s your future, and you have the tools to make it a success.
Best wishes for CAT 2021!!
Abhishek Mukherjee works for 2IIM. Apart from solving interesting math questions he likes to eat biriyani and watch movies.
Leave a Reply