80 days. That is less than three months. No? Yes. But, it was never about counting in months, once August dawned upon all of us. The reality that CAT 2020 is going to be conducted for sure is increasingly becoming visible. The AICTE announcement does not hold good for aspirants writing CAT 2020. JEE – Mains examination was conducted with adequate safety precautions. The official announcements for other MBA entrance examinations like XAT have started doing the rounds.
The exam fever usually gets to us only towards the last mile. Irrespective of the level of preparation done earlier, the differentiating aspect is going to be the effort that goes in during this final sprint in these 80 days. With COVID-19 playing spoilsport throughout the world, at least a fraction of aspirants who were raring to crack CAT 2020 took a step back for several reasons.
Cash crunch. Uncertainty about the economy. You name it, and almost all the factors have played a role in aspirants deciding against appearing for CAT 2020 earlier.
However now, the reality that the examinations like CAT and XAT are going to happen, no matter what, has created a scramble for resources. What are the resources – free and paid – to make use of during these 80 days that will help make this CAT a cakewalk?
Resources, you said? Ha, we got you covered! Read on.
Whenever the word “resources” is uttered, the next question that naturally follows suit is, “Are these “resources” free of cost? Or, do I have to pay?” Let’s talk about both, shall we?
Resources that are available for open, universal access
Whenever the talk of resources available for “free” comes into picture, the general notion is that the quality of these resources are not great. We at 2IIM have purposefully set out to prove this notion wrong.
Why should free resources be of inferior quality?
THEY NEED NOT BE. Which is why we have taken enough and more efforts to carefully curate content of the highest quality in our open repositories.
1) The Question Bank and the 80-day countdown
We have all heard of Question Banks, haven’t we? What do they have? Questions, yes. Answers? Explanations? Quite often, providers who publish a lot of questions do not take pains to give away detailed solutions with adequate explanations. BUT NOT US.
We understand that there are many CAT aspirants who come from economically difficult backgrounds and cannot afford CAT courses. This is another reason why 2IIM’s Question Bank is absolutely free.
In 2IIM’s Free Question Bank, you will not only find CAT level questions across all the three sections but also the solutions to handhold you crack CAT 2020. The questions are carefully split across various topics covering the entire length and breadth of CAT syllabus; so if you are looking to solve some problems from Geometry or a few Paragraph Summary questions or some Math-based DILR puzzles, you know where to go.
The question bank does not stop with that. You will find the questions of CAT 2017, CAT 2018 and CAT 2019 (both slots for each of these) solved with step-by-step explanations.
As the 80 day countdown begins, having a formidable tool such as 2IIM’s Question Bank is worth something when it comes to cracking CAT!
2) 2IIM’s YouTube channel – the gold mine for a good last lap
Oftentimes, those who begin CAT preparation from scratch at the eleventh hour are advised to start from the previous year actual CAT papers. This holds good for anybody starting CAT preparation in general. You are at Step Zero, taking a look at some intimidatingly tough questions from CAT. The fear grips through and it almost feels like you might give up the effort. There is an imminent need for solutions and explanations that are comprehensible.
In addition to knowing the answer, you also need to know WHY the answer holds good, and most importantly, why something else will not hold good. The reasons for starting a DILR puzzle with a particular clue and not any other clue has to be detailed enough. The question stem should be broken down into scaffolds for easier understanding.
In comes our YouTube channel. In addition to the previous year CAT papers’ , you will also find preparation strategies and tips related to CAT, XAT, IIFT and more.
Sounds like too much for a YouTube channel, right? Why is this available for free?
The reasons are two-fold:
- Not everybody needs a full version of the course, with 80 days to go for the D-Day. In all probability, the sheer expanse of a full course might only dampen their spirits.
- Generally, we at 2IIM are of the firm belief that our product offerings should speak for themselves. As Marshall McLuhan quips, “The medium is the message.”
If a free database can provide content of the highest quality…
Yes, I know the reason behind that pause. You are probably thinking, “Why would somebody want to purchase a course when loads of information are available for open access?”
Let me flip it and present a different version of the same argument. Have you ever thought about, “If content available for free itself is of the highest quality, how is the paid version going to be?” That is exactly where we are getting at.
Resources for which you would be thankful you decided to pay
Any decision you take at this point in time, with respect to CAT 2020, will have to be arrived at with the “80 days to go” thought. If you are starting now, you probably think it is impossible to find just about the right course to help you cross the line. You will have to rethink.
1) 2IIM’s Crash Course for CAT 2020
“Crash Course” – the phrase needs no introduction. The last minute preparations for our internal examinations and semester examinations are proofs enough to exhibit that the preparation at the last hour could make all the difference.
If you can do it in your internal examinations, why can the same not apply to CAT 2020?
This is probably the time when you have to blitz. But even the best example for a blitz – a Formula One Grand Prix – contains pit-stops then and there. Guess where this is going?
In comes our Crash Course for CAT 2020. With the right mix of course content and CAT level tests across the three sections, not to forget the 8 full length mock tests, in addition to the 6 actual CAT papers available as mocks, the Crash Course is just what you might be looking at, for the 80-day grind.
2) 2IIM’s Test Dojo 2020
Tests. Mocks. CAT level questions. These are aspects that should, by now, be ingrained in your preparation cycle. As Bharath explains in ‘The Art of Revision‘, this is the last phase of your preparation for CAT. And in this phase, preparation is going to be minimal, almost of the extent of 1%, as revision takes the driver seat.
How about a collection of 8,000 questions – 60% of which are exactly pegged at CAT level, and 40% to gear you up towards CAT level – for starters? 80 days. 8,000 questions. Sounds like we have a plan for you, if you do not have one. I repeat. “80 days. 8,000 questions.” Simple division should get you a preparation plan ready for the next 80 days in less than 5 seconds. Give it up for 2IIM’s Test Dojo 2020!
Bottom-line
Spend your time qualitatively. Do not loiter around Facebook groups that claim to keep you motivated during these 80 days. Keep your eyes open for content that is of the highest quality. Never settle for anything less. For being content with the content of inferior quality is definitely not the right decision, not just for CAT 2020, but for life in general.
Stay Safe and Best Wishes for CAT 2020!
Written by Giridharan Raghuraman
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