Questions have answers. Right? Well, not all the time. It depends on the question and more importantly on who is asking that question. If a 9-year-old asked me, “what’s a solar system?” I would happily tell all that know about planets, stars, and constellations. Maybe I’ll even hold back a thing or two, such as the existence of black holes (too complicated) or bursting of stars (to preserve the fascination and the joy of wonder in the child).
THE CATCH
But if an astrophysicist was to ask me, “What’s a solar system?” I would choose my words carefully and try to remain as close to the truth (as known to me) as possible. I would talk about asteroids, comets, and how our solar system compares to other solar systems. So, you see, questions have answers. Not all the time but most of the time. And the answers are not always the same, they change according to time, context, and most definitely change according to the seeker of the answer.
THE CAT EXPERIENCE
As you prepare for CAT there will be times when, while you are trying your best on making sense of a logarithmic problem, a quiet question will come knocking at the door of your concentration, demanding to be answered
“Do I have to study this?” A few seconds later it will morph into, “How many log question are asked in CAT anyway?” and in no time it will snowball in to “How many questions are asked from each topic?” or an even bigger and important question “How many question do I need to answer correctly anyway?”
You will leave all your work and scour the depths of the ever-useful internet to get you answers.
And answers you will get. But none will satiate the demanding urgency of those questions that have by now taken root in your head. Because we all believe, such questions go away only when they are answered in absolutes.
THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR CAT
- How many hours do I need to study every day? _________ hours.
- How many math questions should I solve every day? ________ questions.
- How many Reading Comprehensions should I spend my time on every week? __________ reading comprehensions
- How many puzzles should I solve every day? ___________ puzzles.
- Will self-study be enough to clear cat? YES or NO
- Should I take coaching? YES or NO
- Which coaching institute should I go for? A or B or C or D
- How many mocks should I take? ______ mocks
- How many questions do I have to answer correctly in CAT to get 99 percentile? _______ questions.
All these frequently asked questions should either be answered with concrete whole numbers or a definite choice (from the ones put forward). Right? There must be a way, some form of magic or something more practical (psychoanalysis of all the people responsible for curating the paper maybe?) to arrive at these numbers and to get rid of this awful ambiguity. Right?
No
WHY NOT?
CAT might be an objective test, where every question has a definite answer; a number, a choice (A, B, C, D) but the preparation for CAT is subjective.
Q. How many hours do I need to study every day?
A. How many can you study every day?
Q. How many math questions should I solve daily?
A. How many questions can you solve daily?
Q. How many Reading Comprehensions should I spend my time on every week?
A. How many Reading Comprehensions can you spend your time on every week?
Q. How many puzzles should I solve every day?
A. How many puzzles can you solve every day?
Answer all the answers above and you will have answered all your questions. That too all by yourself! Good job! Now you are one step closer to cracking the CAT exam.
NO ONE LIKE YOU
While the questions (in their respective slots) to be attempted by 1.92 lakh candidates (approximately) were absolutely identical in CAT 2021, the exam taking experience was different for each and every candidate. No two candidates shared the same emotional roller coaster as they sat in front of the computer screens and attempted to give their best shot. No two candidates would have had the same share of joy and despair while preparing for the exam either.
There are students who study for a month and land in the 90th percentile.
There are also students who study for an exhausting number of hours every day and land in the 90th percentile.
To look for concrete answers, for an exam that is highly subjective, is a goose’s chase. You can try it but you’ll only end up wasting your time. But these questions cannot be just left unanswered. It is important to have something to hold onto. Just because a 9-year-old will not understand most of the solar system does not mean that we all just ignore the question. We still formulate an answer, one that is apt for that person. So, all the above listed questions are valid. They can be answered. But the usefulness of those answers’ changes from person to person.
ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- It is advisable to solve at least 2 puzzles every day.
- Solving 3-4 reading comprehensions and reading various articles is a great exercise to train yourself for the D-Day.
- Most number of questions are asked from arithmetic in CAT’s quantitative aptitude, followed by geometry and algebra.
- Number theory and modern math contribute for the least number of questions asked (as per pervious years’ trend).
- And any CAT veteran will tell you that mocks are extremely important. One mock every week starting from May, and then increasing that number to 2 (even 3, if you have the time) oftentimes does the trick.
THE CONCLUSION
But these are ballpark numbers. Just because someone said that you must dedicate 4 hours to quant each day doesn’t mean that you have to comply to it. Maybe you’re good with math and so you only need 2 hours of math, the rest you can spend on puzzles and working on your verbal ability. Maybe you are terrible at math and so you need more than 4 hours to eventually get better at it, that is okay too!
These numbers are just to anchor your preparation, once you are past that stage, you have the freedom of letting go of the anchor and steering your ship in any direction that you wish to.
At the end of the day, this your dream, your journey, and your CAT.
You get to call the shots!
We believe in testing before committing.
So, Sign up and sample 40 hours of CAT content for free.
Curious to know what our students have to say about us? Click here
Cheers and Best wishes for your CAT 2022 folks!
Sharda Sharma is an avid reader and a whimsical writer. She aspires to write stories, make money, and retire by 60, not necessarily in that order.
Leave a Reply