99+%ile in CAT – A dream of many aspiring CAT takers. But the questions is, is it really that difficult to get this dream percentile?
No, its not difficult. Even if you have just 3 months left for CAT.
Smart work and the right practice is the key to a 99%ile in CAT. CAT 2019 notification is out and the exam will be conducted on 24th November 2019. With approximately 3 months remaining, let us explore various strategies that can get you a 99%ile in CAT 2019.
CAT Pattern 2019
The most important key to cracking any exam is to start by knowing the exam pattern. Lets have what CAT 2019 will be like:
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARC |
34 |
102 |
1 hour |
| LRDI |
32 |
96 |
1 hour |
| QA |
34 |
102 |
1 hour |
| Total | 100 |
300 |
3 hours |
To get to your dream B-school, the idea is to maximize your score in each of the sections. In this article, our aim is to give you exactly that idea of how to go about scoring well in these sections.
CAT Syllabus 2019
It should be noted that CAT does not have any prescribed syllabus. It is simply a test of Verbal Aptitude, Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation skills.
So how do you prepare for CAT?
One of the first steps that you as an aspirant should take is to solve the previous year questions. Even though no questions are repeated, the concepts are likely to be repeated. And these concepts are based on your class 8 to class 10 concepts of Mathematics and English.
Therefore, you can log into your Aspiration.ai accounts and take the CAT 2018 Paper which is given in the dashboard as a mock.
How to Prepare for CAT 2019
In whatever limited time that is left before CAT 2019, you should see the CAT preparation as 300-hour exercise. For convenience, you may split these 300 hours in 3 parts of 100 hours, one for each section of CAT.
There are about 7-8 different topics in Quantitative Aptitude. The idea is to cover the basics of all these topic right at the beginning. Therefore, start with revision of class 8 to class 10 concepts of Mathematics and English. This should take 1-2 weeks and along with the revision start practicing easy level questions of those particular topics. You may practice these using the Test Gym, which has topic-wise questions with 3 levels of difficulty.
Once you have started mastering the easy level, move a notch up to medium difficulty level questions. Along with topic tests, start writing mocks every week.
Starting to take your mocks early is the single most important thing that you should do which will make all the difference in the final outcome. It gives you the right practice and helps you simulate the CAT-day experience.
Thus, if you write a sufficient number of mocks, you would have already written CAT multiple times before you appear for the actual CAT. Once you get the hang of all the topics you would be able to identify topics that are your strengths and you can focus all your attention on these topics.
This could be through sectional tests or through topic tests.
In all of this, the biggest non-negotiable is performing a thorough analysis of the mocks. Analyse each of your mocks for at least 6 hours. This, in it self, brings a great amount of learning which will go a long way.
Topics to focus on for a 99%ile in CAT:
Even though we say focus on topics that are your strengths, you also need to smartly pick these topics as each topic carries different weightage in CAT. The following list may help you pick topics smartly:
QA topics:
- Arithmetic: 12-14 questions
- Algebra: 8-10 questions
- Numbers: 2-4 questions
- Geometry: 5-7 questions
- Modern Maths: 2-3 questions
Arithmetic and Algebra together form the major part of the Quantitative Aptitude section. Therefore, the obvious choice is to take these two topics seriously. Further, clubbing this with either Numbers of Geometry will put you in a good stead in the exam. Spend 1-2 hours daily on QA preparation. For a 99%ile target 24-25 questions with 85% accuracy in QA section.
VARC topics:
- Reading Comprehension: 24 questions
- Para Jumbles: ~3
- Summary: ~3
- Para Jumbles (Odd sentence): ~3
Focus of Reading Comprehension, solve 4-5 RC passages every week and analyze each question and answer option. For a 99%ile in VARC target 25-27 questions with 100% accuracy, or 34 questions with 85% accuracy.
LRDI topics (32 questions spread across):
- 3-4 variable data tables, pie charts
- Matrix sets
- Logical based data sets
This has been a tricky section for the past 3 years. Solve at least 1 sectional test every week. For a 99%ile in each section target 15-17 questions with 85% accuracy.
With the soaring competition, focus on maximizing your accuracy and then your attempts. Keep the following pointers in mind for a 99%ile in CAT 2019:
- Solve previous year papers
- Invest in a good, reputed test series
- Focus on important topics
- Stick to your time-table
- Write a mock every 10-12 days till July and then 1 mock every week.
- Perform qualitative analysis of each mock that you write
Click here for detailed previous year analysis of CAT. Also, catch GP, GB, Arkss, Gejo and other CL Gurus as they tour around across the country to help you to ace the Race for a 99%ile. Click here to register and participate in the event.
Here is a video feature by Gejo on How to Crack CAT in 3 months or 99 days to Crack CAT 2019.
All the best
Team CL
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