The Common Admission Test or more commonly known as CAT is the most sought after and popular MBA entrance exam in India. Over two lakh MBA aspirants appear for the CAT entrance exams and the number of candidates is only increasing each year. To put in simple terms, CAT is an aptitude test which is conducted to assess the candidate’s verbal and analytical skills. Getting an impressive score in CAT is no easy task and students have to be on top of their game in order to have any chance of clearing the exam with good marks. While the current pandemic has posed some serious doubt regarding when and how the exams will be conducted, the regulatory bodies have come up with a plan to conduct the exams online on the month of November. Also, candidates can expect the results to come by the second week of January next year.

Before getting into the various tips that students can use to prepare for CAT 2020 in an effective and efficient manner, lets’ take a quick look at some of the exam details and the question pattern.

• The total number of questions is 100
• Total marks will be out of 300 (each question carrying 3 marks and there will also be -1 negative marking for each incorrect attempt)
• The exam duration is 180 minutes
• The questions pattern will have different sections including Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation, and Quantitative Aptitude.  

With most students limited to preparing from their houses and thorugh online classes, let’s look at how aspiring candidates can make the best use of the current situation to perform at their best in the upcoming CAT 2020.

1. Obtaining the best books that are available in the market for CAT preparation is a necessity for students to stand any chance for clearing CAT. Going through these books will not only help students to gather valuable knowledge but it will also help them to understand a general pattern of how questions will be asked during the CAT exam.

2. Going online and joining study groups and gathering information from various other online mediums and platforms will also help students to be up to date with the latest information and trends. With most of it not going to cost much, going online is definitely a smart choice. Interacting with other MBA aspirants will also help you to boost your knowledge and it will motivate you to work even harder.

3. There are now a lot of exam preparation apps especially for MBA entrance exams, and these apps will help students to acquire knowledge and even understand the general question pattern. Some of these apps can also provide mock exams which the students can attempt to test their knowledge level and understand the areas that they need to improve on.

4. There are a lot of study materials like mock test papers that are available for students who are appearing for CAT and these extra study materials and mock test papers will help students to get a detailed insight into what kind of questions that they can expect and get to know how the question patterns are laid out. Attempting the mock tests will also help students to understand their strong points and weaknesses and this will also aid students when it comes to managing their time in an optimal manner.

5. Creating a study plan will not only help students to prepare for CAT but it will also help in any other exam for that matter. Owing to the fact that CAT exams have a diversified syllabus, formulating a study plan and following it in a systematic manner will help students to cover the syllabus without having to face any major hurdles. While creating a study plan, students should give ample importance to providing needed time for revision which is crucial to store all the information that you have learned in an effective way.

While the number of students who appear for CAT exams is increasing, smart preparation and being motivated to work hard will help you to better yourself and perform in the best way possible. We hope that this abovementioned information will help students who are appearing for CAT 2020 with their exam preparations.