Victory is not defined by wins or losses, it is rather defined by effort. No matter what you do in life, you have to put in your best effort and wear multiple hats until you finally attain success. Human beings are not perfect and so aren’t their endeavors, yet one can try to learn from the mistakes from others and try to not repeat the same because some mistakes have greater consequences than others. Same can be said with the CAT 2019 exam, which is considered to be one of the toughest and trickiest competitive management entrance exams in the country which requires dedication, effort and lots and lots of practice! Students who struggle with scoring a good percentile or with an individual section for that matter can enrol into an Online CAT Coaching for better results since it helps streamline the preparation process, is affordable and saves time.
The CAT 2019 exam, just like any other competitive exam, does not take mistakes kindly and a wrong approach towards the exam or a wrong preparation strategy can have disastrous results. To make your preparation a tad bit easier, we bring to you 10 common mistakes which you must avoid in the upcoming CAT 2019 exam. Have a look:
1. Avoid skipping the topics/sections and basics
Many a candidates, while preparing for the CAT exam often skip through the basics and pounce on the questions directly. Some candidates also tend to avoid some of the main topics from the syllabus, especially from the Quantitative Aptitude section and only address topics and practice questions from the topics they are comfortable with. This is a wrong way to approach the exam. Students should be clear and familiar with the most important topics, especially the from non-engineering backgrounds. Do not skip any topics or sections from the exam unless the exam is in a month’s time.
2. Not having a solid CAT 2019 strategy/ preparation schedule
This is one of the most common mistakes made by CAT aspirants. Students generally get overwhelmed by the vast amount of syllabus, tend to make a clumsy preparation schedule in a hurry and therefore, their preparation starts on the wrong foot and in an unorganised manner. This affects the entire CAT preparation and also reduces productivity and effectiveness.
Therefore, candidates must always analyse the syllabus and gain familiarity with the strong and weak topics before starting their preparation. Consequently, they should prepare a schedule covering all the topics and stick religiously to the schedule. For initial self-analysis, candidates can take up a Mock Test and understand their level of skills or individual sections. You can also enrol in a CAT 2019 Coaching for additional guidance.
3. Not scheduling periodic revisions
Many students just go overboard with their preparation and fail to revise whatever they have been absorbing till date for better retention. Some students skip revisions completely till the actual exam day. This is a poor way of preparing as you might be surprised at the last minute after failing to recall important formulas, tips, concepts or any topic in general. Therefore, one must undergo periodic revisions and ensure they are retaining whatever they are learning. You can revise each topic quickly and move on to the next. Also, it is a good idea to maintain a notebook which can aid in quick and timely revisions.
4. Not taking enough or too many Mock Tests
The main idea behind practicing Mocks is to give students a guideline and a module of the exam before the actual exam. The different kinds of questions from different areas of the exam give students both an idea about the CAT exam pattern and of their own level of preparation. The evaluation of Mocks will give an idea about the students’ area of strengths and weaknesses, so he/she can work on them. However, one should not go overboard with them since the excess of it would not help much in scoring in the exam but rather give students’ a false sense of expertise or any other preconceived notions about the exam, which can be detrimental to their performance in the CAT 2019 exam.
5. Not evaluating Mock Tests
There is no point of taking up a Mock Series if you are not doing it to assess your own level of preparation for the CAT 2019 exam. This is another common mistake made by candidates, who should remember that evaluation of their mocks would help boost their performance in the future and allows improvising of the preparation schedule.
6. Borrowing the strategy of peers instead of making their own
There are many candidates who blindly follow the preparation strategy of others instead of devising their own. Some candidates do not even follow any strategy and attempt the questions in a random manner.
The CAT 2019 exam is about speed and accuracy and therefore, an unplanned approach to it can be highly detrimental to your performance. Therefore, it is always suggested to understand and assess one’s individual capabilities and devise a strategy that works best for YOU. Some candidates are weak in grammar, some lack number-crunching skills and some collectively perform average in all the sections. Therefore, there can be no ‘one-strategy’ for CAT 2019 which can cater to all students alike. Candidates should themselves get a personal strategy after taking enough Mocks and post analysing their strengths and weaknesses.
7. Procrastination
Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘You may delay, but time will not,’ which is apt, isn’t it? It is a rule written in stone that no good things ever come to people who procrastinate, so we should do what we can today instead of putting it off till tomorrow. However, this is one vice many people in the world struggle with and CAT aspirants are no exception to it. Many students defer their preparation when studies become too overwhelming for them or when they are intimidated by daunting areas of the exam. However, the moment you run from your CAT preparation would be the moment you are out of the CAT race. It is as simple and as complicated as that.
8. Spending too much time on a particular area of interest
Students generally tend to be comfortable with areas they grasp easily or perform best at and tend to overspend time on it. However, to get a decent score in all the three sections of the CAT exam would require you to divide your time equally between all the three sections of the CAT exam, viz; (Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC).Concepts and topics from each section should be mastered if you are looking to get a decent score in the CAT 2019 exam.
9. No balanced approach and no set targets
The difficulty level of the CAT exam varies with every year. Therefore, students should keep a balanced approach while practicing Mocks and must focus on getting the speed and accuracy on the higher side.
10. Having a negative/defeatist attitude or getting demotivated during your CAT 2019 preparation
It is understandable to be frustrated during your CAT 2019 preparation when you feel the results are not fruitful while you toil day in and day out. However, giving up only slows your performance and reduces your chances of cracking the CAT exam even more. Therefore, work on and around the areas you struggle with and immediately address any issues you have. Give your absolute best to the preparation and the rest will follow.
In a nutshell, students should make a solid preparation strategy and stick to it and master every subject from the CAT 2019 syllabus. Attempt previous years’ question paper, write as many mocks as you can, work on your speed and accuracy and you are good to go. Good Luck!
