CAT EXAM 2019 – Few useful tips for your preparation -

CAT EXAM 2019 – Few useful tips for your preparation

Talking points:

CAT
Eligibility
Syllabus
Examination pattern
Useful tips
Other MBA entrance exam dates

CAT EXAM:

Common Admission Test (CAT) is a computer-based entrance exam for MBA course. Every year, the test is conducted on a fixed date in almost all the major cities of India. For 2019, CAT has been scheduled for November 24. The popularity of the CAT Exam for MBA course has led to an increase in the number of candidates appearing for the exam. For example, about 2 lac students appeared for CAT in the year 2018.

Though most of the MBA colleges of India consider the scores of CAT, it is specifically meant for IIMs (Indian Institute of Management). Since 2011, IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) and IISC (Indian Institute of Science) are also considering the scores of CAT.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to appear for this exam, candidates must have scored no less than 50% or equal CGPA (45% or equal CGPA for SC, ST, and Persons with Disability (PWD) classification) in your undergraduate program. Also, the degree must be granted by any of the UGC recognised universities of India. A candidate who is in the final year of his/her undergraduate degree or has completed undergraduate degree can appear for the examination.

Syllabus:

The syllabus for CAT 2019 is given as below:

For Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VA & RC):

This section is a test of your language and grammar. While for some aspirants it is easy, some might find it extremely difficult to crack. Don’t worry, just read and focus. Everything else will fall in place.

Questions asked in the exam are usually from these topics:

English Grammar
Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary based synonyms & antonyms
Sentence correction and completion
Syllogisms
Contextual usage
Analogies
Different uses of the same word
Fill in the blanks
Jumbled paragraph
Verbal reasoning
Reading comprehension
Facts-Inferences-Judgements
Current affairs
Idioms
One word substitutions

For Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning (DI & LR):

This is the section wherein the only skill you require is logical thinking skills. If you have these skills, all you need is practice to succeed.

Possible topics asked in the examination are:

Blood relations
Direction sense
Puzzles
Data arrangement
Seating arrangement
Data structure
Coding-Decoding
Family tree
Venn Diagram
Pie Charts
Line graphs
Series
Clocks and calendars
Proposition
Assumptions
Statements
Tables
Bars
Binary logic
Sets
Data sufficiency
Case-lets

For Quantitative Ability (Quant):

In a general sense, Quant covers the basic mathematics, generally up to class 10. Hence, even if you hate mathematics, at this stage, it will be easy for you to grasp these basic concepts.

The topics asked in Quant are:

Geometry
HCF & LCM
Averages
Work & time
Percentage
Logarithm
Number system
Geometric progression
Profit & loss
Trigonometry
Algebra
Inequalities
Time-Distance-Speed
In-equations Quadratic & linear equations
Surds & indices
Mensuration
Ratio & proportion

Remember, almost all MBA entrance exams have the same syllabus. Thus, if you are preparing for CAT, you are covering the syllabus of other entrance exams as well. (Basically, chill out!)

Examination pattern:

To get the best results, it is essential to know the pattern of the exam. This will help you to prepare a strategy and work on the sections accordingly.

The examination pattern of CAT EXAM 2019

Section name	Duration (in minutes)	Total number of questions	Total number of questions without negative marking	Total number of MCQs with negative marking	Maximum marks
VA & RC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension)	60	34	9-10	24-25	102
DI & LR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning)	60	32	8	24	96
Quant (Quantitative Ability)	60	34	8-9	25-26	102
Total	180	100	25-27	73-75	300

CAT EXAM Useful tips:

With only a month and a half left for CAT Exam 2019, here are a few last-minute useful tips for its preparation:

Brush the basics: When you can’t walk, how will you able to run? Similarly, if your basics are not right, you won’t be able to crack the exam. Thus, brush the basics before you go for your final mock. It will accelerate your speed in the exam and increase your chances of cracking it.
Give mock tests: The key to clear any entrance exam is to attempt maximum questions with write answers. Basically, MBA entrance exams are a race against time and you will require practice to win the race. Thus, give as many mock tests as you can. Remember, practice makes one perfect.

Figure out which section to attempt first: As you will be short of time, it is preferable to solve the easy section first. Everybody has their own strengths and weakness. So, figure out the section which you are strong at and the ones you are slightly week at. Attempt the stronger areas first as they won’t consume much time and then opt for other areas.

Do not assume: Assumptions are dangerous, both in real life and in the MBA entrance exam. Hence, don’t make assumptions on the asked questions. Stick to the facts stated in it and the output required.

Other MBA entrance exam dates:

Apart from CAT, there are other MBA entrance exams as well. While your goal should be to crack CAT EXAM, it is advisable to appear for other exams as well. This way, you will have more options and opportunities in hand. For example, at our Marwadi University, we accept entrance test results of exams like CAT EXAM, XAT EXAM, CMAT EXAM, and ATMA EXAM. Thus, if you score well in any of these exams, you can secure admission for our MBA course and avail world-class placements and infrastructure facilities.

The registration dates and exam dates of certain popular MBA entrance exams are mentioned below.

Exam	Registration dates	Exam date
XAT	August 20- November 30	Jan 6, 2019
CMAT	November 1 – December 6	Jan 28 and 29, 2019
ATMA	November 2019 (To be announced)	Dec 2019 (To be announced)
MAT	October 4 – December 6	Dec 8 and 14, 2019