CAT Exam 2021 | How to Prepare, Who Should Prepare, When to Prepare. Preparation Online vs Offline

Management is one of the most demanding courses in the world and to be in the league of top managers, studying at one of the top institutes would give an edge above the others. CAT is the examination for those budding managers.

CAT or Common Admission Test is one of the toughest examinations in India. Cracking it means you have cleared one of the stages required to get admitted to a dream B-school of your choice. But belling the CAT has never been an easy task. Every year over 2.25 lac aspirants register for the exam, approximately 2 lacs turn up for the examination, and only 3300 students are selected ultimately for the PGP courses in the IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) – one of the most prestigious names for B-school aspirants.

To nail the CAT, an aspirant needs to have a streamlined and well-defined preparatory strategy. CAT tests a student in three sections- Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability. Therefore, one needs to be thorough in these sections.

The following are a few related things to know regarding the CAT preparation 2021 strategy.

• How to Prepare?

Belling the CAT is not an overnight task. It takes months of practice, sincerity, and dedication. The aspirants need to streamline their study pattern and should differentiate the work hours based on their strengths and weaknesses. After the CAT 2021 live coaching classes, a student must revisit what has been taught and revise what has been learnt till date. Experts say that practice is the key to success and as much one practices, he/she gets an idea of the questions, approach, and time management. 

CAT preparation 2021 and beyond should always focus on time management. Wasting time which cannot be solved is never advisable. Therefore, during the phase of CAT preparation 2021, analyzing the areas of weakness and working on it will help boost marks. 

• Who Should Prepare?

CAT is opened for everyone – students, working professionals, and drop-off aspirants as well.

Those who are in the final year of their undergraduate course and awaiting results can apply for the exam. In addition to this, this test can also be taken by working professionals who have significant years of experience. For eligibility, the minimum education qualification required to take the test is one should be a graduate or in the final year of the undergraduate examination.

• When to Prepare?

Well, the preparation for the CAT examination is based on the understanding capacity of the student. However, the majority of career consultants consider dedicating one year to be enough for the preparation. During this preparatory phase, one should ensure that maximum questions are solved and attempted. Queries regarding any question should be resolved by an expert. There must not be any doubt in any of the basics, as this can be a hurdle in solving the questions.

• Preparation Online vs Offline

It is not about the mode through which the preparation is done. Rather it should be totally about which mode suits you. Several coaching institutes guide the aspirants through distance learning. Their study materials are exhaustive, offer online doubt clearing and discussion sessions, tests, and career guidance – everything is done online. Online mode is also preferred by aspirants who are working and do not have the time to join regular classes or batches.

Post COVID-19, the approach of the institutes offering CAT 2021 coaching would also change. Though the approach has always been to make the study material available to the students 24/7, yet there will be a few changes. For the ones who are unable to attend CAT 2021 online classes, they are given access to those video lectures in their profiles for later references.

Offline is equally productive, where students get the opportunity to interact with the teachers physically and get their doubts cleared that could have been the hurdle in their CAT preparation 2021.

Conclusion

The trick to successfully nail the examination is to be acquainted with the format, test pattern, and environment. Therefore, it is beneficial for a student when he/she takes as many mocks as possible. In addition to this, a mentor should be there to show the right direction, clear doubts, and guide you during the entire learning period.