How to Manage Time Effectively Across Sections in the CAT Exam 2024
Are you preparing for the CAT Exam? Let’s begin with a short introduction of the Exam. CAT, an abbreviation for The Common Admission Test, is an entrance test conducted to provide admissions to the management courses offered by various business schools. It is conducted annually and consists of 66 questions from three sections, which include VARC, that is Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, DILR, which is Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and QA, Quantitative Aptitude. The exam typically lasts for 120 minutes. Aspirants need to manage time effectively across all the three sections in order to increase their score and chances to land to the prestigious management institutions. Moving forward in this article, you will get every possible way and detail for effective time management across all the exam sections.
Sectional Time Management Tips for CAT: During the Exam
One of the key strategies for success lies in mastering your time management, which is possible particularly with a little planning and smart tactics. You can tackle each section with confidence and ensure that you make the most of your allotted time. Here are some friendly tips to help you manage your time effectively during the CAT.
Create a Time Allocation Strategy
Before initiating the exam, make sure you make a clear plan of the time to be allocated to each section. A simple guide includes, if a section has 24 questions, aim to spend about 1.5 minutes on each question. Make sure to leave some buffer time for the trickier questions that might require extra thought.
Prioritize Questions
Before starting a section, quickly scan through the questions and start identifying the questions based on the ones you feel most confident about and tackle those first. This will not only boost your confidence but also help you manage your time.
Keep an Eye on the Clock
It’s important to focus on the questions while keeping an eye on the timer. Try to set mini-deadlines for yourself and aim to complete a certain number of questions by the halfway mark of the section. This will help you stay on track and avoid the last-minute rush.
Don’t stick to a question
Anytime you encounter a difficult question, don’t spend a lot of time, if you’re stuck. It’s often better to move on and come back to it later if time permits.
Break Down Complex Questions
You can practice breaking down a complicated question into parts. This method can help simplify the problem and make it easier to approach. You can write down key points or calculations to clarify your thought process.
Perform Mental Calculations
You can practice doing mental calculations for the Quantitative Aptitude section, to save your time. The faster you are able to do basic arithmetic in your head, the quicker you would be able to finalize your answers and speed up.
Stay Flexible
Make yourself prepared to adjust your strategy based on your analysis of the sections of the exam. If you find one section easier than expected, solve questions from that section first. Conversely, if you’re struggling, it’s okay to shift to another section.
Stay Hydrated and Energized
Keeping yourself hydrated would help you in being alert and ensure a proper flow of energy. Just be mindful not to overdo it! A light snack before the exam can also help maintain your energy levels.
Breathe and Refocus
Take a moment to breathe deeply, when you start feeling overwhelmed. A few calming breaths can help clear your mind and refocus your thoughts, ensuring you’re ready for the next question.
Review the questions
Before starting each section, take a few moments to read the questions carefully. Understanding the specific requirements can prevent you from making unnecessary mistakes and save you time later.
Wrap Up with Review Time
If you finish a section early, use the remaining time to review your answers. You can use this time you double-check your calculations in the QA section or go through your verbal answers to catch any mistakes. This works as a game changer when it comes to maximizing your score.
CAT Section-Wise Time Management: Preparation Tips
An important thing to note is that it’s not just about how much you know, but how effectively you can showcase that knowledge within the time constraints. You can achieve this by following certain guidelines in your preparation:
Make a Study Plan according to your Strengths and Weakness
The initial step in your preparation is making a perfect study plan, that is possible once you go through the syllabus, identifying the strengths and weaker topics. Allot time to each section mentioned in the syllabus, without ignoring any topic. You can adjust more time for the topics you believe in practicing more to become more confident in. Always make a schedule, which will be practically possible to stick to. Here’s a sample plan you can adjust according to your strengths and weaknesses.
Set a Timeline
The earlier you start your preparations, the more organized your preparations would turn out. You would be able to provide an equal time for all the three sections, and can practice more number of mock tests. Here’s the basic study plan:
- In the initial months(1-3), try focusing on building your fundamentals.
- (4-6): Once you complete doing this, you can then regularly practice the concepts and reinforce them.
- (7-9): When you finish completing all your concepts, start giving mock tests.
- (10-12): Do not forget the extremely important point, that is the Revision. Revisit all the studied concepts and gain speed and accuracy in questions.
Daily Study Plan
Ideally 4-6 hours given on each day for the exam preparation is typically considered a good amount of time. You can divide the timings according to your strengths and weaknesses related to each section:
- 2 hours for Quantitative Analysis (QA)
- 2 hours for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- 2 hours for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
Mock Tests and Performance Analysis
As it is said “Practice makes a man perfect”, goes perfect with the CAT preparation. Try practicing one mock test every week. The more mock tests you practice, the more you feel confident about your preparation. Not limited to this, doing so offers great benefits. These include:
- Helps in reviewing your mistakes and topics of difficulty.
- Can make you familiar with the exam environment before the actual one. You can gain perfection in time management with the number of mock tests practiced.
- Helps you in boosting your confidence.
- Provides you with an analysis of your preparation. You can shift your study focus to the weaker topics accordingly.
Practice with a Timer
Simulate the exam environment during your preparation. Take full-length mock tests with a timer set for 120 minutes, adhering to the sectional time limits. This practice will help you:
- Build stamina for the exam
- Get comfortable with pacing yourself
- Identify your strengths and weaknesses in each section
Additional Tips
- Staying consistent throughout your preparation is extremely crucial. You should stick to the schedule you formed at the start.
- Try managing a perfect balance between each section. Don’t neglect one section to gain strength in the other. Try staying in touch with each section by practicing each day.
- Gaining speed and accuracy is important for time management in the exam hall. Hence practice solving more questions under time pressure.
- Do not forget to take short breaks in between your busy studying schedule, eat healthy, and stay physically active to boost your exam preparation.
Overcoming Common Challenges in Each Section
- Quantitative Aptitude (QA):
If you’re facing problems with the time management in this section then, practice timed quizzes and developing shortcuts.
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
If the challenge faced in this section is low reading speed and comprehension, then regularly practicing reading in diverse materials and summarizing them is the key.
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
If you are facing challenges regarding complex data sets, you can start with simpler data interpretations and gradually move to complex sets. Try practicing different formats.
Conclusion
The importance of effective time management for success in the CAT exam is evident. By understanding the exam structure, preparing for the exam effectively by making a proper study plan and strategies and following all the sectional time management guidelines during the exam, you can maximize your performance. Remember, consistent practice and reflection on your approach will lead to improvement.
