50 days to AICTE- CMAT 2015 (First Test); How to utilize on focused preparation

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
August 7, 2014
The remaining 50 days to CMAT Sep 2014 are crucial and need a planned preparation strategy divided between strong and weak topics.
It's high time now to fasten your belts for more and more exercises and mocks to prepare for CMAT Sep 2014

The remaining 50 days to CMAT Sep 2014 are crucial and need a planned preparation strategy divided between strong and weak topics.

 

One of the most sought after Management entrance examinations for admission session 2015-16, the First CMAT 2015 is proposed to be conducted in a five day test window from September 25 to 29, 2014. It’s going to be an online entrance test for AICTE approved PGDM courses across the country. Students desirous of applying to CMAT Sep 2014 test still have time to apply till August 25, 2014.

 

 

 

How to prepare for CMAT in next 50 days

 

Prof S K Agarwal, expert on CMAT preparation discusses and shares simple but useful strategy to utilise the precious time and how to prepare for this examination.

 

CMAT Sep 2014 aspirants must have geared up and must have gone through the core topics with clear understanding of the concepts. It’s high time now to fasten your belts for more and more exercises and mocks to prepare for CMAT Sep 2014. The ensuing one and a half month needs –learning- revision-practice.  Nevertheless, you may divide your study schedule and concentrate on following areas

 

Time management: An important factor

 

The Time management for various sections should be judiciously planned out of your study schedule. It could be the fresh learning parallel to revising the already learnt topics.

 

The aspirants have to cover all the subjects since the questions based on each of them are equal ( 25 each; total 100 questions) and carry 4 equal marks (Total marks-400). The weightage on any question is not less than the other one.

 

Divide the preparation time among all the 4 sections covering entire CMAT Sep 2014 -Quantitative Techniques & data interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness

 

The 50 days prep schedule to CMAT Sep 2014

 

First 20 Days -

 

Language Comprehension

 

What to prepare -You may confront various types of questions to correct the errors in Language comprehension. If you have a good grasp on fundamentals you could correct them. Devote 45 minutes a day to focus on this section

 

Revise the various parts of speech & usage of tenses–Usage of Articles, Non-finites, dangling modifiers, Nouns, Pronouns (Especially relative Pronouns), adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, spellings of the words, usage of punctuation, verbs, Syntax, Subject-verb Agreement, Simple, continuous, Perfect tenses and Conditional-unreal past etc.  You must have been subscribing to some good study material related to the preparation to CMAT, now go for revision and practice to avoid the avoidable errors.

 

In case the time is short – go for more and more exercises related to above topics-this will create interest and you will get more expertise

 

Prepare Vocabulary – Practice as much as possible Please remember every word has a specific use, while using the vocabulary words always try to place right word for right use. Use Flash Cards for synonyms-antonyms, exercises on one words substitution, Phrasal Verbs, Idioms.

 

 

 

General Awareness

 

No time limit for preparation of this section can be specified. You should learn it as a continuous process and whenever you come across any news item, just try to recall it.
You could further divide General Awareness in three parts

 

A. Conventional-available in books; B. Current- based on current reading of newspapers and periodicals; C. Business & Economics.  Please remember current GK-whether Business, national and international has an on-going preparation method and you have to go for it thorough reading of the newspaper, note down the important events and relate them to something in your memory so that you may remember it.  The conventional General Knowledge – if already prepared, must be revised regularly because no event in future might co-relate it. Revision will help.

 

 

 

Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

 

This is very important section and during the first 20 days from now you may have to devote around 1 hour on understanding the various types of questions on both of the above. 

Learn well the number system, time speed distance, geometry, permutation combination and probability. We can also expect questions from indices surds, logs, progression, averages and profit loss. There are around 18-19 questions on Quant in this section in CMAT.

 

Data Interpretation- Improve your calculation and comparison speed and practice it more to remain consistent with the CMAT pattern. 5-8 information rich bar diagrams, graphs, tables and pie charts can be expected in CMAT Sep 2014.

 

 

 

Logical Reasoning

 

CMAT Sep 2014 has full one section on Logical Reasoning with 25 questions. Taking this section a little seriously can make you score 100 marks more improving your score substantially. The concept to the problems on Logical Reasoning can be well understood fast. Please practice as many questions as you can every day.

 

Problems on Analogy, seating arrangements; sets, blood relations, direction, assumption, premise –conclusion, team formation, are expected  in CMAT Sep 2014. All these topics have earlier appeared also, so the aspirants shouldn’t mind practicing them further but with the focus on time management. It should continue till the last day before the examination.

 

 

 

Day 21 to 35

 

Stop starting to learn any new and unfamiliar concept which might give you trouble. Apart from going for more and more exercises on different topics and in some weak areas, further strengthen your strong areas and work more on them.

 

Attempt more exercises on error corrections, vocabulary usage, para jumbles alongwith word expressions. Reading comprehension passages, at least two a day are to be solved. 

 

Difficult words in them must be understood and should be put to correct usage. Regular practice on Quant, Di and LR problems should be done.

 

General Knowledge must be covered with great enthusiasm now.  Regular updating of General Knowledge in Business and Finance, Past related to present, Recent changes –National and international –must be at the core of study.

 

 

 

Day-36 to one day before examination

 

Practice exercises on Quant, DI, LR, fundamentals, vocabulary, parajumbles, Reading comprehension passages must be given more time. Mocks should be focussed. Queries must be sorted out – from books, Mentor or whatever source is available. No more new concepts but mocks and exercises should be at the core of the study schedule.

 

Since the examination paper must have been prepared by now, you may not go for any new GK learning, however, conventional General Knowledge must be refreshed and revision of learnt areas is required. 

 

Last day to CMAT Sep 2014 - Arrange your papers to be taken to examination hall, have nice food and go to sleep early. If you get some time, practice a few things during the day, if you like. Do not attempt to cram your head further.

 

Related Links:

 

CMAT Sep 2014 General Awareness: Expert tips on how to prepare for CMAT General Awareness

 

CMAT Sep 2014 General Awareness: Expert tips on how to prepare for CMAT General Awareness

 

CMAT 2015-16 First Test on Sep 25 to 29, 2014; CMAT Registration opens from July 3

 

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more prep tips on CMAT September 2014