In view of the clarity & changes conveyed on CAT 2016 exam pattern with the release of official full length CAT 2016 Mock Test by IIM Bangalore, the need to follow the next 30 days correct preparation strategy to crack all the 3 sections is felt more than ever earlier. CAT toppers and expert advise the CAT 2016 aspirants to utilize the next mega holidays on the festival of Diwali to prepare well for the exam and overcome their weaknesses by devoting more time to further strengthen their strong areas and working hard on weak areas in all the 3 sections of the exam.
Since the CAT 2016 is going to follow the pattern of previous year CAT exam with 100 questions divided in 3 sections containing 72 MCQs and 28 Non-MCQs, the CAT toppers studying in MBA/PGP 2016-18 batch at IIMS, FMS, SPJIMR and the experts unanimously agree and suggest the comprehensive section wise preparation plan to bell the CAT 2016 in next 30 days.
3 sections in CAT 2016: Know the composition
The forthcoming CAT 2016 exam pattern on December 4, 2016 will consist of 3 sections.
Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprhension (VARC)
VARC will be the 1st section of CAT 2016 exam. The section will consist of 34 questions. Out of them 24 questions of MCQ type will be based on RC Passages only. Rest 10 questions will be of Non-MCQ type and will be based on Jumbled paragraphs, para summary and picking the odd sentence out of the jumbled sentences.
According to Prof S K Agarwal, expert on VARC preparation for CAT 2016, RC in the VARC section of CAT 2016 exam will be the highest weightage area with 70% part and rest 30% going to Verbal Ability. Besides all the questions on Verbal Ability are proposed to be placed in Non-MCQ format while all the 24 questions following 5 RC passages are expected of MCQ type carrying 1/3 negative marking for each wrong answer.
Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
DILR section in CAT 2016 will consist of 32 questions divided equally with 16 questions each in DI and LR parts. There are expected 8 Non-MCQs in this section which will also be divided with 4 Non-MCQs in each of the 2 parts.
Section-3: Quantitative Ability
This will be the last section with 34 questions comprising 24 MCQs and 10 Non-MCQs. Since CAT 2016 test takers will reach this section after spending 120 minutes on other 2 sections, CAT preparation experts and toppers advise the CAT 2016 aspirants to practice more on this section and prepare themselves to keep their cool till the end of the exam as this section is more calculation based.
Another key point to prepare and practice for Quant in next 30 days, suggested by CAT toppers is not to depend on the on-screen calculator as it will consume more time during the exam. Toppers suggest the candidates to devise and develop their own calculation strategy and should depend more on that.
Section-wise preparation strategy by CAT toppers
CAT toppers studying in IIMs and other top B-schools, suggest next 30 days preparation strategy for different sections. The candidates could follow, devise their own preparation plan based on these suggestions to make it suitable to their needs-
VARC Prep Plan
Abhay Agarwal, CAT 99.99 percentiler & FMS Delhi student suggests “My English was pathetic and also I needed to speed up my calculations in Quant to be able to attend more questions in the given time.” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9733/FMS-Delhi
Pranjal Agarwal, CAT 100 percentiler and student of IIM Ahmedabad advises “For the Verbal Ability section, the best way to study is by reading articles in newspapers and magazines, preferably on the internet.” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9680/CAT-2016
Shashank Heda, CAT 99.99 percentiler and IIM Bangalore student firmly believes and suggests to CAT 2016 aspirants “A few mistakes many people do is referring to multiple books/material for a topic but the strategy should be comprehensive and not exhaustive. Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9750/CAT-Topper Read more on VARC preparation and best books - http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9840/CAT-2016
DILR Prep Plan
Next 30 days preparation plan advised by CAT toppers for high weightage DILR section has variable inputs and suggestions. It is advisable that CAT 2016 aspirants should read, understand and follow their suggestions. Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9847/CAT-Preparation-books
Advising the preparation stategy, Saransh Garg, CAT 2015 99.98 percentiler and student of FMS Delhi, says “For DILR, I solved face-to-face CAT for previous year’s questions. There are 8 sets of DILR and you get 60 minutes to solve them.” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9744/FMS-Delhi
According to Divya Subramoniam, CAT 2015 topper with 99.36 percentile & SPJIMR student “Practice and thorough knowledge of concepts is the key factor in areas of Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9809/CAT-2016
CAT 2015 topper with 100 percentile and IIM Ahmedabad student Pranjal Agarwal shares “Your preparation should be such that you know you have to attempt all the questions.” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9680/CAT-2016
Quant prep Strategy
Since Quantitative Ability will be the last section to attempt in CAT 2016 and you might be a little bit drained of your spirits by the time you reach the QA section, toppers share in depth preparation strategy for this section.
According to Prateek Bajpai, 100 percentile in CAT 2015 and IIM Ahmedabad student,“In my view, it is very important to make it a habit and part of life to do mental calculations. It will not only help in Quant and DI but also throughout your life.” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9844/CAT-Topper
Nishant Gupta, IIM Bangalore student who cracked CAT 2015 with 99.97 percentile suggests “This was my weakest section so I devoted most of my prep time on studying QA” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9759/CAT-2016
Saransh Garg, CAT 2015 99.98 percentiler and student of FMS Delhi followed great preparation strategy for QA “I solved some chapters in face-to-face CAT to practice previous year questions.” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9744/FMS-Delhi
Mocks for CAT 2016: Most important aspect
All the CAT toppers and preparation experts agree that there is no substitute to Mock tests and at least 2 to 3 mocks per week should be taken seriously 30 days prior to the exam. All of them emphasise that you should attempt as many mocks as possible and analyse them with a view to understand where you went wrong and ensure that you do not repeat the mistake in next Mock.
Saransh Garg, CAT 2015 99.98 percentiler and student of FMS Delhi “The sincerity while giving a mock should be such as if it’s the final CAT paper and there should be no internal and external disturbance” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9744/FMS-Delhi
Prateek Bajpai, 100 percentiler in CAT 2015 and IIM Ahmedabad student says “After taking and analyzing a few mocks you would be able to improve to a great extent.” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9844/CAT-Topper
According to Nishant Gupta, IIM Bangalore student & 99.97 percentiler in CAT 2015 “Mock tests were very important for me” Read more http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9759/CAT-2016
Not only the CAT toppers but also the CAT 2016 preparation experts like Prof Arun Sharma, Prof Nishit Sinha, Prof Arks Srinivas, Prof S K Agarwal among others are of the view that you should go for a comprehensive preparation plan for CAT 2016 and utilize your 4-5 Diwali holidays to get the best out of them.
It is expected that IIMs might increase their intake in PGP 2017-19 as suggested by Shri Prakash Javadekar, Uninon Minister of HRD, Government of India to all the IIMs. If you can score well in CAT 2016, you may get the chance of studying at one of the coveted IIMs in the country.
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