1. Develop your strategy!
First, CAT toppers and students from leading management institutions emphasize the significance of crafting personalized strategies. The focus is on discouraging blind imitation, and acknowledging the uniqueness of individual journeys. Padmasandhya S, an IIM Ahmedabad student says, “The biggest mistake I have seen, is students following another “successful” student’s exam-taking strategy. You must realize that the strategy works for them because they worked hard to tailor it for themselves. You need to find out, by trial and error, what works for you. Do not follow the herd!”
2. Prepare a Clear Study Plan
Next up, CAT toppers, who are now studying at top IIMs and IITs advocate for developing effective day wise study strategies. Akshat Agarwal, a student of IIT Delhi MBA 2023-25 batch recommends, “Create a well-structured study plan and stick to it. Consistent, daily effort is crucial.” Soumik Banerjee, IIM Calcutta MBA 2023-25 student adds, “As I am a working professional, I had prepared a month-wise schedule for myself, to effectively utilize my time.”
3. Build on your Strengths
As obvious as it may sound, CAT toppers stress the importance of planning their last minute CAT preparation based on individual strengths. Sashank Kartik, a student of IIM Kozhikode PGP 2023-25 batch recommends, “As I knew that my strengths were LRDI and Quant, so I was prepared for managing my time efficiently.” Bhanu Pratap, IIM Calcutta MBA student of the 2023-25 batch shares, “I realized that my stronghold lies in RC rather than VA so I kept my plan simple to solve RC and then move to VA.”
4. Ignore your Weaknesses
CAT toppers emphasize that exam takers should avoid focusing on their weaknesses, especially in the last minute CAT preparation, and also during taking the exam. Shreyasee Sarkar, IIM Calcutta student of MBA 2023-25 said, “I ignored my weak area in the exam and had the target of solving 2 out of 4 problems which constituted 10 questions because that was enough to get a good percentile in DILR as this was my weakest Section.”
5. Taking Mocks and thorough Analysis is key
Several CAT aspirants stress the vital role of mock tests in their preparation. They highlight the significance of these tests in identifying weaknesses, refining strategies, and enhancing problem-solving speed.
Kunal Singh Bhadauria, MDI Gurgaon PGDM 2023-25 said, “By taking Mocks and analyzing them properly I was able to identify the areas of improvement and work upon them to increase my scores. The solution provided for the Mock tests helped me discover better methods to solve a particular problem and thus helped me increase my solving speed.” Sundar Rajan, SPJIMR Mumbai, PGDM 2023-25 said, “After each mock test, I conducted a detailed analysis to identify areas where I could make improvements”
6. Take a week off from your job/studies before CAT Exam
Successful CAT candidates emphasize the importance of strategic planning for the days leading up to the exam. Shubham Bajaj of IIM Calcutta says, “I was a working person, and I did save my leave initially to take a couple of weeks leave before D-day to keep my mind calm, composed, and focused towards my goal.” Pooja Sudhakar of SPJIMR Mumbai says, “I recommend finishing your prep in advance and keeping the last 1-2 days light.”
7. Avoid stress in the Last 24 hours to D Day
CAT students stress the importance of maintaining composure on the exam day. Strategies include ensuring adequate sleep, engaging in calming activities like listening to soothing music, and consciously avoiding excessive stress to prevent making avoidable mistakes.
Nandan Goel, an IIM Calcutta student told MBAUniverse.com, “On the day of CAT, I took an 8 hours sleep. I listened to songs and resorted to various other means to remain calm.” Rahul Gupta of IIM Ahmedabad added, “I tried to keep myself relaxed on the day of the exam. Worrying too much makes me make silly mistakes which I wanted to avoid.”
8. CAT Exam Test Taking is Key
CAT candidates emphasize effective time management and strategic question selection for effective last minute CAT preparation. IIM Kozhikode student Sashank Kartik, recognizing strengths in LRDI and Quant, prioritizes efficient time usage. Pranita Maheshwari, an IIM Udaipur student suggests avoiding any questions the day before CAT, focusing instead on a personally drafted concept booklet.
Sashank Kartik student of IIM Kozhikode told MBAUniverse.com, “As I knew that my strengths were LRDI and Quant, so I was prepared to manage my time efficiently. For VARC, I tried to do the less time-consuming questions first then came back to the longer ones. In my view identifying such questions is the key.” Pranita Maheshwari, an IIM Udaipur student said, “There should not be any questions to be seen or solved a day before CAT day. Rather, one should go through their own drafted concept booklet.” Anish R., SPJIMR Mumbai student added, “I went through all the questions in the first few minutes, and picked the easiest ones to start with and then gradually went on to the more difficult ones.”
9. Follow Exam Day Dos and Don’ts
To crack the CAT, it is very important to follow the exam day dos and don’ts shared in your CAT admit card. You can check the CAT exam days at MBAUniverse.com or the iimcat.ac. a few days before the CAT exam date. Important CAT exam day dos and don’ts are:
Do’s
- Reach the CAT Test Centre as per the Reporting Time (90 Minutes before the test commencement time) given in your Admit Card
- Carry only your original ID and CAT exam Admit Card affixed with your photograph
- Follow the Dress code as detailed in your CAT Admit card
- Follow the security check guidelines
Don’ts
- Don’t carry any electronic gadgets like a watch, calculator, digital car key
- Women candidates should not wear jewelry, apply Hina (Menhdi) on the palm side
10. Ignore Social Media but stay tuned to the CAT Official Website, MBAUniverse.com
For Last Minute CAT Exam Day Tips and other important updates you should regularly visit the official CAT website iimcat.ac.in and MBAUniverse.com. The correct authentication information about CAT 2023 is updated here. Please avoid using Social Media like Instagram or YouTube for the latest updates and information as there may be confusing information there. This is an important CAT 2023 Last Minute Tips by CAT Toppers.
So, as you embark on your CAT voyage armed with the pearls of wisdom shared by these seasoned navigators, we hope these CAT 2023 Last Minute Preparation Tips by Toppers. May these topper-endorsed strategies be the wind in your sails, propelling you toward triumph. Best of luck!
Read more inspirational stories & secret mantras of CAT Toppers, only on MBAUniverse.com
- How a CA, NTSE Scholar and a Published Poet cracked CAT 2021 with 98.49% to get into IIM Ahmedabad
- Why CAT 2022 Topper with 99.44%ile, Akshat Agarwal, declined IIMs, MDI to Join MBA at IIT Delhi; How he prepared & cracked the Exam-MBAUniverse.com Interview
- How Soumik Banerjee, an Engineer Working with Public Sector, Cracked CAT 2022 with 99.95%ile and Got into IIM Calcutta – MBAUniverse.com Interview
- How Sashank Kartik, Software Developer at JIO from Coimbatore overcame his weakness to crack CAT 2022 with 99.90%ile, and got into IIM Kozhikode
- How Bhanu Pratap, A Small Town Boy from Farmer Family and a Fresher, Cracked CAT 2022 with 99.67%ile and got into IIM Calcutta – MBAUniverse.com Interview
- How IT Professional Shreyasee Sarkar cracked CAT 2022 with 99.68%ile and got into IIM Calcutta – MBAUniverse.com Interview
- Why CAT 2022 Topper Kunal, Coming from Agriculture Family, declined IIMs, IIFT to join MDI Gurgaon; How he cracked Exams – MBAUniverse.com Interview
- How Sundar Rajan from Small Town Tenkasi (Tamil Nadu) & Working Professional with TCS Cracked CAT 2022 with 99.63%ile and Got into SPJIMR Mumbai
- How Software Developer at Nomura and IEM Kolkata Graduate from Surat - Shubham cracked CAT with 99.98%ile and got into IIM Calcutta for MBA 2021
- How Pooja Sudhakar from Chennai, Working as Marketing Professional at Mockat, cracked CAT 2022 with 99.11%ile, and got into SPJIMR Mumbai
- Countdown to CAT 2021: IIM Calcutta Student Nandan Goel shares CAT Preparation Strategy & Key Tips
- How Working Professional & IIT Roorkee Graduate Rahul Gupta cracked CAT with 100%ile and got into IIM Ahmedabad for MBA 2020!
- How an Arts & Craft lover, a blogger with BMS, Pranita Maheshwari Cracked CAT with 98.81%ile and got into IIM Udaipur for MBA 2021
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for CAT 2023 Last Minute Preparation Tips by Toppers.
Important: Read More on CAT 2023
- CAT Score Vs Percentile 2023
- CAT Percentile Predictor 2023
- Top MBA Colleges in India Accepting CAT Score
- CAT Cut Off for IIMs & Top MBA Colleges
- IIM & B-school Call Predictor 2024: Predictions Based on CAT Pattern & Result 2023 for Top MBA Colleges; Check Cutoffs
- CAT 2023 Exam Day 10 Do’s & Don’ts, Testing Room strategy for 3 slots on Nov 26, 2023; Check CAT Centre Step by Step Flow Chart by IIMs
- CAT 2023 Countdown: Unlock Success with Last-Minute Tips from IIM Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Kozhikode, SPJIMR, MDI Toppers!
- Want to Increase your CAT 2023 Percentile in 7 Days! Check these 10 Tips from CAT Toppers | MBAUniverse.com Special
- CAT 2023 Dress Code for Exam Day: Guidelines for Boys & Girls Issued by IIM Lucknow; Things to Carry on Nov 26 across the 3 Slots
