CAT 2025 Preparation: Last 30 Days Strategy & Tips by IIM Toppers; Key Dos & Don’ts; Week-wise Study Plan

1. Focus on Revision, Not New Topics 
The first CAT 2025 preparation tips for last 30 days by CAT Toppers is simple but very important to remember. In the run to CAT, the pressure to cover everything can be overwhelming! But according to CAT Toppers the key is to consolidate what you already know, and avoid studying new concepts that might disturb your focus. 

Regarding CAT 2025 one month study plan, CAT Toppers unanimously agree that revising familiar concepts that you have already covered is much more effective than trying to learn new topics. Pooja Sudhakar who scored 99.11 percentile in CAT and secured admission to SPJIMR Mumbai emphasized the need to focus on revision in last month to CAT, rather than overload oneself with new material. "The last month isn’t for overloading yourself with new content. It’s about refining what you know and ensuring there are no gaps," she said. 

For Srishti Yadav, a VJTI Mumbai engineer who scored 99.69 percentile in CAT and secured admission to IIM Kozhikode, the final weeks were all about “light preparation”. "I kept my preparation light in the final few days. Rather than starting new topics, I focused on brushing up on Quant formulas and RC strategies," she told MBAUniverse.com. 

To apply this strategy, toppers advice that CAT aspirants should:

• Revisit key formulas and type of problem every day.
• Refer short handwritten notes or flashcards for quick revision.
• Revisit conceptual mistakes in mock test to strengthen weak areas without attempting anything entirely new.

Read CAT 2025 One Month Study Plan and Section Wise 30 Day CAT 2025 Preparation Strategy in the article below. 

2. Leverage Mock Tests to Perfect your Test Taking Strategy 
For effective CAT 2025 One Month Study Plan, Topper’s advice MBA aspirants that taking Mocks will help in time management, question selection and rejection, and understanding areas for improvement. Mock tests are essential during the final month, but as toppers point out, that “taking mocks alone isn't enough”. What really matters is “understanding mistakes and fine-tuning test taking strategies accordingly”.  

CAT Topper Pooja Sudhakar, told us that her mock analysis was a “game-changer” for her. "Mocks give a clear picture of your preparation, but analyzing them thoroughly is more important. I spent more time reviewing my mistakes than taking new tests," she recalls.  

Soumik Banerjee, a mechanical engineer from Jadavpur University and joined IIM Calcutta, highlights the strategic aspect of mocks. "CAT is as much about strategy as it is about knowledge. Every mock helped me tweak my approach and avoid tactical errors," he says.   

To apply this strategy, toppers advice that CAT aspirants should:

• Attempt 2-3 full-length mocks per week
• Analyzing performance thoroughly
• Finalize approach for three crucial aspects: accuracy, question selection, and speed

Check 20+ Free Online CAT Mock Tests available on MBAUniverse.com. They are 100% based on last 10 Years’ Actual CAT Papers. 

3. Fine-Tune Your Sectional Strategy
CAT isn't just about solving questions! It’s about solving questions strategically, within the time constraints of each section. Hence, for the right CAT 2025 One Month Study Plan, Toppers recommend that MBA aspirants should “experiment with different approaches during mocks” to discover their own unique effective strategy for each section. 

Srishti Yadav, CAT Topper (99.69%ile) and MBA from IIM Kozhikode shares how she finetuned her approach to maximize score in VARC section. "I tried different strategies, like attempting VA questions first in some mocks and RCs first in others. Eventually, I stuck with the one that gave me the highest accuracy," she told MBAUniverse.com. 

Similarly, for In the DILR section, Soumik Banerjee emphasizes the importance of “set selection”. "The key to do well in CAT is to quickly choose which sets to solve. I used my mocks to master the art of smart selection," he said. 

Topper’s advice that during the final weeks, aspirants should use mocks to finetune their section-specific strategies in following ways:  

• VARC: Deciding whether to tackle RCs first or focus on VA questions.  
• DILR: Practicing set selection to optimize attempts.  
• Quant: Applying a “round-based approach” which means solving easy questions first and revisiting difficult ones later.  

4. Manage Stress and Avoid Burnout
Indeed, preparing for CAT can be mentally exhausting. So don’t burnout in the final stretch! Toppers emphasize the importance of “balancing study with relaxation” to stay motivated to perform well in time pressure. 

Shreyasee Sarkar, an IT professional who cracked CAT with 99.68 percentile to join IIM Calcutta, advocates a “balanced approach” in last few weeks to CAT. "Taking short breaks between study sessions helped me stay productive. Burnout can negatively impact your performance on exam day," she said.  

Pooja Sudhakar, who managed to balance her CAT preparation with a full-time job, highlights the importance of taking regular breaks. "I made sure to take one day off every week. Watching a movie or spending time with friends kept me motivated and refreshed," she says.  

Topper’s advice following ways to manage stress in last few weeks to CAT:  

• Incorporate short breaks throughout the day
• Plan at least one full day off per week to unwind.
• Don’t stop your hobbies or spending time with friends.
• Finally, maintain a healthy routine with enough sleep and physical activity  

5. Last week to CAT Exam Strategy: Take a break! 
According to CAT toppers, anxiety and over-preparation can be counterproductive in the final days before CAT. Toppers recommend staying calm and taking a break before the CAT exam day!

Soumik Banerjee said, "I did not study the day before the exam. Instead, I focused on relaxing and ensuring everything was in order for exam day," he recalls. Srishti Yadav added, “The last 2-3 days are about staying calm. If your mind is clear, your chances of executing well on exam day are higher." 

CAT 2025 Last 30 Days Preparation Strategy: Sectional Plan

CAT 2025 one month preparation plan can be broken down to week wise CAT preparation plan for each of the three CAT sections. You can modify this based on your strengths and weaknesses. 

A. Phase Wise Preparation Schedule of CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Section

CAT 2025 last 30 days preparation strategy for CAT VARC strategy is as follows:

Last 30 days to CAT: First Phase (Day 1 to Day 7)

• Practice different types of RC passages.
• Learn all the basic techniques for solving a passage.
• Time yourself while solving a particular passage.
• Learn about how to read a passage actively.
• Learn to identify the central idea of the passage.

Last 30 days to CAT: Second Phase (Day 7 to Day 14)

• Learn the tone of the passage, i.e. whether it is subjective or objective. Read between the lines to identify the tone of a passage
• Pay more attention to informative RCs and Analytical RCs in the beginning.
• Make sure you practice at least 25-30 RCs in this week
• Take a topic test for practice.

Last 30 days to CAT: Third Phase (Day 14 to Day 21)

• Shift your attention to Persuasive, scientific, and critical RCs.
• Focus on solving Paraphrasing questions at this stage of preparation.
• Take one CAT sectional test every day for proper practice.
• Solve another 25-30 RCs in this week and analyze the solutions.

Last 30 days to CAT: Fourth Phase (Day 21 to Day 28)

• Keep on practising the RCs. Complete your goal of 100 RCs before CAT.
• Make sure to attempt VA questions for at least 2 hours a day.
• Revise all the techniques you have learned so far and give a full-length mock to scale your VARC preparation.
• Read novels, newspapers, and journals to strengthen your vocabulary and learn new idioms and phrases.

B. Phase Wise Preparation Schedule of CAT Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) Section

CAT 2025 last 30 days preparation strategy for CAT DILR strategy is as follows:

1 month to CAT: First Phase (Day 1 to Day 7)

• Make a list of all the DILR topics and segregate them into three categories, i.e., most important sets, tough sets, and most selective sets.
• Focus on the most important topics first. These topics will constitute sequence and series, matrix arrangements (linear and circular)
• Get started with the basics first. Flex your problem-solving psyche.
• After you have covered the important basics, start answering review questions, first priority is to be given to easy and solvable sets.

1 month to CAT: Second Phase (Day 7 to Day 14)

• Solve a sectional LRDI mock to find out your areas of incompetence.
• Keep on practising as many LR sets as you can, and do not worry about the time limit initially.
• Explore different LR topics such as coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, syllogisms, etc. Make sure you learn the basics first.
• If you feel you are unable to solve a particular problem even after learning the concept, visit the concept again. There would be some loophole you are missing out on.

1 month to CAT: Third Phase (Day 14 to Day 21)

• In this phase. Take a sectional mock every week to dig out your weaknesses and work on them.
• Practice as many as 20 LR questions in 1 day. Mark the questions you are not able to solve, and do not let that come in the way of your practice.
• Solve various puzzle questions. Conventional LR questions are usually ambiguous to solve and only concept-dependent.
• Solve past year CAT papers and analyze your performance.
• Shift your focus to the DI questions. Solve at least 5 DI sets in one day. Time yourself while solving each set.

1 month to CAT: Fourth Phase (Day 21 to Day 28)

• Learn about speed-enhancing tricks and jot down all the important approaches and formulas in your notebook.
• By now, you should know that 1/9 = 0.11 and other fractions. The same goes for percentages, cubes, squares, and square roots.
• Take a sectional mock every day and analyze your performance.
• Take a full CAT to mock some days before the last day to gauge your DILR performance.

C. Phase Wise Preparation Schedule of CAT Quantitative Ability (QA) Section

CAT 2025 last 30 days preparation strategy for CAT QA section is as follows:

Last one month to CAT: First Phase (Day 1 to Day 7)

• Focus on major topics first, starting with the Number systems, modern mathematics, and Geometry.
• Learn the concepts and solve questions related to these dominating and broad topics.
• Take a sectional mock to figure out which concepts are currently out of your knowledge
• Enlist those topics and take them down one by one.
• Remember having a “wide-to-narrow" approach in quant. As the syllabus is intensive, you would have to put quite an effort into covering the topics.

Last one month to CAT: Second Phase (Day 7 to Day 14)

• For each day of the week, continue taking sectional mocks.
• Focus primarily on questions related to Algebra. Lean towards learning concepts of linear equations, quadratic equations, special equations, and surds and indices.
• Practice as many as 50 quant questions per day. If you feel stuck at any point, do not refer to the solution immediately. Seek advice from your mentors to solve a question you do not understand.
• Read the question properly. Many a time, the answer lies deep within the question.

Last one month to CAT: Third Phase (Day 14 to Day 21)

• For this phase, focus on commercial mathematics topics, i.e. allegation and mixtures, ratio and proportions, investment and partnerships, income and expenditure, profit and loss, percentages, averages, simple and compound interest, etc.
• Practice at least 20 questions from all the topics and take a topic mock at the end of every commercial math topic.
• Prepare a cheat sheet of all the formulas you have learned so far.
• Make it a thumb rule to time yourself every time you solve a question.

Last one month to CAT: Fourth Phase (Day 21 to Day 28)

• Bend towards the easier topics at this point, i.e. Geometry, Trigonometry, Probability, Permutations, and combinations.
• Take a full-length CAT to mock for all the days of the week to observe how far you have come in your QA preparation.
• Analyze the solution of each mock and enlist questions you left unattended.
• Team up with your fellow CAT aspirants and other friends to share your doubts with them and validate your preparation strategy.
• Revise all the learned concepts at least 2 times to make sure you have a strong grip on them.

CAT 2025 Last 30 Days Preparation Strategy: Dos and Don’ts 

Here are dos and don’ts for CAT 2025 Last Month Strategy.

DOs

• Revise, don’t start new topics: Focus only on topics you’ve already studied. Revise key formulas, shortcuts, and question patterns. Avoid starting any new topics that may confuse you before the exam.
• Take Regular Mock Tests: Attempt 2–3 full-length mocks per week under timed conditions. Spend equal time analyzing mistakes to refine accuracy and speed.
• Finetune Sectional Strategy: Fine-tune your individual plan for VARC, DILR, and QA. Experiment during mocks to find what works best for you — such as attempting RCs first or choosing easy Quant questions in Round 1.
• Review Past Errors: Maintain a “mistake log.” Revisit the traps you fell into during earlier tests and ensure they aren’t repeated.
• Stay Consistent: Maintain a fixed study schedule. Include short breaks, healthy meals, and adequate sleep to keep your mind sharp.

DON’Ts

• Don’t Learn New Topics Now: New concepts at this stage often create confusion. Consolidate your strengths instead of expanding your syllabus.
• Don’t Overload Yourself: Avoid long, unplanned study hours. Fatigue and burnout can hurt focus and accuracy.
• Don’t Compare with Others: Every student has a different preparation journey. Comparing scores or strategies can create unnecessary stress.
• Don’t Panic Before Exam Day: Finish all serious study at least 2–3 days before CAT. Use the final days to relax, review quick notes, and stay mentally calm.
• Do not mock results affect you:There will be some mocks where you will perform extremely well and some quite badly. It is important not to get carried away due to the good results and equally important to not get bogged down by the bad results.
• Do not burn yourself out: Some candidates are so obsessed in their CAT Preparation at this time that they tend to burn themselves out as they approach the actual CAT exam. Therefore, it is necessary for you to pace yourself well over the last month so that you can take the CAT exam in a good state of mind.

In summary, CAT 2025 will be held on November 30, 2025. Getting the right last 30 days CAT preparation strategy is therefore crucial. Read this MBAUniverse.com article on CAT 2025 last 30 days preparation strategy and tips that is based interviews with CAT Toppers. You will get answer to the question -- How to Prepare for CAT 2025 in 30 Days? 

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