hello team, i have been very much behind my actual schedule and now that i finally realize that there's less time and i have to complete my syllabus plus ace in the mocks in the month of november.
for VARC: I LACK good reading speed, comprehension skills, i select wrong options as odd man out, very poor accuracy
for DILR: my analytical and solving speed is very slow and dont even talk about the pie charts interpretation
for QA : my calculations are just so different than actual answers and even though the concept video and solved examples make me feel good and easy but as soon as i start with concept test of that very topic i feel like the level is way higher than what i am capable of solving.

now whatever i said is not because i am being negative .. these are all my weaknesses that's what i have observed in me in the past 3 weeks of my preparation and pleasee please suggest me ways to improve my weaknesses because strengths dont even seem to be there for me as far as cracking CAT is concerned atleast till now, there are none.
i know i lack all these but what i dont lack inspite of them is confidence. 3 months and 10 days and i still feel that if i study 10 hours every single day, i will be able to score a good 99percentile idk if i am wrong or what but thats my thinking and my confidence with my potential.. please help me prove myself right and give me some to-dos to improve in every section, thanks for patiently reading!

Question

Answer 1

Hi Khushi,

Since you have already identified your weaknesses and steeled yourself to work hard, half the battle is already won. Here are a few things that you can work with:

VARC: As far as improvement in the VARC sections is concerned, regular reading coupled with intermittent practice is the only way forward. There are no shortcuts in the process of improving your comprehension and vocabulary. While certain approaches expedite the process, you must be consistent and patient with your prep. It is imperative that you form a reading routine, wherein you dedicate at least a few hours to read {newspaper articles, essays, books - anything that suits your taste}. Pick a National newspaper of your choice and read it inside-out. Else, you can read from websites that contain certain types of articles. This form of active reading will help you boost your comprehension skills and familiarise you with different literary structures. Another approach that you can use to get better at RCs is repetitive reading. For example, if you come across a demanding passage, read it multiple times, slowly and carefully, breaking down each line until you feel your understanding of that passage has improved. Make notes and list down all the critical points. Although an arduous and time-consuming task, over time, this exercise will make the aspect of identifying the main points easier and more reflexive.

While I can understand your dilemma of discerning the correct choice, it is quite unlikely that the two options will convey the same message in a different combination of words. One of them is bound to be distorted or might transgress from the main discussion. Our objective is to identify whether the option: (1) matches the information provided in the passage; (2) aligns with the author's tone and treatment; (3) contains the idea being tested (facts/inferences/causations/logic etc.)
One way to go about this is to revisit the segment from the passage on which the question is based; you can re-read and further dissect this part if time permits. You can then re-examine the two choices, identify any subtle variations in the meaning, and mark the 'best' choice (out of the two). Practising regularly will embed such mechanisms and make it more intuitive and automated for you in an exam setting. Thus, practise as many RCs as possible.

LRDI: Unfortunately, there are no tricks to improve analytical and logical thinking skills overnight. It is a slow process, and solving a plethora of questions is the only way forward. The more variety of questions you solve, the sharper your solving ability gets. A good way to go about it is to understand some fundamental topics and mechanisms that you can apply in certain common sets {such as data charts, Venn diagrams, tournaments etc.}. Though the format of the paper has changed over time, going through previous years' papers of CAT can help build the skills required to solve any set. Over the past few years, as most of the questions in LRDI appear to be of an unconventional type, the focus must be on developing the requisite thought process required to tackle such unconventional sets.

Assuming that you might have solved sets from the previous papers, there are certain pointers to bear in mind while preparing for the LRDI section:
(1) The major improvement (after learning basics) happens from solving a variety of sets from mocks and sectionals. Hence, the focus in the subsequent months must be on sectional tests and mock tests.
(2) Improving your calculation speed is also another crucial thing as far as the DI part is concerned. Try to get a grip on calculating percentages and ratios quickly and approximating values - this will save a lot of time without taking away from the overall accuracy.
(3) Additionally, if you come across a new kind of set, note it down. Go through such sets from time to time to ensure that you develop the ability to solve such questions. Acquainting yourself with various question types will ensure that you are not caught off-guard when encountering an unconventional question in the exam. Furthermore, after solving the set, look at the provided solution to check whether your adopted method was optimal or if alternatives exist. Take note of new (but crisper) mechanisms and try including them in your future tests.
(4) Work on the set selection: selecting the right sets to solve is extremely crucial in the LRDI section. (In some of the previous CAT papers, a raw score of 50% would have propelled the percentile past 99.) Therefore, be extremely careful while choosing the sets to answer. Take plenty of CAT mock tests so that you develop the skill to gauge the difficulty of the set within a few seconds of looking at it.
(5) Most importantly, find better ways of representing data: you can develop your personal approach (the one that is most convenient and rewarding) to tackle specific types of sets.

QA: Concept tests might be challenging; however, check if you are able to understand the questions after going through the explanation/video solutions. Do not worry if you are unable to understand it; note down the question number in a separate book and skip it for now. Try solving other questions (say from the Study Room) that might be relatively easier; this will help you reinforce the concept in the short term. You can revisit the question that you had trouble with later on once you have sufficiently exposed yourself to a similar level of questions. Check if you are able to solve or understand the bookmarked question now. If not, repeat the above mechanism. Over time, you are bound to improve in that particular topic. Furthermore, learning to solve a problem using different approaches is essential since it might help save time during the actual exam. Initially, if you struggle with questions from a particular concept, start by solving the problems without time limits. Once you get comfortable with the topics, try to solve the problems within a stipulated time. Patiently keeping at it will produce immense benefit in the long run. A few other pointers to expedite your preparation:
(1) Try to finish topics such as Arithmetic and Algebra since they have the most weightage in the exam (usually 70–80%). You can improve your overall score drastically if you are well-versed in these topics. Having a firm grasp of the relevant formulae in these subjects will also help you increase accuracy and save you excess time.
(2) Do not spend an unreasonable amount of time on one particular topic. Learn the basics of every topic and make sure you are able to solve all the easy sums from that concept. Ensure that you are able to organically solve a question without spending too much time memorising formulas. While remembering stuff helps, it is largely dependent on your ability to apply it correctly.

Additionally, spend considerable time analysing your performance in the mocks. There might be a certain issue with the approach or a lack of strategy that might be affecting your performance. Based on your analysis, you can identify the holes and prepare a strategy to overcome these. There is still a sufficient amount of time until the exams. Keep practising questions and attempting the mocks. Consistency and perseverance are critical to success. I'm sure that you will improve and do well! I hope this helps!

Answer 2

Hi Khushi,

Since you have already identified your weaknesses and steeled yourself to work hard, half the battle is already won. Here are a few things that you can work with:

VARC: As far as improvement in the VARC sections is concerned, regular reading coupled with intermittent practice is the only way forward. There are no shortcuts in the process of improving your comprehension and vocabulary. While certain approaches expedite the process, you must be consistent and patient with your prep. It is imperative that you form a reading routine, wherein you dedicate at least a few hours to read {newspaper articles, essays, books - anything that suits your taste}. Pick a National newspaper of your choice and read it inside-out. Else, you can read from websites that contain certain types of articles. This form of active reading will help you boost your comprehension skills and familiarise you with different literary structures. Another approach that you can use to get better at RCs is repetitive reading. For example, if you come across a demanding passage, read it multiple times, slowly and carefully, breaking down each line until you feel your understanding of that passage has improved. Make notes and list down all the critical points. Although an arduous and time-consuming task, over time, this exercise will make the aspect of identifying the main points easier and more reflexive.

While I can understand your dilemma of discerning the correct choice, it is quite unlikely that the two options will convey the same message in a different combination of words. One of them is bound to be distorted or might transgress from the main discussion. Our objective is to identify whether the option: (1) matches the information provided in the passage; (2) aligns with the author's tone and treatment; (3) contains the idea being tested (facts/inferences/causations/logic etc.)
One way to go about this is to revisit the segment from the passage on which the question is based; you can re-read and further dissect this part if time permits. You can then re-examine the two choices, identify any subtle variations in the meaning, and mark the 'best' choice (out of the two). Practising regularly will embed such mechanisms and make it more intuitive and automated for you in an exam setting. Thus, practise as many RCs as possible.

LRDI: Unfortunately, there are no tricks to improve analytical and logical thinking skills overnight. It is a slow process, and solving a plethora of questions is the only way forward. The more variety of questions you solve, the sharper your solving ability gets. A good way to go about it is to understand some fundamental topics and mechanisms that you can apply in certain common sets {such as data charts, Venn diagrams, tournaments etc.}. Though the format of the paper has changed over time, going through previous years' papers of CAT can help build the skills required to solve any set. Over the past few years, as most of the questions in LRDI appear to be of an unconventional type, the focus must be on developing the requisite thought process required to tackle such unconventional sets.

Assuming that you might have solved sets from the previous papers, there are certain pointers to bear in mind while preparing for the LRDI section:
(1) The major improvement (after learning basics) happens from solving a variety of sets from mocks and sectionals. Hence, the focus in the subsequent months must be on sectional tests and mock tests.
(2) Improving your calculation speed is also another crucial thing as far as the DI part is concerned. Try to get a grip on calculating percentages and ratios quickly and approximating values - this will save a lot of time without taking away from the overall accuracy.
(3) Additionally, if you come across a new kind of set, note it down. Go through such sets from time to time to ensure that you develop the ability to solve such questions. Acquainting yourself with various question types will ensure that you are not caught off-guard when encountering an unconventional question in the exam. Furthermore, after solving the set, look at the provided solution to check whether your adopted method was optimal or if alternatives exist. Take note of new (but crisper) mechanisms and try including them in your future tests.
(4) Work on the set selection: selecting the right sets to solve is extremely crucial in the LRDI section. (In some of the previous CAT papers, a raw score of 50% would have propelled the percentile past 99.) Therefore, be extremely careful while choosing the sets to answer. Take plenty of CAT mock tests so that you develop the skill to gauge the difficulty of the set within a few seconds of looking at it.
(5) Most importantly, find better ways of representing data: you can develop your personal approach (the one that is most convenient and rewarding) to tackle specific types of sets.

QA: Concept tests might be challenging; however, check if you are able to understand the questions after going through the explanation/video solutions. Do not worry if you are unable to understand it; note down the question number in a separate book and skip it for now. Try solving other questions (say from the Study Room) that might be relatively easier; this will help you reinforce the concept in the short term. You can revisit the question that you had trouble with later on once you have sufficiently exposed yourself to a similar level of questions. Check if you are able to solve or understand the bookmarked question now. If not, repeat the above mechanism. Over time, you are bound to improve in that particular topic. Furthermore, learning to solve a problem using different approaches is essential since it might help save time during the actual exam. Initially, if you struggle with questions from a particular concept, start by solving the problems without time limits. Once you get comfortable with the topics, try to solve the problems within a stipulated time. Patiently keeping at it will produce immense benefit in the long run. A few other pointers to expedite your preparation:
(1) Try to finish topics such as Arithmetic and Algebra since they have the most weightage in the exam (usually 70–80%). You can improve your overall score drastically if you are well-versed in these topics. Having a firm grasp of the relevant formulae in these subjects will also help you increase accuracy and save you excess time.
(2) Do not spend an unreasonable amount of time on one particular topic. Learn the basics of every topic and make sure you are able to solve all the easy sums from that concept. Ensure that you are able to organically solve a question without spending too much time memorising formulas. While remembering stuff helps, it is largely dependent on your ability to apply it correctly.

Additionally, spend considerable time analysing your performance in the mocks. There might be a certain issue with the approach or a lack of strategy that might be affecting your performance. Based on your analysis, you can identify the holes and prepare a strategy to overcome these. There is still a sufficient amount of time until the exams. Keep practising questions and attempting the mocks. Consistency and perseverance are critical to success. I'm sure that you will improve and do well! I hope this helps!

Answer 3

Hi Khushi, one advice being a repeater and amongst the top 6-7% in 2021, I would give you is start giving mocks right away, don't wait for November. Also start your preparations from past CAT papers, they are the best source and would actually provide a realistic assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Try few papers out, then assess the working areas and then be on your heels till you have your way with the weaknesses.

Answer 4

Hi Khushi, one advice being a repeater and amongst the top 6-7% in 2021, I would give you is start giving mocks right away, don't wait for November. Also start your preparations from past CAT papers, they are the best source and would actually provide a realistic assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Try few papers out, then assess the working areas and then be on your heels till you have your way with the weaknesses.

Answer 5

Hello Khushi, I would completely agree with Rizwan and would also like to tell you my prep phase so far. Whatever problems you mentioned above, were all there with me; lets be honest few of them are still there in Verbal. But as Rizwan says start taking mocks and religiously practice questions everyday and make a habit of revision. And it is only with this simple methodology that I improvised my scores now to 92%ile on the flip side first mock was 37%ile. I am still far from where I should be, but the improvement is significant. So, do not panic and keep hitting...

Answer 6

Hello Khushi, I would completely agree with Rizwan and would also like to tell you my prep phase so far. Whatever problems you mentioned above, were all there with me; lets be honest few of them are still there in Verbal. But as Rizwan says start taking mocks and religiously practice questions everyday and make a habit of revision. And it is only with this simple methodology that I improvised my scores now to 92%ile on the flip side first mock was 37%ile. I am still far from where I should be, but the improvement is significant. So, do not panic and keep hitting...

Answer 7

thankyou very much for your efforts!!

Answer 8

thankyou very much for your efforts!!

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