Maximize Your score in CAT Exam
--> Posted on 2009-08-18 11:24:24 By Har Amol SinghTips on how to Maximize score and Attempting a CAT paper
Every CAT paper in different in itself and needs a solid strategy before getting on the field. Various types of strategies can be adopted for a single paper, but you need to apply that which suits you and maximizes you score.
How do you know which strategy suits you?
Well the answer to this questions depends on you practice. Go through some FLTs and Mock CATs, and in each of the papers, experiment. Apply different strategies. Note your strategy, paper where you used it, and marks scored on a paper and preserve it to track growth. With few experimentation you will get to know which strategy you can use.
If it’s a 150 mins paper, you can go for 40 mins to each section – just to clear sectional cutoffs, and then remaining 30 mins to an easy section to maximize score.
OR you can give 50 mins to each section. This strategy is best suited to those how think that they are average in all the sections and are not quite confident.
You can start with any sections, but it’s advisable to start with you best section of expertise. Don’t think that since you are expert in this area, you will able to do it later. Because, when the end time draws close, one might get nervous or may lose cool, there by scoring low in your best section. And by that time, you realize that you also have not given best in other sections where you were not a master. So on the whole, this will not be your best performance.
REMEMBER, every paper has some easy questions and sitters; and you job is to find them. Never get stuck on a particular question. Read the question, if you understand the question, see if you can solve it; else leave it and move on.
In case you understand the question but you think that solution will take time, don’t solve now, mark the question and move on. Your job is to go through all the paper to find the easy ones. They can be at the end where you might be able not reach if you run out of time.
Papers in competitionquest.com and some other websites have option of flagging/ marking a question. Use this marking facility; it doesn’t cost. Don’t think that you will remember which question you need to come back too. Time at the end seems to run fast. In the online version of CAT, if you don’t have a flagging option, write the question numbers on a sheet of paper.
And the last and most important tip; BE CONFIDENT, AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. I am not telling you to be over confident, but having faith is the trick. Students often are not able to maximize their score just because of the fear of “what if ?”.
What if paper is tough?
What if I don’t have enough time?
What if I forget the formulas?
RELAX!!!
If the paper is tough, it is for everyone; so that shouldn’t bother you. The only thing will be is that the paper on the whole will become low scoring.
And if you think of time, remember, time will be same for all. Just go with a strategy and stick to it.
Formulas? What formulas? CAT is a test of aptitude and not formulas. Don’t worry about them. You won't need them. And I bet, you'll remember all the basic formulas you need. Area of square, circle, cube. That’s it.
Just relax before the paper and give it your best shot.
A Day Before the Test
Do not practice any more questions on the eve of the test. Keep yourself free from stress. Relax; you have worked all these days, now spend some time with your friend, parents, cousin or anyone whom you haven’t met or neglected for some time.
It is advisable that you visit your test center that day so that you don’t have to do that extra work to find the center. Be at ease with that place. If possible, get a sneek peek inside the center. So the next day you come in, you are familiar with this place.
Small things do matter, but what matters most is your temperament. Just relax; anyways, sky is not goanna fall.
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