CAT Droppers Strategy – Know the Preparation Tips for CAT Repeaters

CAT itself sounds so overwhelming just by the name of it. It takes a further mental toll when you think of taking another year for CAT. Dropping a year to prepare for the CAT exam is a crucial decision, you have to consider the fact that it requires discipline, focus and an effective preparation strategy. However, if planned well and utilized well, this additional preparation time can significantly increase your chances of achieving your dream percentile and finally your dream B-School. Here is a detailed CAT droppers strategy, carefully curated for you to help you make the most of your second (or more) attempt.

1. Analyze Your Previous Attempt in CAT

The first step as a smart CAT dropper is to understand what went wrong in your previous attempt. Look if you had this issue even in your previous preparation journey or not. This self-introspection is important in ensuring you do not repeat the same mistakes again. Look at your past performance objectively and try to find answers for the following:

• Which section was your weakest? Any topics which you felt were bothering you the most?
• Did time management for CAT preparation was a problem?
• Were you consistent with your CAT preparation?
• Did you over-attempt questions?
• Was stress an issue which you faced on the D-day?

Better perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of your CAT preparation and performance and try to understand your current positioning. This will provide a clear picture of what worked, what did not and where your potential lies which you can use to maximise your scores. Once you identify the gaps, make these the foundation of your revised study plan and give special attention to weaker areas.

2. Develop a Realistic Study Plan

A very common mistake that many CAT droppers do is that they either underestimate or overestimate the time they have for preparation. Creating a realistic study plan as per our CAT Droppers Strategy is very critical. Your plan should include the following:

• Allocate ample time for weaker sections. Work on them instead of running away.
• Include regular mock tests after you cover the syllabus.
• Strike a balance between revision and new practice. Take small breaks to refresh yourselves.

Break your CAT Preparation into Phases

Divide your preparation into three phases:

1. Phase 1: Strengthen your basics (2 months). A shorter time, focusing solely on your weak areas.
2. Phase 2: Practice high-level questions, attempt and analyse mocks (4 months).
3. Phase 3: Focus entirely on mocks, keep having revisions, and fine-tune your strategies for the D-day (about another 3 months).

Setting weekly and monthly goals within this approach will ensure that you stay on track and avoid any last-minute rushes.

3. Focus on Weak Areas – CAT Dropper Strategy

3. Focus on Weak Areas

One of the CAT Droppers Strategy should be identifying and working on weak areas, which should be the most crucial step in your overall preparation. A drop year ideally gives you the opportunity to spend more time on sections or on certain topics that were your weakest areas in your previous attempt.

Steps to Improve Weak Areas in CAT:

• For Quantitative Ability (QA): Start with basic textbooks and solve progressively difficult problems. Start with basic arithmetic, then algebra and geometry as they dominate the syllabus. Build the base first.
• For Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC): Develop a consistent reading habit. Read newspapers, journals and novels daily. Practice summarizing passages to in your own words to build comprehension.
• For Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): Work on a variety of puzzles and caselets. Experiment with different approaches to solve a single problem. You can also see videos to understand multiple approaches.

The key here is consistency and patience. Improving weak areas will take time but the results will be worth it. Cherish the learning curve.

4. Practice Smartly with CAT Mocks

Mock tests are the ultimate game-changers for almost all the CAT aspirants, and as a dropper, you should treat them as your best friend out of all existing tools. They simulate the real exam and give you a chance to work on your timing, accuracy and question-selection strategies.

How to Approach CAT Mocks Effectively:

• Begin with one mock every two weeks or so during the early months of preparation. This is when you have completed a fair share of syllabus.
• Gradually increase to one mock per week and then to two per week as the exam date gets closer.
• Always remember that post-mock analysis is as important (rather more at times) as taking the test itself. Spend time understanding why you got any question wrong, why you skipped certain questions, and how you could have improved your overall efficiency.

Mocks are not just about scores, so do not worry much about it in the initial stages. They are tools to refine your test-taking strategies and overcome any form of stress of the real exam.

5. Create a Structured CAT Revision Plan

One of the main benefits of being someone who is taking a drop year is that you already have a foundational understanding of the syllabus and have gone through the process once. The challenge, however, lies in ensuring that you do not forget what you have learned and also to refine your overall concepts and apply them well.

Revision Techniques That Work:

• Create short notes or flashcards for formulas, shortcuts and important concepts.
• Allocate at least 2 – 3 hours a week solely for revision. This will ensure more retention.
• Use the “active recall” technique. This means that test yourself to remember something instead of passively re-reading notes. That may not help you retain for a longer time.

Consistent revision will surely transform your knowledge into long-term retention which is needed for the D-day.

6. Master Time Management for CAT Preparation

Time management can often be a make-or-break factor to your CAT performance. As a dropper in CAT, you have the advantage of prior experience with the exam, which you can now use to refine your overall time-related strategies so that you are better equipped this time.

Develop Sectional Time Strategies for CAT Preparation:

• VARC: Allocate fixed time for each passage (roughly 3 mins to read and another 4-5 minutes to answer the questions), and do not spend more than a minute on questions that leave you blank. Do not let your ego come in the way.
• DILR: Start with the easier sets first and leave the difficult ones for later. Check and understand that out of LR and DI, which one you would be comfortable with.
• QA: Prioritize questions you are confident about, then revisit the tougher ones later. You can also target topic-wise and then within that, find the L1 level. This makes sure that you do not leave any easy questions.

Practicing under timed conditions during mocks and sectional tests. This will tell you the exact issue in each of the sections.

7. Build Mental Resilience

We understand that the emotional aspect of being a CAT dropper is mostly overlooked. There comes a lot of self-doubt, anxiety, and the fear of failing again. This can take a toll on your confidence and might hamper your performance. Building mental resilience is as important as preparing for the exam itself. Do not let self-doubt ruin your preparation.

CAT Droppers Strategy: Tips for Maintaining the Mental Strength

• Set Realistic Expectations: Understand that improvement will take time and avoid comparing yourself with others as everyone has unique set of strengths.
• Practice Mindfulness: Incorporate some form of meditation into your routine to reduce your stress and improve focus.
• Celebrate Small Wins: Every improvement, no matter how small it is, should be considered as a step toward your bigger goal. Acknowledge and reward yourself for these milestones. This builds confidence and helps you sail through the journey.

Understand that CAT is not just a test of intellect but it is a test of perseverance and calmness under pressure because the concepts are again basic, it is just the way of handling them.

8. Refine CAT Exam Strategies

Your experience from your previous CAT attempt is a treasure full of insights. No mock can define the actual pressure one feels on the exam day. Given that you have already experienced it once, use it very wisely to develop smarter strategies for the actual exam this time.

Strategies to Consider for CAT Droppers:

• Question Selection: Do not aim to solve all questions. Focus should be on maximizing your score but by choosing the easiest of all. Remember that 50% marks will fetch you around 99 percentile.
• Accuracy Over Attempts: Attempting fewer questions with higher accuracy will always get you a better percentile than guessing and incurring negatives.
• Sectional Approach: Treat each section as an individual test. Do not let underperformance in one section affect your focus on others. Try to clear the minimum scores because that is a pre-requisite for almost all the top B-Schools.

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