Syed Zaidie, a first year PGDIM student at the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Powai shares some crucial last minute tips for CAT aspirants taking the test on November 22, 2014.
You may share yours too!
Syed Zaidie appeared for the Common Admission Test in 2013 and scored 99.33 percentile.
He got admission calls from as many as 12 b-schools including the IIM Kozhikode, IIM Shillong, six new IIMs, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, Bombay and National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Powai.
Zaidie, 21 is currently pursuing his Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Management at NITIE, Powai.
Here, he tells us how to make the best use of the last few hours and prepare...
How to manage time?
Before the exam, revise your basics and write as many mocks as possible.
Most importantly, review your paper after every mock.
During the exam, follow the 80:20 rule.
Try to go through the whole paper so that you don't lose out on attempting the easy questions.
It is important not to waste time on difficult questions at the start of the exam; that's the biggest mistake students make.
I'd suggest you to skip all those questions you find difficult and attempt them later when you have the time.
What questions to attempt first?
In section 1, I attempted Data Interpretation first and while doing so, I bookmarked all the one-liner math questions and those that looked doable in the first glance.
If DI is your strong point, you may do the same.
After you're done with DI, click the button that says "bookmarked question".
This way, you will get to attempt all the questions you feel you're comfortable with.
You can try out the unattempted questions later. This way, you get to answer more questions than you usually do.
For section 2, I was comfortable with Logical Reasoning so I preferred to start off with that.
After that, I took up Reading Comprehension and the rest of the paper.
My strategy was to keep tough questions for the end and ensure not to waste time on tough questions in between.
ALSO SEE: CAT 2014: What questions to attempt first?
How to maximise accuracy
The only way you can maximise accuracy is by not being greedy.
Practice as much as you can and answer only those questions you're sure about.
Try to strike out the options accordingly, it will turn out to be quite helpful.
CAT TopperSpeak: Focus on accuracy and save time
How to tackle your weak areas?
Practice. Practice. Practice.
I have realised that the fastest way to improve is by reviewing your attempts in the mock test.
For example, if you have taken "x" amount of time to attempt a section in a mock, you should invest at least "3x" amount of time to review it.
You should always try and get your concepts right before going ahead with the question paper.
Wish you all the best!
To share your CAT experience and tips with other aspirants, write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'CAT 2014') with your name, hometown and where you took the exam, along with your photograph if possible.
We'll publish the best responses right here on Rediff.com.
Lead image used for representational purposes only
Photo: Eric Gaillard/Reuters
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