Quote:
|
In terms of the actual preparation that I went through, I'll send in another detailed post later.
|
Here I come
For starters, I had some material left over from my 2000 preps. So started going through them in May-early June. Finished the tests given in the BRMs by mid June.
Also took up most of the tests in 'Quantitative Aptitude' by R.S.Agarwal. Finished those by 1st week of July. Applied for CAT during the second week
Enrolled for IMS classroom course during the last week of July. Attended the classes pretty regularly. Also finished the exercises given in the class the same day. Basically stuck to the plan as much as possible.
Then the SimCATs started. Enjoyed every bit of it for the 1st 5-6 Sims. Evaluating it, comparing the scores with that of others etc., In between the Sims, I analysed the previous SimCAT paper for about 2 hrs. Also worked on the section tests and some of the early full tests and tried to iron out my weaknesses. Didn't work out always. Sometimes, even gave up on some topics and focused on others. RC was always a weakness. Tried to improve on it, but almost gave up when I couldn't see palpable results. But since I kept on taking tests, I saw some gradual improvement.
Close to CAT, I was taking just full tests and of course the last two SimCATs (which I didnt enjoy because by that time, I was almost fed up with preps, because of the constant 'working out')
General Tips:
As you can see from my preparation cycle, things always dont work to plan. But the key is in not giving up. For working people (like me), there'll be a tendency to not take up a test as planned and just relax (because of a hectic day in the office). It's okay if you dont stick to the plan always. There will be some days when you''ll be tired and you wont be mentally and physically prepared to take up a test. But try to minimise such occurrences. Just bite your teeth and follow through with your plan if you find it happening too often for your comfort.
Something which worked for me is ignoring a certain topic (say Permutations and Combinations in QA or Probably True/Definitely True/Probably False/Definitely False kind of questions in VA). I left out the former because I found that I wasn't able to solve them in less than a minute. It took me half a minute sometimes just to determine the approach. I left the latter because I kind of hated them
As long as you focus on the other areas, leaving out a couple of areas (but not too many more) won't matter. But ensure that you dont ignore a topic like Sentence arrangement which is very common and whose probablility of occurrence in the paper is high (atleast 5 SA Qs in every CAT in the last few years). At the same time, dont overlook Qs (especially in QA) on the topic that u left out/ignored. It may be a sitter. In my case, had I come across a question like 'In how many ways 2 teams can be selected from a pool of 14 teams', I would have attempted it, even though its from a topic that I left out. So atleast give the Qs a glance. The advantage of leaving out a topic (or two) is you can save a few days in not preparing for them. Nothing more, Nothing less.
Keep taking tests, especially in the latter half of your preparation cycle. By that I dont mean a test a day. Whichever frequency you are comfortable with. But by taking tests, involuntarily you'll find some improvement in certain areas (and of course, in your speed)
And one final advice that I would like to give is to not ignore any question in the paper. As mentioned above, even if its from a topic that u hate, it may after all be a sitter. So try going through as many questions as possible without ignoring any. And sometimes, one may be put off by a long question. Dont fall into the trap. In most cases, a long question will have a simple answer (and some info in the question may be redundant). So look out for such decoys. Bottomline is, dont ignore any question.
These are just general suggestions and tips, which worked for me. There is no thumb rule for the kind of preparation that you need to go through. Basically, come up with a plan and stick to it as much as possible. One thing's for sure : If you work hard and persevere, more often that not, you'll see favourable results.
These tips were just for CAT. For Interviews and Group Discussions, I will pitch in with my suggestions later, after your CAT and other exams. But for starters, please start reading newspapers, magazines (both general and business) and keep abreast with the latest happenings. These things can't be initiated after your exams. Atleast in that sense, you need to start your preparation for GD/PI now. Even if you dont clear the exam (God Forbid), it'll help you in more ways than one.
All the very best.
Regards,
Bharath
Linear Mode
