How to Prepare for New Pattern of CAT 2014

A lot of CAT aspirants have gone into the panic mode after hearing about the new pattern for CAT 2014. The first thing that I would like to tell you is – there is no need to be alarmed. You will need to adjust your exam taking strategy a little bit but beyond that you should not lose your sleep over it.

Let us first check the three key changes in the exam pattern for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2014:

1. The time is increased from 140 minutes to 170 minutes

2. An aspirant is now allowed to move / switch sections

3. There will be 50 questions in each section instead of 30

Now let us analyze the three key changes and how you should tweak your preparation plan to score more in CAT 2014.

Increase in time – An increase of 30 minutes is going to take a toll on the students who are not prepared for it. CAT is not an exam in which you have the luxury to drift off during the exam and still make up for it by increasing your speed towards the end. You will need to maintain your 100% concentration and fire on all cylinders for the entire 170 minute period. The only way you can achieve that is if you can train your body and your mind to be fully functional for that amount of time. The only way to do this is if you practice. The first thing that you should do is to stop giving mock tests in the old pattern. Most, if not all, coaching institutes will come up with the new pattern mocks sooner than later. If you have not subscribed to any mocks till now, I suggest you do the same at the earliest. You can have a look at our online mock test series for CAT 2014 which has 10 full length mock tests. Before you ask, yes – all 10 mock tests are on the new pattern. Another suggestion is that at least twice a week you study in 170 minute sessions. A good idea would be to pick up a topic that you are not comfortable in (Reading Comprehension / Geometry / Algebra) and solve questions for 170 minutes. Keep a watch with you during these practice sessions. It is going to be hard but you should target not to look at the watch even once during the session. If you are looking at the watch multiple times during the session that means your concentration needs some work. If you are able to successfully master this art of sitting through 170 minute sessions on topics that you don’t enjoy – you will be able to perform well in CAT 2014.

Switching sections – As an aspirant, now you have the ability to switch sections. This can act as a double edged sword. The advantage of this feature is that now you can use the time as per your own likes / dislikes. In CAT 2013, a student had to invest 70 minutes in each section. Now you can invest your time where the return on time invested is higher. The key idea is that you should identify the section in which you are targeting to clear the cutoff and the section which you will use to maximize your score. This decision should not be taken on the basis of gut but based on data. You can analyze your mocks to come to a decision. Once you are reasonably sure of clearing the cutoff in a section, switch to the other to maximize your score. A word of caution here – I have seen way too many students who switch too often and end up making a mess of their paper. I would suggest that you fine tune your strategy much before the exam so that you do not crumble under the pressure in the main exam.

50 questions in each section – This implies that picking the easy questions or rather leaving the tough questions is of utmost importance now. Students sometimes get influenced by their ego and enjoy solving tough questions. A few of them solve it correctly as well but in the same amount of time they could have solved 2 or may be 3 easy questions. Do keep in mind that what matters is the number of questions that you solve correctly not which ones. Some questions are speed breakers and the exam setters put them in the paper for the purpose of derailing the students who cannot skip a question. Do not fall in that trap. Another impact of a change like this could be that you will now get more questions per set in Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension. Typically you got 3 questions per set in 2013 but now you can expect minimum of 4 questions per set and even 5 in some cases. This means that people who are good with DI, LR, and RC would definitely have an edge over the others. If you believe you are not good in these three areas – you have more than enough time to hone your skills. Another skill which you should try and develop is to quickly look at a set / passage and identify whether or not you will be able to solve it. It takes time to develop that knack but it can be easily done with the right amount of practice.

I hope you learnt something from this post and do show your love by sharing / tweeting this.

About the author:

Ravi Handa, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus, is the founder of www.handakafunda.com He has been teaching CAT aspirants for 8 years. He has taught at IMS & TIME at senior faculty positions, and currently runs an online CAT coaching course for CAT 2014.​