Unacademy has taught thousands of CAT aspirants and found that ‘how to prepare from home’ is one of the most common questions in students. CAT is so much more than just an aptitude test — it tests the candidate’s analytical as well as verbal skills, both essential for a successful career in business management. To crack CAT exam, one requires a concrete plan, especially if you are planning to prepare from home while studying or working.

One of the Unacademy CAT Educator has cracked the CAT exam thrice with 99%ile and helped numerous Learners to get into top colleges. In this article, the eductor has shared his thoughts on the question of how to prepare for CAT from home. 

CAT is the gateway to IIMs and top B-schools of the country. It’s said that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Here are some CAT preparation tips that can help you to score good marks in CAT.

Understanding CAT exam and syllabus 

• CAT is held every year on the last Sunday of November. 
• It is typically a 3-hour long exam consisting of VARC, LRDI, and Quantitative Aptitude sections. 
• A good way to start your preparation is by scanning through some previous year’s question papers to understand the exam. 
• Start by understanding the syllabus of the exam and identifying the most important topics and sections.

Map your strengths and weaknesses

• Once you have a fair idea of the CAT exam pattern and syllabus. You should start by identifying the sections and then topics that you are good at and the ones where you need help. 
• You succeed not just by doing what you already know - but by pushing yourself to work on your weaknesses. 
• Make 3 buckets for all Topics. Your task is to push topics one by one from Buckets 1 and 2 to Bucket 2 and 3.

Get the right resources

• The next step is to get the right resources for your CAT preparation. 
• There are plenty of books available in the market. However, your CAT prep need not just be through books. 
• A lot of exam preparation apps like Unacademy provide thousands of questions to practice from — with features like instant tech-enabled-instant-doubt resolution and live doubt clearing Classes. 

Attend Free Sessions

• A lot of content surrounding your CAT preparation is available online for free. 
• While most of it is not structured, it can be a great tool to start preparing. 
• There are dozens of Free Live Classes that happen on study apps like Unacademy which can also act as a great tool for preparation.

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Understand, practice and repeat

• One step at a time is all it takes to crack CAT. 
• CAT syllabus might appear to be daunting at first but you can prepare well for topics one by one. 
• Pick up a topic, understand its concepts, solve a large number of questions for it and move on to the next. 

Don’t forget Mock Tests

• You have to put yourself out into the field where the competition and pressure impact your performance. 
• CAT Mock Tests are an extremely important part of your CAT prep. 
• You should target taking at least a few dozen Mocks Tests before the exam day. 
• The day you start preparing, start taking the sectional tests, and in a few weeks start attempting full-length mocks. 
• Analyse the mock test solutions and start learning from your mistakes. 
• Make it a habit to attempt mocks at regular intervals to gauge your preparation with respect to others and yourself.

Form dedicated study groups

• One of the best ways to keep your study for CAT in progress is to find a group of Learners and prepare with them. You will find many such groups on social media. 
• You will find dedicated student communities like these on exam preparation apps like Unacademy. 

Persevere

• Throughout your CAT preparation journey, there might come a time when you feel like giving up. 
• At times like these, it is important to keep yourself motivated and persevere. 

If you follow the above mentioned points be assured that your ship is headed in the right direction. Sit tight and you will reach your dream B-School. All the Best & Let’s Crack It!