How to bell the CAT -by a Serial CAT giver !

First of all let me tell you that i have neither bell the CAT nor i know any particular methods to do so. It was just my strategy and i guess it paid off well.
For 2011 I prepared for just 20-30 days serious preparation and 40 more days of TimePass Preparation.
30 Days serious preparation = per day around 8-10 hrs .
40 Days Time pass preparation= Just studying before AIMCAT(Just quants and DI) and passing time on Sites like PagalGuy/TestFunda and solving sums there in my free office timings.
Scored 92 %ile in 2011 , 96 %ile in 2012 (less than a week preparation).
All such percentiles keep u happy for few days and helps u brag in front of friends and relatives but they are actually of No USE.
Candidate getting 50 is equal to getting 95. So make sure you pass that barrier Otherwise NO IIM calls .


Ideal Strategy - My Strategy
Starting in April.


IS- Do read Newspapers daily . Maintain a Diary for Vocab .
MS- I Maintained a Doc file on my desktop and kept taking prints out whenever I could. I had the privelege of reading newspaper online so maintaing the Doc file was much easy. ANyways , Print newspaper is more easy to read.


IS- Do Study Norman Lewis. Atleast Twice.Keep updating your Diary/Doc file.
MS - I did read but did the mistake of not doing it twice.


IS - 6-7 times Arun Sharma or Quantum CAT . or 3-4 times each both . This is because you have to reach a level in which u outscore others. You cant be a candidate who in the exam think - "arre ye toh dekha hua sawal hai" and then keep scribbling limited amount of rough sheets given and then not able to finish the paper.
Also , you cant be a candidate who attempts almost 10/16 questions given and thus loosing the battle once few of them come out as negative.
MS- I did Arun Sharma 4 times. in that limited amount of time. 
I left many topics like - Probability, PnC, Trigonometry, Number System . The reason for me leaving out such topics was simple . Previously I had given CAT in 2009 and studied quants as that time as well.


1. Number System - Heavy dosage of time requirement. Not sure whether u ll get it right in exam.
2. Trigonometry- Basics were strong so had the mindset that ill do whichever question comes in exam. Paid off.
3. Probability & PnC - Same as Nos System. Only 1~2 questions are asked in CAT on this topic. one can pay much more attention on other topics which are less time consuming in the exam.


IS - DI should be done 6 - 7 times again by Arun sharma.
MS - This was supposed to be my strong part. So did AS jsut twice and CAT 2011 had relatively (and thankfully too) very easy questions on DI. 


IS - Online sectional tests are must .Do STUDY them. 
MS- Last few days before giving CAT , i totally relied on them . It told me which question to leave and which to attempt. Even if during those tests i scored marginally it paid me with great dividends later on.


IS - Keep Notes of the Most famous questions . Such as Circular Tracks, Cylindrical tubs/tubes to be filled , Shopkeeper cheating using weights, Alligations.
MS - 1 notebook for all such infamous questions , Make sure u have a separate notebook for other questions and dont mix it with this specie.


My mistakes - 
4. Left the Vocab part as Quants was  pressurizing me.
5. More emphasis on Quants and almost "Zero" emphasis on Verbal. *Deadly*


Factors to cross that barrier-
6. I did the Arithmetic + Geometry  part number of times. At that time was in that mood in which any question could be solved by me on such sections. 
7. Profit & loss , Progressions , Logarithms , Coordinate  Geometry etc. 
8. I did DI twice but all questions without solutions and was a great confidence booster.
9. I solved all the AIMCAT's after scoring single digits in them . I STUDIED them. But did not give last few AIMCATs as it was hurting my confidence with such scores.
10. I did not read any Philosophy books , nor did i tried any speed reading methods.
11. Was not able to solve NUmber systems questions even after doing the chapter twice , so left it. So leave anything which does not go into long term memory.


Booklist -
Arun Sharma - I call him - The God of Small things.
Quantum CAT  - New book . Good Approach. Very good for starters.
Norman Lewis -Word power Made easy. Bible of CAT.
Time Material if you can get. You can get it from Flipkart as well.




Work hard to score better. Determination is must. Without Determination u cant crack this exam. That doesn’t mean that life has to be stopped. Few of my batchmates scored 99 %ile in their first attempt and are in jobs now.


Do read Newspapers daily . Newspapers = The Hindu or Indian express . Times of India is not a newspaper.
Because after the exams you have to sit in a GD and then PI. You cant be sitting like a lame duck there.


Don’t feel guilty about what has passed now. Whatever is gone , is gone .
Don’t give CAT just because everyone is giving or ur elders have given or just because ur dad has asked u to do so , even if is it so , make the time and money worth it.
Try to be a candidate who outscores everyone.