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When should I start preparing for the CAT exam?

Monday, July 8th, 2019

Ideally, CAT preparation takes around 300 hours to 500 hours of serious preparation. While there is no right time to start preparing for the CAT Exam, it is recommended that a CAT aspirant should start the preparation sometime between Jan-Feb and June-July of the year he or she is planning to appear for CAT. Please understand that regular preparation matters a lot more than the total amount of time invested. What I am trying to say is that if you are studying for 20 hours a week, it is much better if you study for 3 hours a day instead of 10 hours on Saturday and Sunday each. It is the discipline which matters.

For most students, the above strategy would work. However, if you are one of those candidates who are not so good with a particular section; then you need to start early. For example, if you are an engineering student who is not very good with English – then you need to start your CAT preparation in the 5th semester. Also, when you start – your main focus should be on improving your Verbal Ability because that is your weakest section. Verbal Ability takes a long time to improve and the easiest way to improve is to read more and more books. Here is a list of books that we recommend.

When should I start preparing for the CAT exam? – Video