hamburger

CAT Preparation Strategy for Working Professionals

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: September 13th, 2023

CAT Preparation Strategy for Working Professionals is highly beneficial for applicants who wish to clear the CAT exam along with their jobs. If you are a working professional, you have plenty of time ahead of you to create a preparation strategy if you begin right away. Many candidates begin their CAT preparation while working full-time or part-time to level up in their career or gain better skills to move up the ladder. However, because of the difficulty level of the exam and the high level of competition, juggling a full-time job and studying for the CAT can be challenging. 

In this article, we have provided a comprehensive preparation strategy along with a CAT study plan for working professionals for better time management and preparation efficiency. 

Get MBA Exams Important Updates, Study-Notes, Live Doubts Solving Interaction & more, Join BYJU’S MBA Telegram Group Join Now

How to Prepare for CAT while working?

Is it possible to ace the CAT exam while doing a full-time job? This is a question that many CAT aspirants who work full-time ask frequently. If you are one of those candidates, you should glance over the IIM Batch profile data listed below.

  • 57.08% per cent of the 2021-23 MBA class at IIM Calcutta have prior work experience.
  • Approximately 74.48% per cent of the 2019-21 PGP batch at IIM Lucknow had some work experience.

Preparing for the CAT while working typically entails a good CAT preparation strategy for working professionals as well as solving a lot of CAT mock tests and previous year question paper practice. 

Candidates can apply the CAT preparation strategy for working professionals to other B-School admission exams as well. The following are a few of the CAT preparation strategies that working professionals should keep in mind if they plan to take the CAT exam.

Strive to Squeeze Every Last Ounce of Time Out of Your Schedule

  • Put your attention on CAT and it will undoubtedly deliver results. Balancing CAT preparation with nine-hour work is, without a doubt, a difficult endeavor. However, a little planning and preparation might go a long way towards helping you achieve your goal of getting into one of the IIMs.
  • If you have to go to work and it takes a long time, try taking small notes and reading them while traveling to save time.
  • Working professionals can also register for online video tutorials and prepare by actively listening to them while driving to work, during their free office hours, or during any other free time during the day.
  • Create a schedule for yourself after work and understand what works for you early on. You must set up x number of hours each day for CAT preparation, as well as make the most of your weekends.

Get Professional Guidance

  • Working professionals can also join online classes on weekends, where new techniques of handling problems are taught by professionals and experts.
  • Connect with other CAT candidates, ask additional questions, share your insights, and broaden your knowledge.

Have Self Confidence

  • Do not let the fact that you are preparing less than others demotivate you. Have faith in yourself and take action accordingly. Remember that you can ace the CAT without coaching if you know where to look. Knowing when to begin CAT study and how to do so would assist applicants to achieve a high percentile in the IIM admission exam.
  • Knowing the fundamentals of all areas, as well as answering more and more mocks/previous years’ CAT questions and even sample papers are the ideal method to boost your self-confidence.
  • Maintain a high level of motivation by interacting with other applicants who are going through the same grind as you.

Obtain the Right Preparation Materials

  • Purchase best study materials. Don’t get caught up in the book’s number of pages. Instead, concentrate on the study or preparation material’s quality. It is essential to consult online study tips and implement them only after verifying their authenticity.
  • Many useful study apps for CAT preparation can be quickly downloaded and checked on smartphones.

Set Reasonable Goals and Objectives for Yourself

  • Don’t set an unrealistic goal for yourself. Only you can tell where you stand in a section and how much time you’ll need to learn and comprehend a subject. With about nine months till the exam, now is the optimum time to prepare for CAT with the luxury of time, especially when compared to hopefuls who begin studying in June or July.

Finally, give it your all and prepare with grit and joy. In a sea of options, CAT is the one way to improve one’s life.

CAT Study Plan for Working Professionals

With the majority of working professionals struggling with time management and balancing job and CAT preparation, we have created a CAT study plan for working professionals to help all working professionals studying for the CAT. The following is a section-by-section CAT study plan for working professionals.

CAT Study Plan for Working Professionals for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section

The topic having the most weightage in the verbal ability section is reading comprehension. Follow the steps below to ensure you have a sound preparation strategy for CAT VARC

  • Because you might not have time to read books, it’s a good idea to read blogs or ebooks on your phone.
  • Make it a point to practice 2-3 RCs per day, which you can do at work or while travelling.
  • Vocabulary should be learned using a practice-based approach. Make an effort to learn words as well as their synonyms and antonyms.

CAT Study Plan for Working Professionals for Quantitative Aptitude Section

  • If Quant is already your strong area and you’re familiar with the concepts and shortcuts, this section is all about taking one sectional test every three days and one topic test every day.
  • However, if you are lacking in quantitative skills, don’t rely solely on questions or a particular book. It won’t help if you only read the book’s concepts. You should concentrate on developing concepts, learning shortcuts, and gaining the confidence necessary to ace the Quant section of the CAT. Once you’ve gotten past this stumbling block, you can move on to practicing with online tests at the same frequency as before, and in the same order for topic tests.
  • Brush up on concepts from previous notes or books. Then revise the topics by taking extra classes and being taught by a reputable teacher who has taken the CAT exam before and knows what it takes to get a decent score. Because offline coaching with competent faculty does not allow you to choose a topic or section-based courses, you can enrol in online classes.

CAT Study Plan for Working Professionals for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Section

  • The greatest source for DILR preparation is the question papers from the previous years.
  • Don’t start again with the first set of practice papers or mock tests while you’re working on them. Give yourself 4-5 minutes to read through all of DILR’s questions and select the few sets that you can answer fast. Choose 1-2 sets that are simple to solve first, then proceed to more challenging sets.
  • Know the main topics of the DILR portions before starting your CAT preparation. When solving CAT questions within the time limit of 40 minutes, knowing the entire CAT DILR syllabus would come in helpful.
  • Each type offers a few methods that can help you solve the set faster. These tricks can be found in books/study materials.

Everything you needed to know about the CAT Preparation Strategy for Working Professionals along with the CAT study plan was addressed in this article. Visit BYJU’S Exam Prep website to gain access to course resources. If you have any further questions, please contact us. We hope this information is useful to you.

Our Apps Playstore
POPULAR EXAMS
SSC and Bank
Other Exams
GradeStack Learning Pvt. Ltd.Windsor IT Park, Tower - A, 2nd Floor, Sector 125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201303 help@byjusexamprep.com
Home Practice Test Series Premium