Why and How to take a CAT Mock Test?

Timeliness is one of the most important takeaways from your MOCK CAT Tests.

CAT has to be one of the most defining exams of your life and how you fare in those three hours determine your future admission prospects. Needless to say, enough hard work is put into preparation by way of lectures, study hours and mentor sessions. However, if these steps are not sealed with exam practice, the candidate will have left out a crucial part of preparing for CAT in itself. With a complex and highly competitive exam like CAT, the more exam practice one puts him/herself through, the better are the results. Familiarizing yourself with the actual test is a vital step in your preparation and the mock tests give you just what you need.

 

Reasons for Taking the Mock Test:

• Helps you identify your strong and weak points in quick succession. This is one of the primary steps in exam practice.

• Gives you exam practice as maintaining speed and accuracy is one of the key components of cracking the test. Striking this balance will take you to the next level in your preparation.
• Develops a skill in you to pick the right questions to be solved first. The ones that consume time will be put off for later.

There are a few websites that will allow you the opportunity to take two to three (sometimes, up to five) free Mock CAT tests. You can sign up for a package of tests with one of these websites to regularly practice before the big day. These tests will help you evaluate your strengths and weak points better. Taking as many Mock Tests as possible is recommended as practicing this will give you real time exam experience which becomes an unparalleled preparatory step for cracking your CAT. Choose the dates from the available slots for a Mock test and you are all set with your candidature.

You can either, answer, skip or mark a question for review while taking the test and when it comes to non-MCQs, you will be required to put in numbers as answers. Reviewing the entire paper is an option for candidates once they finish their test.

Let’s look at how one should go about taking Mock CAT Test:

• Like CAT, the mock tests also do not allow any intervals or pauses during the three hour exam period. Gear up for your Mock test!

• Have a basic idea of your strengths and weaknesses with respect to the 3 sections and have a strategy in place accordingly. The allotted time limit for each section is 60 minutes. Hence, it is advisable for candidates to finish one section before time

• Attempt the easier questions first so as to utilize time. As you gain confidence in this phase, start moving over to the questions that take relatively more time.

• CAT toppers have suggested two to three mock tests a week in the last month or two to prepare better.

• The most important part of the mock test is to conduct a thorough analysis of your performance after the exam. This will help you re-strategize your exam plan or make crucial amends in the nick of time to get you ahead.

 

Often, due to our conditioning in exams, we tend to neglect mock tests as part of the preparation. It is prudent to spend your time preparing with Mock tests rather than studying concepts and other such theoretical parts in the final weeks leading to the exam.