Can I crack CAT by selfstudy?

Yes, CAT is an aptitude exam in which you can easily score very well just by preparing at home. Every year so many students score exceptionally well just by their self-study without any coaching from any institute. And there are many students who take coaching from big institutes who spend thousands of rupees just to crack this exam ends up with unsatisfied scores. So it is an aptitude that completely depends upon your efficiency level, instructors can only guide you about the patterns and topics the rest is in your hand only.

There are some basic things that we should keep in mind or practice if we are relying on complete self-study for CAT examination-

1- KNOW YOUR EXAM- Before start preparing for your exam, first know its pattern so that you can understand how much time you have to devote to a particular section. For this download, the complete syllabus of all the sections from a trusted source, go through previous years question papers, watch some youtube videos of some experts so that you can have some basic idea of what you are going to attempt, and allot timings for each section as per your strength and weaknesses.

2- PROPER RESOURCE (Study material)- The next important step for you is to collect proper study material so that you can start your preparation. A lot of amazing books, notes, sample papers are available for the students who are taking any coaching for CAT. You can take recommendations for books from the interviews of previous toppers or different blogs or from experts’ videos as well.

These are some books that I recommend for self-study-

Quantitative Aptitude-

How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma

Verbal Ability-

The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Nishit Sinha

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning-

A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by R.S.Agarwal OR How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma

3- MAKE A HABIT TO ASK- After setting up the plan and collecting material now its time to execute and start with what we have while self-studying you may encounter many topics or questions where you can face difficulty and while self-study we generally skip or overlook some little concepts which we don’t understand as we don’t have mentor to guide us. But in this internet world, your smartphone is your most intelligent mentor because everything is available on the internet for free you just need to ask on the right platform, if it is a concept then you can google it or see a YouTube video if it is a question then you can take the benefit of websites like doubtnut where experts are ready to answer your queries 24 by 7. But don’t overlook your weakness make a habit to ask every time you face any difficulty.

4- ONLINE MOCK EXAMS- To check how much you have learned or understand or you are on right track or not you can go for online mock tests. These tests will guide you on how to properly manage your time while giving exams and will tell how you may score in those 2.5 Lakhs students what are the topics you need to brush up again.

5- BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE- This is most important, start believing in yourself that you are anytime better than anyone sitting for the examination. Be focused and keep your mind as relaxed as you can while sitting for the examination. These are things that can help you to crack CAT EXam through self-study.