Much has been said and written about CAT. How to crack it? What's the secret formula? And so on.

What you need to realise, though, is that CAT, by design, is a not just a test of intelligence though you do need a certain threshold IQ level to do well in the exam.

What is CAT about?

i. Planning and strategy

CAT is also about planning and strategy. It's about finding the approach that best suits you as an individual.

There can be no 'one size fits all' paradigm when you approach CAT. You need to sit down, work through a series of mock tests and craft your own strategy to crack the exam.

ii. Can you handle pressure?

All said and done, your best plans may fail on the Sunday (CAT exams are traditionally held on a Sunday) you sit down in the exam hall with the paper in front of you. You believe Maths is your strength but Maths might just be untouchable for that edition of CAT.

You might think you need X attempts in a particular section. But what will you do if you are given the marks for each question? Do you still need X attempts or X marks?

It is surprises like these that ensure the exam is also a test of your ability to handle pressure, your focus over two hours and sometimes even real-time planning.

• CAT 2004: Tips, strategies... more

Preparation tips

~ Make sure you analyse your performance every step of the way. Every mock test given needs to be dissected till you can do no more.

This does not mean merely solving all the questions you could not do during the mock test. You also need to analyse if you could have had a better approach to the paper.

~ During your analysis, you will come across some easy questions which you missed out. In an ideal scenario, this should not happen.

Missing out on an easy question is criminal when it comes to CAT because, instead of attempting that question, you probably ended up solving a tougher one which took you more time.

Don't forget -- unless you have attempted at least 30 percent in every section, you did not give a perfect exam.

Preparing for CAT is about finding these loopholes and plugging them. You need to have a patient approach. After every mock test, you need to spend at least three hours analysing your performance.

• Why English Usage is so important

A strategy for mock tests

~ Ideally, one should go through atleast 15 mock tests.

The first five to six should be pure experimentation. Try out everything.

Don't bother too much about your scores unless they're too low. At the end of these tests, you should have a fair idea about one or two approaches that would work for you in the actual exam.

~ The next five exams should be used to try out these two approaches and freeze on one of them. Once that is done, the last set of tests should be used to perfect this approach and build up towards a score that will see you through.

Bonus tip: Lastly, a tip that worked wonderfully for me. Always finish off the section you find the toughest first. The logic is that you are under least pressure at the beginning so you'll do reasonably well. Take your best section last. You'll be able to deliver even if you're looking at the clock and see the seconds ticking away!

• Are you good at group discussions?

Mrugendra Shintre is from IIM Lucknow, batch of 2005. His CAT score: 99.53 percentile.

Know how to ace CAT? Write in and let us know. Don't forget to add your name, age, the name of your management institution, the year in which you passed out and where you work now.

DON'T MISS!

• Is coaching for CAT necessary?
• Is there a formula for success?
• Countdown to CAT: A few tips
• Why do you want an MBA
• Cat 2004: Tips, strategies... more

Illustration: Dominic Xavier