All about mock tests!! How many to attempt?

Mock tests are a crucial part of CAT preparation, giving them timely can aid your preparation a lot!

Know all that is to know about mock tests,. How to begin, how to analyze, why to give mock tests! Read on!

How many mocks did you give before the CAT? Can you also elaborate on the sources?

I gave around 35–40 mocks during my CAT preparation. Details about mock series: Chhavi Gupta's answer to What are the best mock tests for CAT?

But the important part is that I kept track of it. I maintained a repository: Chhavi Gupta's post

Also in the excel I maintained, for my own satisfaction and tracking I maintained a few graphs, e.g. the following for AIMCAT series:

You should go ahead and take more than 1 test series, but instead of focusing on the number of mocks you give, it is more important to ANALYSE them properly.

Hope that helps!

For compiled strategies, tips and FAQs on CAT preparation see: Exam Preparation Strategy

https://qr.ae/pGT3Uh

How many test series should one take?

Would Chhavi Gupta recommend a CAT aspirant to take 2 test series from different coaching or one is enough?

I would strongly recommend you to take 2 test series. Taking just one test series makes you comfortable with one type of user interface and something new might disrupt your performance on the final day.

Also, for 1 coaching institute it is likely for paper setters to have a certain type of preference for topics and hence the more diverse questions you do, the more you are prepared for the final day.

Hope that helps!

Details about test series: Chhavi Gupta's answer to What are the best mock tests for CAT?

https://qr.ae/pGT3ay

How should we analyse a mock CAT?

I’ve always said taking mocks is the key thing to do in your preparation. The most important aspects of mocks is analysing them, I would advice you to follow the following:

1. Analyse your mock 1/2 days after you get the result, don’t delay it too much
2. Keep safe the rough sheets on which you worked out your problems during the mock
3. Make sure you’ve 2–4 hours for analysing your mock, try to do it in one go, or atleast 1 section in one go
4. First focus on questions you left unattempted or got wrong
5. Start with VARC, for RC check the answers, see your rough sheet to recall what all options you had a problem with and carefully read the solution, see how they eliminated the option you had chosen. You might learn a lot from this.
6. In VA, try to solve the question again and then check the solution, again see how the right answer has been arrived at, clear any conceptual errors that you were making
7. In LRDI, solve the questions again, put a timer of 8–10 mins, you’ll realise you’re able to solve many sets that you didn’t solve in the exam due to pressure. For these sets, see what you did in your rough sheet in exam. Realisation of what we do in the exam is very important, as that is how we can avoid these mistakes
8. If you get stuck, see how many individual questions out of the set you can solve (still within the time limit). Once the time limit is over check the solution. Most likely you’ll find, you misinterpreted a point or you missed a fact. Only practice can help you overcome these.
9. In QA, you have to solve all the questions again, preferably with timer, write down any new formulae you encounter in your formula sheet. Check for silly mistakes
10. Once you’re done, if you’ve time, do the questions in which you took more than the average time

Hope this helps!

For compiled strategies, tips and FAQs on CAT preparation see: Exam Preparation Strategy

https://qr.ae/pGT3e4

How to use Solution Manual?

Did you manage to solve all the questions that you had attempted during your practice sessions and mock tests without the help of solution manual during your CAT preparation? .How useful were the solution manual for your preparation?

Of course I did not solve all the questions I attempted in the mocks. Actually, even though I was able to solve most of them, I ensured that I analyse the questions in which I took more than 1 minute or so to solve.

This was to make sure that I know the best way possible to go about solving any question. This not only tells you tricks, makes you remember the shortcut formulae etc. and is really helpful.

So yes the solution manual comes in handy. But make sure when you are analysing a mock test, you do not directly go the solution manual, but try to solve the question on your own first and then refer to the manual.

More tips on mock analysis is here: https://www.quora.com/How-should-we-analyse-a-mock-CAT/answer/Chhavi-Gupta-3?ch=10&share=19b4c2a3&srid=tHb1

Good luck.

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Footnotes

[1] Chhavi Gupta's answer to How many mocks did you give before the CAT? Can you also elaborate on the sources?