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How to Start Your CAT Preparation in 2025: A Complete Guide to Kickstart Your Journey

A complete guide to start your journey in CAT preparation in 2025 will help you better understand and dedicate your time in CAT preparation and focus solely on scoring high.

Mon Feb 10, 2025

How to Start Your CAT Preparation in 2025: A Complete Guide to Kickstart Your Journey

Start preparing for CAT 2025 as soon as possible because it will give you ample time to cover every topic in detail and build a strong base.
CAT has many sections that test candidates' vocabulary, aptitude skills, and reasoning skills, and let’s be real, you can only ace the race of getting into a prestigious MBA institute once you dedicate yourself to the entrance exam. Many times people don’t understand that cracking exams like CAT can only be possible when you make test-taking strategies and work on them, practice every day, and take mock tests.
However, people cannot think of where to start and what strategies to follow for CAT preparation when so many guides are floating around the internet. We get it; it’s tough to follow a routine pattern, be consistent and take tips from so many sources that only help a little but cause a lot of confusion.

Learn About CAT and Check Your Knowledge and Ability for CAT 2025

Understand and Explore the CAT Syllabus

Understanding the syllabus is very important and it helps in giving you an insight into whether you are ready to study this or not.

Focus on Speed and Accuracy

CAT is all about solving the questions accurately and with speed so that you don’t miss a single question and lose the opportunity of a wonderful career. And for doing so, start your preparation and don’t only focus on accuracy but also speed. Speed plays an important role in any exam and you can increase your speed of solving exams once you start practicing regularly.

  • Total Questions: Around 66
  • Time Duration: 120 minutes (40 minutes per section)
  • Marking Scheme: +3 for correct answers, -1 for incorrect answers (MCQs), no            negative marking for TITA

How to Prepare for CAT 2025 with Online Classes?

Nowadays the world runs on the Internet, and it has made learning and access to different study materials pretty much easier. So when you are opting for online coaching or classes for preparing for CAT 2025, keep in mind to start the classes six to nine months before the exam. It will give you plenty of time for understanding and settling in with the online class.

Online coaching is pretty convenient, as you can prepare for the exam by sitting at home and you can focus on your self-study as well. These online coachings provide many study materials and mock tests that are very much needed and best for preparation for CAT. Choose a reputed online coach so that whenever you are in doubt, they are there to help you out and grow your knowledge and learning ability.

Want to self-study? Start It Right Now For CAT 2025

Even though people choose institutions or coaching to prepare for CAT, if you want to self-study, you can but remember you have to be consistent and follow your study routine religiously to achieve your goal of getting into one of the IIMs!

It is not impossible to get the 95 percentile by self-studying because there are many candidates who have planned their study time and have been persistent to achieve their goal and ace the CAT entrance exam.

  • Start with knowing the syllabus and exploring each and every topic. Have a clear picture of what you are going to learn and how much hard work you have to do for it.
  • There are many online or offline study groups you can find on any social media platform and you all will help each other with solving questions and learning from each other.
  • There are many free study materials available online that you can have free access to, like YouTube videos or find sites where you will get free material for CAT preparation or mock test series.
Strategize Every Section of the Syllabus For CAT Preparation 2025

Making a strategy after understanding the syllabus will help you to stay focused and organized so that it won’t get messy at the last minute. You have to begin by dividing every section and then focusing on one section at a time. Complete one topic from each section, then move on to the next and continue till you know you have done it all.

Some Tips to Help You With the CAT VARC Section

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension have the most questions so start with that. It might seem like the section would be easy, especially for people good with language but you have to get out of your delusion and see the reality because you have to brainstorm to find the correct answers.
You are going to face Jumble Sentences, Reading Comprehension, Odd One Out, and Sentence Completion, for which you need good vocabulary and critical thinking.

  • Read more newspapers like The Hindu, TOI, AEON, and The Economist daily and read about social issues to gain knowledge.
  • Improve vocabulary with Word Power Made Easy & The Guardian articles and learn various words and idioms, even the ones that you don’t use in daily life.
  • Practice reading and use critical thinking and solve at least 2-3 RCs daily, focusing on accuracy and speed.
  • And if you are stuck in RC, use the elimination method to get the right answer and save time.
Some Tips to Help You With the CAT DILR Section
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning is not really tough but definitely tricky. You have to practice a lot to get the right answer and that too on time. The syllabus has bar graphs, tables, puzzles, logical sequencing, and Venn diagrams, so practice according to it. Try solving each and every question you find because DILR has the most unpredictable nature.

  • Start your prep by identifying which are the easy questions and moderate and tough ones, and begin with easy ones like puzzles such as Sudoku and logical reasoning books.
  • When you have data in the question, read it carefully and, if needed, multiple times so you don’t end up assuming anything.
  • Solve previous question papers and try to find if there is any pattern or anything that can help you in solving DILR questions.
  • Practice graph-based and arrangement-based DI sets soon and practice daily 2-3 sets so that you don’t end up being confused or slow at the exam.
Some Tips to Help You With the CAT QA Section
Quantitative Ability is the make-or-break section because it has 22 questions and it's all math. Yep, the CAT entrance exam has math so if you aren’t good at it, you need to start the preparation right now because it is going to be tough. The syllabus does not have advanced topics but the basic ones you studied in school, like Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Number Systems, and Modern Math, so basically the syllabus is from classes 9 to 12.

  • Start practicing questions every day and memorize all the formulae needed for the exam.
  • Try and understand the concept of the question because some questions have more than one concept and it can make it tricky but you don’t have to fall for it.
  • Strengthen your basics with NCERT Class 6-10 Maths and master Arithmetic first, then move to Algebra & Geometry.
  • You need to practice as many questions as you can a day because it will not only help you with accuracy but speed too.
  • Never forget about solving mock tests, and take a look at previous year's papers.

Mock test papers are crucial for any exam so you shouldn’t miss solving mock papers, as it will help you know how much you have learned. Practice every day is the key to scoring 99 percentile and just keeping a couple of things in mind and staying dedicated and consistent with your preparation, you can definitely pass with flying colors.















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A California-based travel writer, lover of food, oceans, and nature.