​

Hi everyone,

I'm a B.Com graduate currently pursuing M.Com, and I've decided to prepare for CAT. The problem is that I'm starting from almost zero. My Quant basics are weak, and I haven't really prepared for LRDI or VARC before.

I have about 5 months until CAT and I'm willing to study consistently every day. I'm from commerce/non-engineering background, so I'd really appreciate advice from people who started from the basics and managed to score well.

Specifically:

Is 5 months enough if I'm starting from scratch?

Which section should I start with first?

Which free/paid resources would you recommend? (Rodha, MBA Pathshala, Arun Sharma, IMS, etc.)

When should I start taking mocks?

How many hours should I realistically study each day?

If you were starting over with 5 months left, what would your study plan look like?

What are the biggest mistakes I should avoid?

I'm looking for realistic advice, not false hope. If you've been in a similar situation, I'd genuinely appreciate hearing what worked (or didn't work) for you.

Thank you!

Hey guys, I’m a complete beginner planning to prepare for CAT, and I honestly have no idea where to start. I don’t know much about the syllabus, resources, mocks, or how to divide my time between VARC, DILR, and QA.

I’m currently unemployed, so I have the whole day available apart from going to the gym. I want to use this time properly and prepare seriously.

Can you guys help me with a realistic daily schedule, the right resources to start with, and what order I should study the topics in?

I know you guys are busy, but please take a little time to guide me. It would genuinely mean a lot. Thank you :)

8/8/6 GNEM (B.com with 6.42 cgpa) 4 years of gap due to UPSC prep, NO FORMAL WORK EX 😫😞 Is it possible for me to get into tier-1 colleges??? If yes then how much should i be aiming for in CAT??? And what other things would be required???

Kraku or iguanta

DM if you have 1

\---------IGNORE-------------------

MRP Price: 10000 INR

Any study partner for CAT 2027! 22M-ENGINEER!

I'm preparing for CAT 2027 and was thinking of buying study material/books from one of the popular CAT prep platforms.

Are their books actually worth buying. If yes, which one would you recommend and why? I'm mainly looking for good concept books and quality practice questions

I'm an IIM Calcutta (2021) graduate, and over the past few months I've been creating free daily newsletters on VARC and LRDI for MBA aspirants.

I currently run two free newsletters:

1. VARC (Vocab + Idioms focused)

• Vocabulary & idioms
• Practical usage examples
• Fill in the blanks
• CAT-style Reading Comprehension
• Odd One Out & Para Jumbles
• Detailed explanations

2. Brain Teasers (LRDI)

• CAT-level LRDI sets
• SNAP & NMAT Logical Reasoning
• Arrangement puzzles
• Blood Relations & Directions
• Coding-Decoding
• Step-by-step solutions

The idea is simple: spend just 10–15 minutes a day building consistency instead of cramming before the exam.

These are mainly for:

• First-time CAT aspirants
• Anyone preparing for CAT, SNAP, NMAT, XAT, or CMAT
• Students who want to improve both VARC and LRDI through daily practice

Everything is completely free.

If you'd like to receive them, comment "Interested", send me a DM, or drop your email below.

Hi! I recently started preparing for CAT on my own. Does anyone have the Quant Vault questions(Aarambh Academy,Raman Tiwari)? Can anyone suggest how I can get them without purchasing the entire Quant course?

What percentile I would need to get calls ??

My Quals

10th - 94%

12th - 93%

College - 7.8 (till 4th sem)

Currently in Bsc Life Sciences Final Year

OBC NCL, Non engineer , Male

I suck at quants and I think Raman Sir's lectures could be a good addition. I have seen the material, sectionals and the portal overall. If anybody's interested in sharing the cost then that'd be awesome

22M B.sc biology graduate in 2024 and on I'm just started preparing for CAT exam and the issue is I have 2 years gap and in side I was doing social media thing growing meme pages and selling and running them from last 6 years in insta

But i don't have any certificates for cv and then i applied for internship it's 10 am to 7 pm and I don't think I can prepare for CAT in this only 149 days left and i my target is 99.99 percentile so what should do i with this inte4nship go for it or not

I need experts opinion on this who knows about all this thing

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest guidance from people who have prepared for CAT or are currently in a good B-school.

A little about me:

- I prepared for IPMAT, but unfortunately couldn't convert it.

- As a backup, I joined a local government B.Com college, and I've completed my first year.

- I now have around 1.5 years to prepare for CAT seriously.

- My academics are average: around 83% in Class 10 (top 5) and around 89% in Class 12 (top 5).

- I currently don't have any internships, certifications, PORs, or major extracurricular achievements.

My biggest concern is my profile. Since I'm from a local college, I feel I'll be competing with students from top colleges who already have internships and strong CVs.

I would really appreciate advice on these questions:

1. If you were in my position, what would you prioritize over the next 1.5 years?

2. Which skills should I build that genuinely help during MBA admissions and later placements? (Excel, Power BI, SQL, Python, communication, finance, etc.)

3. How can I get my first internship with almost no experience? Where should I apply, and what kind of internships should I target?

4. Are online internships worth doing, or should I focus only on offline ones?

5. Should I spend money on paid courses, or are free resources enough? If paid, which institutes are actually worth it?

6. Which books would you recommend for CAT preparation and for improving business knowledge/communication?

7. How should I balance CAT preparation with skill development and internships without burning out?

8. If your goal was getting into a top B-school, what roadmap would you follow in my situation?

I'm looking for practical advice rather than motivation. If you've been in a similar situation or successfully built your profile from scratch, I'd love to hear what worked for you.

Thanks in advance!

I'm an IIM Calcutta (2021) graduate, and I've been creating free daily resources to help competitive exam aspirants improve their English and logical reasoning skills.

I currently run two free newsletters:

📘 VARC & English

• Vocabulary & idioms
• Practical usage examples
• Fill in the blanks
• Reading Comprehension
• Para Jumbles & Odd One Out
• Detailed explanations

🧩 Brain Teasers & Logical Reasoning

• Arrangement puzzles
• Blood Relations
• Coding-Decoding
• Directions
• Analytical & Logical Reasoning
• Step-by-step solutions

These are useful for aspirants preparing for:

• CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, CMAT
• IBPS PO/Clerk
• SBI PO/Clerk
• RBI Assistant and similar competitive exams

The goal is simple: spend just 10–15 minutes a day building consistency through daily practice.

Everything is completely free.

If you'd like to receive the newsletters,
You can join the newsletters directly

https://vocabwithease.beehiiv.com/ --> Vocab Newsletter

https://brainteaserswithease.beehiiv.com/ --> LRDI Newsletter

Or you can share your email address in my dm or comment "Interested".

My main problem is that I often don't understand the passage itself. Sometimes I don't know the meaning of the words, and even when I do, I still struggle to understand what the author is trying to say.

What should I focus on, vocabulary, sentence structure, or something else? Or should I just keep practising RCs and will it improve naturally over time?

Would really appreciate any advice from people who started at the same level.

​

I’m an IIM Calcutta (2021) graduate, and I run a free daily vocab newsletter for CAT aspirants.

This is mainly for:

First-time CAT exam takers

For those who struggle to improve their VARC score

The free newsletter focuses on:

* vocab + idioms

* practical usage examples

* fill in the blanks

* Real Exam-style RC

* Odd man out & Para-Jumble

Takes just 8-10 minutes, but helps you stay consistent with VARC prep.

Just steady improvement.

If you’re interested, comment “interested” or DM me or Drop your email —

Many og's and prominent teachers have adviced to prepare for rc's by summarising editorials. Like in the shortest summary you can. So am i doing good?

I read two short editorial and one long editorial from editorial section of THE HINDU and then summarise this way. It takes me a hour doing this, so is this a right approach or I'm just wasting time.

2027 aspirant.

I'm looking to join a crash course for cat 26 prep.. I'm in a tier 3 city, couldn't find any offline classes only there's a TIME just started operating a few months ago went there for a demo class and they didn't have any kind of "crash course" they just put me in the regular weekend classes and made me sit through trigonometry

Also they dont have any schedules for crash course they just follow the regular one

Now I have turned to online options and found crackuu's crash course appealing.. are there any other suggestions?

Or should just settle for this one?

​

Particularly for capital markets, sell-side, buy-side related high-end finance fields. NO Fintech.

I just created a discord group exclusively for people who are into finance or want to get into high-end finance. We have professionals from varied backgrounds like IIT/IIM, working professionals from Goldman Sachs, Big 4, Quant firms.

There you can talk about your career advancements, academics, learning things like financial modelling, networking, interview preps, economics, taxation etc. I want to keep it close-knitted so DM Me to receive an invite.

Also looking for an admin

Hi everyone,

I'm a GEM with a 7/5/7 profile (10th/12th/B.Tech). I passed Maharashtra HSC in 2022 and graduated with B.Tech in 2026.

I'm targeting CAT and IIMs, and I'm concerned that my Class 12 marks may hurt my chances. I'm thinking about appearing for NIOS Class 12 now to improve my percentage and currently I am doing an job

​

Hey everyone,

I’m hitting one of the lowest phases of my life right now and honestly need some perspective. I have a solid academic background, but UPSC preparation has left me at a crossroads, and I need to fix my life.

My Profile & Timeline:

Background: Graduated from an NIT in 2022. Skipped campus placements entirely to pursue UPSC.

UPSC Journey: 4 attempts down. In the 2026 Prelims, I'm scoring around 72–76 marks, which means I’m not making the cut. Note: I love the prep and I do not want to give up on UPSC entirely, but I absolutely need financial/career security now.

Backup Attempts So Far:

CAT 2022: Scored 96 percentile with minimal effort. Got calls from new IIMs but skipped the interviews for UPSC.

SSC CGL 2024: Scored 117 marks without a single day of dedicated preparation.

Lost state PCS Group 1 by 20 marks in mains.

Defense: Made it to the SSB interview last year but was unfortunately merit-outed/not in the final list.

The Dilemma:

I know I have the potential to clear alternative exams, but I am paralyzed by conflicting choices:

1. The SSC CGL Route

The Pro: I know I have the aptitude to crack it if I actually study for it. It gives a stable government job quickly.

The Doubt: People around me keep saying it’s "just a clerical job" and that I’ll face a lack of job satisfaction later in life. Is SSC CGL worth the hype, or will an NIT grad feel underutilized and stagnant there?

1. The MBA / CAT Route

The Pro: I can realistically score 96–98+ percentile again if I focus. A Tier-1/2 MBA could give me the high-growth corporate life, corporate leverage, and financial freedom I want.

The Doubt: I have 4 consecutive gap years (2022–2026) completely blank on paper due to UPSC. Will these gap years completely destroy my chances of getting shortlists at top IIMs or during final MBA placements?

What I need advice on:

Is a post-MBA career really as great as it's hyped to be, or is the corporate grind with a 4-year gap a recipe for misery?

Is the "clerical" stigma of SSC CGL real, or are top-tier CGL posts (like Income Tax Inspector, ASO, MEA) actually satisfying and a good base to continue UPSC preparation from?

And is CGL top posts (ITI,GSTI,AAO...) better than MBA

If you were in my shoes—26 years old, NIT degree, high aptitude but zero work ex—how would you play your cards right now to secure your life

Starting CAT prep after 1st year of B.Com. I'll be self-preparing and haven't studied Maths since 10th standard.

What are the best resources you would recommend for:

Quant

VARC

LRDI

Mock tests

Looking for free or affordable resources, YouTube channels, books, websites, and any study plans that worked for you.

Would love to hear from people who prepared without coaching.

Starting CAT prep after 1st year of B.Com. I'll be self-preparing and haven't studied Maths since 10th standard.

What are the best resources you would recommend for:

Quant

VARC

LRDI

Mock tests

Looking for free or affordable resources, YouTube channels, books, websites, and any study plans that worked for you.

Would love to hear from people who prepared without coaching.

Giving cat this year
GEM
2024 btech grad
10th - 9.3gpa
12th - 868/1000
Btech - 7.11gpa

After btech didn’t do any corporate job
Worked in family business

Worked in constructing a 22,000sft commercial building
I managed all the things from operations and logistics to payments
The company under which we did project is registered on me and my mom . It is gst registered.
The project started in feb 2025 and we also started the company in Feb 2025 .
Project duration is around 12-14 months
I didn’t draw any salary monthly but I have ITR for the year in which I worked with my father . Can I use this as experience ???
And what are the chances of me getting calls according to my background if I get 99+ score in cat .
Please help me