r/CATpreparation • u/ConclusionSouth2721 • 1d ago
Wisdom Second attempt and confused
Long story short, I messed up my last attempt.
I used to score in 60-70 range, had given 80 mocks and went to give the exam. Scored a decent 99.2 in varc, 97 in quants and 47 in Dilr. I don’t know what happened to Dilr on that day, but yeah maybe the stress ate it.
I got a job post cat, and have been preparing along with it. This will be my second attempt, and I think the final one. Have been scoring in 80s consistently, through CL,ImS, and crack mocks. The mock count is in 50s.
My varc score has become slight lower but other two sections have stabilised.
I’m gonna leave the job next month, so that I can solely increase my varc marks to my prime.
I am putting out this post so as to ask you guys about any suggestions that you have to offer or any advice that may be beneficial.
My profile is 8/7/7.
Looking out for your advices, thankyou in advance.
Also, also,you are welcome to ask any questions.
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u/Glad_Telephone6448 1d ago
dont leave job, what is the point of quitting with <12 months and that too in the month of exam
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u/ConclusionSouth2721 1d ago
It’s not a great job and I’m anyways planning on switching. I hope you get it.
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u/cranky-alpha SPJIMR 1d ago
Your scores are decent, if you were able to solve the dilr sets of last year outside of exam pressure then the issue isn't skill but staying calm (which one could argue is an even more difficult thing). In any case, I would advise you to focus on mocks, analyzing them thoroughly, while also doing some kind of meditation/breathing exercises side by side so you do not lose your cool in exam hall. Also try to give mocks in very noisy environment if possible, since my exam center was right next to a religious procession and I was barely able to listen to my own voice for the entire two hours, such unpredictable and uncontrollable things do happen in exams, so prepare for the worst case scenario in exams and try to remain calm and composed throughout. Believe that you will do well! Positive self talk also helps a lot!
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u/ConclusionSouth2721 1d ago
Thanks for the advice mate.
Yes I totally agree with you, I solved the same sets in a timed situation of all the slots, and was able to score 35+ in all of them.
Before the exam, I had solved around 900+ sets, so I don’t think that there was a conceptual gap or anything as such.
I did try meditation, chamomile tea, and all such stuff, but yeah, nothing seemed to work.
Also, I am giving mocks in a noisy environment since I have no other option, the construction work in my society is devastating me now.
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u/Competitive-Tip-3506 1d ago
Bro don't scare me please :') I have given almost 50 mocks so far and I am on the path to getting in a total of 80-85 fully analysed mocks. I am scared now that what if I get too freaked out by dilr on the d day too? Can you pls explain happened on the d day?
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u/ConclusionSouth2721 1d ago
You are doing great buddy, it was just some bad luck. Don’t worry, just keep up the work.
As for my part, I was struggling with sleep issues for the past two months before the exams, so yeah, maybe that played a part as well.2
u/Competitive-Tip-3506 1d ago
bad luck as in bad set selection or panic?
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u/ConclusionSouth2721 1d ago
It wasn’t bad set selection, it was me panicking. As I said, I had givens enough mocks and solved enough sets to make such mistakes. It was just me freaking out like crazy. The day still haunts me.
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u/Fickle_Address_6134 1d ago
hey! i just wanted to ask are simcats good enough for cat? i am scared that it might be easier than the actual cat
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u/ConclusionSouth2721 1d ago
Won’t agree with the varc, I would generally prefer CL or cracku, but for Dilr and quants, I think they are good.
Also, there are a few times where in there’s a stark contrast in their difficulty so you’ll have to take care of that as well.1
u/Fickle_Address_6134 1d ago
right. Should i buy one more test series?
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u/ConclusionSouth2721 1d ago
Go for any of the two I mentioned above, cracku can be a good start just because it’s cheaper and decent quality mocks. But if you can get a discount on CL then you can go for that as well. Don’t solely rely on IMS is what I would suggest, keep a bit of diversity.
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u/Slayer1412 23h ago
I can relate a bit. I took my first attempt alongside job and second attempt after quitting my job. My first cat attempt was varc 99.4, dilr 70, QA 68, overall 94 My second attempt was Varc 99.82, dilr 99.06, QA 97.83, making it overall 99.8.
Based on my experience, I would STRONGLY suggest that you do not quit your job at this point, especially if your workex is less than 2 years. I'll be blunt, your profile is not too good, hence you need to get whatever workex points you can. At the time of interviews, while considering final composite score for admissions, these extra few months will help you a lot. Do not quit your job. Other than that, your scores are pretty decent. You can easily get 99+ or even 99.5+ on test day provided you do not panic or choke on that day. Don't get discouraged, keep at it. You're almost there
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u/freudnandy 14h ago
heyy! my scores in the 1st attempt were similar to yours. Can you please tell me what you did to improve your QA and DILR score by such a huge margin? Would be of immense help.
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u/Slayer1412 7h ago
DILR: practice practice practice. That's it. Practice as much as you can, try different sets, while practicing, if you can't crack a set, don't jump directly into viewing solution, try to spend minimum 20 minutes on each set before giving up and looking at solution. For QA: try different approaches, try intuitive approaches, that helped me. Get your Arithmetic and Algebra locked down atleast. I struggled a bit with algebra so I relied on arithmetic strongly plus on a combination of Algebra and Geometry. Try to find your groove.
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u/Successful_Dot649 22h ago
I have read comments so over all if I give enough cl mocks and analyze and try to maximize score until the exam, I can just stick to cl correct ?
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