How Many Mocks Should You Attempt Before CAT?

The last 30 days before CAT can make or break your preparation. It’s during this time that mock tests become your most valuable tool, giving you insights into your strengths, weaknesses, and overall readiness for the exam. But the question arises: How many mocks should you attempt before CAT?

The answer depends on various factors, including your current preparation level, your target score, and how much time you have left. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to optimize your mock test strategy with less than 30 days left for CAT.

Understanding the Purpose of Mock Tests

Mock tests are a crucial part of CAT preparation, serving several important functions:

• Simulating Exam Conditions: The CAT is a time-pressured, competitive exam. Mock tests simulate the exact exam conditions, helping you adjust to the stress and timing.
• Identifying Weaknesses: By regularly analyzing your performance, you can pinpoint areas that need improvement, whether it’s a particular section (QA, VARC, or DILR) or time management issues.
• Building Endurance: The CAT is a three-hour exam, and mock tests help build your stamina to maintain focus and efficiency throughout.
• Fine-tuning Strategy: Mocks allows you to test different approaches to the paper, helping you fine-tune your strategy, such as time allocation and question selection.

With just less than 30 days left, you need to make the most of every mock to ensure you’re optimizing your preparation.

The Optimal Number of Mocks

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to how many mocks you should take. The right number depends on your current preparation level, the quality of your mock analysis, and how efficiently you can learn from them.

1. For Beginners (Score < 60 percentile in Mocks):

If you’re just getting started with your CAT preparation, you should aim for 15–20 mocks in the coming days. The focus here is on building familiarity with the exam pattern, improving basics, and working on time management.

Strategy:

• Take 2-3 mocks per week in the first 15 days.
• Use the remaining time to review the mistakes from each mock, focusing on conceptual clarity.
• Increase mock frequency to 3-4 per week in the last 10 days to build exam endurance.

2. For Intermediate Students (Score 60–80 percentile):

If you’ve been preparing for a while but haven’t broken into higher percentiles yet, you should take around 20–25 mocks.

Strategy:

• Start by taking 3 mocks per week and gradually increase to 4 mocks in the last week.
• Focus on understanding where you lose marks, whether it’s silly mistakes or specific question types.
• Dedicate time to sectional tests alongside mocks to improve weaker areas.

3. For Advanced Students (Score > 80 percentile):

For those already scoring well in mocks, the focus should be on improving test-taking strategies and pushing for the highest percentile.

Strategy:

• Take 4-5 mocks per week, so you attempt 30-35 mocks before the exam.
• For high scorers, the key is refining test strategy, improving speed, and managing accuracy.
• Analyze mocks deeply, focusing on time management and finding alternative solutions to difficult questions.

Timing of Mocks: Daily vs. Weekly

When it comes to taking mocks, should you take one every day or space them out across the week? The answer depends on your learning style, but here’s a recommended approach:

Early Phase

• Frequency: 2-3 mocks per week for beginners and 3-4 for intermediate/advanced aspirants.
• Focus: Concept building, analyzing strengths/weaknesses, and revising fundamentals.

Final Phase:

• Frequency: 4-5 mocks per week, regardless of your current level.
• Focus: Time management, fine-tuning strategy, maximizing accuracy.

Daily mocks are not advisable unless you’re in the final two weeks before CAT. Mocks require thorough analysis and revision, so spacing them out gives you time to review your mistakes, consolidate learning, and focus on specific problem areas.

Section-Specific Strategies for Mocks

When taking mocks, it’s important to develop section-specific strategies to optimize your performance in each area.

1. Quantitative Aptitude (QA):

• Focus on Speed and Accuracy: QA requires speed and accuracy, especially since the questions can be calculation-heavy.
• Start with Strengths: Attempt the questions you’re confident in first to save time for more difficult ones.
• Revise Core Topics: Spend extra time revising topics like algebra, geometry, and arithmetic before mocks.

2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR):

• Practice Sets: DILR can be unpredictable, so the more sets you practice, the better.
• Prioritize Easy Sets: In the CAT mock, identify easy sets first and solve them. Don’t get stuck on difficult sets at the beginning.
• Improve Decision-Making: Mocks will help you improve your ability to choose the right sets quickly.

3. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC):

• Reading Speed: Develop your reading speed through consistent practice. The more mock RCs you solve, the better your comprehension will become.
• Accuracy in VA: In the Verbal Ability section, aim for higher accuracy as questions are often tricky but solvable with logic.
• Regular Reading: Supplement mocks with regular reading of newspapers, novels, or online articles to improve comprehension.

Strategy for Sectional Tests:

• 1-2 sectional tests per week for each section can significantly boost your performance.
• Use sectional tests to experiment with time allocation and strategy for a particular section.
• Focus on accuracy and speed improvement during these tests.

Conclusion

In the final days before the CAT, mock tests are the best tool to refine your strategy, boost your confidence, and get accustomed to the real exam. The key isn’t just how many mocks you take but how effectively you analyze and learn from each one.

For beginners, 15-20 mocks are sufficient, while intermediate and advanced students should aim for 25-35 mocks. Make sure to space them out wisely, dedicate time for analysis, and work on your weak areas. Ultimately, the number of mocks you take is less important than how much you learn and improve from each one.

With consistent practice, detailed analysis, and a clear strategy, you can maximize your score in the CAT exam.