Preparation Tips for Non-Engineers for CAT 2025 PDF Download

Over 2.3 Lakh students from diverse academic backgrounds sit for the Common Admission Test (CAT) every year. Despite the fact that 40% of the candidates come from non-engineering backgrounds, the higher percentage of engineers cracking the exam has perpetuated the belief that it is geared towards engineering graduates. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have repeatedly stated that the exam is not limited to engineers. Nevertheless, candidates from all academic backgrounds are encouraged to attempt the exam as it is designed to test a wide range of skills and aptitudes. The IIMs look for individuals who have strong analytical and logical reasoning abilities, as well as good verbal and written communication skills, regardless of their academic background.

EduRev brings an effective preparation strategy for non-engineers to ace CAT Exam.

How Do Non-Engineering Students Prepare for CAT?

Essentially, there does not lie any difference between the preparation strategies recommended for engineering or non-engineering students. However, there is one very important thing that every non-engineering student must do before they start CAT preparation.

• Remove this myth from your head that engineering students are better for CAT. It is a level playing field and you have just as much chance of cracking CAT as an engineering student.
• This is very important because if a student keeps believing in this myth, they already have a negative image of their preparation. Simply, removing this myth from your head can provide you with that boost of confidence to help you better study for the CAT.
• The performance of a student in CAT has nothing to do with their educational background. What matters is their perseverance, logical approach to solving questions and an open mind for new ideas.

Understanding the CAT Exam is Important

To effectively prepare for the CAT exam, it's crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding of the exam's nature. This involves researching the exam online, reviewing the CAT exam pattern and syllabus, and recognizing the significance of the CAT in MBA admissions. By doing so, you'll be able to develop a solid grasp of the CAT at every stage of the process, enabling you to formulate an effective preparation strategy.

Step 1: Evaluate Yourself

Before starting their preparation for the CAT exam, candidates must assess their current skill level. By identifying their strengths and weaknesses, they can allocate their time effectively and efficiently. It's also important to keep in mind that getting a high score is not the only goal; they must also meet the sectional minimum requirements to pass. You can practice questions based on difficulty. Lucky for you, EduRev has a complete course on Level-wise Practice Questions for CAT  Preparation

Step 2: Start with the basics of CAT exam

With a little effort, anyone can compensate for their lack of engineering background by developing the skill of independently finding solutions. In CAT exams, quantitative problems require visualizing and applying formulas/concepts to various scenarios. To prepare for these exams, start by selecting every topic in CAT Quants and solve examples (15-20 questions, no more) from NCERT books for classes 6th to 10th.

Step 3: Strengthen Your Foundation

The CAT exam covers a broad range of topics and relying solely on limited studying will not guarantee success. The key to performing well is to practice regularly and solve various types of questions from different sources. Daily practice is essential to prevent unexpected outcomes during the exam.
It is recommended that you attempt the Previous Year Questions of that particular topic. So that you can have a complete understanding of each topic and the type of questions asked. You can find these in a course of Topic-wise Past Year Questions for CAT on EduRev.

Step 3.1: Section-wise Preparation Tips for CAT

However, one thing that every CAT aspirant must find the time for is checking the best tips to prepare for CAT. Here are some of the best CAT preparation tips compiled by our experts.

Step 4: Learn Shortcuts to Solve CAT Questions

• Shortcut techniques are essential when solving CAT questions. Shortcut techniques drastically reduce the time taken to attempt a question and also the chances of error when solving CAT questions.
• Since they help in keeping calculations to the absolute minimum, they are even more vital to non-engineering students, who don't stay in touch with mathematics as much. The links given below will fetch you some simple tips and formulas to boost your CAT preparation.

Step 5: Practice ! Practice! Practice!

The CAT exam covers a broad range of topics and relying solely on limited studying will not guarantee success. The key to performing well is to practice regularly and solve various types of questions from different sources. Daily practice is essential to prevent unexpected outcomes during the exam.
It is recommended that you attempt the Previous Year Questions of that particular topic. So that you can have a complete understanding of each topic and the type of questions asked. You can find these in a course of Topic-wise Past Year Questions for CAT on EduRev. 

Step 6: Give Mock Tests Regularly and Analyse them properly!

Many individuals fail to grasp the significance of mock tests in preparing for the CAT exam. Unlike other competitive exams, mock tests for the CAT are not just meant for mere practice. A thorough analysis of a mock test will give you a better understanding of your current level of preparation and how much more work is needed. It is crucial to pay close attention to sectional cut-offs and total scores. Additionally, this is the perfect time to refine your test-taking strategies so that you can maximize your performance with minimal effort.
Checkout the complete full fletched course on EduRev on Mock Test Series for CAT

Preparation Time Table for Non Engineers for CAT Preparation 

• Candidates must use their time wisely to prepare for CAT. Spending too long on CAT preparation will only make you forget the older concepts. Limiting your time for CAT preparation will also make you more serious about your preparations as it will help you quantify how much time you have used up.
• When preparing for CAT, it is recommended that you divide your approach section-wise and steadily cover the complete syllabus of each section. Since the syllabus and focus area of each section is different, so is the way you approach preparation.
• There are three sections in CAT -- Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. Since CAT aspirant simply does not have the time on their hands to say their complete names, they are known in the fast-paced world of CAT preparation as VARC, DILR and QA respectively.

Preparation Tips for Phase I: February to May

• Take a mock exam from the previous year (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, or 2021) to get started. Despite your feelings of apprehension or desire to avoid it due to your lack of preparation, it is crucial that you participate in this mock to determine your exam preparation strategy. From this point on, you'll only become better.
• You will be able to determine after the mock which sections you are more confident in and which ones make you feel a little nervous. Based on this, you'll choose how to divide your preparation time and which section deserves more time.
• Spend a lot of time practising questions from each category. It is during this stage that you should approach questions aggressively.

Preparation Tips for Phase II: June to August

Now that you have the fundamentals covered, it's time to formulate the most crucial component, your test-taking strategy. This is accomplished by using mock exams, actively analyzing them, discovering shortcomings, and addressing those weaknesses with either knowledge acquisition or additional practice.

• Divide mocks into "performative" and "experimental" categories. When practicing experimental mocks, you experiment with several strategies to find which one suits you the best. Here, the score is less important than developing the greatest possible approach. The goal of performative mocks is to maximize your score.
• Till July, try to attempt one mock exam per week. As you become familiar with them and experiment with new strategies, they will become more experimental in character.
• You must enroll in two mock exams a week at the beginning of August. If you have the time, you could even attempt three mock tests a week.
• Keep accuracy in mind when you analyze the mock tests. 
• Mock percentiles shouldn't be taken seriously.
• It's crucial to allow enough time between each mock exam so that you may evaluate your performance and determine where you excel, where you need more time, and which subjects you need to re-learn.
• Spend at least a day or two practising questions from the area you have decided to work on.

Preparation Tips for Phase III: September to November

You need to polish everything and perform at your best on the CAT exam day, now that you have mastered the fundamentals and test-taking techniques. Updating your knowledge of existing subjects is preferable to learning new topics. Regardless of the outcome of the last mock exam, avoid writing any more during the week preceding up to the CAT. You can only prepare mentally at this point and strive hard in the exam.

Time Management Tips for CAT Exam

• Most of my non-engineering students who have made to IIM A-B-C say that they used to spend time in a weighted manner during their CAT Exam preparation. To quote a student, Prerna Raj (Bachelors in Forensic Science, Jharkhand Raksha Shakti University to IIM Calcutta in 2020), “I divided my weekly study plan for CAT Exam in the ratio 3:2:1 with 3 going to the Quants section”. So, you see. It is about studying all sections, but focusing more on the weaker one till it comes at par with the other sections or comes close enough to make you confident to crack the CAT exam.
• Performance enhancement strategy for Non-Engineers since September: Study between CAT mocks. Take a mock every weekend and analyze the mock next two days. Work on the weaker topics between the two mocks. This works well during your CAT preparation.
• A good closure: Redo all Quants questions that you have solved before in the last 45 days before CAT exam. Also, have a mind sharpening thing going in the final build-up to CAT. Keep revising the multiplication table chart till 20 that you have made, revise the fraction-percentage equivalence till 1/25 that you got ready, revise squares till 25, cubes till 12 – Spend time in calculations and approximations – 10 minutes daily before you go to bed. Maintain a good calculation rhythm - along with revision and mock seriousness in the last month before CAT. In addition, read fast and furious on topics like philosophy, psychology, environment etc. for at least 20-30 minutes every day pre CAT exam. This tip will help the non-engineers in cracking CAT exam.

Revision Strategy for CAT

• To prepare for the CAT exam, it's crucial to revise the questions you answered in the Level 1 and 2 topic tests, as well as the entire mock test section of the CAT Quants portion, at least three to four times. Regular revision is essential to enhance memory retention and allow you to answer questions more efficiently during the exam.
• To excel in the CAT exam, it's recommended to review every Quant question you've previously answered in the 45 days leading up to the exam. To keep your mind sharp, practice math and approximations for 10 minutes every night before sleeping. Focus on maintaining a consistent calculation rhythm, in addition to revision and taking mock exams. 
• It's also essential to revise the multiplication table chart up to 20, the fraction-percentage equivalence chart until you reach 1/25, the squares up to 25, and the cubes up to 12. As a non-engineer, you can follow these tips to ace the CAT. In addition, spend 20-30 minutes daily reading about philosophy, psychology, and the environment during the last few days before the CAT exam to broaden your knowledge and sharpen your critical thinking skills.

How will EduRev Infinity help Non Engineers to prepare for CAT Exam

EduRev Infinity Package for CAT includes:

• Subject-wise Courses: Courses for all the 3 subjects: Quantitative Aptitude (QA), Verbal Aptitude & Reading Comprehension (VARC) and Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI). Each course offers topic-wise video lectures, detailed notes & online tests for each topic.
• Mock Test Series for CAT Preparation: Mock Test Series for CAT Preparation course on EduRev offers section-wise & complete mock tests.
• Level-wise Tests for CAT Preparation: This course offers level-wise tests for each topic to help you prepare exhaustively for the CAT exam.
• Previous Year Question Papers & Archives: EduRev also offer previous year question papers & topic-wise questions for each topic, which have appeared in different CAT exams in the last 5-10 years.
• 100 RCs for CAT Preparation: This course offers 100+ RCs to help you prepare & master in RCs, which will give you an edge in the CAT exam and move a step closer to your IIM dream.
• Shortcut Techniques, Formulas, CAT Crash Course & Others: Along with the above courses, you also get shortcut techniques, formulas & others in various courses of EduRev.
• Mock Test Series for Other MBA Exams: You also get Mock Test Series for other MBA Exams like SNAP, XAT, IIFT, NMAT, TISS-NET & others.

CAT Preparation Material

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to Preparation Tips for Non Engineers CAT 2023

Is it difficult for Non-Engineering students to do CAT Preparation?

No, not at all. If the candidates do their preparation dedicatedly, then they can easily complete the syllabus and score better results. The main thing is that you need to do a well-focused study to prepare the syllabus on time.

When should the Non-Engineering Students start their CAT preparation?

The Non Engineering Students can start their CAT Preparation as early as possible. The syllabus is huge, and there are lots of things to cover. According to the experts, 6-8 months of CAT preparation is required for non-engineering students to score well in this exam.

Can a non-engineer score 99 percentile in CAT?

It is possible for a non-engineer to score 99 percentile in CAT. The CAT exam tests a candidate's aptitude and skills in areas such as quantitative ability, data interpretation, verbal ability, and logical reasoning. These skills can be developed through practice and hard work, regardless of one's educational background or profession. It is essential for a candidate to have a strong understanding of the syllabus, practice regularly, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses to improve their score.

Can I appear for more than one slot for CAT?

No, candidates can not appear for both slots. It will be considered a fraudulent activity if one attempts to appear for both slots. To ensure that one has only one attempt, photo IDs, admit card, candidates' pictures and biometric information will be verified.