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With the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 approaching, aspirants need more than conceptual clarity and regular practice to perform well in the examination. Given the limited time available to solve questions, candidates must learn how to identify the right questions to attempt and manage their time effectively. Mock tests can help aspirants develop these skills and build confidence ahead of the examination.
However, simply taking mock tests is not enough. Candidates must also learn how to analyse their performance and draw meaningful insights from each test. In this article, Ravi Prakash, founder and CEO of Rodha, shares key strategies that can help CAT aspirants improve question selection, accuracy and time management through mock tests.
One of the most common mistakes aspirants make is attempting too many questions without considering their difficulty level or the time required to solve them.
The temptation to answer more questions must be balanced against the likelihood of solving them within the stipulated time. One important aspect to remember during the examination is that question selection is a skill. In the actual examination, aspirants must evaluate questions based on their conceptual understanding, difficulty level and the time required to arrive at a solution.
This allows candidates to leave aside questions that appear too difficult or are likely to consume excessive time. In short, they must assess whether the potential reward outweighs the effort required to solve a question.
Most aspirants tend to focus only on the scores they achieve after taking a mock test. While the score is a useful indicator of performance, candidates must also examine how they arrived at that result and where they lost marks.
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Analysing each test to identify questions that went wrong is therefore important. Candidates should also take note of questions they left unattempted. They can categorise these questions based on the reasons behind their performance, such as calculation errors, comprehension mistakes, incorrect question selection or poor time management.
By analysing their performance, aspirants can identify recurring mistakes and work towards eliminating them. For instance, if a candidate leaves too many questions because of calculation errors, it may be time to work on improving speed and accuracy. Similarly, if they find themselves spending too much time on certain Data Interpretation sets, they need to focus on improving their question selection skills.
In addition to reviewing errors and unattempted questions, aspirants should examine the questions they attempted and the time spent on each. Occasionally, a candidate may be able to solve a difficult problem but spend more time than necessary doing so. The additional time spent on one question can affect the time available for subsequent questions and disrupt the overall problem-solving process.
If a candidate spends longer than the designated time on a question but is still unable to reach a solution, it may be better to leave it and move on to the next one.
Aspirants should also understand that accuracy sometimes requires them to slow down, as rushing through questions can lead to avoidable errors. During the examination, candidates must therefore strike a balance between speed and precision.
Candidates must follow a regular cycle of practice and analysis to ensure continuous improvement. The process involves four steps:
One of the most crucial aspects of preparation is building this cycle of practice and improvement. If a candidate takes a mock test, analyses the results and works on the areas that need improvement, they can gradually develop a more effective examination strategy.
For instance, if an aspirant notices that they are attempting too many questions without being able to solve them accurately, they should dedicate more time to improving speed and accuracy before taking the next mock test.
To keep track of their progress, candidates can maintain a spreadsheet or journal to record the results of each test. Aspirants should track the number of attempts, accuracy levels and time spent analysing difficult problems. Once a pattern emerges, they can determine whether their preparation strategy is working or requires further refinement.
At the same time, candidates must avoid making drastic changes to their preparation strategy after performing poorly in a single mock test. Results may not always be consistent, so aspirants should look at the trends across four or five tests rather than draw conclusions from just one examination.
As CAT 2026 approaches, aspirants must invest time in regular practice and develop a stronger examination strategy. However, mock tests alone are not enough. Candidates must use them to understand which questions to attempt and how to manage their time during the examination to improve accuracy and speed.
The objective should be to assess the potential reward and risk associated with each question and avoid those that demand too much time and effort without offering a reasonable chance of arriving at the correct answer.
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