How much time should I study daily to crack the CAT exam?

Preparing for CAT or any other competitive exam in India is a rigorous process and also time-consuming. Apart from the hard work and sound strategy, you need excellent time management skills if you want to achieve the desired result from the exam. CAT, due to its technicality and syllabus, makes it the most challenging entrance exam in the country. Every year CAT is conducted as a computer-based test (CBT) to evaluate your overall intellectual and personality traits. Lakhs of candidates, both fresh graduates and working professionals compete to get a prestigious seat in IIMs and various other business schools of India.
CAT is not only an exam of your intelligence and problem-solving skills, but it also tests your time management skills because it is a master's program for a management field. Apart from being a great leader, you should be a good time-keeper because, after your MBA completion, you will probably handle an organization's upper management; hence, it becomes necessary to manage your clock. While preparing for any competitive exam, there are few questions that strike the candidates. One of the critical questions is time. Aspirants always ask how many hours to study for CAT?
Apart from a good strategy and resources, good time management skills are also needed when you start your preparation. Today we share CAT exam preparation time to build confidence for you.

When to start CAT preparation?

It is the central dilemma among every candidate. Whenever they decide to prepare for any competitive exam, the very first question they ask themselves is the right time to start the preparation. If you are in a corporate job already, it becomes more crucial for you to manage things first-handedly. Before jumping into the competitive world, you must look back to your school and college-era because everyone's learning and grasping pace are different. If you are a slow learner or take more time to clear the concepts, you might find the preparation more time-consuming and difficult. Starting as early as possible because the more time you spend on practice, the more accuracy you will gain.

Time table for CAT preparation 

Always remember that we are humans, and biological factors bind us to do anything. We tend to get bored or procrastinate because of monotonous routines. Please make sure that your daily routine is altered as per your dopamine level because the more you feel good, the more efficiently you will perform your task. Try not to make a dull or monotonous routine because sticking to it will increase anxiety and depression when we don't meet the timelines. It is advisable not to make the exact daily timetable for study but ensure that you make a new timetable every day with new tricks and tips so that you find excitement in doing the same. 

How many hours to study for CAT?

There is no hard and fast rule for how many hours are required to crack the CAT exam, but you can decide by yourself by analyzing the given table:

As you can see in the table itself, a complete beginner shouldn't prepare a daily routine before a month because it is impractical to devote 24 hrs for 30 consecutive days. Although this table is for reference only, if you want to get admission in old IIMs, then a 99+ percentile is required. To get the elite mark, you need at least 6 months for preparation. The various factors involved in the preparation stage include difficulty, study pattern, the role of hormones, and learning and solving capacity. You can analyze the above table and make a plan that is suitable for you.

 Make a timetable, count its total active hours and dedicate at least 100 hrs to the mocks test because it is necessary to measure your accuracy rate. Don't forget to improvise your plan daily to prevent procrastination and boredom.

To conclude, we must say that it's not the number of hours you study daily but the accuracy, concentration, and focus you get in those hours. Remember that it's the percentile that ensures your admission to the prestigious IIMs. So focus more on accuracy and efficiency. This will make you excel in the examination.