The Common Admission Test is beleived to be one of the toughest entrance exams in the country. Many aspirants put their best foot forward to crack the CAT in the first attempt because of lucrative career options. As the CAT 2026 is scheduled to be held on November 29, the final leg of preparation play a vital role in success.
In an exclusive conversation, Saba Samreen, a CAT 2025 topper pursuing an MBA at Woxsen University, said, "Stress is a privilege. This was the one thought that kept me going when CAT preparation used to feel overwhelming. The expectations, the uncertainty about the outcome can be easily exhausting. But I gradually realised that pressure is also a reminder that we have an opportunity worth fighting for."
"The biggest lesson I learnt during my CAT preparation was that consistency matters more than intensity. This is the most important thing to remember so that you don’t burn yourself and keep going. You do not need to study for endless hours every day. You need a strategy that allows you to learn, practice and improve," Saba added.
How to crack CAT in 2 months?
With just two months left for CAT 2026, aspirants can make the most of their remaining preparation time without exhausting themselves. Let's explore the best strategy.
Building a strong foundation
One should divided their preparation into three stages. It is always better to focus on building the 'FOUNDATION'. Saba Samreen said, "I focused on revisiting the concept I already knew while simultaneously learning new ones. The idea was not to rush the syllabus but understand where I stood. I practiced questions topic-wise, identified my weak areas and worked on strengthening my fundamentals. During this phase I focused on creating a strong base because trying to solve difficult questions without basics would only create unnecessary pressure."
Focus on applying the learnings
The next part is about 'BUILDING' on what aspirants acquired. Once the concepts were familiar, candidates must start to emphasize on application. Try to solve more questions, working with mixed difficulty levels and revisiting topics. Every mistake became feedback rather than a reason to feel discouraged. You are not competing with your mistakes, you are learning from them.
Take a lot of mock tests
PRACTICE... At this stage, candidates must avoid adding new concepts. The focus must be only on practicing everything they learnt. Taking mocks help immensely in understanding how to manage time, choose the right questions and remain calm when the paper did not go according to our plan. More importantly, analysing each mock was as important as taking it.
Don’t neglect health
Preparing for a management entrance also means having the skills to manage your health and stress because that is going to help a lot during your corporate career. It is advised to take small breaks, reduce doom scrolling, get adequate sleeps and step away from preparation when you feel mentally exhausted.
Honestly, two months may sound short if you look at CAT, but it can be manageable when you break them into smaller, achievable goals. The key is not to constantly overthink about the final percentile and focus on what you can improve today; because that is exactly what is in your control. And let the results take care of themselves.
