Balancing a Full-Time Career with CAT Preparation - Real Stories

Balancing CAT Preparation with a Full-Time Job Tips

Balancing preparation for a highly competitive exam such as the CUET paper with a full-time job cannot be easy. However, some students out of circumstance might not be able to leave their jobs. Provided below are some tips that candidates with full-time jobs can follow to properly prepare for the CAT 2025 examination based on real people’s stories. The tips are as follows:

Quality Over Quantity

Instead of trying to focus on studying for long hours, students should aim to make the most out of their short hours of study. With a full-time job, students at most will be able to put in 4 to 5 hours of studying a day. In these hours, students should properly strategize and divide their time well. Focusing on topics with more weightage or those which are more difficult can ensure students are better prepared.

Weekly Goals

A very useful way for those with full-time jobs to stay motivated and consistent with their preparation for the CAT exam is to keep weekly goals instead of monthly ones. Keeping short weekly goals can ensure students keep hitting goals and are able to cover various portions of the CAT syllabus.

Utilizing Dead Time

While at work, students preparing for the CAT exam may have a few minutes up to an hour where they are not doing anything. Students could utilize this time to squeeze in a quick revision or review of anything. It is better for students to not start new topics here but instead focus on revising and reviewing topics that they have covered or need to develop a better understanding of. This ensures students are able to properly make use of their time when they are not doing anything.

Create a Realistic Timetable

The timetables created by students preparing for the CAT exam can vary from one person to another depending on their job and free-time available. Students should try and develop timetables that are better suited for their schedule. For instance, one student may not be able to study in the early morning as they have to normally wake up at 6am to reach their office on time, while another may not be able to study at night as their shift ends late. It is important for students to create their timetables for the CAT exam depending on their needs and circumstances.

Taking Care of Themselves

While sacrifices are part of the preparation process for any exam, students should not sacrifice on the basics. Taking breaks, eating enough, sleeping 6 to 8 hours and staying hydrated are very important. Students are already expending a lot of energy trying to balance studies with their job, sacrificing on basic needs in the long-run can do more harm than good. For a good and less stressed performance on the CAT exam, it is crucial for students to do the basics of taking care of themselves for the CAT examination.

CAT 2025 Important Dates

It is very important for students to keep up with the important dates of the CAT exam. Keeping up with these dates ensures students are updated on all key events and deadlines about examination.

As of now, a lot of the key dates for the CAT exam have not yet been revealed. Listed below are some of the tentative dates for the CAT 2025 exam:

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