To crack the CAT exam, only preparation is not enough. You also need to avoid common mistakes to avoid on the CAT Exam day 2025. Without any doubt, the role of your hard work and dedication, relying on the right CAT preparation books, and the best CAT coaching is vital. But what if you forget to carry your admit card to the exam centre? What if you get nervous during the exam and fail to answer efficiently?
Let’s discuss some common mistakes made by CAT aspirants that can hamper their performance during the exam and bring poor results despite robust preparation.
CAT 2025 Mistakes to Avoid on Exam Day
1. Avoiding Sound Sleep
Some candidates avoid sleeping the night before the exam to study more. Some students find it difficult to sleep because of the nervousness and anxiety of the exam. But it should be understood that a sound sleep of at least six hours helps you to stay calm on the exam day. Moreover, the mind remains active, which helps in scoring better. Without proper sleep routines, your performance may get hampered. Therefore, avoid staying awake to study or for any other reasons.
2. Forgetting Important Documents
You need to carry your CAT admit card and identity proof like Aadhar Card, Voter ID, Passport, Driving License, etc. You must keep these documents handy at least four days before the exam. It is because if you don’t find your ID proof, then you can get some time to search for it or find an alternative identity proof. Without these documents, you wouldn’t be allowed to appear for the exam.
3. Reporting Late
Your CAT Admit Card clearly mentions the time to report to the exam centre. While you wouldn’t like to reach there late and face any consequences, sometimes you get late unintentionally. For instance, your bus or train got late or it took more time to find the center’s location.
You need to avoid all these unintentional things by trying to reach you at least two hours before the reporting time. You may need to wait outside, but it is better than being late and prohibited from appearing in your dream exam.
3. Sticking on Difficult Questions
The CAT exam is undoubtedly the most difficult MBA entrance exam. In the exam, you will face several tough questions that will trick your mind and may consume more time than usual. A common mistake candidates make is getting stuck on tricky and difficult questions and wasting their time.
You will have both objective-type questions and TITA questions. The timing of the paper is also divided according to the section. You can’t consume a lot of time for a single question. The smart idea is to skip such questions and focus on those that you can answer confidently.
4. Checking the Timer Repeatedly
You will have limited time to answer all the questions. But it doesn’t mean you keep looking at the time after every question. Doing this will just make you more nervous and anxious. This can impact your performance. It would be better to check the timer only a few times, like after answering 15-20 questions.
5. Getting Panic After Reading Question Paper
Sometimes, it happens that when the candidates go through the question paper, it makes them nervous. This can happen because the questions seem tough or they go through the questions abruptly.
You need to avoid this mistake because it will directly impact your overall score, even if you have prepared well. You get enough time for each section. It is just that you have to learn and practice time management so that you don’t get nervous during the exam. This is where the role of CAT mock tests, solving previous year question papers, etc., come into play. Read the questions properly and go with the flow.
6. Not Knowing Time Policy
The total number of hours for the CAT exam is three hours. The total number of questions in the paper is 100. However, it doesn’t mean that you can take 80 minutes for Verbal Ability, 50 minutes for DILR, and the rest of the minutes for QA.
The CAT exam has a time policy that states that you can’t take more than 60 minutes for each section. You must know it and answer the questions for each section accordingly. The skill of time management will also help you here.
Wrapping Up:
These are the most common mistakes made by IIM aspirants appearing for the CAT exam. You can avoid these Common Mistakes on CAT Exam Day 2025 by following the tips mentioned with every mistake. Even the toppers, faculties at best online CAT coaching, and exam experts recommend that you must have a sound sleep, report on time, stay confident and motivated to crack the Common Admission Test.