What Toppers Do Differently in CAT Mocks Test (And You Should Also, Doo)
A CAT mock test consists of practice papers that help candidates identify their weak spots while also helping them strengthen their strong areas. Students should take these mock tests from renowned coaching institutes, which will assist them in preparing for the CAT exam. Many students don't take the CAT mock tests seriously and face difficulties in the actual exam. Students need to understand that these mock tests are not just sample papers; they are real questions that have a high chance of appearing in the exam. Students should take at least 1–2 CAT mock tests a week.
Enhance Performance with CAT Mock Test
CAT mock test are replicas of the real exam. Candidates should take these mock tests as they help in cracking the exam. However, before that, candidates need to understand the CAT exam. CAT is an exam conducted by one of the top IIMs every year for 5,300 seats in the top B-schools. In India, getting into the top B-schools is the dream of many aspirants. Every year, almost 2–3 lakh aspirants take this exam for IIMs. There are other prestigious B-schools that accept the CAT score, such as MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai, FMS Delhi, IITs, IIFT, and NMIMS. The validity of the CAT score is one year. During this period, candidates can use their score for admission. In this article, we will discuss the CAT mock test along with important information about the CAT exam.
Now, we will discuss some strategies and problems that toppers face in their CAT preparation journey and how they tackle them. One important thing for aspirants is that they should not follow the exact same strategy. Why? Because toppers have their weaknesses and strengths, and you have your own. But you can pick the strategy that toppers use to crack this CAT exam. Below, we will discuss some points of the CAT section in which the top problems that toppers face in particular sections and topics and how they solve them using the CAT mock test.
Improve Preparation with CAT Mock Test
1. Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
In this section, we will discuss one topic for student understanding because the CAT syllabus is vast, and we will use one topic for candidates. In this section, we will discuss the problems that candidates face and solve with the CAT mock test. Candidates need to understand the strategy that helps them in the exam.
Topic: Geometry and Mensuration
Why it's difficult:
Geometry sections require candidates to have strong conceptual clarity and detailed visual understanding. The challenge is that CAT often frames Geometry questions in a way that combines multiple theorems or concepts in a single question. Many students, including toppers, either skip Geometry altogether or struggle to apply formulas under time pressure.
Problems toppers face:
Even toppers find it hard to retain the huge number of theorems and results related to circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals. In CAT mock tests, they often spend too much time on a single diagram, trying to “force” a formula to work when a more straightforward approach was needed. Worse, a minor misinterpretation of a figure leads to completely wrong answers.
How toppers use CAT mocks to improve:
After attempting the CAT mock test, toppers revisit each section and topic and the questions they have attempted or not. They try to revise the key theorems and do their best to solve the mock test. Toppers watch videos for their resolution and check different other sources for better clarification. They use alternative methods to solve the question and find the answer with a proper solution. This repeated exposure helps them build visual intuition—the ability to look at a diagram and immediately sense which property to apply.
Topper strategy you can adapt:
Students need to understand that rather than skipping Geometry or mugging formulas, they must invest time in visualizing problems. Practice drawing accurate diagrams by hand. Create a “Geometry Cheat Sheet” of 15–20 core rules (angles in a triangle, Pythagoras triplets, circle theorems) and revise them daily. Attempt 1 Geometry question per day from CAT mock tests and analyze your thinking process. This process will help them understand the questions and find their solution. This strategy will definitely help the candidates.
2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
Topic: Games and Tournaments
Why it's difficult:
Games and tournament-based sets are logic-heavy and often involve complex constraints—like who beats whom, who qualifies, or how points are distributed. Unlike regular DI sets, these don't have numerical tables; they require drawing frameworks and logical deduction over several layers.
Problems toppers face:
Many toppers waste too much time trying to decode every rule before attempting the actual questions. They often try to solve the whole puzzle in one go, which leads to cognitive overload. In mocks, they either attempt the wrong set (just because it "looked interesting") or get only 2 out of 4 questions right due to poor data representation.
How toppers use CAT mock test to improve:
Toppers create a note about their poor performance and analyze every part of the CAT mock test. They again take 10–12 mock tests and start solving them. They solve them slowly, draw tables or tree structures, and analyze how to extract usable data quickly. Many students attempt the same mock test after a few days to check their performance analysis.
Topper strategy you can adapt:
Build familiarity with three types of tournament formats: round-robin, knockout, and point-based leagues. Instead of trying to solve the whole set at once, learn to divide it into manageable parts—who won/lost, points system, etc. Practice filtering conditions using visual aids like grids or brackets. In mocks, spend the first 5 minutes shortlisting 2 DILR sets worth attempting.
3. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
Topic: Inference-Based RC Passages (Philosophy or Abstract Topics)
Why it's difficult:
CAT RC passages contain abstract themes from philosophy, sociology, or psychology. These reading passages have complex sentence structures and nuanced meanings, which makes inference-based questions particularly tricky for candidates. In this section, candidates cannot expect to have direct answers; they must read between the lines.
Problems toppers face:
Even strong VARC scorers find themselves stuck between two similar-looking options in inference questions. Toppers often complain that they “feel” one option is right but get it wrong due to overinterpretation or misjudging tone. These questions become dangerous because they look easy but cause accuracy dips.
How toppers use mocks to improve:
Toppers analyze every wrong RC question in CAT mock test and classify the type of error—Was it a vocabulary mistake? A tone misjudgment? A logical fallacy? They then create an RC journal where they note down such patterns. They also read editorials, abstract essays, and philosophical articles (e.g., from Aeon, The Guardian) to improve reading stamina and depth.
Topper strategy you can adapt:
Don’t just focus on speed reading. Instead, practice slow reading of 1 abstract passage daily. After reading, summarize it in 2 lines and list the central idea. For every inference question you get wrong in mocks, write why your answer was wrong and why the correct one was right. Over time, this builds emotional detachment from answer choices, helping you pick the most logical one.
Conclusion
From the above article, candidates need to check the topper strategy and use this in solving the questions and also improving the weak areas. Topper strategies are refined from hundreds of mock tests and hours of self-analysis. But that doesn’t mean candidates will be able to crack the exam by following the same strategy that will work for you in the same way. Candidates should use mock tests to find their own problems. Mocks help you discover your own problem areas, and once you identify them, you can borrow techniques from toppers—whether it’s journaling, sectional analysis, or question filtering.
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