Many things are not the same for CAT aspirants. There are many things that CAT aspirants disagree on, such as how many mocks should be attempted and which coaching institution is best. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have had many discussions with CAT aspirants and teachers. There is one thing almost everyone can agree on. A reading habit will make you more successful in CAT and other exams. We will discuss how to build a reading habit.
STEP 1: START SMALL.
It doesn’t matter how fast you go, so long as you’re moving in the right direction.
One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen in CAT applicants is setting too high a goal. You are setting yourself up for failure if you haven’t read any books in the past three years. You should set small goals that you can achieve. To develop a reading habit, I believe the first step is to read a newspaper. You could also start reading the newspaper’s sports or business sections, or the entertainment section. It doesn’t matter what you like to read. It’s your chance to make it a habit. Fifteen minutes per day for a week or so. After that, you can move on to editorials. Although editorials are tedious and monotonous at first, once you get used to reading 15 minutes per day, you will find that they become more natural.
STEP 2: BEFORE YOU GO TO BED, READ
You can read a book while you sleep – books don’t snore.
If you’ve never read a book before, it can be daunting. It is important to start with something that you enjoy. It is important to find the time to read it. Our addiction to screens is too strong. We spend too much time on our phones after dinner and before bed. You must stop scrolling on your phone while you are studying for the CAT. You can do this by reading a book at night. Put your phone on silent. Grab a book. One of these outcomes would be possible:
- You will fall asleep sooner than usual.
- The book will be read a substantial portion.
These outcomes are better than browsing Facebook (or whatever else you do these days if you’re 20).
After a few weeks, you’ll notice a significant improvement in your reading speed and a decrease in the amount of time you spend reading the book each day.
STEP 3: BE DISCIPLINED
Our problems cannot be solved by magic. Our work and discipline are the key to finding the solution.
A CAT aspirant should aim to read at least one hour per day. It would look like this if I had to order the different aspects of a reading routine in order of importance.
- How often do you read? Once a day, every other day, or once a week
- What length of time do you read? 10 hours per week, 15 hours per week, 20 hours per week.
- What you read: newspapers, magazines, books
- Who are you reading – V S Naipaul/ Ruskin Bond
With the above list, I want to emphasize that reading discipline is key. It is possible to increase your chances of passing the CAT exam by reading for an hour each day.
Nearly all those who do well in CAT can do so because they were proficient in Reading Comprehension. This is because Logical Reasoning/Data Interpretation is extremely difficult. Quantitative Aptitude is a subject that almost every student can solve if it’s easy. Nearly everyone skips difficult questions. Reading comprehension is what makes the difference between a 90%iler or a 99%iler. Good for you if you’re good at RC. If you’re not good at RC, start to work on the three steps above. You will master Reading Comprehension in 6 months.
Check out :
