The CET Cell has announced tentative dates for MBA CET 2020 (March 14/15). That gives us roughly three months to prepare. I thought of sharing a plan that anyone can use (no matter where you’re at this point of time) and can tweak as per requirement.

I am dividing the next three months as:

1. Concepts Phase: This is where you learn concepts and build strong foundation for the next phase.

2. Application Phase: This is where you apply the concepts that you’ve learned by solving questions in timed manner online/offline.

3. Test Phase: This is the real deal which helps you improve your test taking strategy and prepares you for the C-day.

Though I’ve divided the preparation in three parts, the progression from one phase to the next is not linear and you will be doing a bit of everything over the next three months. The idea is to strike a balance and make the best use of time available. With this in mind, I am setting some targets and you can always customize them as per your requirement.

If you’ve already taken CAT/NMAT/IIFT/MICAT/SNAP, etc.

If you’ve already taken any of these tests, your quant/verbal/logic concepts are already in place. You know how to approach a parajumble question or how to start a set based on linear or circular arrangement. Assuming that there are no gaps in your preparation (leaving a topic altogether or knowing bits and pieces of a topic = gap), you can jump straight to the application phase and start solving CET level questions in timed manner. If there are some gaps (for example, you haven’t studied Logarithms at all), fix those in December by learning concepts and solving questions without any time limit. Once you’re done, move to the application phase.

Mid-January Target: Fix all conceptual gaps and solve at least 1 exercise or roughly 20-25 questions of a topic online. Assuming around 60 odd topics, that comes to 1200 to 1500 questions.

If you’re preparing exclusively for CET

I’m sure most of you have already attended classroom sessions and have completed some part of your syllabus. It could be 20% or 80%. Doesn’t matter. Whatever you’ve covered in terms of concepts, go to the reference material and complete at least one exercise offline and one exercise online. Make sure that you’ve a fair grasp over the topic. Avoid spending more than 2 days on a particular topic because the return on investment might not be great. It’s better to go for wider coverage than depth so that you’ve covered the ground needed for a reasonable mock performance.

End-January Target: Complete all the concepts + offline exercises + at least half of online exercises. This ensures around 3000 odd questions over the next 45 odd days = 60-70 questions per day.

Common Target for simCETs to be completed each month:

December: 2 simCETs. It doesn’t matter if you’ve just started your preparation or completely your preparation. The idea is to understand the test structure, your ability to focus over 2.5 hours, and your current speed/content.

January: 6 simCETs. Working on mocks in tandem with preparation will ensure that you get opportunities to apply concepts in a test-setting.

February: 8 simCETs. This month is the most crucial month for CET aspirants. By this month, you should be thorough with all your concepts and just sharpening your test skills.

March: 4 simCETs. The last 4 mocks before you take the CET. This will keep you in the mindset required for the test. At the same time, the number is kept intentionally light to avoid burn out.

Needless to say, all the tests that you take should lead to some learning and implementation of new and better methods/strategies. Analyze all the tests thoroughly (I will write a post separately on analysis) and document the lessons that you’re gathering over this period.

Given the fact that every aspirant has different strengths, what works for one may or may not work for the other. But if you make a plan for yourself and stick to it, you will see consistent improvements in your score. Though 90 days seems like a lot of time, once you actually start working on this plan, you will feel that the time isn’t enough. What will matter over the next 90 days is how do you optimize and maximize the returns on your effort.

I hope this helps! If there are any queries, please leave them in the comments below and allow me a few days to get back. Share this with your friends and co-aspirants. Happy prepping! 🙂