CAT 2025 : Common Mistakes, Avoid These Errors to Score Better

The final weeks before the Common Admission Test (CAT 2025) are crucial. Small mistakes in these final days can undo months of hard work—countless practice, repeated revision, repeated mock tests, and performance analysis—all in vain.

It happens even to the best of people. Below is a list of the most common mistakes candidates make as they approach the CAT and how you can avoid them. Approach the exam with focus and confidence.

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Taking Too Many Mocks Close to the Exam

In the final stages, many candidates fall into the trap of "more mocks = more improvement." This is especially true for those who start their preparation late. Many candidates start writing a full mock every day or, worse yet, attempt two mocks a day.

This practice does more harm than good. It leads to decreased accuracy (a result of inadequate analysis after mocks), increased fatigue, and decreased confidence.

What you should do: Reduce the frequency of mock tests to 2-3 per week and focus on in-depth analysis.

Ask yourself questions like: Which questions did I choose incorrectly? Did I waste time by setting traps? Did I panic midway? You should focus on understanding and developing a test-taking strategy, rather than on marks.

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Ignoring Revision

While trying to cover leftover topics and take more mocks, students often skip revision. They keep taking tests without reviewing basics. Forgetting a single formula or concept during the exam can cost you valuable marks.

What you should do: Create a formula and tricks revision book while studying. If you haven't done this yet, make one now. Spend 20-30 minutes, 3-4 days a week reviewing these notes. The goal isn't learning new things – it's making your brain recall old formulas, patterns, and logic instantly.

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Panicking Over Low Mock Scores

Candidates need to understand that fluctuations in mock test scores are normal. In the final 3-4 weeks, many students lose confidence because of this. They begin to doubt their preparation, change strategies overnight, overanalyze everything, and lose sleep – all of which further deteriorate their performance.

What you should do: Mock exams are a rehearsal for exam day, not the actual CAT. Each mock exam has its own difficulty and pattern. Your focus should be on consistency, not perfection in every aspect. If your accuracy and time management are improving, you're doing well. Keep learning and revising – don't be afraid of fluctuating scores.

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Treating DILR as a Guessing Game

DILR remains the most unpredictable section in the CAT. Many candidates still treat it like a 'hit-or-miss' game, hoping to get the right set on exam day. This mindset leads to panic when the section becomes difficult. This happens (knowingly or unknowingly) with many candidates.

What you should do: Don't stop practicing DILR sets. Practice 1-3 sets daily, depending on your mock scores. This keeps you sharp. In every mock, aim to spot 2-3 doable sets quickly. Build your scanning skill – spend the first 2-3 minutes looking through all sets before starting.

Stopping Reading Practice

While rushing through mocks and QA revision, students often drop reading practice completely. Don't confuse RC practice with actual reading. Your reading speed, comprehension, and understanding can get rusty without practice.

What you should do: Read 1-2 quality articles daily from different topics. Mentally summarize each in 2-3 lines to stay sharp with argument flow and structure. For RCs, practice timed reading and answer elimination. These two skills can boost your VARC score by 10+ percentile points.

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Not Practicing Actual Exam Conditions

CAT is a 2-hour, 3-section test. Some students never practice in this format. They take mocks in parts or skip sections, losing stamina and mental rhythm on exam day.

What you should do: Copy the real exam pattern – same time slot, minimal interruptions. Notice we say minimal, not zero. You might get interrupted once or twice, or get distracted by other candidates in the room. Don't expect complete silence. Make the exam feel familiar. Use your last 2 mocks for this.

Last-Minute Topic Hunting

You may find yourself in a situation where you're tempted to cover "that" topic you've neglected until the end—like probability, logarithms, or games and tournaments. Many candidates rush to cover these in the final days. This leads to confusion and fatigue.

What you should do: Focus on strengthening your strengths. Accuracy should be your priority. Instead of focusing entirely on a topic, you should understand the basic formulas and concepts and only attempt the PYP (if that topic has had good coverage in CAT over the years) once. This will help you solve at least the easy-level questions in that topic and avoid skipping them.

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Neglecting Mental Health and Sleep

In the final days, students often exhaust themselves—shortening their sleep, skipping meals, or staying glued to their screens. But the CAT is a test of concentration and endurance. And rest is essential for concentration.

What you should do:In the final week, shift your focus from learning to health. Try to get more than 7 hours of sleep, eat light, clean, home-cooked meals (you can't afford to get sick), and meditate or take a short walk daily. A calm, peaceful mind performs better than one that's constantly anxious and overly stressed.

Final Thoughts

The last stretch of CAT prep isn't about learning new chapters. It's about strategy, mindset, and balance. Avoid these mistakes, trust your preparation, and choose clarity over chaos. On exam day, your biggest strength won't be how many mocks you took. It'll be your ability to stay calm when others panic.

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