Leveraging Online Communities for CAT Prep
If you are a student in an engineering college or studying in fields like Economics or B.Com, where many students aim for an MBA, chances are that you will have a study group for CAT preparation or, at the very least, be surrounded by people who are discussing CAT, mock exams, preparation tips, study resources, and so on. However, if you are a working professional or studying in fields like medicine, fashion design, architecture, etc., where pursuing an MBA is not the natural next step, or if you are someone like me preparing for CAT during a global pandemic with no contacts with the outside world, you could be a lone ranger in this CAT preparation journey.
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At times, this can be lonely and frustrating. Throughout our education, we are conditioned to study in groups and classrooms. Group learning offers many benefits, including encouraging collaboration, discussion, peer learning, and exposure to diverse learning methods.
But more than anything else, there is often joy in shared misery. Remember how comforting it was when everyone found an exam difficult? Or how everyone dreaded a certain Math or Physics book?
Similarly, while preparing for CAT, I craved the company of those who understood how I felt and someone who could share their own experiences. Few people around me were preparing for CAT. Then, I stumbled upon threads on Facebook where people discussed mock exams. This opened up a whole new world for me. I explored communities on Facebook, Telegram, and Discord, which significantly helped me prepare. Here are some of the benefits I found. However, I must start with a caveat: most of these communities are online and can often be distracting due to information overload. One needs to be cautious and identify the point at which these communities cause more harm than good to your preparation.
Preparation resources
was preparing with certain resources I had curated from online research or by talking to people who had prepared for CAT. However, these online communities consisted of people from all over the country who were either preparing for CAT or had already prepared for it. Just as I stumbled upon a few resources and Facebook threads, these people also came across multiple resources and online communities that they found helpful. These resources were free YouTube videos, blogs, or online doubt-solving communities. Through these online communities, I found some of the best QA and DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning) preparation materials, such as the Rodha YouTube channel.
Alternative Methods for Approaching Questions
There was a certain way I would look at a question, and then there would be the provided solution. However, these were not necessarily the best approaches. The online communities had some of the smartest people who looked at these questions very differently. Their solutions were elegant, quick, and smart. This was especially true for me when it came to quantitative aptitude, data interpretation, and logical reasoning questions. On the flip side, I approached verbal questions differently and shared some of my learnings in these communities.
Enhanced Learning Retention
Explaining concepts to others and engaging in discussions improved my learning retention. When I taught or discussed a topic with others, it helped me reinforce my understanding of the material, making it more likely to stick in my memory. I still remember some complex quantitative formulae and particularly difficult DILR sets that I had explained to others.
Motivation and Solace
There were occasions when a mock exam or a certain section in a mock was particularly difficult, and I would have a bad day when I didn’t score well. This could be disheartening when you are preparing all by yourself. However, reading through the views of other people who took the same exam and had similar feelings gave me hope. Besides, reading about the experiences of people who did well on that test gave me pointers for better preparation.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
When you study in a group, you come across people with different studying styles, thought processes, and ways of communication. Interacting with these people helps you build communication and interpersonal skills, which are integral for an MBA experience. During your MBA, you will be put into several study groups — some that you form on your own and some that are pre-decided. Having some sense of how to deal with diverse individuals is helpful in the long run.
Conclusion
Peer learning is a beneficial concept, and if you happen to be studying alone, you can explore some of these online communities. However, everyone has different ways of studying, so it is essential to find out what works for you and how you can derive the maximum benefit from these online resources. Make sure to be aware of when you are wasting time and when you are using it efficiently. Good luck with your preparation. You can follow me on LinkedIn and on Medium to get more content like this. Feel free to contact me on LinkedIn if you have questions about CAT preparation.
Upcoming — QA Prep Journey, 26th May 2023
