CAT exam rough work is an important part of the CAT examination and is indirectly linked to the performance of candidates in the CAT examination. With sections like DILR and QA included in the CAT examination, students must follow a proper strategy to overcome the limits of the CAT rough work space provided and the calculations required to solve the questions.
- VARC requires comparatively lower rough space to find answers to the questions.
- The rough space required for the DILR section depends on the type of data sets asked in the examination.
- The QA section of the CAT examination requires most of the rough sheets for calculations and solving almost every question in the rough space provided.
While appearing for the CAT 2025, students will be provided with a single rough pad of A5-sized sheets to solve the CAT question paper. The CAT rough pad typically includes 12 pages. Aspirants are advised to carefully use the CAT rough sheets provided, organize the space properly, and make efficient use of each page to avoid running out of the space provided
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Key Summary
- Students will be provided a single CAT rough pad with A5-sized pages.
- The total number of pages in the CAT rough pad is 12.
- The CAT rough space must be utilized properly by organizing the rough sheet for various sections, numbering questions, using diagrams, symbols, and notations.
- Aspirants must avoid writing untidily, going into too much detail, and skipping rough work for easy questions.
CAT Exam Rough Work- Mistakes to Avoid?
While using the CAT rough work, candidates should avoid writing untidily, detailing too much, and totally skipping the rough work.
- Writing Untidily: Candidates should use their rough work in a proper way so that the steps for each question are clear and easy to understand. Candidates must not mess up their writing on the CAT rough sheet; instead, it must be clean and organized.
- Detailing Too Much: Aspirants must not go into tiny details that a single question takes up too much space. Instead, students must use the CAT rough work only for important calculations.
- Skipping Rough Work: Skipping rough work totally for some easy questions may cause silly mistakes. Students should use rough work even for easy questions to avoid silly mistakes.
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CAT Exam Rough Work- How to Manage
Students must manage their CAT rough sheets by following the tips listed below.
- Properly organize the CAT rough sheet by allocating space for different types of questions or different sections of the CAT examination.
- Write steps briefly instead of going into detail.
- Add numbering for each question on the rough space provided to handle CAT rough work effectively.
- Aspirants must avoid overcrowding on the CAT rough sheet to avoid confusion and utilize the CAT rough sheet fully.
CAT Exam Rough Work- Section Specific Strategies
Candidates can follow the tips listed below to effectively use the CAT exam rough work space for each section.
- For Reading Comprehension, note down a key summary of the passages asked in the CAT examination to avoid looking at the screen frequently.
- For Para Jumbles in VA, write numbers for sentences and search for a possible sequence or solution.
- For DILR, write down the key data on the CAT rough space and use tables and diagrams to visualize the given data.
- Use arrows or flowcharts for blood relation questions.
- For VARC, write formulas, break down complex problems into small steps, use diagrams for geometry-based questions, and use approximation and prime factorization to simplify calculations.
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CAT Exam Rough Work- Effective Strategies
Aspirants can follow and apply the strategies listed below to utilize the CAT rough space in an efficient way.
- Use Diagrams and Tables: While solving CAT DILR data sets, students must use diagrams and tables to find solutions visually. The DILR section uses patterns in data sets, and the solution can be found by organizing the data into tables and diagrams and analyzing the pattern.
- Use Symbols/Notation: Aspirants must use symbols and notations consistently during the CAT examination to ease calculations and spot inconsistencies.
- Divide Sheet into Columns: Students must divide the CAT rough sheets into columns to avoid spreading out of work and ease revisions if required.
- Break Down Complex Problems: In case of difficult or complex problems, students must break each complex problem into small steps to find a solution. Solve each part of the complex problem on the CAT rough sheet to facilitate easier calculations.
CAT Exam Rough Work- Speed and Accuracy
Students can enhance their CAT exam rough work speed and accuracy by using the techniques below.
- Preparation Using Rough Sheets- While preparing for the CAT Examination and appearing for CAT mock tests, candidates must use similarly sized rough sheets and develop a habit of writing down key information on the rough sheets.
- Learn Shortcuts- Aspirants must learn formulas and use shortcuts to increase the speed of calculation and note down only the critical points to save time.
- Structure for Backtracking- Aspirants must use numbering or arrows for each step of calculation to easily review and correct mistakes.
- Use Symbols and Abbreviations- Using symbols and abbreviations is recommended to improve the speed of solving questions and save CAT exam rough work space.
CAT Exam Day Strategies
Students must fillow the tips listed below to boost their scores in CAT 2025.
- Begin your CAT 2025 question paper with strong areas.
- Manage your time allotted for CAT 2025 efficiently and avoid spending too much time on tough questions.
- Follow the exam day guidelines and instructions given by the invigilator during the examination.
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CAT Preparation Strategy 2025
While preparing for CAT 2025, aspirants must build a strategic study plan and follow the same regularly. Students ca check some of the tips to prepare for CAT 2025 below.
- Study Plan- Prepare a study plan by dividing preparation time equally between VARC DILR and QA sections. Each section is equally important as sectional cutoffs are also considered for CAT admission to IIMs.
- Syllabus and Exam Pattern- Understanding the CAT syllabus and exam pattern is an important part of CAT preparation, as it will help candidates understand the topics asked, the type of questions, and the time allotted for each section.
- Develop Basics- Students must develop a strong understanding of the basic concepts of the syllabus for each section of the CAT 2025.
- Books and Study Material- Aspirants must consider quality study material for CAT examination to ace the examination. Students can consider books like Quantitative Aptitude, Nishit K Sinha for LRDI, and vocabulary builders like Word Power Made Easy, etc.
- Mock Tests- Aspirants must regularly appear for CAT Mock tests to improve Time Management, speed, and accuracy.
- Revision- Each and every topic of the CAT syllabus 2025 must be revised to build confidence.
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CAT Mock Test 2025
During CAT 2025 preparation, aspirants must appear for mock tests regularly to improve time management, and increase speed and accuracy and in turn score higher in the CAT examination 2025. Candidates can check the table below for CAT mock tests.
| CAT Mock Test | Check Here |
| CAT VARC Mock Test | Check Here |
| CAT DILR Mock Test | Check Here |
| CAT QA Mock Test | Check Here |
CAT Exam Rough Work Strategies FAQs
Ques. How many rough sheets we get in the CAT exam Reddit?
Ans. While appearing for the CAT examination, students will be provided with CAT rough sheets of A5 size. The total number of sheets will be 12 (24 sides). Students must efficiently use the CAT exam rough sheets to avoid running out of space for CAT questions.
Ques. Do we get rough sheets in CAT exam?
Ans. Yes, students are provided with around 12 sheets for rough work. The CAT rough pad has a total of 24 sides. The size of the CAT rough sheets is A5. Candidates must organize their CAT rough space to make the most of it.
Ques. How to increase speed in the CAT exam?
Ans. To increase speed in the CAT examination, students must follow the strategies below.
- Practice questions and previous years’ papers regularly.
- Appear for CAT mock tests to simulate CAT examination conditions.
- Apply section section-wise strategy and focus on time management for each section.
- Solve easier questions first and do not spend a lot of time on difficult questions.
Ques. Can we do rough work in a CAT exam?
Ans. Yes, aspirants can do rough work in CAT examination. Candidates must not carry any papers or sheets for CAT rough work. However, students will be provided with CAT rough work sheets along with a pen by the conducting authority.
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