How to approach mocks while preparing for XAT exams?

Business & Management
#1

Mocks are the most integral part while preparing for any entrance exam. For an entrance test like XAT it is more important as there are some unique type of questions. A candidate should ideally take mocks and analyze them thoroughly in order to set a strategy that would help him maximize the score. Note that each student has varied strengths so it is advised to formulate your own strategy and not blindly follow strategies formed by others. Initially, a candidate can try and experiment with the order of sections. He should set them once he finds the best order for himself. It is essential to have a thorough reading of all the questions so that candidates do not miss out on easy questions. It should be also kept in mind that certain questions are designed such that it would trap the candidate and waste their time. Students should be aware and should not spend a lot of time on a question where they are stuck and should move on. After giving the mock, it is very important to analyze each and every question of mock with solutions be it right or wrong questions as this will help the candidate get an understanding of the question and how it was answered. This will also be a reminder of their weak areas and areas which they need to work upon. It is not important how many mocks one appears for but how better he analyzes the given mocks and makes sure the same mistakes are not repeated again.

#2

Maintain and excel sheet whilst taking mocks as it helps in organizing your scores and helps you make proper conclusion with a few clicks and by using a few mathematical functions. It can help you identify potential deviations and areas where you are strong and which could work out to your advantage.

More importantly, it could also help you figure out the areas where you are weaker and help you improve upon them by either reworking on those topics or taking up more mocks in those topics in case the fundamentals are alright and just exposure to more problem types is needed.

Also make a note of the time taken to complete each section and see if there is a trend or pattern emerging with the time required for each section when you take up mocks. This would give you a rough idea as to the time it would take for you to complete the section in the actual exam which includes the buffer time for each section as well.