Milestone 3 · Preparation Plan
Test Strategy — your written plan before mock season gets loud.
How you’ll attempt the paper — section order, timing, and cut-offs — turned into a written plan before mock season gets loud.
Chapter one · the ladder
The testing ladder, one topic to the full exam.
Every level of testing IMS gives you, in order, from a single topic to a real CAT paper.
Every rung on the ladder is free for enrolled students, lives on myIMS, and opens with the BMT.
Want to see the full ladder?
| Rung | Count | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| BMT | per topic | Closes each topic at 75%+ — foundation checkpoint |
| Module Tests | each module’s end | Whole-module check before moving on |
| Sectional Tests | 30 | Single-section tests, unique to IMS |
| Pre-SimCATs | 3 | First full mocks — ease into length/pacing, from Module 1 |
| Proctored SimCATs | 20 | Fixed national windows, true All-India Rank, fortnightly → weekly |
| Take-Home SimCATs | 20 | Same papers, self-paced — never lose a mock |
| ADMAT Mocks | 104 | NMAT/XAT/SNAP/CMAT/MICAT/IIFT etc., from Aug 15, need-basis |
| Real CAT Papers | 19 | Actual past papers, oldest first — final dress rehearsals, Oct–Nov |
Chapter two · percentile
What your score maps to, by percentile band.
A compass, not a guarantee — but useful to know which line applies to you.
Want the recent-CAT percentile reference?
| Percentile | VARC | LRDI | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.95 | 50 | 45 | 12 | 3 |
| 99.5 | 44 | 41 | 36 | 104 |
| 99 | 40 | 37 | 33 | 96 |
| 97 | 33 | 30 | 25 | 79 |
| 95 | 30 | 27 | 22 | 70 |
| 90 | 24 | 22 | 17 | 58 |
| 85 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 50 |
| 80 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 44 |
| 75 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 38 |
Category-wise, an old-6 IIM call needs roughly: General ~90 overall, EWS ~65, NC-OBC ~56, SC/ST ~45.
Know which line applies to you before you panic (or relax) about a mock score.
Chapter three · marks
Where the marks come from.
The exact breakdown behind each section, and what it means for where you spend effort.
Want the section-wise marks breakdown?
| Section | Breakdown |
|---|---|
| VARC | RC 16 · Sentence Completion 3 · Para Jumbles 2 · Para Summary 3 |
| QA | Arithmetic 8 · Algebra 9 · Geometry 3 · Modern Math 1 · Numbers 1 |
| LRDI | Arrangements+Conditionality+Grouping · Grids+QBR · Games/Tournaments+Networking · Pure DI · Venn Diagrams |
QA: Arithmetic + Algebra is a must, depth beats breadth. LRDI is the real make-or-break in two hours — one set at a time, pick the right one first. VARC: RC command non-negotiable + one VA type you’re 90% sure of.
Chapter four · attempt
How to actually attempt each section.
Section-by-section tactics for the 40 minutes you actually get.
3-minute essentials
- VARC (40 min). RC first (~30 min), VA (~10 min). Prioritise by language complexity from a quick first-paragraph read. Note theme, sub-themes, author’s tone/position before questions. Be suspicious of extreme-emotion or common-sense-defying options.
- LRDI (40 min). Scan first for easiest sets — judge by type, data volume, condition type (plug-in vs deductive), question type (closed/open). Decide early when to quit a set.
- QA (40 min). Scan, then triage — skip long questions early. Reach the last question by minute 30. On TITA, know your own guess-vs-skip rule.
Chapter five · practice load
How much to practice, and when to increase it.
The daily and weekly cadence, and when it steps up.
Daily: 1 VA, 1 RC, 1 LR, 1 DI, 1 QA handout + 1 mock/week until Arithmetic+Algebra are done, then 2–3 mocks/week. Don’t write a mock unless genuinely ready that day.
Mock analysis: 30 focused minutes is enough for now — collect harder doubts for a dedicated later pass. Attend class over self-study generally, until deep in revision territory. CAT vs ADMAT time conflicts — raise explicitly in session, don’t decide alone.
Chapter six · AI tool
Revise with AI.
What it does, and where it does and doesn’t apply.
Reads what you got wrong, generates fresh questions at rising difficulty until the gap closes. Use same-day.
Works on: Class & Practice Exercises, BMTs, Proctored SimCATs (QA & DILR, post-review). Not on: Take-Home SimCATs — use AI Performance Insights there instead.
Before you go
What you now know.
What you now know
- The ladder runs BMT → Module Test → Sectional → Pre-SimCAT → Proctored/Take-Home SimCAT → ADMAT → real CAT papers, each free and opened by the BMT.
- Know your category’s cutoff line before reading a mock score as good or bad.
- Section-specific attempt strategy (VARC/LRDI/QA) should be locked into a written plan before mocks ramp up — that plan is this session’s deliverable.
Common questions
FAQs
How is a Sectional Test different from a BMT?
BMT closes one topic; Sectional Test checks a whole section once several topics are behind you — 30 of them, unique to IMS.
Proctored vs Take-Home SimCAT?
Proctored = fixed windows + real All-India Rank. Miss it, it opens Take-Home instead — you never lose a mock, it just won’t carry an AIR.
When do ADMAT mocks start, and do I write all 104?
Open Aug 15, need/want basis — you pick a portfolio, mentor finalises Aug–Sep.
My score isn’t matching the table above — wrong?
No — that’s one year’s reference, a compass not a guarantee. Your own SimCAT percentiles on myIMS are the real read.
Should I stop attending live classes once confident in a topic?
Generally no — most students solve more in class. The trade-off shifts once deep in revision-only territory.
Ready to work this into your own plan?
A mentor session turns this milestone into dates on your own calendar. Book a demo and a counsellor will set one up.
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