The Common Admission Test (CAT) is conducted by the IIMCAT for admission to the IIMs and other highly reputed B-schools in India. It is conducted as a computer-based test by one of the IIMs on behalf of IIMCAT, on a rotational basis. This year CAT exam will be conducted by
IIM Kozikhode on November 24, 2019.
How to Prepare for CAT?
A four step strategy would help you knock the competition and grab a seat in IIM.
- Plan a smart strategy
- Sharpen basic concepts
- Practice to succeed
- Take mock tests
This is the simplest strategy to crack CAT, we will elaborate on the strategy in our next article. Stay tuned!
Reading Newspaper for CAT
You can’t ignore the importance of the newspaper if you are preparing for competitive exams. GK is a part of every exam, and you cannot nail it without the help of the newspaper. The editorials and opinions are of great help in cracking group discussion, also they help score well in descriptive test. News you read to add to your GK and the habit of reading newspaper improves your vocabulary too. In a competitive exam like CAT, both the knowledge and vocabulary play an important role in determining success.
When you read a newspaper for CAT preparation, then making the right choice is of utmost value. In today’s article, we will discuss the best newspaper for CAT preparation. We will also mention the right method of reading a newspaper and how it will help improve your score in CAT.
Newspaper for CAT Preparation
As we mentioned above the informative reading never go in vain so reading newspaper is a must for all but here we are specifically focusing on the Common Admission Test (CAT) aspirants. We will start this article with a small description of why newspaper reading is important, followed by mentioning the best newspapers for your use.
· Is Newspaper Reading Important for CAT Aspirants?
India has the second-largest newspaper market in the world. So now you can understand how many options you have to choose from. Most of the newspapers have the same news, so why to make a choice out of them? And now when every news is available over the internet and we also have 24*7 news channels, then why reading newspapers still a matter of concern?
Read on to know the answers to the above questions.
By reading a newspaper we not just get information about all the happenings around the world but it also brings to our knowledge views of many scholars on different matters. This is why CAT aspirants are always suggested to read the editorial page of newspapers.
Now, the other thing is that newspaper reading is one of the traditional advice we get from our parents and many of us are still a newspaper lover. As a CAT exam aspirant, you should not bypass reading newspaper rules if you want to taste the success.
If you are very tech-savvy, then a wise suggestion for you is to read the editorial and other important news on the newspaper’s website instead but do not replace it with news channels. Why do we say not to replace e-newspaper with news channels? Because we want to emphasis on reading. And there is a big difference between reading and listening that we might cover in another article.
· Ideal Newspaper for CAT Preparation
One of the most asked questions by CAT aspirants is which newspaper to follow for CAT preparation. The answer is, The Hindu or Indian Express could be your preferences for general read, but since CAT is focused on vocabulary and English, we would suggest you to read Business Standard, and The Economic Times along with this.
Here we have named a few newspapers that will help you in improving your CAT preparation;
For National and International News
1. The Hindu
The Hindu is the first choice of most of the competitive exam aspirants. The best thing about this newspaper is, it has unbiased news and on its editorial page, you can get some best articles on the social issues. And this is surely a good option for CAT aspirants too. I would suggest you to read the political and international affairs, as they cover it remarkably.
Reading The Hindu can enrich your vocabulary, but you need to read it from that point of view. In this newspaper, you will see some words from traditional English and many words from modern English. If we talk about a rich English vocabulary then the first name comes in our mind is of Shashi Tharoor and on the e-version of The Hindu, you will find a number of articles by Shashi Tharoor.
Also, the Daily Crossword section of the newspaper would be of help.
2. Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is another good choice for general reading to keep yourself updated on the national and international issues. The newspaper covers Assembly Elections in the most understandable way, and I hope same standard is being maintained by them till now. I would say this could be an option, but always prefer ‘The Hindu’ and ‘Indian Express’ over it, if you are a CAT aspirants.
3. Indian Express
Coming to Indian Express, this should definitely be on your table every day. The editorial page of this newspaper is very impressive. Reading the editorial section gives you a bigger perspective and a different view.
Like I said, the editorial section help you in a good way in group discussion that are an important part of CAT.
You can choose one of the aforementioned newspapers for general reading. Now coming to financial news based newspapers.
For Economic and Financial News
1. The Economic Times
2. Business Standard
3. Financial Express
The Economic Times is a great source of business and economic news. Not just this but it also helps you acquire an economic perspective on the current issues. Reading it daily is not essential, but not less then twice a week. The other similar level newspapers are Financial Express and Business Standard that help you frame your opinion on financial and business issues.
When we are talking about economic and political knowledge, I shouldn’t be missing the name of Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar, his blog is economic and political knowledge hub.
· Reading Newspaper for Vocabulary
Vocabulary plays a vital role for CAT aspirants and mugging up the words will not help you much. English is an alien language for us and it’s not easy to have a strong vocabulary until you have a reading habits or are a bookworm. Reading newspaper daily is like killing two birds with a stone. When you read a newspaper, you get the knowledge and in turn your vocabulary gets better.
You can also take help from the blog on the international newspaper’s site. Blog of ‘The Guardian’ and ‘The New York Times’ are the other options that you can choose to enhance your vocabulary and knowledge.
But this will only work if you dig your eyes into the newspaper or other sources for new words, and do not skip even a word without knowing the meaning of it. Like half knowledge is dangerous, half reading is dangerous too, if you are skipping the words you don’t understand, you probably understand half news. So, keep a dictionary close to you and look for every word that you find new.
Summing it Up
In this article, we have tried easing your difficulty in choosing the best newspaper for CAT preparation. Remember when you read the newspaper, you have to skip many sections that are out of your context. News from the entertainment industry, state-level or local news will be a time-waster, so read wisely. Your focus should be on editorial, international, and economic news.
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