Anyone here who prepared for CAT and GMAT together? I’m planning to give GMAT in September and CAT in November, please share your strategy or routine?

Question

I’m targeting GMAT in September and CAT in November, and I’m trying to build a combined prep strategy.  So far, I’ve finished the GMAT Quant syllabus and have just started Verbal, but haven’t touched CAT-specific topics yet.  If you’ve prepared for both exams in the same year, how did you balance the sections, mocks, and time?
 Did you study both in parallel or focus on GMAT first and then shift to CAT?  Also, how different were your prep strategies for Quant and Verbal in both exams?

T Ronak · Accepted Answer

If the GMAT is scheduled for September and CAT in November, the best approach is to go GMAT-first and then shift fully to CAT after the test. Trying to study for both in parallel can get messy because the verbal sections especially have zero overlap.
Since GMAT Quant is done, the next 4&ndash;6 weeks should be focused only on GMAT Verbal , especially RC and CR. CAT Verbal has para jumbles, summaries, and TITA questions that don&rsquo;t appear on GMAT, so it makes sense to leave them for October-November.
For Quant, no need to start over. GMAT Quant is narrower but cleaner, while CAT has more variety and tricky framing. Just revisit CAT-level topics like geometry, functions, and number systems after GMAT is done.
Mocks should be separate from the start. Take 1 GMAT mock every 10&ndash;12 days till the test, and then switch fully to CAT mocks post-GMAT. The formats and pacing are too different to mix them up.

Shruti T · Answer

Yes, it&rsquo;s possible to prepare for both ,  but only if there&rsquo;s a clean break between phases. Here's what worked:
&bull; GMAT till September &mdash; dedicated the first half entirely to GMAT Verbal (CR and RC). Did 2&ndash;3 verbal drills per day + one mock every weekend. &bull; Quant strategy &mdash; GMAT prep gave a solid base, but CAT needs more work in geometry, number theory, and time-speed-distance. Revisited those after GMAT was done. &bull; Verbal split &mdash; GMAT Verbal is logic-heavy with structured options. CAT Verbal is vaguer and has TITA questions. Separate practice was essential &mdash; especially for para jumbles and summary questions.
 &bull; Mocks &mdash; Never mixed them. Took GMAT mocks on Sundays until September.