Key takeaways
- Review a mock for as long as you spent taking it, ideally using a fixed routine.
- Track attempts, accuracy and time for each section, not only the total score.
- Classify every mistake as concept, calculation, interpretation or time.
- End each review with three specific actions for the next week.
Taking mock after mock without reviewing them feels like progress, but it often just repeats the same mistakes at a higher cost. The score on a mock is the least informative thing about it. What matters is what you do in the 90 minutes afterwards.
Minutes 0 to 15: Record the numbers
For each section, write down the number of questions you attempted, how many were correct and how long you spent. Add the sectional score. Do this in a simple sheet, one row per mock, so that you can see trends over weeks.
| Section | Attempted | Correct | Accuracy | Time on hard questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARC | ||||
| DILR | ||||
| QA |
Minutes 15 to 30: Read the pattern in the numbers
- Low attempts, high accuracy usually means you are too cautious or slow. Practise speed on easy questions.
- High attempts, low accuracy means too many guesses or careless errors. Raise your selection standard.
- Uneven accuracy across sections points to one section deserving most of next week's time.
Minutes 30 to 70: Review every wrong and guessed question
Go through each question you got wrong and each one you guessed correctly. For each, write one line: what the question tested and why you missed it. Then label the cause:
- Concept: you did not know the idea. Relearn it.
- Calculation: you knew it but slipped. Practise careful arithmetic.
- Interpretation: you misread the question or the data. Slow down on the first read.
- Time: you could have solved it but ran out of time. Work on selection and skipping.
Do not look only at the solution. Try the question again from scratch first, then compare your path with the explanation.
Minutes 70 to 85: Look at what you skipped
Scan the questions you left unattempted. Were any of them easy enough that you should have taken them? If so, the problem is selection, not knowledge. This is where marks are quietly lost in every section.
Minutes 85 to 90: Write three actions
End the review with three specific actions for the coming week, for example: "Redo ten time and work questions", "Do two DILR sets with a strict ten minute limit", "Read two editorials and summarise each paragraph." Without actions, the analysis is just information.
How often should you take mocks?
In the early months, one full mock a week is enough because the review takes as long as the test. In the last 60 days, two to three a week is common, with sectional tests in between. Practise the exact structure with our free full-length CAT mock, which shows a section-wise score after you finish. For the full plan around it, see how to prepare for CAT 2026.