What a CAT study tracker should answer
The tracker is valuable when it can answer four questions quickly: what you studied, how consistently you studied, which section is being neglected, and which topics need the next round of practice. If a field does not improve one of those decisions, it is probably optional.
- How many separate days did you study this week?
- How was time divided across QA, VARC, and DILR?
- Which topic moved from learning to practice or strong?
- Which topic has low accuracy or has not been revisited recently?
- Did the daily plan lead to a completed session?
The minimum useful session log
A session entry needs a date, duration, CAT section, and—when relevant—a topic. Add the number of questions only when it is known and meaningful. Separating self-study from a class can also help distinguish active practice from scheduled instruction.
Date and duration
Shows study frequency and the realistic amount of time available each week.
Section and topic
Reveals imbalance across QA, VARC, and DILR and connects daily work to the syllabus.
Questions attempted
Useful for practice sessions, but not a substitute for accuracy or review quality.
Topic status
Use a small set of states such as learning, practising, strong, and revise.
How to review the tracker each week
- Start with consistency. Count active study days before total hours. A repeatable schedule is easier to improve than one unusually long session.
- Check section balance. Compare QA, VARC, and DILR time with your current priorities rather than forcing an equal split.
- Inspect topic movement. Identify topics that remained in the same status despite repeated sessions.
- Choose one correction. Add a neglected section, revise a weak topic, or reduce a daily target that repeatedly goes unfinished.
The review should take a few minutes. If maintaining the tracker takes longer than understanding the week, remove fields or reduce logging detail.
What not to optimise
Total hours alone can reward passive study. Streaks can support consistency, but they do not prove topic mastery. Question counts can rise while accuracy or review quality remains unchanged. Use these numbers as prompts for investigation rather than final scores.
My CAT Prep keeps study data in the browser and derives weekly patterns from the sessions and topic states you record. You can start with a small daily target and make the tracker more detailed only when the extra information changes a decision.