How to Use Your CAT Rough Sheet Effectively: Key Mistakes to Avoid and Tips to Follow

Overview: How to use your CAT rough sheet effectively on the exam Day? Read on to know the key mistakes and expert tips to boost your percentile!

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a high-stakes exam. Many students plan their mock strategies, time management, and even how many questions to attempt. But one crucial area often gets overlooked: how to use the rough sheet effectively.

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• Your CAT rough sheet can make or break your performance in CAT 2025, especially in Quant & DILR.
• Most aspirants don’t know how to properly use the rough sheet on D-Day — which leads to panic, clutter, slow calculations, and wrong answers
• Understanding how to manage your rough sheet can significantly improve your performance, especially in sections like Quantitative Aptitude (Quant) and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR).

A well-organised rough sheet leads to faster problem-solving, fewer mistakes, and a higher percentile score.

How Many Sheets You Get and How to Use Them Wisely?

• CAT provides several A8-size plain sheets (typically not lined). Buy similar notepads for mock practice and use one fresh sheet per DILR set and Quant revision list.
• Plan ahead: for 5 DILR sets, reserve 5 sheets. Avoid overwriting or using the same sheet for multiple sets/questions.
• Use the first sheet as an index/summary for all skipped questions and critical topics to maximize retrieval speed during review.

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What to Write and What Not to Write in the CAT Rough Sheet?

Knowing what to put on your rough sheet is key to keeping it clean and useful.

How to use CAT Rough Sheet For Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)?

Here are the ways to utilise the CAT exam rough sheet for VARC section:

VARC Sub-section	What to Write on the Rough Sheet	How to Use and Organise	Best Practices
Reading Comprehension	Minimal notes (only keywords if passage is dense)	Highlight text on screen using CAT interface; jot down a few keywords for dense/complex passages.	Avoid writing long summaries; mark only tricky words or critical ideas
Para Jumbles	Sentence numbers; quick numbering for testing orders	Scribble sequence possibilities (e.g., “try 2-4-1-3-5”) next to question numbers	Make minimal notes; avoid detailed explanations
Odd One Out	Note eliminated options (e.g., “Eliminate 1, 3, 5”); keywords linking ideas	Write a shortlist/reminder for the remaining choices	Keep notes brief; use only if stuck between options

Key tips to follow

• The rough sheet is usually not required for RC except for very dense passages; utilise on-screen highlighting for efficient marking.
• For Para Jumbles and Odd One Out, make minimal, quick notes — just numbering or short keywords to test/eliminate options.
• Avoid clutter, full-sentence writing, or wasting rough sheet space in VARC — reserve rough work for Quant/DILR where required.

How to use CAT Rough Sheet For Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)?

DILR sets often involve diagrams, tables, and logical connections. Neat rough work is crucial here.

Aspect	Details
Dedicated Page Per Set	Allocate one full page of the rough sheet to each DILR set you attempt. This provides enough space for diagrams, tables, and related notes.
Neatly Frame Data	Draw clear diagrams, tables, or charts for each set. Well-framed data makes solving related questions faster and less stressful.
Revisiting Sets	If you get stuck and move on, neat rough work lets you see progress. You can pick up where you left off instead of starting over. Sets that are partially completed are more likely to be completed when revisited.
Organized Work	Use symbols, short notes, and clear labelling. Divide sheets into columns or sections to keep work tidy and easy to review.
Avoid Overcrowding	Give ample space for each problem or data set to prevent confusion and mistakes during revision.

How to use CAT Rough Sheet For Quantitative Aptitude (Quant)?

Quant questions often involve calculations. Being organized is vital to avoid losing marks.

Aspect	Details
Avoid Step-by-Step Solutions	Focus on quick and precise calculations with only important intermediate results, not full detailed steps.
Quick Notes for Skipped Questions	Maintain a small table on a dedicated page noting question numbers and topics (e.g., "Q4 - TSD") for efficient last-minute review.
Calculation Accuracy	Ensure neat and accurate calculations to avoid costly single-digit errors; accuracy is critical as wrong answers deduct marks heavily.
Organized Space Allocation	Give each question its own space on the rough sheet to keep work readable and easy to verify.
Use Columns or Tables	Use columns or small tables to organize skipped questions and topics for quick navigation during revision.

How Toppers Organize Their CAT Rough Sheet Efficiently?

If you want to be the next CAT topper then you must be aware how to utilise the CAT rough sheet. We have listed the ways how toppers use the CAT exam rough sheet efficiently:

• Toppers pre-plan the sheet by reserving specific areas/pages for Quant, DILR, and RC.
• Every DILR set gets one dedicated page to keep data, diagrams, and logic separated, allowing easy review and continuation without confusion.
• For Quant, they list skipped questions and their topics at the top or margin, so they know exactly where to come back—helpful during the last-minute revision phase.
• Logical structuring: never mix calculation for different types of questions, maintain neat, sequential numbering, and leave space to complete unfinished work later.

How to Save Space & Reduce Clutter in the CAT Rough Sheet?

The CAT exam usually provides an A8 size paper, which is half the size of a standard A4 paper, as your rough sheet. They also provide a pen, not a pencil, so you cannot erase your work.

To prepare effectively, you should:

• Buy A8 Notepads: Get these small notepads from the market for your mock tests. This helps you get used to the actual exam conditions.
• Use a Pen: Always practice your rough work with a pen, just like in the exam.
• Plain Paper: Remember that the rough sheets provided are typically plain, without lines. Practice on similar plain paper.
• Avoid Random Writing: Do not write from bottom to top or in a disorganized way. Use the space neatly and logically.

Practicing this way helps you avoid panic on exam day when you encounter the smaller, plain sheets.

Why the CAT Rough Sheet Strategy Matters?

Many candidates only use their CAT rough sheet for basic calculations. However, a rough sheet can be a powerful tool to manage your time and thought process during the exam. 

CAT includes questions that you can solve quickly and others that might take more time or require revisiting.

If your rough work is messy, you will have to start over if you return to a question, wasting precious minutes.

For example, if you spend 5 to 8 extra minutes restarting a partially solved problem, and you do this for just five questions, you could lose 25 to 40 minutes.

This is a huge loss in a time-bound exam like CAT. Being neat and organized helps you pick up exactly where you left off, saving critical time and reducing stress.

Can CAT Rough Sheet Impact Your Score?

Can effective rough sheet use truly impact your CAT score? Yes, it absolutely can.

Consider a student who couldn't solve a single DILR set for the first 24 minutes of the exam.

However, because she had planned her rough sheet method and organized her work neatly, she was able to revisit a partially completed set in the last six minutes.

She solved five questions from that set, and all five were correct. This allowed her to clear the IIM cutoff with an 85 percentile and she is now studying at an IIM.

This story shows how important temperament and smart strategy are. The ability to return to a problem and quickly understand your previous work is a massive advantage.

Key Takeaways for Your CAT 2025 Preparation:

• Buy A8 notepads and practice all your mocks with them and a pen.
• Dedicate one page per DILR set for clear, organized data framing.
• Maintain a summary sheet of skipped Quant questions with their topics.
• Use the "Mark for Review" option alongside detailed notes on your rough sheet.
• Practice with an external mouse if you usually use a laptop trackpad.
• Improve your mental calculation speed to avoid over-relying on the slow on-screen calculator for basic math.

Conclusion

The CAT exam tests your knowledge, but also your ability to maintain clarity under pressure. Learning to use your rough sheet smartly is a crucial skill that many overlook.

By planning your rough work, practicing with the right tools, and organizing your notes, you can significantly boost your speed, accuracy, and confidence on exam day.

These small, seemingly minor details can be the difference between a good score and an outstanding one. Start incorporating these strategies into your mock tests today to build good habits before CAT 2025.