The CAT 2019 timer is ticking. Only 15 days to go. You’re probably somewhere between anxious, stressed out, and feeling anticipatory. All that hard work. All those hours of giving up living your life, choosing CAT prep over TV, Netflix and friends. All Those sacrifices you made so that you’d crack the CAT and get into a good b-school are on the verge of ending. You’ll soon write CAT and hopefully get shortlisted for your dream b-school. While you’re brushing up on concepts, cramming in stuff you don’t know and generally revising, don’t forget to take some time to just breathe and just be. In fact, there’s a list of hygiene things you must do in order to crack the CAT. An Essential CAT Checklist. How many of these are you following?
It is important not to lose focus and stay motivated so that you can deliver your best on D-day. Which is why we created this checklist of 10 things you must do during these 15 days.
Before you check them out below, check out this section-wise breakup of how to prepare for the CAT in this last mile.
And now onto the checklist we mentioned:
Focus On Your Strengths:
Keep in mind that you cannot study all the syllabus in this short time. This means it's smarter to not spend your time learning new concepts. Rather, it's smarter to revise concepts and theories you already know really well. K
eep in mind that one of the best CAT strategies is just sharpening and focusing on your strengths. This means instead of fretting over new topics, it’s time to just revise what you already know.
Take As Many Mocks As You Can:
In these 15 days, you have to put in four to six hours of work on resolving as many mocks as you can. This ensures that you get into a rhythm for the exam. Push yourself to attempt more in the mocks and probably in the CAT exam; do not attempt blindly!
Fine Tune Your Test Taking Strategy:
Cracking the CAT is all about identifying the right strategy. The trick is in identifying questions which would be less time consuming. If you practice mocks regularly, you'll build an ability to identify how tough a question may be. You will also be able to recognise if a question looks simple, but requires lots of calculation to arrive at an answer. Your strategy can then revolve around answering the "easy" questions in each section first. This will essentially help you figure out how many questions per section you MUST attempt and therefore how you can score a strong percentile.
Stay Motivated & Fit:
Keep reading newspapers, especially the editorial columns. Work on your preparation, but don't forget to take care of yourself too. Stay in a positive frame of mind. Don't obsess over things that haven't happened yet.
Relieve Stress:
Play sports, listen to music, take a chill pill. Basically, take some time off studying and just relax.
To conclude, stay hydrated, stay healthy and stay focused. Get proper sleep. Eat well. Visit the CAT center before D-Day to figure out how much time it will take you. No matter what happens and how it goes, if you've given your best, that's all you can do. Best of luck!
Bonus Reads:
Unlike a degree exam where you cram up quite a lot of things to deliver on the D-Day, CAT is a complete antithesis to such exams. The prep you have done for the past months will come to fruition rather than what one does in the last few days. To ensure that you are well prepared and do your best in CAT 2019, we have this webinar recording for you. Check it out to figure what your CAT strategy should be at this juncture, in this last lap of your CAT 2019 prep.