“Most often there is no next time, no time-outs and no second chances. Most often it’s now or never!” once said, Alan Bennett. No matter how veracious and unquestionable this quote may seem but still don’t make the mistake of accepting it without a pinch of salt. Not at least in the case of an event like CAT. Yes, I might be sounding contrary to what you would have heard from a plethora of advisers out there but never make those 3 hours the typical “do or die” stuff or you’ll invite a hell lot of mental stress while solving the paper. Don’t encumber yourself with this thought and be relaxed thinking that there’s always a second chance. This is a prerequisite for all the other tips that follow in this write-up to come to fruition.
Having said what I said right now, it’s always prudent to very positively plan out things, attempt their execution with efficacy and hope for the best outcome. Keeping this in mind, here are 5 pointers that can augment your chances of not just belling but also taming the CAT:
1. Embrace mocks: Mocks can be your best buddies in the days leading up to CAT. Try to solve at least 2 full mocks everyday till CAT. Use the high-scoring sections to boost your confidence and the problem areas to rectify your mistakes and making it a point that the same fault won’t be made on the D-day. I actually could trump 2 quant questions in CAT 2015 owing to the fact that I had learnt the method of solving them in one of the mocks’ solution merely 3 days before CAT.
2. Abstain from taking up an entirely unread topic now! Putting in efforts to learn an altogether new topic at this stage won’t be your cleverest move. Trust me; it’ll add little value but possibly, a lot of stress. Let bygones be bygones and instead channel all your energy and efforts towards revising key mathematical formulas, vocabulary words and grammar rules.
3. Don’t get swayed by an abrupt outcome of any mock CAT: There’s a possibility that you might end up scoring abysmally low in the last of the mock CATs with reference to your average performance in the mock CATs till date but don’t judge or gauge your preparedness by this one, shocker. I had scored just 76 percentile in my very last AIMCAT opposed to my personal average of roundabout 95 percentile across 20 AIMCATs. However, forgetting this uncalled for the result for once and for all prevented me from losing my confidence and eventually scoring 99+ in the actual exam.
4. Eleventh-hour preparation isn’t bounded to just studying: When I say this, I mean that how you study and when you study is as pivotal as what you study and how much you study in the remaining few days. Talking in clearer terms, ensure that you give the 3-hour mocks exactly during the hours which match with your D-day time slot. For instance, if the time slot of your CAT exam is 2 PM to 5 PM then, eschew sleeping, eating or engaging in any other activities but attempting a mock during these 3 hours till CAT. This will essentially form a physiological pattern and tune your body and brain to perform in the desired way between 2 PM and 5 PM.
5. How to handle those 3 dreaded hours? It is not rocket science! Keep it plain and simple and take the test as if it’s just another test for you. The overarching label of CAT 2016 on that particular test shouldn’t bother you, the merit of the questions and your approach of handling them should! Adopt the piece-meal approach by concentrating solely on what’s at hand, not on what’s gone and what may stand ahead. I love the fact that you have been a Quant Pro since time immemorial but don’t keep scrambling with that one question for minutes just to tame your ego. Keep moving ahead incessantly. Same goes for the other 2 sections.
Taking note of the extreme paucity of time that you might be facing at this moment, I’ll rather prune my endnote to this: All the best! Time to bell the CAT.
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About the Author:
Abhinav Bansal, a PGP 1 student from IIM Indore