You’ve spent months, even years preparing for this day. All the midnight oil you have burned and all the days you decided not to hang out with friends comes down to these few hours and how you perform on D-Day. After the hard work you’ve put in and the mocks you’ve attended, you must have certainly developed a strategy for the exam that works for you. However, there’s more to excelling in CAT than just doing the exam well! Here’s a short checklist of items you mustn’t leave home without in order to ensure your exam goes swimmingly smooth:
Formula sheet: Sometimes that one last look at an obscure formula is all that’s needed to crack a tough problem. Don’t forget to create a neat and comprehensive sheet of all the formulae you have come across during your preparation and carry it with you the day of the exam. In an exam where time is of the essence, it is crucial that you are able to correctly identify and apply the smartest way to solve a sum. Hence, make that formula sheet now and remember to go over it the morning of the exam.
Comfortable clothes: Exam centres for CAT usually have very strict guidelines with respect to jewellery, accessories such as watches, and even footwear (some centres require you to take them off at the entrance). Make sure you check up on all the guidelines to avoid any hassles on the day of the exam and slip into your comfiest pair of jeans or tracks as you prepare to give the exam.
Meals: Often foregone for the sake of 10 more minutes in bed, breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day and especially so on the day of the CAT. It doesn’t have to be too fancy, even a few fruits to get your body well-oiled for the gruelling 3 hours that lie ahead. If you know you’re going to be rushing in the morning or afternoon, purchase a bar of chocolate to munch on your way to the centre.
Check the exam centre: One key thing that you must take care of before D-Day is figuring out where exactly your exam centre is and how to get there. Save yourself the trouble of trying to figure out logistics on the day itself and plan it out in advance, whether you’re giving the exam in your home city or not. For example, if you’re planning to drive, do check if there’s parking space available. If possible, go to the location a little early and familiarise yourself with where the bags will be kept or where the washrooms are to help yourself slip into a more collected and confident state of mind right before CAT.
Calm mind: Last but not least, make sure the one thing that you take along with you to give your CAT is a calm and cool state of mind. Leave behind the stress and concentrate on the strategy you had prepared for yourself. All the mocks you have taken have prepared you for the D-Day and in all likelihood, you’ve already practised most types of questions that the exam will throw at you. So remember to get a good night’s sleep the night before, play your favourite song first thing in the morning and head to your exam centre with a calm mind.