Have you once lost the battle or maybe twice? Are you tired of preparing and writing CAT and similar exams again? Are you afraid of failing again? If yes, then stop dreaming about getting into a premier b-school. For, a b-school is for tough guys and not for chicken-hearted gentlemen.
MBA exams are a fortnightly affair from now. Along with the large chunk of first-time CAT takers, there would be a fine proportion of second-time or maybe third-time takers and this piece of mine are to the aspirants belonging to the latter chunk.
Guys, you already do have the first-mover advantage. You have already attempted and experienced the CAT and alike exams once. It’s okay that you couldn’t make it to a b-school. It’s completely okay that you failed. There may be certain things that didn’t work out as you planned them to be. Some strategies didn’t work out as and how you may have thought them to be. Few concepts slipped of mind. And most important yet least importantly, luck turned luckless on the d-day. But don’t worry, luck is ungovernable and so, it should not be counted in the success or failure of a person.
Thus, our focus should be on the elements which are in one’s hand. I won’t be giving you tips on how to prepare for Quant or how to tackle DI/LR or Verbal strategies – you are already strong in all these. Mine will be a simple address to you for what should be your attitude towards the exams. As, more than the technical knowledge, it is the
right attitude that helps in acing these exams.
With right attitude comes healthy thoughts and opinions, positive perspectives and beliefs, and optimistic predispositions towards any situation. No matter, if you have failed in past, what really matters now is – what different you’re planning to do this time and how you’re planning to execute the ‘what’. Another foremost aspect is, how you overcome your pre-exams apprehensions, and how to leverage your first experience this time.
Nobody likes failures in life. But let me tell you one thing, thinking of failure per se is a failure. If you have these pre-exam failure thoughts, then let me compel you to think in a different way. Think of the
time you’ve invested in preparing, the
resources (specifically - money) you’ve consumed while preparing and most importantly, the
energy you’ve exhausted. You could have used all of the three ingredients in any other life recipe. But you voluntarily chose to dive into the MBA world and at the eleventh hour, you can’t afford to let your fears and nervousness bless you with failures again, like last year. This moment is to prepare and not despair. Instead of getting slaughtered by your only fears, collate all your strengths and get up to get the job done.
Thinking about failing again will take you nowhere but thinking about excelling will definitely help you land at a safer place than the one you’re at now. Like they say, “Aim for the moon and you would definitely land up at least somewhere amongst the stars”.
And even after this, if you cannot overcome your fears, then it is my kind request to you to please
give up right away. Because as harsh as it may seem to be, but the truth is that you’re meaninglessly squandering the time, energy and resources – all of which you can use at some other productive place. And believe me, it’s better and wise to invest in a place which gives you a return rather than in a place where you’re enveloped by disquiets – which gives you nothing.
Putting an end to my words, one last thing I would put here is -
Apprehensions are temporary, but Accomplishments are permanent – choose wisely, what you want.