Lo and behold the CAT season, slowly but surely creeping up on us yet again. By now I'm sure all aspirants might already be preparing rigorously, much like I was this time last year. I remember organizing numerous study sessions with my friends and fellow aspirants and really giving it our all. We prepared for almost all competitive exams, be it, CAT, SNAP, IIFT, XAT, NMAT, MICAT, and others. The mantra we followed for the more the better. However, keep in mind, not every exam is everyone's forte. For example, the NMAT exam format was more suited to my expertise whereas my friend excelled at CAT. Preparing for such exams is highly subjective to your owns strengths and the exam paper pattern and style. I for one was already strong in the VARC section whereas others were good and Quantitative or LRDI. We each helped the other in our areas of strength and received help in our weak areas. While we all helped each other we had different methods of studying.
One can start studying a year in advance or start very close to the exam dates. Both have their pros and cons. If you start one year in advance, there's a good chance of forgetting what was previously learned and have to spend time on rework. However, if you start really close to the exam dates, it is really difficult and chaotic to try to cram everything in that short amount of time.
There are numerous ways of preparing for these exams. One can join coaching classes or study through online modules or just simply from books without any adult assistance. Tons of sites and platforms like InsideIIM, PagalGuy, MBAworld, and so many more help get a better understanding of MBA and B-schools in the country.
I personally prefer coaching classes, having ready assistance from my teachers was really helpful. Being in an environment, where everyone is preparing for the same thing and is on the same boat makes the journey much easier and bearable. Having all my doubts solved the moment they came up was something that online modules provide with. However, many of my batchmates did not attend any coaching classes at all. They simply studied from textbooks and got help through online modules. So no option is a bad option, it's about finding the right fit for you.
Another major preparation is appearing for mock examinations. Appearing for as many mock exams as possible. Mock exams are a great way to give us a glimpse into what we are preparing for. They are as really close to the actual examinations. And they provide a very realistic image of where we stand compared to the other aspirants. Mocks are conducted by B-schools, MBA websites, coaching centres, and even online 'Mock Exam Packages' are available for students who want to take that extra step towards their preparation.
However, what I believe to be more important than mocks, is reviewing them. There is almost no scope of improvement if one doesn't go back to check on their mistakes. It is only when we know our mistakes, that we can work upon rectifying them. So re-examining your mock papers, finding out what went wrong, evaluating which topic is your weakness and which is your strength is of utmost importance. I have found, that exchanging papers with friends and evaluating each other's papers adds more value since we are able to look at it unbiased and can really give and get constructive criticism.
However, we all know, studying and theory is just one part of cracking these exams. One must constantly be up to date with current affairs and happenings of the world. Whether you are studying or reading an article or watching the news, all these activities must contribute to your knowledge building. Have practice interviews and group discussions with your friends or mentors. Getting a real feel of that environment will help prepare for the actual day much better.
Attend webinars and seminars by industry leaders or talk to previous years' aspirants. Everyone has something to contribute and it's up to you to take that knowledge from them. Learning from these individuals and from their first-hand experience, really give a much clearer understanding of what is to come.
Keep your motivation high and don't lose hope. One cannot excel at all the exams. If one doesn't work out another will, provided you don't lose hope and keep trying. But at the same time, have realistic expectations from yourself. Setting the bar too high only sets one up for disappointment. That is not to say, we shouldn't aim high.
The main key is perseverance. Whichever method of studying works for you, be it early morning or late nights, just keep doing it. You must keep working towards your goal constantly. There is no substitute for hard work and there are no shortcuts to success.