It is that time of the year again. The most dreaded and the most important entrance is just a few days away. We have all been there. Those days were an experience of a lifetime. That is why we thought that it would be the right time for us to help the aspirants with some tips on how to tackle these stressful days with a special focus on the last day. We understand that this will turn out to be an important time of your MBA journey and you would probably want to make the most of it. But it is also important to enter that hall with the right frame of mind.
We tried to reach out to students from the current PGP batch of IIM Rohtak to get an insight into their thought process and how they tackled those days. We have zeroed in on some effective strategies that would help you manage the stress. It is obvious that you have prepared for almost a year now and want to make the most of the last few days, taking as many mocks as you can. But, that might not be the right thing to do at this point. The right thing will be to give yourself some breathing space. You should be focussing more on revising the concepts. You can choose each section and each type of question from the notes you have prepared over the year and focus on your strengths.
It is also important to rest in these last few days, especially on Day minus 1. For some people, a final mock have worked but for most disengaging from the process was more important. It is important to freshen up and have a good amount of sleep. You might try depriving yourself of some sleep on Day minus two so that you get a good 7 to 8 hours of sleep on the last night. Keep yourself hydrated. If you are going for the morning slot, you might consider arranging some breakfast the night before. Plan your journey well and don’t be late for the exam. Keep your alarms handy and ask friends/family to check on you early in the morning. You don’t want to add to the stress by being late for the most important exam for your professional ambitions.
One more advice from us will be to prepare for surprises. CAT is famous for those. You might find a completely different pattern in the paper, and a section that you thought would be easy might turn out to be the most difficult and vice versa. We know that each one of us has sections in which we are good at and want to score the most in. It is important to remember that you will be judged relatively and you don’t have to score 90 percent to be in the game. A 30 percent score in a difficult section will be enough to get a great percentile. Try to look for those easy questions; there will always be some. We are sure that the mocks you might have taken over the year had taught you the same, and you are probably adept at choosing the questions by now.
Finally, CAT is just another exam, and it neither is the first exam of your life nor the last. Your life doesn’t depend on these 3 hours. Trust yourself and treat it like just another exam.it is important to remember that CAT is only a part of the story. You will have to put in much more efforts to get into a good business school after CAT. We will continue to help you in this journey with our experiences and guidance to get into the business school of your dreams. All the Best, see you on the other side.