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Clammy hands, butterflies in the stomach and edginess. Yes, the clock is ticking. The countdown for CAT 2013 has begun with just less than 24 hours to go for the exam which is they gateway to 13 IIMs. A major chunk of the 1.94 lakh aspirants must be facing the pre-exam jitters right now.
While CAT may be difficult, what really makes it tough is the immense competition. We got in touch with Tanima Chitranshi, Class of 2015 at IIM Lucknow to get her advice on how to beat the pre-CAT nervousness.
Tanima is one of the 4 girls who secured Rank 1 among 54,744 women who took CAT 2012. She scored an amazing 99.99 percentile. She is an avid reader and when not surrounded by books, you can find her in the tennis court.
Tanima says that, “Talk to your close friends and family but make sure that it is not about CAT. This will help you to take your mind off of the CAT stress. Don’t think about your past performance in mocks because it really does not matter. What essentially matters is how you perform in those 140 minutes. Also it does not take much to figure that you can do your best only when you keep your cool and have a calm state of mind.”
“A day before I was going to take the CAT,” she says, “I just chilled out. One can watch a movie or one’s favorite TV series. It is okay to revise important formulae but attempting any mocks at this point in time is a complete no. Reason being, if you don’t do well in the mocks then it will just increase your stress level.
Most importantly, get a good night’s sleep. You should feel fresh and alert for the exam.”
Well said Tanima, we agree. She adds, “Reach the center well before time to avoid any unnecessary stress. During the exam if you cannot solve a few questions and start feeling stressed, close your eyes and take a deep breath and then start attempting the question afresh. Just remember that you’ve already put in the hard work and effort and now it’s time to see the fruits of your labor. Just attempt CAT like you would any other mock.”
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We would like to end with the following pointers to be kept in mind a day before CAT
- There is no substitute to being calm and relaxed a day before a big exam like the CAT. Thus every waking moment you spend that day cramming, you lose out on something even most important, which is your peace of mind.
- Get everything you need during the exam in order, a day before itself.
- Try and get at least seven hours of sleep if not more.
- Just like most other exams, CAT is a ball game played on that one single slot. Now the slot can be a good one or a bad one, nevertheless, this factor is totally out of your control. So all you can do is give it your best. Hence, just relax and do as you would do in any other mock.
- In case you feel like you need a dose of motivation, you can watch inspiring videos on YouTube. For example, Harsha Bhogle’s IIM A speech.
In the end, remember that CAT gives you an opportunity; an opportunity one out of many to walk a mile further.
If this time you’re not able to step up, then look for alternatives. Just keep your options open and do not get disheartened.
Carpe diem!
as told to Shohita Choudhry
Shohita is a class of 2014 student at IIM Lucknow. Apart from being a fresher and a chemical engineer she is also a part time graphic designer and writer. Shohita was among the 5 students from a batch of 459 who interned in an HR profile and is a marketeer at heart.
Other work by Shohita on InsideIIM.com can be found here
Read everything about IIM Lucknow here
Meet 100 Percentiler Anshul Garg here
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