Will Kunal Be Able To Bell The CAT?

Behind every successful IIM story, there are countless hours of struggle. Here, we have ANKUR PARMAR, an alumnus of IIT BHU and IIM Kozhikode share the story of ‘Kunal’, his friend who appeared for CAT last year. Will Kunal be able to bell the CAT? Read on to find out. It was 9 am in the morning and the shrill sound of the alarm clock was disturbing Kunal in his deep sleep. He kept snoozing it for 40 minutes but now he had had enough. When it ringed for the 5^th time, he clumsily pushed it off the table. The crashing sound of glass finally woke him up from his slumber. He looked at the shattered glass pieces and took a deep breath! He was again late as per his study schedule. Kunal’s work commitments had screwed his preparation timetable. Even though his company had given him the flexibility to come and go any time to complete the required hours, work was continuously increasing. His boss was a nice friendly bachelor and did not know much about his present condition (Preparing for CAT). In the informal conversations at lunch, Kunal informed him that he goes to ‘gym at night’ to shed the extra 20 kgs he had gained in the last 2 years. He seemed to understand Kunal but things were slowly going out of hand, specially in the last 1 month.

“People all over the world have problems. And as long as people have problems, the blues can never die.”

Yesterday was a long day and they both could not leave office before midnight. Exactly one week was left for the big day, the day for which all Kunal had put in hell lot of efforts and spent sleepless nights. He had planned yesterday to finish one mock before sleeping. He could not. He was depressed that he was wasting his time in slogging at work. CAT 2017 was just one week away and he had appeared for only 14 mocks till date with 5 sectionals in each of VARC/LRDI. What about Quant??  He was an engineer, cmon.  He blamed his job for not being able to start early. He tried to remove time whenever possible, but it was getting tough. The height of his preparation was extending office lunch time to solve CAT question sets!! Desperate times called for desperate measures!

“When things are a disappointment, try not to be so discouraged.”

Just as he was about to get up, he got a Whatsapp notification. His friend had sent this quote -

“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.”

By Carol Burnett

 

  This seemed to have struck a chord with him. Suddenly, he felt a bit motivated. He remembered his JEE experience when he was in a similar situation. He had managed college and JEE that time, why could he not do the same this time too! He asked himself, “Am I still that good?” Would I clear this also in the first attempt? His eyes glimmered with new hope. Yes...!  He had the potential to turn the things around. He was a fighter with a never give up attitude. He told himself that he just needs to focus and believe in himself. He brushed quickly and after a healthy breakfast sat again to write the mock he had planned to give yesterday. He was not going to give in so easily.

“Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that's very important for good health.”

For the next 7 days, he kept himself positive, giving his best. On the big day, he was up at 6:10 am, 50 minutes before the alarm time. Screw you alarm clock!! He had had a nice sleep of 9 hours that night. He went for a jog and got ready. He reached his venue on time, listening to his favourite music throughout the way. Each passing minute was making him more confident in his abilities. How was the paper? Well, all went well. Obviously, it was tricky but he handled it calmly. He kept on taking sips of water in between to keep himself hydrated & cool. Once done, he went home with a wide smile on his face. He had done it :D Hell Yeah, he was excited. This evening he could finally be free from the pressure and go out with his girlfriend.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

Verdict - Kunal Converted 3 of Top 5 IIMs :)  Learning – When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Don’t give up. Keep striving hard. All the best for CAT 2018 Hope your story is the same as Kunal’s …!