“Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own.” -Harold Coffin
The biggest form of peer pressure as a kid wasn’t drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. It came during exams when it was completely silent and you heard everyone turn to page 2 while you were still on the first question. We are always being taught to be better than everyone else and this gives rise to a strong emotion of Envy. And with an exam nonetheless which rates you how you perform when compared to others is a further add on. With every mock scores, we begin to not only understand our standing among our peers, but we also judge ourselves on the basis of it. Success stories are like pen clicks, you hate them unless you are the one making them.
While it’s certainly inevitable to compare ourselves, it is important to note that there are other people who are better than us or more gifted. We tend to believe in the notion that I am working hard yet not seeing results. Maybe we are oblivious that someone may be working harder than us.
It is also to note that not all of us have the same aspirations when it comes to our choices and inclination towards a B school. By now we must have given a lot of mocks and tests to know how are we faring. While it is true that what would matter is our final performance on the D-Day, it is preferred to have a realistic view point and capitalise on our strengths in the final few days that we have left.
2. Paranoia:
We all will agree that 2020 has been terrible for most of us. And what did we do to have it pan out this way? We threw it a nice party on its birthday, made resolutions though we didn’t stick to them, but by now it must be used to it, and in return, it’s been like being in a video game where you can hear the combat music playing but can’t spot any enemies.
At this stage last year, questions like “what is the meaning of it all?”, “Why am I doing this?”, and “does any of it make sense?” was a bit of a morning routine for some of my friends. I believe at this juncture all we are looking for are little victories to celebrate. Here’s what are my suggestions based on your mock percentiles:
Less than 70: There might be a high degree of uncertainty and doubt in your minds knowing time is running short and your scores are not at par with your expectations. Regardless, there is always enough time. Start by analysing all the mocks you have given so far thoroughly, revising any and every concept you believe you have difficulty in. Solve the same mocks again without any time pressure and test whether you are able to retain the understanding.
Between 70 and 85: Scoring in this range you need to understand what is inhibiting you from going further. If it’s silly mistakes, utilise more time and work on accuracy. If it’s because there is a certain concept you have left, now is the time to have a look at it. CAT is known for its unpredictability and there is always a chance of an easy question from a difficult topic or a difficult topic from an easy section.
Between 85 and 95: Most often the struggle in this range lies with accuracy or a lower number of attempts altogether with high accuracy. Try to give sectional tests and gradually increase your attempts while maintaining accuracy.
95+: If there is one lesson from CAT Prep that will be applicable throughout your life it is this — your strengths will only take you to a certain point after which it's your zeal that will guide you. This loosely translates to transforming into a person able to handle stuff which you currently can’t. Make the most of the time that is remaining by revising and going through mistakes in the previous mocks, try giving back to back mocks to test your mental resilience, don’t cut back on efforts or become complacent.
3. Boredom and Procrastination:
In some sort of response to escape the existential crisis when our scores are not improving, we subconsciously start looking for other things to do. Before we know it, we wake up in a confused state after spending four hours binge-watching, scrolling through cat gifs, Instagram, or practising GD on Twitter. The current pandemic has only exacerbated this behaviour.
While I have never encouraged the policy of giving up all indulgences such as social media or mobile phone to focus solely on preparation, it is important to limit the usage. There is only so much of guilt trip we are equipped to handle on a daily basis and repeatedly doing the same errors will only make us more accommodating of it.
Here are a few suggestions to deal with it:
- Select a limited number of topics to cover. Being able to achieve the set target will reinforce your beliefs and will help you be more focused.
- Rather than investing time on futile activities, try to involve yourself in rather productive activities. Go to gym, play any sport, talk to your friends or if you love musical instruments like me, devote a part of your time to it.
- Make a schedule in line with your D-day. Practice giving mocks at the same time and plan your other activities accordingly.
- If you are a part of any discussion group or forum, help your peers. I strongly believe helping someone in any form is a great way to deal with any issue you might be struggling with. Help your friends with any questions or concepts they may be having difficulty with.
Hope this article helps you in alleviating any doubts that you may be having with regard to your abilities. All the best!
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