Keep Going for CAT!!

With just a few weeks remaining for your D-day, the anxiety level in you must be on an all time high considering it is the first time CAT will be conducted online. So get prepared to put your long nights and days of hard work to test. Here is a list of tasks that you should keep doing in this crucial time before CAT -

Keep motivated: You really need a high dose of motivation to perform! So start feeling good about your preparation. Think positive and keep motivating yourself. If you have done any mistakes in past, don’t demotivate yourself by thinking about the past. Just think about what you want to achieve and what future has in store for you. This will give you the required fuel to carry forward the momentum that you have build so far.

Keep practicing: There is no definite answer to how many tests should one take per week. You are the best person to identify the appropriate frequency of test taking for youself. So while somebody may be comfortable with taking a full length mock test in a week, others may be fine with three full length tests a week. Do not overstress on taking tests. However make sure that you are comfortable sitting for a 2.5 hour test with full concentration. And don’t forget, giving test is a waste of time if you don’t revise and analyse. Critically analyse your areas of strengths- the particular set of topics, which you seldom get wrong in mock tests. Also identify the areas you are not so comfortable with. Choose questions wisely.

Keep Reading: While some of you genuinely enjoy reading, a lot of us don’t like reading at all. But if you really want to crack the CAT, you need to read a lot. Pickup newspapers and popular business magzines, or for that matter anything that interests you! Read anything and everything you enjoy reading. Don’t give up on reading in any case.

Play on your strengths: Analyse on the trends and the kind of questions by going through the last few years' CAT papers. Identify the type of questions that you are good at and revise them so well that chances of making a mistake in those questions are minimised. It is suicidal to screw up in your strength areas. So just focus a lot on your strengths. Do it so thoroughly that there's no scope for error. At this stage do not worry about topics that you have not been very confident with. You really don't need to read them now. Just play on your strengths.

Be Strategic: CAT is more a test of making smart choices than that of your in-depth knowledge. So start thinking about a strategy now if you haven’t already thought of one. You should devote equal time to all sections. Don't give undue weightage to one section in terms of time. It is the most common mistake done by students who are not able to clear the cut-offs.

Relax yourself: Do not go too hard on testing yourself. Don't spend so much time studying that you cut off from the rest of the world. Stop studying late nights otherwise you will sleep off in the exam hall. Don’t feel lost in books and test papers! Sleep properly, watch movies, play sports and spend time with friends & family. Do anything and everything you like doing. This will calm your mind and provide the required positive energy. Take it as any other test of your life and you should be fine! All the Best.