The article focuses on What to do and What not to do on D-day and how to keep cool your mind with lots of last minute confusions.
Age of experimentation? There should be no fiddling with your Test-taking strategy at this stage. The time for Experimentation is over now. As long as you know that the strategy you are using is giving you rewards, don't change it… For example, you would know if your best bet is to scan a passage and then move onto to the questions, while another person could be more at ease scanning questions before going onto the passage. So just stick to whatever works best for you.
Gauge yourself: You should be clear by now, which institutes you are targeting. This means you must have decided by now, whether you are playing the "Cutoffs Clear Strategy" or "Score Maximisation Strategy".
Finishing touches: Don't have an ambitious target of revising everything especially in quant. Pick the most important topics and spend time on them. Do not try anything new now. Look at your log of errors which are conceptual. Make sure you do not repeat those in CAT. Besides spending time on why some answers went wrong, also concentrate on why some answers were correct or whether there is any better way of doing the question. Furthermore, in any well-planned CAT paper, you will not be able to complete the whole section or paper. So go through the questions that you did not attempt and see if you made a mistake by leaving out those and attempting the ones you did.
Do not fall for short cuts: One of the biggest pitfalls is that as students we always search for short cuts, asking 'which is the easiest way out and which are the easiest questions?' A critical issue here is the tremendous urge to skip questions. If you want to identify the questions to attend, it is imperative that you read all the questions. So learn to leave questions that you do not understand. This will eliminate the need to skip questions without reading.
Prioritize: Start with stuff that you are familiar with. This will ensure it will take you less time to identify whether you can do them or not. And also boost your confidence.
Be decisive: Decide in two readings whether you are going to attempt the question or not. This is perfectly normal and don't let it bother you.
The DI Angle: Let's talk about the Data Interpretation (DI) section for a moment. If you have seen a fair amount of variety, CAT DI would not be tough to tackle. And out of a set of five questions, at least three are bound to be easy. Learn the art of skipping questions in DI. The misconception is that you have to solve the whole set before you move on to the next set. Working on DI will pay richer dividends at this point of time. Those weak in Quant should focus on basic Geometry and algebra to get their minimum scores. You would not find Arithmetic beyond you even if you do not practice now.
Risk taking: Avoid wild guessing. What if you bring it down to two choices? Weight your options. It pays to make intelligent guessing then. If history says you are a poor guesser even when you are down to two options, just leave it.
Expect surprises: The surprise is more in terms of format than spirit. They will change the structure somehow. CAT is traditionally known to check how students deal with ambiguity because it is necessary to be a good manager in real life and the IIMs are very clear, they are looking for smart people. Keep your cool. Fight till the last moment. Do not pronounce the verdict till the last minute is over. You may be in for a lot of surprises once you come out of the exam hall.
Ease up: Learn to relax. Many a time, very high potential students have not made it to the IIMs because they could not handle the pressure. So unwind, go for movies, do things that help you relax, go for walks, meditate… do all that it takes keep your head clear. People, who stick it out, hang in there and continue to peg away will make it.
On the CAT day
2) Try not catching the contagion of "tension". Engage yourself in solitude.
Before any paper, you find test takers huddled in grave discussions about how the test is going to be extremely tough and end up feeling unprepared. Confidence is crucial for performance, so avoid these 'tension groups' like the plague. And if you don't find anyone with a similar approach, you would still be better off alone.
3) Do not be late.
If you're rushing to the CAT centre with one eye on the road and the other on your watch, don't be surprised to find your nerves fried by the time you reach. Be there early, with plenty of time to relax and get used to your surroundings. Find out well in advance where you will be seated, and double check your admit card and stationery. In case you are late, do close your eyes for a moment and take a few deep breaths to calm yourself.
4) Know what you can carry in the exam hall.
Carefully sift through the guidelines in the admit card and make yourself aware of the rules and regulations for the CAT exam. Know what you can and can't carry. There have been innumerable cases where students thought they were allowed to carry a certain kind of equipment and had a to face a lot of problems at the center. The CAT exam is a serious affair and you can expect the invigilators to be strict as far as discipline is concerned.
5) Do not relax till the last minute. The war is not won till the last battle is won. Neither is it lost till you lose the last battle.
Once the bell rings and you start with the paper, do not hold back. Whether you do well, or not, your focus should be to give it your best shot. So many people from the IIMs that we have spoken with have later confessed that they really thought they had blundered up their paper. Many times its just paranoia.
6) Do not remind yourself of the tension by watching others.
Sometimes we get tensed just watching other people who are tensed. Do not pay heed to any surprising remarks that a fellow test taker makes after watching the paper! When you are in the exam hall, keep your eyes to the paper and ears preferably closed. Literally, closed. Consider earplugs, maybe cotton balls, it worked for me when I took the exam! But be sure to check with your centre in case they prohibit that.
7) Do not let your eyes off the familiar stuff in the paper. This is what would get you into the IIMs.
Your core competence is what will get you ahead of the pack. Besides, the CAT is no time to experiment. Make sure you are done with all the questions you are confident about, disregarding or giving lower priority to even those questions that may appear simple but you are not very familiar with.
8) Do not forget that there are enough questions in CAT that could fetch you enough to get a Call.
The CAT was designed to be too lengthy for an average student to complete. Some may feel pressure thinking about this. But it really is a blessing in disguise, there are enough questions and variation to provide you with a considerably greater opportunity to fare well. Think what it would be like if there were just 4 questions, and you knew the answer to only 1. Get the point?
9) Do not come out saying ..." My God I did not spend enough time on the areas of my strength"
Keep your eyes peeled for questions that bare resemblance to areas that you are most confident about. If there is any question that is worth a little extra time, it's the question that you have cracked several times already. Do not take chances by letting your mind wander over any other question, no matter how tempting, until you are sure that you have tackled all the questions relating to your strength areas first.
10) Last but not the least... "During the exam do not let your thoughts delve on the question "what if I do not crack CAT?"
Focusing on negative thoughts during the paper, such as"what if I don't do well", is not going to help anyone. You will be losing out on time, energy, and confidence. Instead, keep your thoughts engaged with the paper, your current question, your time management. You take care to put in your best efforts and let the rest take care of itself.
Stress Busting for last few days
- Positive Visualization
Take a moment to sit with your eyes closed and visualize yourself achieving the ideal outcome. You have to convince yourself that your hard work will pay off, and this includes convincing your sub conscious. Repeated negative thoughts seep into your sub conscious and eat away at your energy and confidence. This is not the time to do postmortem of what you have studied so far. Rather, tell yourself what ever you have studied will help you in the test.
- Tune Your Sleeping Pattern
If your sleeping pattern is topsy turvy and you find yourself burning the night oil too often, your brain will get accustomed to shifting into relax mode during the day and alert mode during night. For CAT, you need to be at your sharpest at 10 in the morning. Regulate your sleeping pattern accordingly and remember that your body will take a while to get used to the new pattern. So its best to start off with it at the earliest possible time. Yes, that mean tonight.
- Believe in Yourself
Right before a paper, some people feel convinced that they won't do well, in spite of their hard work. But there are plenty of cases of people who 'logically' thought their efforts wouldn't amount to much, but continued in their endeavor anyways because they trusted their intuition that they did have a chance. Thanks to their faith, many of them are now in the IIMs and other top institutes. Trust your intuition. Allow yourself to imagine what it would feel like if you achieve your goal- cracking the CAT and coming out with flying colors.
- Body and Mind
This is a crucial time to take care of your health- physical and mental. No, we aren't going to suggest a gym subscription. Its simple things that count, like drinking enough water in the day to relieve tension or eating light food to keep your mood and energies up. The day before the test, keep your cool by listening to songs, calling up a friend who motivates you or watching a movie. If possible, do some relaxation exercises to keep your mind calm.
- Re-focus
Take a break when you find your mind losing focus. Forcing yourself to focus for too long can have a detrimental effect on your overall performance if it generated unwanted pressure, boredom or fatigue. When you find your mind wandering, take a short break. Schedule regular intervals, but in these breaks, do activities that keep you relaxed and don't engage your mind too much, since it's important to keep your mind free of distractions when you get back to studies.
- Avoid Distractions
It is not the time for a new video game, TV or redecoration. Anything that will keep your attention distracted, be it a new computer or rock band in your city, try to keep your mind clear of it. It's just a short jog till the end of the race, but it counts a lot. No matter how tempting the distractions, remember, losing your focus at this time could mean ruining the months of hard work you have put in so far!
- Last Minute to-dos
Avoid last minute tension by finding out the exact route to your CAT center. Check your stationery well in advance and on CAT day, check and recheck for your admit card. Be at the center well in advance and stay clear of negative or tension generating discussions. If you find yourself feeling anxious, sit in solitude and practise deep breathing. Keep your attention to your paper and put up a fight till the very last minute.
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