CAT 2013, gateway to 13 IIMs and other top B schools of India is now just hours away.
MBAUniverse.com in its pursuit to help CAT 2013 aspirants has regularly shared tips, tricks and suggestions from previous year CAT toppers and students of IIMs, FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, NITIE Mumbai, IRMA, etc.
Our last article in this series, last minute tips from CAT toppers and Last minutes exam tips from CAT Toppers shared with you the toppers Mantra from past year’s CAT toppers.
This article shares with you exam day tips for CAT 2013 on How to prepare for exam day and how to keep yourself motivated for the D day from CAT toppers of FMS Delhi and IIM Indore.
Following responses are from Mr. Yakeen Agarwala of FMS Delhi who scored an overall 99.51 percentile in CAT with 98.29 in Quant section and 99.12 in Verbal section.
Q. What is the advantage & disadvantage of choosing the first day slot for CAT exam?
In terms of CAT Paper/Pattern, there exists no advantage or disadvantage as such. Even then, there are a few things which I would like to highlight from my experience of giving CAT on the first day last year.
Giving without any bias/opinions from other CAT takers relieves you from a lot of pressure. Also, I ended up giving CAT next to my quants teacher at my coaching institute. At all times, it was the same experience I faced while attempting for mocks, which helped me a lot.
The only disadvantage, which I have heard from others is that CAT fixes tough papers in the beginning as they feel a lot of teachers give in the beginning to see the pattern and all. It's just a myth, and there's no base to it. I didn't face any such disadvantage during my time.
Q. What will be your advice to Aspirants who will be giving their CAT 2013 Exams on October 16th, First day?
Just go without any apprehensions, give CAT exactly like you used to attempt for mocks, with no "tukke" (we are all very good at it). And don't go with a fixed framework. You may never know beforehand what's in there for you.
And last year it was a bit easy on Day 1. I had attempted 45 questions (24 in VA). However, the pattern may not replicate this time.
Q. As a past CAT taker, did you had any First Day Myth? Please share.
No, actually I gave CAT on first day itself. Selecting the slot is the only thing which is in our hands, and I was not at all willing to compromise on the same. I wanted to attempt my examination without any bias. This was the sole reason which helped me score above my expectations.
Also, I have seen my friends going crazy asking how the exam and everything from the 1st Week CAT takers was. Thankfully, giving CAT on 1st day saves you from all the madness which everyone creates.
Following are the responses from Mr. Preetam Gupta of IIM Indore who scored an overall 99.35 percentile in CAT. Mr. Tanmay has over 22 months of work experience as Business Analyst at ZS Associates. He has also been a part of Rotaract Club (a youth wing of Rotary club) for over 5 years and has held many posts including International Service Director, Professional Service Director and Editor.
Q. What is the advantage & disadvantage of choosing the first couple of day slot for CAT exam?
In my opinion, choosing any day of the CAT would still yield the same result as a same heterogeneous mix of students will take on all the days.
Advantages: You will have a beginner’s advantage as there will be fewer people taking on these days. It is a belief among many people not to take on the first few days as they believe they can gauge the situation during these days.
Disadvantages: You could not have an answer to whether CAT was easy or difficult this year.
Q. What will be your advice to Aspirants who will be giving their CAT 2013 Exams on October 16th, First day?
Stay calm. This is the most important thing. Don’t panic about how the paper is going to be. Always remember that this is a relative grading test. You should not worry when you have attempted fewer questions because if it is difficult for you, it would have been difficult for others as well. Definitely get good sleep.
Q. As a past CAT taker, did you had any First Day Myth? Please share.
I never had any first day myth. I always believed that irrespective of the day on which we take the exam, the results are still going to be the same.
Q. What was your preparation for the D day?
On the previous day, I just went through all the formulas. I also went through one of the practice test papers that had gone well. I analyzed this paper. It boosted my confidence.
Q: How did your motivated or relaxed yourself during CAT exam Window?
I was well aware of the fundamental things that I needed to do. Most important of them are good question selection and time management. I also knew that I should not get de-motivated if I attempted lesser questions as if the paper is difficult for me, I knew it would be difficult for others as well.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more Toppers Mantra on CAT 2013 exam.
