MBA aspirants might have spent the lion’s share of their time in the last one year to prepare for the CAT, but success could boil down to preparation in the last lap. With less than ten days to go for the exam, there are two things you should know: what to do over the remaining days, and things to keep in mind on D-day.
Ten days before
With limited time, prioritisation is a must. The following is a suggested list of things one could do for that extra edge:
Preparing written notes on ‘the silly mistakes’ in the mock tests written; identify patterns and common mistakes, and prepare an action plan to not repeat them.
Take two-three mock tests, in the same timeslot as that of your actual CAT exam slot.
Prepare a list of core and infrequent topics that you are not too comfortable with and ensure that at least the basics on each of these are covered.
There are also some things that you should avoid doing:
Avoid preparing only for “important” topics. One of the biggest mistakes students make is to prepare only for select topics based on what has come up in the past few years of CAT.
Avoid trying to guess the topic-wise distribution of questions. CAT can be an extremely unpredictable exam and is known to spring a surprise every year to catch students off-guard. There is a high probability that topics or areas that have not had much of a weightage in recent years might make a comeback.
On the day
The following are some of the things one should keep in mind on the day of the test:
Take adequate rest before the test day.
Reach the test centre in time and with all the requisite documents.
Be prepared for technical problems while writing the test, noise around the test centre, or the invigilators being insensitive to the importance of the occasion.
If it can be fixed without you losing your focus on the test then raise an issue. If it cannot be fixed, ignore it. If there is any technical problem in the test, you would get redressal.
Though it is not very common in CAT, a question can be wrong. Do not spend a lot of time on any one question.
Some things to avoid on test day:
Avoid targeting a specific number of questions to clear cut-offs. The cut-offs are a function of the difficulty level of the section and the paper, and not just the number of questions answered correctly.
Avoid taking blind guesses. However, if you are able to eliminate two/three choices (out of the four or five), then you may select one of the remaining options.
Avoid getting carried away. Often, you may start answering a section, but before you know it, the time allotted would be over. Remain aware of the time at hand, and how many questions have been attempted, so as to ensure that the easier questions are not skipped and you are able to at visit all the questions in the section.
The author is Centre Director, T.I.M.E. Chennai.
