CAT 2017 is scheduled for November 26, and a lot of students are confused about what they should do in the last 30 days.
While revising the syllabus and attempting more mocks are on nearly every CAT aspirant's agenda, they sometimes forget to look beyond the obvious.
Here are some of the obvious things a lot of CAT aspirants miss out on.
Set a routine
Once you know the slot in which your CAT exam is scheduled, train your body to actually study and concentrate on those specific hours.
Ensure that your body clock is adjusted for optimal performance in that time slot.
Some CAT aspirants study late night, while others prefer getting up early in the morning.
You need to perform your best in those 3 hours. Ensure that you study in that specific slot at least twice a week.
Start preparing for general knowledge
General knowledge is an important part of various MBA entrance exams like XAT, SNAP and IIFT.
Although pretty basic stuff gets asked, it would not be a good idea to leave it for the end.
It would perhaps be a bit too late because a large amount of ground needs to be covered.
It is suggested that you dedicate two-three hours a week towards GK, starting now.
Start preparing for decision-making
If you are planning to try your luck at colleges at XLRI, you need to attempt the XAT exam.
XAT has a separate section for Decision Making, making it as important as Quantitative Aptitude or Verbal Ability.
Although, it is possible to cover it in the period between CAT and XAT, it would be advisable that you at least knew what it was all about.
It is recommended that you find one hour a week and solve previous years' XAT papers.
Keep a tab on colleges you should apply to
A lot of CAT aspirants get so obsessed with the exam that they miss the deadlines of some good B-schools.
Do not make that rookie mistake. Always fill the necessary forms well before the deadline.
Murphy has special plans of striking you with his law if you are planning to do it on the last day.
Also, look out for some special programmes like the one offered by Delhi School of Economics.
You can have it as a backup option because it provides great ROI.
Don't forget to relax and chill a little
This is probably the most important point in the list. Do not get obsessed with the exam. Please remember that the syllabus is basically 10th-level Math and English. How hard could it be?
CAT is not like IIT-JEE or UPSC, where you need to really work hard to beat the competition. If you are putting in three-four hours a day, it should be more than enough.
Your performance would not be significantly better if you put in six to eight hours instead. So, it is important to keep a calm head on your shoulders when you walk in to the examination centre. And for that to happen – you need to practice to chill.
This post was contributed by Ravi Handa, founder of the CAT Preparation website www.handakafunda.com.
