1. Pay attention to the invigilator
Once you have entered the examination hall invigilator is the only person who can guide
you, listen to him very carefully so that you don’t commit any silly mistake which can
turn out to be a blunder, be extra cautious. If you have any doubt just clear it out
there itself with the invigilator, don’t wait for the last moment. Also, use the washroom
beforehand as you will not be allowed to use the washroom in between the examination.
2. Calm your mind
Try to be composed on D-Day, usually students panic after coming across a set of questions which are slightly tough in such situation first try to solve ones which are
familiar to you this will boost your confidence, keep the difficult ones for the end as
it requires lengthy calculation and time. It is quite obvious to feel restless a night
before your examination but you need to calm your mind and get proper 8 hours of
sleep, try to meditate, or go on a walk to calm yourself if you find it difficult to sleep.
Just remember one thing, you gave your 100% while preparing, you were true to
yourself, you attempted enough mock tests and all of this is going to be fruitful for
you.
3. Morning revision
Going through your obscure formula sheets in the morning is sometimes all you
need in those last moments. And to be able to do this you need to maintain your
formulae in neat and clean handwriting beforehand, it is advisable to do color
coding if needed in sections that need to be highlighted so that you do not have
to go through the entire thing once again.
4. Do not spend more than 3 minutes on any question
Time and accuracy are the two main components of the CAT examination, you just
cannot remain stuck with one question, don’t take that risk. It is possible that you
must have solved a similar kind of question in your mock while preparing for the
examination and are not able to solve it on D-Day. But then you cannot get your ego
and emotions over you, learn to move on, maybe it is just not your day. Move on to
the next question, try to solve them with accuracy and within the time limit and once
you are done with all the questions and still left with time then go through the
questions which you could not solve in the first go.
5. Sections are not inter-related so do not let it menace your overall performance
It is quite obvious that you must have taken a decent number of mocks and know
where you stand by looking at the results. But that does not guarantee that the
areas in which you are confident enough and feel it is your strongest turns out to be
the same on D-Day. CAT is a very unpredictable examination and that is why you need
to be extra cautious with it, do not be overconfident or underconfident if you are
strong or weak in any section, it is all a mind game. You have to perform in a way that
things turn out to be in your favor. In short, keep a balance.
6. Last 15 minutes for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
During the last 15 minutes the rush is real, it is more or less like a do or die situation
and that’s where people commit most mistakes, it can take you down from 95%ile to
90%ile or even boost you up from 95%ile to 100%ile therefore, it is extremely crucial
to utilize those last moments to the fullest. In the VARC section, you should try to
attempt those questions which you left for the later part and then move to the RC section
for example if you have two RCs left practically you can attempt only one in the
given time. Do not be greedy for those extra marks and avoid making any guesses,
always remember accuracy is the key.
7. Last 15 minutes for Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning
When it comes to the DI-LR section you need to apply your logic here. So, say for
For instance, you have eight sets of 4 questions each and you have already done 4
questions now you are left to do the remaining 4 questions in 15 minutes. Now you
need to classify the question based on their difficulty level, pick two easiest sets first
and then leave the remaining ones.
8. Last 15 minutes for Quantitative Aptitude
How well your last 15 minutes goes in your QA section depends on how well you analyze the question during the initial phase and mark them. If you feel some
questions are going to take the time or require proper analysis just mark them this way
it can be single out easily.
The three sections, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation, and Quantitative Ability, are each assigned 60 minutes.
The time does not carry over to the next section. It is a defining feature in the
CAT; usually affects how students approach the exam.
9. Just bring your brain along with you to the center, leave your emotions at home.
Remember one thing, this is an aptitude test it requires your mental ability to think
and rationalize if you keep things about IFs and BUTs it will be nothing but futile.
Nobody in that room knows where you come from, what is your situation, and how
badly you need this because in the end only one thing matters and that’s your
performance. DO NOT waste your precious time on frivolous thoughts, you don’t
want to regret it later. Think with your brain, not with your heart.
10. No matter what just DO NOT GIVE UP
Till the time the last second goes up just DON’T GIVE UP. Engrave this in your mind,
giving up is not the option that you know. No matter how bad your exam might
going be but you can not give up, you are no one to judge that, let results do their part.
Keep reminding yourself the exam is not over yet and there’s a lot you are capable of.
Launch your Graphy