GUIDANCE & COUNCELLING

 Cracking CAT
 
The countdown has begun for India’s most coveted exam Common Admission Test (CAT) the gateway to Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top B-schools in the country.

Those preparing for this exam may have geared up their studies and it is time they need to have some suggestions – the experience drawn from toppers from earlier years. Take it easy and consider following points:
 
You must remember CAT is as much a test of nerves as of intellect. 
While the testing areas apparently are problem solving, data interpretation and verbal ability, CAT goes beyond these subject domains and entails a test of strategy, thinking, application of concepts and an ability to trade off between efficiency and effectiveness. Therefore you need to tackle it with precision and focus. Accuracy plus speed is the rules. The test literally and formidably attacks your weaknesses. 
Have a habit of mistakes review
Time to focus on your drawbacks has come. But, at the same time, do not lose sight of your strengths.

Finding and plugging the loopholes is important. It is necessary to figure out where one has gone wrong and what can be done to rectify the mistakes. Don’t take Mock Tests if you don’t review.
Practice & Practice more with mock tests 
You need to do that at least for data interpretation and verbal ability  - the time taking area with unexpected difficulty.
Be Manager before you study Management
 
Before qualifying to study Management you must manage yourself for problems to come. Your plan of action is important, you may have a strategy in mind, but you should be ready to adapt if the paper turns out to be different from what you had expected.

As a potential manager, you need to ‘manage’ the test well. A manager in real life faces far more difficult challenges and problems and needs to innovate,
take risks and own responsibility for his decisions and actions.
 
Stay cool 
 
You should remain calm in the run-up to D-Day and not get overly worried about the outcome and factors beyond their control. Be confident that you have enough practice 
 
While writing the exam
 
Intelligent guessing: Check the alternatives one by one for the correct answer. Some answer options may just strike you as wrong when you first read them. Don’t discard such intuition.
 
Don’t get mired in one particular question: If you get stuck with a question, leave it and move on. Don’t linger on it. 
 
Watch the clock: The value of timing yourself and sticking to your time limits cannot be stressed upon enough. You have to display consistent performance across the sections.
 
Think positive.