The time has come. Over the last few months, you have (or have not) spent countless hours preparing for the 2 hours that can change your life. 3 sections that can take you to the prestigious management schools of India. The time has come to finally give the CAT exam, and there are only 168 hours left (that is 7 days for CAT).
As important as your last X number of days of preparation for CAT were, the coming 7 days are all the more important. These 7 days are the ones that, if used wisely, can help you bump up your score that will enable you to clear the cut-off for your dream college. This is not the time to relax, you need to make full use of these last 7 days. In this article, we will go through a strategy that you can use in your last week for getting ready for D-Day.
Sunday: T-7 days before CAT
Within a week you are going to give your CAT exam. For this day, a good strategy would be to give a mock exam in the slot that you have been allotted for the CAT exam (morning or afternoon). By now you know where your centre is and what all preparation you will need on D-Day. So, get up at the time you will leave on D-day, get ready, and have your breakfast, and mentally prepare yourself to attempt the paper. Then when the slot timing begins, start giving the mock. Now, this can be a mock by your institute or a past CAT paper(leave out the CAT of the preceding year for later in the week), that is up to you, but if you are giving past papers, do not go beyond the last 5 years papers. Make sure you use all the strategies you have devised for the paper. After the test is done you will have a rough idea of where you are standing in each section and what is the thing you need to focus on in the coming week. On the same day, post the mock take a break of a couple of hours, and start analyzing the section where you feel you were hit the most. Spend the rest of the day on it and see where the gaps are.
Monday: T-6 days before CAT
The remaining two sections of yesterday’s paper can be looked at now, so by afternoon you would have analyzed the whole paper properly and identified what your pain points were. Start with the revision of the concepts of the section you felt you underperformed in. E.g.: say it was quants where you scored less. Start by going through all the concepts for quants, brushing up on the chapters where you are strong, and focusing on your weak points. Spend the day on this. Analyze from the past mocks you have given how your performance has been in this section chapter wise. Brush up on concepts and strategies for it.
Tuesday: T-5 days before CAT
This day you can continue to focus on your weakest section if needed or move on to the other two sections. This day is your halfway mark for the last week’s prep. So, make sure to utilize it optimally and get your concepts brushed up thoroughly. This is not a time to solve any new problems, but it is a time to focus on your strengths and strategies for D-day.
Source: https://beyondtheory.co.uk/employee-data-analysis-service
Wednesday: T-4 days before CAT
This will be a repeat of Sunday. Follow the same steps for Sunday and this day make sure you are attempting a past CAT paper if possible, to get the real feeling of the CAT (preferably the CAT of the previous year). This will be the last mock that you give, so make the most of it. Apply all the strategies and concepts you have done over your preparation, make sure you effectively tackle the pain points you identified in the mock you gave on Sunday, and give it as if you are giving the CAT. This will be your mock D-Day preparation. After you get the result, I would recommend you do the same analysis flow you did for the previous mock.
Thursday: T-3 days before CAT
Use the same strategy as Tuesday on this day, make sure you thoroughly analyze the last mock and tackle the pain points.
Friday: T-2 days before CAT
This is the day you can spend revising formulas and going through your notes. Make sure you make most of this day and go through what your CAT strategy is. This will be the last war you need to fight before the culminating war of the battle happens on D-Day.
Saturday: T-1 day before CAT
This is the day you unwind the day. Do not, and I repeat, do not take a mock on this day. Keep your notes out of sight and relax. Have a good breakfast, spend the day watching a movie or gaming. Meet people who will give you positive motivation. Make sure you have a light dinner and go to bed early. Your mind needs complete rest before you tackle the beast.
Source: https://www.mdlinx.com/physiciansense/use-these-clinically-proven-methods-to-relax-quickly/
Sunday: The day has arrived!
Get up on time. Have a bath and have a good breakfast. Leave for your centre on time. Make sure you carry a bottle of water and some light snacks as it can be a while before you finally get in for the exam. All the time you spent on your preparation culminates today. Make sure you do not mug up any formulas or take undue pressure on this day. When you reach the centre, you are bound to see people mugging up. Make sure you believe in yourself and your ability. Go ahead and ace the CAT!
Another piece of advice for this week would be to make sure you do not eat food from outside and take care of your health. All the best for your CAT!
