12 days to CAT 2016: Dos and Don’ts; as told by 99.85 percentiler Dhiraj Bedi

Dhiraj Bedi

With just 12 days to go for Indian’s biggest management entrance test, CAT 2016, there’s a sense of heightened anticipation in the candidates. How will I fair? How tough the question paper be? How much time will I get for each section? What do I do in these last few days to score 100 percentile.

We understand the anticipation that is leading to heavy perspiration among the CAT 2016 candidates, thus we have Dhiraj Bedi, a 99.85 percentiler (CAT 2015), to share key tips on what to 'Do' and 'Not Do' in the last few days before the exam.

Read on:

Hope you are well prepared for the exam season! This short article will help you overcome the nervousness and bell the CAT. The last 12 days are the most important for any candidate. Here’s how to make the most out of it. You would have your CAT Admit Card with you by now, so you know the timing of your exam. The human mind is a wonderful machine and it can be programmed to increase productivity with very small tweaks. So, all you need to do is that make sure that from now on whenever you attempt mocks, attempt them as per your CAT slot. That will optimise your brain into working at maximum productivity during that time. At least this is what researchers at MIT have proved.

Now let’s look at other aspects. I would suggest taking a mock every alternate day. The day break will help you in analysing the paper and correcting your mistakes and will also give you time to regain your energy for a mock the next day. Make sure that you sit for the entire duration without taking a break in between for any reason whatsoever. No water, no answering calls, etc. While analysing the mock, just focus on your mistakes. These hurt the most because you lose time and then your score goes down as well. Check why you made a mistake and try to avoid it the next time.

The day before the exam, keep that day totally free. You could probably spend a couple of hours revising if you want. But DO NOT attempt a mock, I repeat DO NOT attempt a mock the day just before CAT. There is no point in attempting CAT with a tired brain, isn’t it?

As for the exam, don’t focus on increasing your attempts just for the sake of increasing your attempts. Accuracy always trumps attempts. I hope you do well and get through to your dream college. May the force be with you!

Also read: CAT 2016 complete prep plan

CAT scores are used for admission to 19 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and various other top B-Schools. Are you eligible for the IIMs? To know more, click on the image beside.

 Dhiraj Bedi is persuing the flagship PGP programme at IIM Calcutta.