SATURDAY: 17 NOVEMBER

· Don’t cram! Preparation for CAT is a long term process. Whatever efforts you have put in till now are sufficient, you cannot learn any new things anymore, so just relax.

· Get your gear together! Gather everything you’ll need to carry with yourself to the test centre: Admission ticket, a ballpoint pen, several pencils, a good eraser, sharpener, a watch, a packet of glucose, a bottle of water.

· Get Rest! The best thing to do the evening before the test is to get a good night’s sleep. Get into test mode calm and ready.

SUNDAY: 18 NOVEMBER

Before The Test

· Do not forget to eat! Hunger can interfere with your concentration,

· Do not forget to wear a watch! You’ll need to keep an eye on the minute hand while you’re answering.

· Arrive early! Arrive at the test venue at least 30 minutes early. You will need time to locate your classroom and find your seat. You will also find a time to relax, get comfortable with the testing environment and be able to reflect for a few minutes before the test begins.

During The Test

· Browse through the entire paper! The first thing to do when you get the question paper in hand is to scan the question paper. Do NOT jump in and blindly start answering the questions. It’s important to understand the format, the difficulty level and, more importantly, to get the ‘FEEL’ of the paper. Once this is done, you can decide the order in which you will do your sections. It is often advised that one must start with ones strongest section first, and this is sound advice. However, you must take this decision based on the feel you get of the paper at the moment. In CAT 2006, most aspirants who were usually better at the Verbal Ability section actually found it difficult, but found the Quantitative Ability section easier.

· Allocate time wisely! Allocate time to the sections and stick to it. It is generally advisable to distribute time equally among sections as you require to clear all sectional cut-offs to get an interview call.

· Do not jump sections! Jumping sections can play havoc with your time distribution.

· Read instructions carefully! The CAT 2004 and the CAT 2005 both had a similar question type in grammar. However, the CAT 2004 question set required the student to spot the incorrect options and the CAT 2005 question set required the student to spot the correct options. A number of students reported making a mistake in marking answers in the CAT 2005 test paper as result of not reading instructions properly.

· Pace yourself! Some of the worst problems occur when students enter a time warp and forget to check the watch, or when they spend too much time on one or two difficult items. If a question seems difficult, skip it. Don’t stay on a question that you are stuck on. If, you think you can solve the question but are missing something, mark the question. You can come back to it after you have reached the end of the section, and you still have time left.

· Attempt questions prudently! In the quantitative Ability section, you will generally find not more than five to seven questions on a page. If you have done 60 % of the questions on the page, you are doing a good job. While selecting the data interpretation section, first browse through the caselets, and choose the ones which seem most comprehensible and have lesser information. In the Verbal Ability section, do familiar questions first. While choosing Reading comprehension passages, chose ones which feel easier on the eye.

· Do not resort to random guesses! You might be lucky and guess correctly, but incorrect responses bring down your score considerably. The scoring system for CAT eliminates any advantage of random guessing by deducting 25 % marks allocated to the question for each incorrect response you give. If you must guess, always try to eliminate obvious wrong-answer choices first, and then go with your hunch.

· Take a breather! In the test, stop for a moment, shutting your eyes, and taking some deep breaths. Even two or three 30-second breaks can be very helpful. Periodically clearing your head in this way can help you stay fresh during the exam session.

· Why the glucose? In the test, if you feel light headed or giddy, take a quick gulp of glucose and water. The energy loss you may feel is because of a drop in sugar level caused due to high brain activity. Glucose acts instantaneously and you will feel restored very quickly.

Above all, on both the days, 17 and 18 November, stay positive! A certain amount of anxiety is normal, or even useful, when you are taking an important exam, but if you feel overwhelmed, you may be suffering from test anxiety. Certain muscular relaxation and breathing techniques are particularly useful for relieving stress. Stop negative thoughts immediately. If you start to doubt yourself, you may go blank during the exam, so keep concentrating on your strengths.

All the best!

The author Sujata Khanna is Chairperson, Career Forum.
Career Forum (http://www.careerforum.in), the acknowledged leader in entrance examination classroom coaching since 18 years is a ISO 9001:2000 certified company.

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