Part - I

The countdown to D-Day (CAT Day, November 18, 2007) has begun. So have last minute revisions, sleepless nights, bouts of anxiety, nervous breakdowns, etc. Tips to crack CAT come
flying from all directions, sought or unsought, like - manage your time; balance your speed with accuracy; analyse your mock CATs, etc. - some helpful, others not so helpful, and leave you almost breathless and on the verge of hysteria.

But do remember that those who slog mindlessly for this test fail to acknowledge the inherent nature of the CAT examination. And don't forget that CAT is basically a test of your managerial aptitude and managerial skill-sets like - time management; how you handle pressure and uncertainty; decision-making - and not just about solving 150 questions in 120 minutes. It is about solving 90-95 questions with 85-90% accuracy.

We bring to you a few tips that should help you in fetching a call from the best B-schools in the country.

Tip No. 1: Handle pressure and uncertainty well

Handling pressure and uncertainty is one of the crucial elements of CAT. The CAT examination spans 120 minutes, but if you are able to handle the pressure in the first 15 and last 10 minutes, your chances to excel increase.

Some pointers to help you excel at this stage are: -

• Keep your strategy flexible.

• Scan the question paper for the initial 3-4 minutes to locate easy questions.

• Attempt your favourite section first.

• Remember CAT is just another name for uncertainty. If it ain't uncertain, it ain't CAT! This year, you might get a paper based on Reasoning. Or you might have an additional section on Reasoning.

(The above suggestions are based on the increasing emphasis on Reasoning in the last decade. Also, CAT patterns / formats are revamped every 5 years. The last time the pattern was changed was 4 or 5 years ago.)

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Source: The Net