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Time: 24 Hours Before the Paper

This is when you should be looking at your books for the last time. It doesn’t matter how much you’re going to study on the last day - none of it is going to go into your head, and
you are going to retain none of it. In fact, the more you study, the more you tend to forget. This is because before all big exams such as the CAT, there’s absolutely no substitute for being calm and relaxed. If you utilize every last minute cramming, you lose out on something very important - your peace of mind! Things you can do one day before the CAT are to get everything you need for the exam in order, such as your admit card, pencils and erasers, and to try and go to your exam centre to familiarize yourself with the route. People DO go to the wrong centres on CAT day, you know. Try and get at least 7 hours of sleep.

Time: 3 Hours Before the Paper

Eat a light breakfast, check all of your stuff, and plan to reach the centre at least an hour before the paper starts. You never know what may go wrong during the journey to the paper, and this is one day when you don’t want to take any chances. Carry a chocolate bar with you - it helps to pass time in case you get there early, and also makes you a little more alert before the paper. Don’t forget to carry a water-bottle either.

Time: 15 Minutes Before the Paper

This is when you’ll be allowed into the exam hall. Locate your seat and start filling in all of the necessary forms {attendance sheet(s) mainly} and the OMR sheet. You will have plenty of time to do this, but there’s no sense in slacking now and wasting valuable time later on. Don’t forget to keep your admit card with you. Check and re-check your OMR sheet - if you screw this up, there’s no point in sitting there for the next two and a half hours!

Time: Start of the Paper

This is when you are allowed to open your question papers. This is NOT when you start writing your paper. The difference between doing well on your CAT and doing badly lies in the first 2-3 minutes. Please don’t start off with the first question blindly. READ all of the instructions on the question paper very carefully. Familiarize yourself with the pattern of the CAT that year. Set yourself a target number of questions (depending on your speed) that you want to attempt. Then look through the sections and mark the questions that you think you can attempt, and the ones you definitely can’t. The KEY to giving a good CAT lies in proper selection of questions. It is essential that you spend at least 2 minutes selecting questions you wish to attempt and those you wish to avoid. At this point of time, you should also allocate how much time you want to spend on each section.

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Source: The Net