CHAK DE – NOV 16Last Mile To the CAT
An Presentation
Every year, about 1500 students make it to the IIMs. Each of them does different things in the last few days before the CAT…
Here are a few examples…
From the 10 who have been there.. done that…
1. Sanjay Chaudhary, Alumnus - IIM Bo Take maximum 4 tests 1. Objectively analyze to find out your specific problem areas2. Focus on the means… the end will follow
1. Asan Dasari, Alumnus – IIM Co Fine-tune strategies based on your strengths & weaknesso Take care of mental as well as physical healtho Keep your ‘CAT-kit’ ready
From the 10 who have been there.. done that…
1. Naveen Saraf, Alumnus - IIM Bo Don’t take more than 3 to 4 testso Unused tests can be used to improve sectional competencieso Accept reality; leave things that you can’t change
• Atul Agrawal, Alumnus – IIM Co Keep reminding yourself about your “ultimate goal”o Relax; be calmo Take fewer testso Go through the CAT 2006 paper
From the 10 who have been there.. done that…
1. Subrata Dey, Alumnus - IIM Ao Keep your reasoning cells activeo Focus on ‘net practice’, not ‘match practice’o Do not take too many tests
– Tony Xavier, Alumnus – IIM Lo Have an open mind-seto Stop taking tests a week before the CATo Throw all strategies out of the window
From the 10 who have been there.. done that…
1. Ritesh Hemrajani, Alumnus - IIM Bo Don’t predict; be mentally prepared for any structureo Don’t take too many testso Properly mark the ovals on the OMR sheet
– Pavan Chauhan, Alumnus – IIM Bo Don’t listen to anyone o Listen to self
From the 10 who have been there.. done that…
1. Kaushik Mukherjee, Student - IIM Ao Don’t cram at this junctureo Don’t invite stress
– Shipra Biswas, Student – IIM Ao Work on your weak areaso Take 2-3 testso Don’t do anything much the day before the CAT
The Last Mile
All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hour’s toil.
The essence of what they say…..
The Last Mile
All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hour’s toil.
Ability to tramp the last mile..
• Do you believe that you can tramp the last mile?
o ‘I am doing great ; bring on the CAT’
o ‘I am doing great, but I hope I don’t stumble now’
o ‘Man! I am sure I can crack the CAT.. If only Math would stop killing me’
o ‘When is SNAP??’
Whatever be your response..
To tramp the last mile.. Have a fresh outlook
• Rejuvenateo Imagine you have just started your prep o Imagine the last comprehensive test you took is your first test
• Re-focuso The Goal : The CATo The Time : 14 days to goo The Attitude : Everything to gain and nothing to lose
Now ask yourself :How do I shape the plan for the last mile?
The Last Mile
All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hour’s toil.
Shape the last plan
Scoring Potential
My Score
IIM Call
The Efficiency Gap
The Knowledge Gap
What I could have scored
What I scored
What I need to score
The key is to understand WHAT to attack!
Bridging the efficiency gap
Take a few tests, say 3Analyse each of them thoroughly Learn from each of them& Apply your learning in future tests
Bridging the efficiency gap
• Before taking ANY testo Keep your mind fresh and alerto De-stresso Have your CAT-kit readyo Set your watch to 10.30 AM o Most importantly, set yourself a TARGET
Bridging the efficiency gap
• While taking ANY testo As a CEO
Keep an eye on the bigger picture Develop your own strategy
o As a Section Manager Prioritise, Allocate and Execute Mind your own business
o As a Worker Carefully read, define and solve the problem on hand
Manage YourResources
Well
Bridging the efficiency gap
• After taking a testo For every section, check
How many more could you have scored? Why did you miss out?
Bridging the efficiency gap
Do’s• Develop your own
strategy based on the test at hand
• Select or reject a question only after reading a question
Don’ts• Inflexible mindset• “Geometry first”
syndrome or “One-liners first” syndrome
• “I can conquer Russia” syndrome or Throwing good money after bad money
Efficiency can improve your score dramatically
Bridging the knowledge gap
1.List all areas requiring improvement
• Rate their impact on the score & on the effort required to improve
• Prioritise
• Spend ½ hr – 1hr every day and work on 2 to 3 critical areas
Let us look at a typical case
Step 1: List areas
• PSo I keep forgetting the formulae in Geometryo I have not touched Permutations & Combinationso I have difficulty in defining a problem while solving
• DIo I can’t calculate fasto I lose track while solving
• Verbalo I make a lot of mistakes in inferential RC questionso I generally falter in usage-based questions
Step 2 : Rating the impact & effort needed
Low Impact High Impact
More • Can’t calculate fast • Not touched Perm & Comb• Falter in usage based
questions
Less • Forgetting Geometry formula
• Defining Problem while solving
• Inferential RC question• Lose track while solving DI
Impact on the score
EffortReqd
Step 3 : Prioritise
Low High
More • Can’t calculate fast • Not touched Perm & Comb• Falter in usage based
questions
Less • Forgetting Geometry formula
• Defining Problem while solving
• Inferential RC question
• Lose track while solving DI
EffortReqd
Impact on the score
Step 4 : Work on the areas
• Forgetting Geometry formulae : 10 mino Solve 2 Geometry problems everydayo Revise formulae every day
• Defining the problem in a Math question : 20 mino Re-look at Math questions in the previous SimCATs
• Inferential RC questions : 20 mino Read an editorial everydayo Re-visit the RCs in SimCATso Focus on comprehension
A possible plan
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Bridge the Gap
Bridge the Gap
Bridge the Gap
Bridge the Gap
Bridge the Gap
The Last Mile
All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hour’s toil.
On the D-Day…..
• Be positive
• Have an open mind
• Avoid undue pressure
• Just don’t give up while taking the CAT
The Last Mile