My CAT is on Sunday. Today is Thursday. Thursday is over?! OH MY GOD!!

Well, let us face it. The last 2-3 days before CAT can be gruesome. You might experience more mixed emotions every now and then than you would ever experience in love! Really! Sometimes, you will feel well prepared and at other times, you might feel you have already lost it (yes, before even appearing for the exam). You will actually start contemplating how better you will prepare next year to make things look brighter next time.

Seems scary, no? Well, it’s a natural trap. And the good news is that you now know that you don’t have to get stuck in there. People call it simply, pre-exam anxiety. It is absolutely normal for your mind to go through this at that time.

Panic, panic, go away! The best way to overcome these feelings is not letting your mind to panic. Whenever it does, just stop studying and do something you enjoy. It can be listening to music, watching TV for a while, exercising or just close your eyes and relax. Control the panic before it takes you over. After all, you are the master of your mind.

It’s time to revise : Try not indulging in taking up topics which are new to you now. Rather, revise and practice what you have already done. While preparing during the year, keep those last 2-3 days in mind and keep book-marking important pages / topics / fundamentals which you will need to revise at the end.

Negate the negativity : Do not do anything that might cause negativity to creep in inside you. Do not browse internet to look for success – failure ratios. Stay away from people whom you know talk negative.

Mock helps just before real : Take up mock test papers and last years’ papers in those days. It will help you imagine yourself in the real situation just before the real situation. Observe where you are getting stuck while taking the exam and improvise.

A night before: On the CAT exam eve, feel the same way you would feel after the exam. Feel as if the exam is already over (well, in a way it is true, as the preparation is already over). Forget about the exam as the evening approaches, have a cool mind, have a relaxed dinner and go to bed early. A good sleep = a good performance the next day.

All the best!