Finding Those Windows | When CAT Study Plans Fail

CAT 2018 came and passed without high rewards and only some converts. My heart was set on the holy trinity; it was always A/B/C or nothing for me. CAT2019 was the new target, bolder and more focussed this time. The first part of 2019 passed by in work engagements. Fast forward a few months, and soon it was July, time to prepare for CAT once again.

I needed to assess what went wrong the last year. I zeroed in the reason as a futile attempt to stick to a schedule. How can a person with a dynamic calendar, hectic weekdays, and even busy weekends stick to a chalked plan? Hence started my quest to look for 'windows.'

When we plan to study, we generally look for relatively sizeable chunks of time, somewhere from one to three hours. While full-length mocks do require 3 hours, we often tend to miss the small windows. The 15-minute auto ride from home to office is perfect for catching up with 2-3 good articles on any news/content application. There happened the verbal brushes! My cook's 10-minute delay in preparing breakfast was an ideal opportunity to solve crack a DI set. The hold up before a meeting while IT is being set up and the members assemble is an excellent opportunity to watch a quick video and revise a concept! The list of cubes and important formulas pinned to my office desk board allowed me a glance now and then.

I worked in collaboration with offshore bankers; the time-difference often led to gaps between information sharing and email reverts. I kept question print outs, hand-outs, and pull-outs from study materials on my desk. As soon as I spotted a workflow gap, I picked up a paper and solved/ read away to glory. I carried a notepad with me at all times - in my handbag, to the canteen, for any long commutes or travel, and tried to grab every opportunity to address some quant questions.

While late nights were still the norm, I took to more sectional tests v/s full-sized mocks. Sectional tests meant a one-hour commitment and were easier to analyze. I tried to take the three-hour mocks every alternate weekend. I found classes and coaching to be an unrealistic time commitment; hence I chose online lectures as and when required for any topic. The plethora of good quality online videos is a resource every aspirant must use to their advantage! I strongly recommend the Elite's Grid channel on Youtube. With a little above a 98%ile, although I didn't do miracles in CAT2019, the score was just enough to get a Bangalore call. I put in all I had to convert the one I had, and that's all matters now.

There is no substitute for hard work. Sticking to a schedule is difficult for some; the key is short, numerous spurts of time, which lets you put in that hard work. While sticking to a time table works for many, a dynamic approach can give you that extra required impetus.

In my opinion, any working professional, with the hardest of jobs, can try to find these small windows and successfully crack CAT. It's about finding what works for you. While many professionals would find work and personal timelines blurred in the current WFH scenario, a set mind, and some smartly utilized time slots can facilitate the preparation. Find your windows and conquer the CAT scenery!