We Believe But We Doubt: Student Team 2020

And the answers to these questions serve a dual purpose. Firstly, it will complete the story I began here. Secondly, they will serve the purpose of writing this article.

So, why am I moving my fingers at midnight on my keyboard? To help you with your VARC / DI-LR / QA? Can be considered as partly true. But there is something more to it that I found should be shared with everyone who dreams to embark on an MBA journey. Going through various articles for each section is a must. But there are some important things which play a key role in the exam. 

So, it's June 2019 and I have accepted the offer letter for the job and the CAT exam is now a matter of the past. The joining was delayed for an undefined period. And every day there was a voice within to take the chance again. But it was silenced by the fear to fall again. Moving the calendar to July 2019. I was performing well in the mocks. Yes! You heard it write. MOCKs. 

So, here comes the first learning that was helpful for me and will be helpful for all the MBA aspirants: 

• Don’t Give Up: There will be various moments while preparing when you will feel like giving up. But hold on there. Nothing comes easy. Gauge your performance day or week wise and make the necessary adjustments. 
  When I appeared in 2018, I was unable to solve a single DI/LR in the first 15 minutes. And slowly I started giving up and performed poorly. So, hold on there till you make the dream a reality.  

So, July 2019 went well. August 2019 came up with the maximum learnings. Here is the main learning: 

• Without me (strategy) it's not possible: We make ourselves good at problem-solving but when it comes to adjusting properly to the time constraints and difficulty level of the exam, we find ourselves helpless. And here the role of strategy comes in. Strategically beforehand for each and every section in the exam is a must and here’s how I strategized for my second attempt. 

Section	Easy	Medium	Hard
VARC	8 mins per passage 10 mins for VA 10 mins for going through the section again	6-7 mins per passage Completing the first round of the whole section in 40 mins 20 mins for another go through of the paper	Don’t waste time on a single question Attempt what you are confident of Complete 1st round in 30-35 mins
DI/LR	Divide sets into Easy, Medium, Hard Try to attempt all easy and medium passages	Move to next passage if you reached nowhere closer to solution in the first 5 minutes	Choosing sets wisely is key. Don't get lost in the difficult sets.
QA	Make sure all your calculations are correct.	Don’t waste much time on a single question	Choose wisely and make sure your accuracy is high when the section is tough.

 

September 2019. A mail was lying in my mailbox. I had to join the job in October. I knew that my preparations were going to be affected. The time was cut to less than half. But as it is said the biggest problems give you the biggest learnings. Here’s how I used to plan my day.

 

6 AM - 8 AM	0.5-1 hr sectional test + Brushing up concepts
8 AM - 9 AM	Getting Ready for the office
0 min. travel to office	Reading articles on diverse topics
1 PM - 2 PM	Lunch break + Reading
20 min travel back to home in Evening (Around 7 PM)	Relax! Let the fresh wind brush your face.
9 PM - 11/12 PM	Practicing questions (Mostly Time Based)

 

And then D-Day came and you all know what the climax would be. We know we are capable of doing great things. But at the same time, we doubt ourselves. We Believe But We Doubt !!. And sometimes it is required to keep us grounded. But never let the doubt take a victory over Self-belief. 

 

Email Id: anuj.g22@fms.edu

Name: Anuj Gupta      College: FMS, Delhi