CATalysis

Slowly and steadily, the C-day is arriving. But honestly speaking, i dont see my level of readiness any different from the last year despite the fact i am having a lot of free time this year. I think guys like me or perhaps many among us are like that. We do tend to take things lightly but wat matters is how u perform on that particular day. This time as i had a lot of free time, i found certain peculiar characteristics in CAT preparation which many colleagues of mine, i think, would agree. So here are they:

1. No matter how much u try, u end up making innovative mistakes in each and every mock paper of CAT. Analysis of previous papers doesnt help much. U go with fresh air of enthusiasm but in the end u make a new kind of mistake. Kudos to all of us for being creative in atleast one field.

2. After finishing the exams, when u go for discussion, u will always find that others have attempted more no of Qs than u. Now this frustates me a lot. Right from the last cat till now, i seldom find anyone who has attempted less than me. If i attempt 30 Qs, they will attempt 35. If 40 then they attempt 45. Any CONSPIRACY going on????? :D

3. During the ongoing mock paper, u still get time to laugh at urself as u cant even solve these simple 11th-12th std maths questions based on geometry, algortithm etc or a basic grammar related question which "VERY SIMPLY" asks u to just tell incorrect sentences among a group of sentences. See its so easy na..

4. U may not care about anything in the world but during the CAT paper, ur mind will be bombarded with all kind of issues that u r facing in ur life. Yeah this is the time when all of a sudden ur brain realises that we need to sort out certain issues in life and so in the midst of ongoing paper, u come across topics such as ur fight with a friend, ur tense relations etc etc.

If ur luck is worse than that, then disaster will struck upon u. Latest bollywood songs start playing in ur mind. And u know wat, u can hear them so clearly that u can point out where wat instrument is being played upon. These things happen only in those 135 minutes. And let the exams offer. U all of a sudden become normal again. So wat was that. More of "Sach ka saamna" kind of situation.

And worst of all, CAT is not like university exams where u can write anything and be happy. First of all it doesnt allow u to write anything and even deducts mark for wrong answers. So its not an exam for masti etc where i with all my creative skills write anything i want. So all i can say is "lets hope for the best" and may i find the HOLY GRAIL this time....