How to nail Quant section | 7 critical ideas for non-engineers
The count of the people who outrightly question the existence of Maths altogether is fairly high in number! We also come across hundreds of jokes and memes about “How Maths is a torture”, and the stress of dealing with Mathematics and its problems! We also go about this very common yet not always true notion in our head that “Engineers are Better at Mathematics than the rest”. But this article is not really about Engineers but the “Non-Engineers” to tend to have a dislike towards Maths.
Read on to find out the ways a Non-Engineer can prepare for the CAT Exam, especially for Quantitative Ability.
1. B.E.L.I.E.V.E
Relax yourself! Take a deep breath! Stop underestimating yourself and BELIEVE IN YOU! There is nothing you can’t achieve if you really believe in yourself and work hard for it. The first step is to focus on the former part. To believe that giving the CAT Exam and scoring well is not out of your bounds! It is something that is achievable! You can do it!
2. Stop victimizing yourself!
Just because you did not take up a Maths Stream in your high school or did not choose to take up Engineering as your undergraduate discipline, does not mean that all doors for you to go into a good business school are shut! Come out of this loop of thought that the system is rigged against you and you will never be able to make it. The system is meant to test your knowledge and competence and is not put in place to PREVENT you from getting admission to a B-School.
3. Control the controllables
It is now time to take ACTION! Time to let go of things that you can’t control, that is the very fact that you are a Non-Engineer or you hate maths! It is time to step up and take the wheel of CAT preparation in your hands by controlling the things you can and ignoring the things that you cant! Your focus should only be to ace the CAT Exam. Take it up as a challenge! Forget about the rest, the other things will be things to worry about in the future.
4. Start from the basics
No matter how many times it is said, this point can just not be emphasized enough! It is extremely crucial to work on your fundamentals and start from the very basics to build a strong foundation of CAT Preparation for yourself. It is never about how fast you can learn or how many formulae can you remember, but it is about understanding the concept and funda behind the question and being able to attempt the question as if you own it. Learn from absolute zero. Do tons of practice of routine to build automation and speed. See where you stand by assessing yourself.
Always remember, shortcuts may work once, twice, or even thrice but they will not take you where you want to be. If your basics are in place, you have a long way to go!
5. Be consistent in your preparation
Preparing for CAT is not a One-Day process. It will take effort. And the effort that you need to put in has to be consistent. Don’t Give up until you are done. Be willing to do the hard work, every day till you are actually well prepared for your exam. A little every day does wonder than trying to do all at once. Follow your routine religiously and practice, practice and practice! Always remember that action should reflect your ambitions. This snippet from Bojack Horseman perfectly illustrates that!
6. Revision is the key
Revision is one of the most crucial parts of your preparation. Very few people have a brain that remembers everything they read/learn. Most of us forget atleast 90% of the things we learnt within a week. Hence, revision comes to our rescue. Revision reiterates the concepts and fundamentals in our brain till the time it becomes very easy to recall them.
You can prepare as much as you want to, but in the end, if you do not focus enough on revision, it’ll all be in vain. Spend 10 minutes on the video below which explains in detail about the “Art of Revision” and how you revise based on the time left for preparation.
7. Take mocks
Mock tests are the words that a CAT Aspirant should start uttering very often on a daily basis. They are vital for your preparation as they give you a taste of the actual exam. Remember, you should be giving mocks just like you would give the actual exam, attempting all the questions in one go and doing so in an exam-like environment. The mock tests complete your preparation and you should ideally be giving around 30 mocks before you actually take the exam.
Dive into the deep end of the pool, and take mocks! As many as you can!
You can do it!
Do not let the “Non-engineer” tag bog you down! Prepare well! Prepare consistently! The only thing keeping you from nailing the exam is your belief in Engineers being better than you! Believe in Yourself! Breathe! You can do it!
Cheers and All the Best for your CAT Preparation.
Vibhuti Sharma works at 2IIM as a product manager.
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