How do we handle stress while preparing for CAT? Here are wonderful pointers on reducing CAT Prep stress. You might also want to check out this curious article of CAT and COVID-19.
1. Learn for the sake of learning.
De-emphasize CAT and results. Re-emphasize the process. Enjoy your learning. Take joy in learning the intricacies of number systems and geometry. Take joy in reading interesting passages. Puzzle over that para-jumble for the sake of decoding.
One can train their mind to be happy while doing something. Do that. That’s one of the first steps to reducing CAT Prep stress. This fabulous article about preparing for CAT from July is a good place to start.
2. Don’t burn your bridges.
Keep your connections and maintain your relationships. Don’t quit your job or rubbish your college scores. Live life and continue to think that your life will go on without a fantastic CAT score.
Check out this interesting video that answers the question of whether one should quit their job to prepare for CAT.
3. Get some perspective.
In the wake of the pandemic, the world has been laying low. Our country has been struggling. There are individuals who are not sure about basic pay if the state of affairs remains this way. Scores of Indians are struggling to manage their finances. Daily-wage labourers and blue-collar workers are definitely struggling now. Compared to them, quite a few white-collar job goers are receiving compassionate pay.
We can all get riled up about a capitalist conspiracy, but the fact remains that if you turn up and work, you’ll get paid. If your employer is struggling, that will pass on to you. The world has seen countless lay-offs and relatively reduced pay. We can expect some kindness from our employers, but the fact remains that if no work is getting done and they are getting squeezed, there will be lay-offs.
So while you’re sitting here, reading this article and wondering about your CAT prep, one way or another, you likely belong to a lucky minority. Whether that’s a 1% or 5 % or 10% minority, it is still a minority.
Scores and scores of people are in a far worse position than we are.
So remind yourself of that every day. Your emotions and struggles do matter. But try to be grateful for the little things whenever you can. We’re all extremely lucky to be in whatever modest position we are in, in these incredibly testing times.
4. Work
If you haven’t been getting your CAT Prep done and you’re feeling stress because of it, try and switch off from everything else, spend the following week preparing each for 4 hours and stress will fly away. It’ll fly away like nothing else.
Stress cannot survive in the presence of hard work.
Sometimes our targets can be a bit over-ambitious. That’s when you take stock and say, “I’m doing my best.” If it isn’t falling into place now, it will fall into place soon. Re-evaluate your targets and have a go at it. The important thing to remember is to always try to do your best.
If Quant is your main source of CAT Prep stress, this article about tackling Quant from July is a must-read!
5. The phenomenon of stress
Stress tends to creep on you. Sometimes, when we’ve vested too much into something emotionally, and the data points go against us, it can feel very constricting.
It happens to everybody. It happens to happy-looking and sad-looking people, unsuccessful people, and successful people. Everyone feels the bite of falling and missing the mark (vis-à-vis their own expectations). Sometimes it’s communal, sometimes it is personal. Talk to people. Get some form of physical exercise and do tons of work.
The greatest solution to combating CAT Prep stress and stress of other competitive exams is to actually turn up and study.
If you can look at yourself in the mirror on the day of your exam and feel that you’ve tried your best, then at least you won’t feel bad about yourself or feel stressed. Check out this fabulous article about handling pressure during the CAT exam.
Stay safe and best wishes for your CAT Prep!
Rajesh Balasubramanian takes the CAT every year and is a 4-time CAT 100 percentiler. He likes few things more than teaching Math and insists to this day that he is a better teacher than exam-taker.
Leave a Reply