Remember how six months back, CAT was far away and you thought that you would do a whole lot of things. There was a quiet confidence as well as solace in the fact that CAT was not that close, even the notification hadn't come by then.

But now it's just around the corner -- less than a fortnight away! Look back and you will now find all the things/ preparation that you wanted to do and didn't. There are regrets, disappointments, depression, and those few times when the mock CAT marks were good -- elation and hope.

Is it possible to turn the clock backwards, say by a year? Three months? A month at least!? Let me tell you one thing, it is better that you get over it rather than think of all that has not been done. Remember, there were plenty of times in the past that you faced similar situations and even though you had time on your hands it didn't make any difference. If anything, it is actually going to upset your rhythm at this point.

• 'CAT is going towards reasoning and logic-based problems'

Practically, this week (November 5 to 12) is the last week you are going to work. Diwali celebrations (enjoy the day!) will take some time away from your preparation, however let's look at what best to do in these few days so that you enhance your chances of getting into the best management schools in the country.

I am sure there are questions that may be haunting you such as:

• I have not been getting great marks in English, so should I leave this section in CAT and concentrate on maximising scores?
• Despite a lot of preparation, I am not getting good scores in my Mock CATs and AIMCATs, should I drop it this year and take it next year?
• Since CAT seems pretty difficult, should I concentrate on NMAT and SNAP and start preparing for GK too?
• I have been doing consistently but the last few Mocks have gone bad, does it mean that I have lost my touch and I may not do well in CAT?
• DI was my strength till date, but in the last two Mocks I did not score even the cutoff, what should I do?
• Should I take a Mock CAT every day?

This is not the time to worry about ONE odd Mock CAT that you took this Sunday and the result of the same. It won't matter what the result of the next couple of mock CATs are either. What is required at this stage is get a clear idea about your strengths, your weaknesses, your idiosyncrasies and understand them well to make the best of the situation.

Look at your scores in each of the sections in all the mocks that you have taken. It would do well at this stage to understand your best and worst strike rates in each of the sections. This will help you devise the best strategy (in terms of attempts) as well as give you an idea of whether you should concentrate on accuracy or number of attempts in the exam.

In addition, make sure that you do some individual tests especially in those areas/sections that you have not been getting good marks.

In the next 10 days, solve about 75 to 100 sets of DI and Logic so that you are comfortable with all the patterns that have come in CAT.

Read 5 passages every day and ensure that there is variety in your reading. Getting familiar with the types of passages that come in CAT will make it easier when you attempt the same in the exam.

Do not panic and overdo the number of exams at this stage. Remember that your confidence may unnecessarily be dented if you get couple of bad scores. However, let me add that your confidence should also be not so fickle that it changes with every Mock CAT score!

Finalise your strategy for the exam depending on what could come in the exam. It is also important that you give a certain leeway to the possibility of getting a completely different paper than what you have done. If you have prepared well and have been scoring consistently well in your Mock exams, then there is no reason to panic if a completely new pattern comes.

• CAT 2007: Strategise, analyse and practise!

Also note that if it is indeed a new pattern, the entire 2.2 lakh crowd that will write the CAT will be equally surprised and/or shocked. Good managers are those who react positively to any change rather than remain shell-shocked. Treat this as an opportunity to think on your feet and do your best.

Finally, instead of lamenting on the lack of time, make the best use of it. It is not the quantity of work that matters anymore but the quality.

We will feature the dos and don'ts of CAT and the last week strategy in the coming days, right here on rediff.com!

All the best!

ARKS Srinivas is an alumnus of IIM Calcutta and is the Director of T.I.M.E. Mumbai