November 18 is approaching quickly, faster than the normal speed of time.

Most MBA aspirants share the same perception about CAT 2007 at this stage of their preparation. This is what we call test anxiety. After preparing for the last ten months or more, at this point, stress is quite natural.

What you must not forget at this stage is that CAT is actually the test of your strategic approach, your consistent efforts and your self-control. Most of us have tested ourselves so many times on the strategy and perseverance front, so let's take a loot at self-contrl.

Exercising and maintaining self-control becomes even more important when CAT is less than a month away. You need to know your instruments, maintain a healthy diet, plan properly and strategise your time management for C-Day. Plus, you must remain in control for the post-CAT challenges like fine tuning our preparation for the other B-school entrances and GD and PI.

Are you well-armed?

CAT is nothing less than a battle and you need to have the right weapons to win!

The most fascinating thing about CAT is that blunt weapons are advantageous. So get hold of a good brand of pencils with thick lead that won't give you trouble. Sharpened pencils take time when filling ovals in the OMR sheet, plus their tips break easily. Hence a vigorously scribbled pencil is better than the sharpened one.

Carrying two more such backups is a very good idea. Read the instructions in the brochure and the admit cards to make a list of things to be carried. Pack your bag the previous evening, keeping careful tally of your list.

What's good for tummy and brain?

What you have in the morning is extremely important. It's important to have food that doesn't put a load on blood supply for digestion. It helps if you avoid heavy, greasy food. Instead, have some carbohydrate and protein rich food that is easy to digest. That's why bananas serve as the best option as they not only provide carbohydrates but are also rich in chemicals that help control stress.

Boiled eggs, too, are a good source of easily digestible proteins.You must avoid eating out when the exam nears; this is a time when you cannot afford to have your stomach give you trouble. You must also avoid sweetened beverages and stimulants like coffee in the exam morning as they make you excited for a short duration and then drain you out.

Reaching the exam venue

It's a good idea to visit the exam centre the previous evening. Know a bit about the transportation available from the place where you are staying to the test centre. Try to get an idea of the travel time. If you intend to move around in your own vehicle, ensure that you won't start the most awaited day of your young career with a parking issue.

What to do at the venue

Be positive and avoid people and situations that are negative. Test anxiety and stress have direct relation with time -- be it waiting-time or lost time. Hence, don't go to the centre too early or too late. Keeping a cool mind is the winner's way of taking CAT, which most of us know but can hardly execute on the exam day. Reading a funny story and remembering the happiest moments of your life are the ways one can come out of any kind and level of stress and anxiety.

The right start

The rule of thumb to excel in any examination is to maintain a high confidence level throughout the various sections of the exam. What can be a way better than answering the easiest, most obvious questions to keep the confidence level up? Hence, always start with the section that you are most comfortable with. You would know this from the numerous mock tests that you would undoubtedly have taken before the actual exam.

Guess work!

Do guesswork only if you have eliminated two options and you have finished off all the questions you were sure about. This would help you choose and concentrate on the questions you know well and later organise your attempts for the questions you are not sure of.

Leaving the hall

Avoid the temptation to rush out of hall if you have finished the exam paper before time (something that rarely happens in CAT). Linger around the venue and listen to what others feel about the difficulty level of the test. This would give you an idea of your chance of success. It is a good idea to visit your trainers or some websites that analyse the CAT in detail. Experts at TCY have been doing this exercise for the past 8 CATs. You may log on to www.tcyonline.com/ on the C-day to learn what experts have to say about CAT 2007.

CAT's done -- what next?

A majority of students are usually too depressed or are so elated that they forget that the written test is only the first step to your admission and, more importantly, they forget the other important tests like SNAP, XAT, and FMS etc. Generally, a majority of the students give only a fraction of effort that they have put into CAT for other exams which is a bad idea. If you are sure about a call from IIMs, start investing on your GD interview preparation right away. If you didn't do well, you have extra incentive to double your efforts for the other exams.

Viji Raj is a competitive examination expert with Top Careers & You. Chat with him on http://www.rediff.com/ on October 24, 2007 at 3 pm. Alternatively, he can be contacted at viji@tcyonline.com.

TCY trains National and International students for high end examinations viz. CAT, GRE, GMAT, SAT, IELTS & TOEFL. Visit http://www.tcyonline.com/ to learn more about CAT and winning strategies.