In little over a month's time, nearly three lakh students will take the Common Admission Test (CAT) that determines admission to top-notch B-schools, including the coveted Indian Institutes of Management.

While the actual preparation may have begun months or even a few years ahead, the last one month could be vital for candidates, point out trainers.

This year's CAT will be held on November 16. By now, candidates should have finished a fair amount of their preparation. It is a good time to revisit concepts learnt earlier, for familiarity is vital, points out S. Balasubramanian, director, Triumphant Institute of Management Education (T.I.M.E), which trains students for competitive examinations.

"Students would have worked out their fundamental problems and written several mock tests by this time. But it is important to revisit the concepts learnt initially to refresh one's memory.

Students could revise the tricks and techniques to tackle the reasoning and quantitative ability sections," he says.

Candidates should also be careful not to get too worked up about scores in tests, say trainers.

"They should make an objective, dispassionate judgement about their performance and stay cool. They should not be worried at this point. Ultimately, what matters is staying cool while taking the actual test," adds Mr. Balasubramanian.
Strategy

Prioritisation and selection of questions in the test also plays an important role in the candidate's performance, according to S. Faiz Ahmad, general manager (south and east), IMS Learning Resources, another coaching institute.

"With the basic preparation having been completed by now, students need to work out a strategy that best suits them and tackle the question paper accordingly," he adds.