First, a bit of preparation

Multiple hours of sitting under the table lamp, eyes harrowing the intractable comprehension passages, mind simultaneously creating virtual images of the text written, hands skimming up and down the page, subconscious thinking of the plausible questions at the end of the passage and side by side conjecturing answers, anxiety to finish off in five minutes not letting the eyelids waiver, brain forming links between the lines and trying to run ahead of the span of the eyes, and kaboom! concentration lost The entire train of thoughts derailed. And the need to start afresh.

That is how the 'mice' prepare for the CAT. Clearing the Common Admission Test for the IIMs, the dreams of many, cherished by a few, gateway to the most coveted boardrooms, the source to an enviable network, and — last but not least — insurance of the best pay packages; is a big challenge but, if taken in the right spirit and with a little proper and timely guidance, can be an enjoyable journey.

I cleared this behemoth this year and at the end the 'Congratulations! You have been selected.' took away all the fatigue, monotony and listlessness. The first step required to be taken, according to me, is to have a rock solid determination to get into the institute of your choice. Because that gives the required impetus to work hard and not let one steer away from one's prime focus.

One has to learn to prioritise. Be it time, college studies office work. And gradually develop the confidence, 'Yes, I can get through.' Then things start falling in place, one starts enjoying the preparation, incorporates the maths techniques and interpretation skills in daily life. Having a rigid schedule and, more importantly, sticking to it, practicing newly learnt skills regularly, and analysing one's performances are the key factors that contribute towards success.

It is very important to keep the mind fresh and invigorated to maintain it active throughout the process. For that, I personally dreamt of all the Leicester Squares and Times Squares, that the course would entail and the endless opportunities it would bestow upon me. But, after passing through this titanic hurdle, if one assumes life is going to be a cakewalk henceforth, beware! You have not yet entered the big dark dungeons of an IIM!

Multiple hours in front of the laptop, eyes hurriedly going through abysmal assignments, mind trying to grapple with information overload, hands crisscrossing the keypad, subconscious sleeping for the want of it, anxiety to get at least half an hour of sleep, brain debiting the credit and crediting the debit, and kaboom! One realizes that life never gets easy now. The cat has finally taken over the mice

– Vaibhav Gupta, 1st year PGDM student at IIM Calcutta.