The Cat Chronicles

8/14/2019 The Cat Chronicles

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1 TheCATChroniclesnefinedayoutofnowheretikurecieve

anemailfromamysteriousguycalledk

hsihbatheemailcontainsthesocalleds

cretstobeingabletodoingwellintheca

andthesesecretsarenowforalltoshare

hesesimppleinsightshelptikudoextre

elywellinhisexamandhencecrackcat

fterwhichhegoesontoiimbandbecom

sastudentwhoisverysuccessfulincor

cttimethoughherememberstosharet

esamesecretsthatwerepassedontohi

bykehsihbaandwantstheseideastos

eradfarandwidereadthisbookandap

lywhatitsaysfullyandatthesametime

assitontothoseyouthinkwillbenefito

tofthisnowinsteadofreadingthisyou

etterbereadingthebookrighthehehio

The CAT Chronicles

A journey into the last month of CAT

AbhishekThakore


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Downloadedfromhttp://www.pagalguy.com/

The CAT Chronicles

AjourneyinthelastmonthofCAT

Dedicatedto

You

forundertakingthisbravejourneytowardsactualizingyourdreams

TheCATChronicles

Version1.0

E-Book

(c)AbhishekThakore,2009asoriginalauthor.

CopyrightLisence-(cc)(sa)(nc)

ThisbookisunderaCreativeCommonslicence.Youmayfreelydistributethisbookfornon

commercialpurposes.Ifyoudomodifyitormakederivativeworks,theytooshouldbeunderthe

samelicence.


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Preface

IdlovetowritealongprefacetothisbookbutIwilljustgettothepoint.

Readthisbook.

Thenapplyit.

Thenreaditagain.

Thenapplyitevenmore.

Theentireideaofgyaanisthatitneedstobeappliedforresults.Elseitsjustasheerwasteofyour

time.Andthattime,inthislastonemonthofCATisprecious.

Thatsit.

AbhishekThakore

Mumbai

November2009


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ContentsPreface................................................................................................................................................... 3

Ch1:Theend......................................................................................................................................... 5

Ch2:Thechecklist ................................................................................................................................. 6

Ch3:TheMail ....................................................................................................................................... 7

Ch4:TheChat....................................................................................................................................... 8

Ch5:Takewhatapplies...................................................................................................................... 10

Ch6Itsnotonlyinthehead............................................................................................................. 11

Ch7:Thegamechangesnow ........................................................................................................... 12

Ch8:Pushv/sacceptance .................................................................................................................. 13

Ch8:Thestrategyahead .................................................................................................................... 14

Ch9:Onthedaytips........................................................................................................................... 16

Ch10:Youcandoit!........................................................................................................................... 17

Ch11:Thebeginning ........................................................................................................................... 18

Aboutthebook.................................................................................................................................... 19

Epilogue ............................................................................................................................................... 20

TheInnerGameofCAT.................................................................................................................... 20

AboutAbhishekThakore ..................................................................................................................... 24

AboutTheLearningCompany ............................................................................................................. 25


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Ch 1: The end

Ashewalkedoutoftheexamhall,Tikugaveasatisfyinglookbackatthecenter.Therewasasmile

onhisface.TheCATwasoveratlast!

Theeffortthathehadputinforalongyearhadatlastfructified.Lifewasgoodagain.

Hishandsreachedhispocket.

GottapickupthemobilephoneandcallupKuttyhesaid

MovingoutofhiscenteratJaiHind,hestartedtowalktowardshisfavouritemarinedrive.The

afternoonsunshonemercilesslyonthestretch.Thewindwascooling.

Phoneunavailable.

Tikusthoughtsracedback...

Hewasontracktopreparationlikeanyothertypicalstudent.

HeopenedhisjournaltothefirstpagehehadstartedtorecordprogressonlyafterKehsihbahad

comeintohislife.


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Ch 2: The checklist

Nov1st

ThechallengesIface:

- Fluctuatingmarksmakemetensedup- Idontfeelmotivatedenough- Iwastemytimeawaydoingotherthings- Idontfeelthatmyprepisenough- Thepressureisjustincreasing- Idontknowwhoseadvicetolisten- IamnotdoingwellatQuantbutwellinVerbal

Hewaslikeatypicalstudent.ButthiswasnowonlyamonthbeforeCATandthatmeantthathe

neededtodosomethingurgentlytosolvetheseissues!

Actuallyhealreadyknewmostofhisissues.

ButhewasdoingthisbecausehiseldersisterAkuhadaskedhimtodoit.Shesaidthatsomeone

calledKehsihbawillmailhim.


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Ch 3 : The Mail

DearTiku,

ThisisKehsihba.YoudontknowmebutIamrelatedtoyoubyachain.

Thischainisachainofpeoplewhohavepassedonsomeveryimportantideastoeachother.These

ideasarecalledtheCATChronicles.

Iknowyouthroughyoursisterwhoisagoodfriend.

ButbeforeIstartalittlebitaboutme.

IamafirstyearstudentatIIMBangalore.DidmycommerceatNMCollegeinMumbaiandtookCAT

rightafterthat.

Itwasalmostthesametimeasyouareinnow...justamonthbeforemypreparations...whenIwas

contactedbysomeonebythenameofThakur.He,atthattimewasafirstyearIIMAstudent.Andhe

toofoundmethroughastrangeconnection.

AtthatverycriticalstagehepassedmewhathecalledtheCATChronicles.

Itsacollectionofverysimpleideasandyettheyareasprofoundastheyaresimple.

AddmeasafriendonGtalkandweshallchataboutthis.

[email protected]

Cheers!

Keh


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Ch 4 : The Chat

Tiku:Heyhi

Keh:HeyhiTikku,goodtoseeyou!Sowhatsup?

Tiku:Prepgoingon.Butbeforeanythingahead,tellmehowdidyouspotmeorratherhowdid

youselectmetospeakabouttheCATChronicles?Iamreallycurioustoknow....

Keh:Heheh....actuallythisislikeakindofatradition.Theseareideasthatwerepenneddownyears

agobysomeonefromIIMA.ItisrumouredthatitwasfromthefirstbatchofIIMA....Idliketo

believeitwasCKPrahladwhowrotetheseinhisdaysthere...

Tiku:WOW!Sowhatsthedealhere?

Keh:Welleversincethen,theseideashavebeenpassed.Thereisnothingneworexclusiveabout

theseideas.YetthewaytheyareexpressedintheChroniclesisunique.Andeveryyeartheyare

passedontosomeonewhoispreparingforCAT....

Tiku:Sohowdoyouchoosewhothatpersonis?

Keh:WellthewayitisinstructedintheChroniclesyouacquaintyourselfwithacircleofpeople

whoaretakingtheCATattempt.Getsomeideaaboutthem,andhowtheyareperforming.From

those,passitontoanyonepersonwhoyourgutfeelpointsoutto.

Tiku:Hmm....lifechangingsecretshypedasChronicleshuh?WhatifItellyouthatIdontneed

themeitherwaysifiamgoingtomakeitiwillandifiamnotgoingtomakeitiwont...

Keh:Sure,suityourself.Iamforbiddentoofferittoanyoneelsesoifitdoesntgetpasseditdies.

Foreveryyearsincethesestartedoutthesewerepassedandweregraciouslyacceptedtoo.You

dontneedtotakethemthough.

Butrememberatthesametimethatthesearenotsomesecretformulathatwilltransformyou

overnightintoaCATchampion.InfacttheChroniclesthemselvessaythatchangedoesnthappen

overnight.

Howeverwhatthesewilldoistohelpyourightnow.

Tiku:Amonthbeforetheexams!!

Keh:Yes.Amonthbefore.Thatswhentheyaremeanttobepassedon.Anythingearlierdoesnt

workandanythinglaterispointless

Tiku:SowhycreatethishypeofChroniclesandstuff?Whynotjustwriteanewspaperarticleand

getdonewithit?


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Keh:MaybebecauseCKPbelievedinbrandingandexclusivity!Wellseriouslyspeakingtheseideas

donotresonatewitheverybodycoznotallareresponsibleenoughtohandletheideasitspeaks

about.Youaretotallyfreetospeakabouttheseideastoothersknowledgeistobeshared.They

aresharedaschroniclesandpassedontosomeonedeserving(orwhoIbelieveisdeserving!)isso

thattheyarepreservedandpassedon....

Tiku:OkaykewlIgetit.Sowhatsthedealnow?

Keh:Nothingmuch.IpassyoutheChronicles.Youreadthem.Youapplywhatmakessensetoyou.

Youdiscardtherest.Youspeaktopeopleaboutit.Andwhenyoumakeitnextyeartoyourdream

businessschool,chooseaworthysuitorandpassitontohim.

Tiku:Ah!SothesecretformulatomakeittoIIMB?

Keh:Notreally!NotnecessarythatyougetintothebestBSchoolinthecountry...butyouwillsurely

getintowhatyoutrulydeservetheseChronicleswillstreamlineyourattemptandgiveyouthat

pushwhichyouneed.Ibelieveinyou.Andhencethisknowledgeisyourstokeep

Tiku:Hmmm...great!Sothatmakessense....Ihavemadealistofmyissuesdoyouwantmeto

sharethemwithyou?

Keh:Nothatwasforyourownreference...keepitwithyouandseehowthesechroniclesworkon

those

Tiku:Wellthankssohowwillyoupassittome

Keh:Iwillsendittoyoubyemailasanattachmentwithapassword.Youwillreceivethepassword

bySMS.

Tiku:wellyouaremakingitsoundtotallymumbojumbocryptic

Keh:Wellthatshowitsmeanttobedone

Tiku:Great!

Keh:Socoolthen...stayintouchbyemail...andapplythem!

Tiku:Yeahcheers!


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Ch 5 : Take what applies

Tikuunzippedtheattachmenthereceived.Itopenedintomultipleworddocuments.Heopenedthe

onemarked01.doc

AsyoucomeclosertoCAT,theamountofadvicethrownatyouwillincrease...dramatically...

Therewillbenewsarticles,friends,familymembers,teachers,siblings,bschoolgradsandeveryone

around....

Andthenyoursituationactuallymakessurethatyouwilltryandactoneachoneofthem.

Advicehoweverisquitearetrospectiveinsight.Peopledowhattheydoandthentrytoprovideexplanationsforwhathappenedthatswhatadviceboilsdownto.

Sothebasicideaistobeverycarefulwithwhatyouapply.Ifyoukeeplisteningtoandtryingout

differentsuggestions,youwillkeepswinginglikeapendulum.

Bythistimeyoushouldhavehadafairideaofwhatworksforyouandwhatdoesnt.

Andwhatworksforyouwillnotbealonglistitwillonlybeoneortwothings,andthosethings

onlyyouknow.

ItsusefultoreadtopperspeakwhatpeoplewhocrackedCATdid.Butwhattheydidworkedforthem.Itstotallynotnecessarythatitshouldworkforyouatall.

Itslikethis.SomeonecouldsaythatIscratchedmynosewithmylefthandeachtimeItookthe

paper.Thecauseeffectrelationshipmayappearbutmaynotbetrueatall.Atleast,youscratching

yournosewithyourlefthandwillnotwork!

Therearetwowaysyoucantrytounderstandwhatisworkingforyouoneisusingyourgutfeel.

Askyourselfwhatyoufeelcomfortablewith.Whatstrategyseemstobeworking.

Theotherwayistogobydatalookatyouractualperformancetounderstandwhatishappening.

Remembertofilterallthatyouhear,seeandreadfromthelensofcommonsense


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Ch 6 Its not only in the head

CATisnotwhathappensinyourheadalone.Itiswhathappensinyourgut.

ThemotivationforCATwillkeepmovingitwillkeepdwindlingandrising.Butwhatwillretainitis

theconstantdesiretomakeitthere.

Ifyourmotivationisfluctuatingitonlymeansthatyourvisionforyourselfisnotclear.

Insteadofbeatingyourselfup,tryandfindoutwhyyourmotivationhasdwindled.Refocusonwhat

isyourvisionforyourself.

Whatwillmoveyou?Whatwillmoveyoutowakeupeverydayinthemorningwithanunstoppabledesiretomakeithappen?Whatwillmakesurethatyouareatthebestofyourperformanceinthe

exam?

Itsnotyourthoughts,yourintellectualization.

Itisyouremotions.

Soalso,beverycarefuloftheemotionsthatyouexperienceclosertoCAT.

Jelouslyguardyourbrain,yourpsychefromnegativeandunwantedemotions.

Nofightswithgirlfriend/boyfriend.Noargumentswithfriends.Nodisturbingmovies.Noirritating

conversations.

Handleyouremotionswithkidglovessothatyouareinthepeakemotionalstatewhenyouappear

fortheexam.

Remember,asimportantasthinkingandintellectisyourheartandgut.

Oftenthatdifferentiatespeoplewhomakethedifferencefromthosewhodont.


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Ch 7 : The game changes now

ItsthelastmonthofCATandthisiswhenthegamechanges.Theoldrulesnolongerapply.The

sameprinciplesdonotmakeanysense.Itstimetorevisestrategy.

Itisnowtoolatetolearnanythingnew.Ifyouexpecttolearnsomethingdramaticinthelastone

month,forgetit.

Thattimehasgone.

Nowisthetimetoconsolidate.Tobecertainaboutwhatyouknowandwhatyoudont.

Therewillbesometopicsthatyouareabsolutelycertainabout.Youaretotallyclearontheseconceptsandyoucanmostlytackleanyquestioninthissubject.Markthosetopicsout.

Ontheotherhandtherewillbetopicsthatyouareabsolutelydismalat.Maybeyoumissedthe

conceptclasses.Maybeyoucouldneverfigureoutwhatthewholethingreallymeant.Eitherways

thereisnotimenowtoworkonthis.

Justreviseyourbasicconceptstomakesurethatyoudontmissanysittersinthesubject.But

beyondthatanyfurtherinvestmentisawasteoftimeandenergy.Alotofresearchinself

developmentshowsthatwemustfocusonourstrengths.Sofocusonyourstrengthstomakeit

happenforyou.

Thisistimeforrevisionandtesttaking.

Youalsoneedtobecarefulnottooverpractice.

Wewilltalkaboutthisinthecomingchapters.

Butonethingiscertaintherulesofthegamehavechangedandwontremainthesame.Whatyou

havebeendoingsofarisnotagreatideatodointhelastonemonth.


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Ch 8 : Push v/s acceptance

Overthelastmonthsyouhavebeenveryhardonyourself.Youhaveshoutedatyourselffornot

performing.Youhavetriedtopushyourselftodomoreandmore.

Nowistimetostopbeingharshonyourself.Itistimetoaccept.

Ifyourperformance/preparationforCATrightnowstandsat6,youhavebeenaimingfor10.But

nowitstimetoberealistic.Aimingfor10willonlyaddpressure,tensionandfrustrationtoyou.

Instead,aimfora7oran8.Itisnowrealistic.

Veryoften,andtypicallyachieverstendtopushthemselvesveryhardtoachieveanddoreallywellforthemselves.Howevercomingveryclosetotheexams,toomuchpushingcanactuallyhavea

countereffect.

Thechallengethusistobalancethepushingwithacceptance.Whenyouacceptyourlimitations,

suddenlyyouarefreetofocusonyourstrengths.

AnentirebranchofpsychologycalledAcceptanceCommitmentTherapyisbasedonmindful

acceptanceoflimitationssoitsscientificallyproventowork.

MentallytellyourselfIacceptmyselfasIamandIwillgivemybest

Themereactofgivingyourbestwilltransformyouyouwillbeabletolookatyourselfintheeye,

whenyoulookintothemirror.Youwillrespectyourself.Youwillhavenoregretsallbecauseyou

gaveyourbesttothesituation,towhateverexisted.

Thefirststeptogivingyourbestistostopbeingoverlyharshonyourself.


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Ch 8 : The strategy ahead

PeoplespendovernightsstudyingforCAT.Thatsagreatideabutnotclosertotheexam.

Lookatthislastmonthasanetpracticetotheexams.Thinkaboutitassomethingthatwillgetyou

preparedfortherealexams.

Havingsaidthat,youdontwanttoburnoutorinjureyourselfonthenets.

SotheactualCATpracticeneedstocomedownmaybeatest+analysiseveryday+alittlebitof

touchingonconcepts.Typically6hoursadayshouldsuffice.

Whatdoyoudointherestofthetime?Donotletyourmindrestforsureletitbeactive.Readnewspapereditorials.SolveSudokusandpuzzles.Doanythingthatrelaxesyou.

AlsothenavoidanythingthatstoomuchofaneyestrainlikeusingthecomputerorTV.Thesewill

automaticallyaffectyourenergylevelandhencetheenergythatyoubringintothetest.

Itisimportantthatyougiveyourselfphysicalexerciseaswellsomakesureyoutakebriskwalksfor

atleast30minseachinthemorningandevening.

Anotherpracticethatwilldoyoureallygoodistomeditatejustcloseyoureyesandsitatarelaxed

place.Beverystillandconcentrateonyourbreath.Ifyourminddeviates,gentlybringitbacktothe

breath.

Thetimeofthemeditationeverydayshouldbejustbeforeyouractualtesttakingtime.Soforeg.If

youplantotakeatestinthe10amslot,youshouldmeditate930everyday.

Sleepisalsoimportantyouwillhavetotakecareofsleepingpatterns.Typicallyonthedayofthe

exampeopletendtowakeupnervousandtooearly.Othersmightstillbegroggybecausetheyare

usedtowakinguplate.

Sofixupasettimetosleep,andideallynotafter11pm.Wakeupatasettimeideallytargeting8

hoursofsleep,butcustomizeddependingonyoursleeprequirement.

Finallytakecareofyourdietyouneedtomakesurethatyoustayawayfromjunkfood,refined

flourandbasicallyanythingthatcomesinapacket.Thesearedifficultforyourbodytodigest.

Instead,tryandeatdryfruit,greensandrawfoodsaswellasfruits.Thesearehealthy.

Drinkplentyofwater.

Finallydonotdiscountthepowerofprayer.Soregularlyprayforstrengthandfaith.

Nowthatsalotofsuggestionsalreadysoinsteadofreadingthem,pleaseactuallyapply

them.


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Ch 9 : On the day tips

OnthedayoftheCATyouneedtowakeupearlyinthemorning.Beinarelaxedframeofmind,and

haveanicelongbathandagoodbreakfast.

Reachthecenterearlyenoughtofamiliarizeyourselfwithit.Takesometimetogetcentereda

littlebitofbreathingmeditationwillhelp.

Getintotheframeoflookingforwardtothetestbeingreadytocrackit.

Intheactualtestalwaysmakesuretogiveafewminutestogothroughtheentirepaperand

mentallyformulateyourstrategy.

Startwithtakingthosetopicquestionswherebothyouraccuracyandattemptsarehigh.Pickthe

easyonesfirstandgetdonewiththem.Onceyoujumpintoaquestion,remembertofollowthrough

tilltheendtryandfinishthequestionbecauseyouhavealreadyinvestedtimeinit.

Havingsaidthat,itsalsoimportanttomaintainaccuracythechallengeagainistokeepgetting

questionsrightandavoidingnegatives.CATisanexamthatclearlyrewardsaccuracy.Soinsteadof

goingalloutandattempting,becarefultoonlyattemptthatwhatyouaresuretogetcorrect.

Hencethenextsetofquestionsyouwillattemptarethosewhereyouraccuracyishighandthe

attemptsarerelativelylower.

Youshouldkeepawatchforsittersifthereareanythatis

AgainIalsorecommendtakinganassessmentofwhereyouareeveryhalfanhourthatwillmake

sureyoudontgetlostinthepaperandkeepontrack.

Giveyourbesttothetest,andonGodleavetherest.


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Ch 10 : You can do it!

CATisagame.Thatswhatitis.

Andyouplayagamejusttoenjoyit.Whenyouareplayingthegameyougiveyourbesttoit.Youtry

togiveitallyouhave.Butatthesametimeyourememberthatitsonlyagame.

Whateveryouwantinlife,youwillgetifyoubelieveyoucansoonerorlater.CATornoCAT.

Butdontletthataffectyourmotivationfortheexam.Instead,lookatCATlikeagameagamethat

youareplaying.Enjoythegame.Giveityourbest.

Ultimatelythisisagreatwaytotestyourselftotesthowyoureacttopressure.Totestwhereyouaregoodandwhatyouarebadat.

CATisawonderfulexam.Itisanexamwhereyouarenotforcedtoanswereverythingyouhavea

choice.Itisalsoanexamwithlimitedtime.

Tothatextentitsprettymuchlikelife.Youhaveloadsofchoices.Andthenyouhavelimitedtime.

Thechallengeistomaketherightchoicesandfollowthroughtomakethemostoutofthem.

ThereisnoguaranteeaboutCAT.Therearesomanyfactorsthatgovernyourperformancemostof

themareoutofyourcontrol.

Butyouwillfocusonwhatsinyourcontrolandthatisyourowneffort.Whenyougivecomplete

efforttoit,youwillbesurprisedatthekindofeffectithasonyou.

NoonecantellwhattheCATpaperwillbelike.NoonecantellwhichBSchoolyouwillgetintoand

whatpercentileyouwillget.

Butonethingisforsurethatwhenyougiveyourbest,YOUCANDOIT!


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Ch 11: The beginning

Ashewalkedoutoftheexamhall,Tikugaveasatisfyinglookbackatthecenter.Therewasasmile

onhisface.TheCATwasoveratlast!

HementallythankedKehsihbaforchoosinghimtopassontheChronicles.

ItwasnowtimetostartpreparingfortheGDPI.

Asexpected,Tikugotallsixcalls.HeconvertedB,L,IandK.HewaswaitlistedforC.

HetookupIIMBangaloreandhadagreattime.ItwasaroundNovembernextyearthathe

rememberedtheChroniclesalmostaccidentially.

HedecidedtoputthemallinonebookTheCATChronicles.

Itwastimetopassthemtosomeoneworthy.Someonewhowouldapplytheknowledgeandalso

shareitwithothers.

Tikudecidedthatitsbeentoolongthatthisknowledgehasbeenexclusive.Itshouldnowgotoas

manypeople.

ItrustthattheseChronicleswillreachthepersonwhoneedsitandwillapplyittoo.

Rightnow,thatpersonisYOU.


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About the book

TheCATChronicleswasbornoutofseeingthestressandtensionofthelastonemonthofCAT.

IoftensaythatCATisagreatexcusetotalktoyoungstersaboutmoreimportantissuesinlife.Thisis

trueforthisbooktoo.

Insteadoftryingtopublishthebookthroughapublisherandwaitforittohitthemarkets,Idecided

tomakethisapost-paidebook

Itrustyoutoapplyallthatisoutlinedinthisbookandifyoudo,thisbookwillbenefityouforsure.

Onceitdoes,youcanpayitback/payitforward.Therearevariouswaysinwhichyoucandothis:

- Forwardthisbooktopeoplewhoyouthinkwillfindituseful(Idlovetosaythatforwardthisto10peopleandyourCATpercentilewillimproveby1%butIwont).

- Dropinamailtomeatabhishek.thakore@gmail.comtotellmehowithelpedyou,yourfeedbackandanythingelseyoudliketoseeaddedtothisbook.

- Payforthebook.Ordonate(ifyouliketocallitthat).Youpayingforthisbookwillletmedomoreofthiskindofwritingwhichinturnwillmeanwecantogetherhelpmorepeople.

Youcandothisinmultiplewayssimplestwouldbetocouriercashtomyhomeaddress.302A/BSonakiran,Kanderpada,Dahisar(West),Mumbai400068.

- JoinintoaworkshopthatIamrunning.Thatwillalsoensurethatwemeetfacetofaceandcanworktogether.

- OrganizeatalkatyourcollegeororganisationbyTLC.

Wearetryingtoexperimentwithaneweconomicmodelthatmovesawayfromtherationalhuman

beingassumptiontoputtrustinpeople.Thebeliefisthatgivenenoughvalue,peoplewillcontributebacktothesamesystem,andtogethercreateathrivingecosystemwhereknowledgeis

freelyshared.

Wehopeyoujoinusinthisexperiment,inwhicheverwayyoucan.


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Epilogue

TikualsoauthoredanarticletoshareideasaroundsoftskillsnoneofthiswasintheChronicles,

becauseitwasmoretodowithpreparationbeforethelastonemonth.Nonetheless,hedecidedto

attachthearticletotheChronicles.

The Inner Game of CAT

ItsinterestingthatamajorityoffactorsforCATaspirantsaresimilar.Theyareallgraduating(though

fromdifferentstreams).TheyallhaveaccesstoCATcoachingclasses.AndtotheMocktests.They

haveequaltimetoprepare.AndtherearethousandswithasimilarIQintelligencelevel.

Whatthen,makesthedifferencebetweenthosewhomakeittothebusinessschoolsoftheir

dreamsv/sthosewhodont?

Itstheirmindset.

Theexternal,visiblepartoftheCATpreparationiswhatwemaycalltheHardsideofCAT.Itssame

formost,anditsmeasurableandvisible.Henceitisalsoeveryeasytoworkonit.

Theinvisiblesideishowever,themindset.Thiscomprisesifeverythingintangiblethataffectsthe

CATprep.Itistheattitude,thebeliefs,themotivationlevels,thedisciplineetc.ThisistheSofter

sideofCAT.Itisthatpartwhichismostunaddressed,andyettheonethatmakesthegreatest

differencetotheactualperformance.Infact,itisthegreatestdifferentiatorofmediocrityv/sexcellence.

Withtheclockticking,andCATcomingcloser,itisevenmoreimportanttomanageoneself.Thisis

typicallythetimeofupsanddownsinmotivation,slipsindisciplineandlousyfeelings.Andthisis

wherethemindsetreallycounts.


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SoletstalkaboutwhatconstitutestheCATmindset,andhowwecanapplyitinourpreparation,

startingnow.

1. ManagingfeelingsManagingyourperformanceisinalargepart,managinghowyoufeel.Therearetimes

whenyoufeellazyandalotofusarenotabletobreakoutofthisfeeling.Similarlyfeeling

tired,demotivatedornotbeingabletoconcentratearealsostatesi.e.feelings.

Essentially,astateiscreatedbymultiplefactorsfacialexpressions,posture,voice,

physicalmovementetc.Itiswidelybelievedthatourfeelingsaffectthesefactors,whichis

true.Howeverresearchhasalsoproventhatitistruetheotherwayroundaswelli.e.changesinthesefactorscanchangehowwefeel.

Similarlywhatwefocuson,inalargepartmakesabigdifferenceinhowwefeel.Hence,

insteadoffocussingonyourfailuresandmisses,itisimportanttofocusonsuccessesand

achievementsthiswillagainhelpyoufeelbetter.

Feelinglazycanforexample,beovercomebythinkingoftimeswhenyouwereactuallyactive.Similarlyifyougoforajogorexercise,yourfeelingofbeinglazywillpassaway.

2. ManagingStress

TheentireCATexamisaboutmaintainingacoolheadinfaceofimmensepressure.Theway

todothisislearningtomanagestress.

Acertainlevelofstressisactuallyconductivetothepreparationandperformance.However

thisbecomesdysfunctionalwhenthestressexceedsitsoptimallevel.

Managingstressessentiallyisaboutlearningtorelax.Agoodwaytodothisistositina

quietsecludedplacewithclosedeyes.Youmayusesomerelaxingmusic,andthenpay

attentiontoeachpartofyourbodyandrelaxitconsciously.Youcanmaintainthestateof


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relaxationbyholdingabeautifulpictureinyourheadofabeachoramountain.Having

donethisforafewminutes,comeoutslowlyofit,andgetbacktoyoursurroundings.

Deepbreathingisalsoagreatwaytorelax.Theideaistobeabletogeneratetherelaxationresponseatwillanduseittoouradvantage

3. Visioning

Alotoftimes,themotivationtomakeittoourdreamBSchooldwindles.Often,whilethere

isintenttogetintoabusinessschool,itsimplyfeelsunreal.Toworkonthis,wemustuse

thepowerofvisioning.

Tobeabletodothis,firstly,youneedafewpicturesofthedreamBschoolyouwanttobe

in.Thesearefreelyavailableonwebsitesdownloadthese,andifpossibleprintthemin

colorforyoutosee.

Atypicalvisioningexercisewillbewhereyoucompletelyrelaxyourselffirst.Youthensee

yourselfenteringthebusinessschoolofyourdreamsthroughyourowneyes,infullcolor,

motionandwithsound.Createthefeelingsthatyouwouldhave,whenyouwouldactuallybeenteringtheBSchool.Letthosefeelingstayandmagnifythem.

YoucanalsomakeatreasuremapagraffitiofpicturesthatshowyouinthedreamB

School.

Theideaistomakeitrealforthemindwiththeprinciplethatwhatyourmindcanbelieve,

youcanachieve

4. Beliefs

Abeliefisafeelingofcertaintyaboutsomething.Itsanunquestionedcommandthat

compelsustoactinacertainmanner.Theinterestingbitisthatbeliefscanbeformed

throughexperiencesthatarebothrealandimagined.


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AdisempoweringbelieflikeIambadatquantcanhamperyourperformance.Conversely,

abelieflikeIcanalwaysgivemybestandkeepimprovingonitisanempoweringbelief.

Sohowdoyouworkonyourbeliefs?Thefirststepistolistdownyourbeliefs.Typicalbeliefs

beginwithIam,Ican..,CATisetc.Afterlistingthesedowncirclethe

disempoweringones.

Thewaytobreakthroughtheseisthroughquestioning.Whenabeliefisquestionedenough

numberoftimes,itbeginstobecomeweak.Soforexample,thebeliefisIamlazy.You

needtoaskpiercingquestions.HaveIalwaysbeenlazy?WasthereanytimewhenIwasnot

lazyatall?Whatwillhavingthisbeliefcostmeinthefuture?

Magnifythenegativeasyouimaginetheoutcomeofhavingthedisempoweringbelief

becausethemindwillrespondtopainmuchfaster.

Whenyoutakeonanewbelief,doatleastoneactionthatiscongruenttoyournewbelief

beforeyouleavethesiteandtimeofchangingthebelief.

Withempoweringbeliefs,surprisingly,theeffortyouputintothepreparationwillbecomeeffortless.

DoingwellinCATbeginswithadecision.Andyouneedtomakethatdecisionnowtogiveyour

bestandonlyyourbest.Onceyouhavedonethis,thereisnothingthatcanstopyoufromachieving

yourdream.


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About Abhishek Thakore

AbhishekThakoreisagoldmedallistfromIIMBangalore.HeiscurrentlypursuinghisPhDfromIIT

Bombay.

AbhishekistheCEOofTheLearningCompany,anenterpriseineducationandselfdevelopment.He

ispassionateabouthelpingyoungstersfindtheirinnercallingandactualizetheirpotential.Heisthe

ChiefCatalystofBlueRibbonMovement,ayouthNGObasedinMumbai.

Heistheauthorofthreebestsellingbookswhichhavetogethersoldover50,000copies.

HehasworkedwithorganisationslikeDeutscheBankandBCG.Histrainingandconsulting

assignmentsspanvarioussectorsincludingcement,textiles,telecom,heavyengineeringandauto

ancillaries.

HewastheZonalRotaractRepresentativeofDist.3140inRotaract.Hehasalsowonover50different

competitionsincludingMr.MalharandMr.Umang.HewasthebestoutgoingstudentforNM

College.

Helovestowriteonspiritualhumor,poetryandselfdevelopment.Heisintotrekkingandisanavid

reader.Heexperimentswithimprovisationaltheatre.

ToknowevenmoreaboutAbhishek,googleforAbhishekThakore!

[email protected]


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About The Learning Company

TheLearningCompanyexiststohelpindividualsandorganisationsactualizetheirpotential.

Itisintoabroadrangeofactivitiesrelatedtoselfandorganisationaldevelopment.

TLCconductstrainingseminarsandtalksonvariouspersonalgrowthandmanagementtopics.Its

consultingdivisionprovidestrainingandconsultingforvariouscorporateorganisations.Wehave

alsoinitiatedtheMillionSuperStudentsprogramtotakeeffectivestudiestoonemillionstudents

byendof2011.ApartfromthisTLCdoesschoolsyllabusconsultingandisplanningtoenterintoa

chainofselfdevelopmentcenters.

Werehappytohelpgetintouchwithuswithyourissuesandwewilldoourbesttohelpyou

withthem!

Mail : [email protected]


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About PaGaLGuY.com

PaGaLGuY.comisIndiasbiggestandmosttrustedMBApreparatoryresourceswebsite,usedbyover

500,000MBAapplicantseverymonthto:

1.SeekhelptoprepareforMBAentranceexamssuchastheCAT,XAT,SNAP,JMET,CET(India)and

GMAT,TOEFL,IELTS(International)andrelatedadmissioninterviews.

2.MakesmartandinformeddecisionsaboutjoiningbusinessschoolinIndiaandabroad.

Sinceitstartedin2002,PaGaLGuY.comfollowsanonlinecommunityapproachtocreatesmartand

usefulproductstomakeMBAapplicantsliveseasier.Youmighthaveheardpeoplesay:

PaGaLGuY.comisamongthehandfulofwebsitesthatpioneeredtrueandrobustonline

communitiesinIndia.WestartedwiththePaGaLGuY.comMBAForumsin2002,whichnowhave

1.57milliondiscussionpostswrittenbyover320,000userssolelyonMBApreparationandadmissions.Wehavealsobuilttrend-settingservicesforMBAaspirantsthatcombinetechnology

andcommunitytoempowertheMBAaspirantcommunity.

MBAperspectivesandanalysis:http://www.pagalguy.com

MBAforums:http://www.pagalguy.com/forum

B-schoolRankings:http://rankings.pagalguy.com

PrepforCAT/XAT/MAT:http://www.pagalguy.com/prep


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About CPLC

AnumberofideasofthisbookhavebeeninspiredbyProf.ParagChitalefromCPLC.

CPLCisatestprepinstitutelocatedinMumbai.Ithasbranchesalloverthecity.

CPLCisfoundedonthebasisofvalueeducation,personalizedforeachindividual.

We,atCPLCarecommittedtohelpstudentsachievetheirgoalsandthusourallactivitiesare

studentcentric.Weareproudofourstudents'achievementsandremaincommittedtobuildinga

longtermcareerplatformforeachoneofthem.

OurcoreteamiscalledtheNucleusandconsistsofbestprofessionalsfromtheindustrywithhuge

experienceofpreparingstudentsforthekindofexaminationsoneisaimingfor.

FoundedinDecember2002,ithastrainedover3000studentsforvariouscompetitivebusiness

schoolentranceexamsandwithin6yearsofitspersonalisedanddedicatedtrainingtostudents,

CPLChasestablisheditselfasoneoftheleadingtraininginstitutes.

WhyisCPLCbetterthananyotherinstitute?Whatbringsstudentsheredespitebeingbombardedby

thebiggiescompetinginthesamefield?"Thekindofattentioneverystudentenjoyshereis

unmatched",saysAnkurfromNMCollege,who'scurrentlystudyingatCPLC."Paragsirknowsevery

singlestudentpersonally.Youcanapproachhimanytime,andhewillinglytakesontheroleofa

mentor,andaveryableoneatthat",addsPooja,anotherCPLCstudent.

YoucanvisitCPLCatwww.cplc.net.inorcontactProf.ParagChitaleon9702702000


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Iwishyouallthebestforyourexamsandhopethatyouwillapplyallthatyouknowtothefullest.

DoshareyourCATstorywithmeIllbehappytohear,andtohelpyououtwithanyissuesthatyou

mighthave

Tillthen,justGOFORIT!

Cheers!

Abhishek

The Cat Chronicles

Documents

Transcript of The Cat Chronicles