All posts tagged: Reflections

CAT Preparation: The Natural Talent Myth

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In the previous post, we discussed the various kinds of baggage that people carry around in their heads about their abilities. The heaviest of this is the one that people have about natural talent or rather the importance that people attribute to it. All of us would have a cousin or a friend or a classmate who could always achieve the same or better result with lesser effort. In fact, my best friend, whom I met during CAT Prep (CAT GD-PI actually) — was one of this sort. During my stint at the IIM and during the course of my professional life I have met a few of those individuals whose abilities fall in the outlier category; people who are in a different category as far as pure aptitude goes.

CAT Preparation: Nuggets To Succeed

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[vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=”” wide=”no”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]There is a great deal of similarity between being successful at tests and being successful at things involving the demonstration of a skill such as a sport or craft. Both require lot of work not just on becoming proficient technically but also mentally. Most of the time success boils down to the attitude one brings to the table. This quote one from a celebrated & controversial British chef is very relevant to understand what goes into achieving perfection. It is especially relevant in light of this problem called “silly mistakes” that most test-takers fret about. Evaluated in the light of this quote, it will become evident that all the smaller things we take for granted such as reading the question properly go a long way in achieving the high degree of accuracy required to succeed on the CAT. A few of these little things that need to be done right for your CAT preparation to be meaningful are discussed in this previous post. [space size=”” line=”yes” style=”solid”][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Why I Teach

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The germ for this post sprouted in the aftermath of the death of Dr.Kalam. In the deluge of Kalam-related information that dominated the media after his death one small bit struck a chord — his love for teaching. Of all the things he was — a teacher, a scientist, an advisor to the government, the President — it was the role of a teacher that he cherished the most. On first meetings, people usually ask, “So what do you do?” The only reply I want to give when faced with this question is — I am a teacher. All the rest, the MBA and the business ownership are built around this core. Teaching at 21 The first paid job that I took up was teaching. I had completed my engineering as mechanically as possible and graduated with a software job, whose joining date got deferred in the bloodbath that followed the dotcom bust. I had taken the CAT in my final year and contrary to all expectations (including my own) I failed to get a call. …