What To Do On The Morning of Your CA Exam?

How great would it be if there was an easy fix to this question? A simple set of instructions to follow to bring you Zen and motivate you to do your best.

Every person will give you a different angle and some different advice if you pose this as a question to them; while one bit will help you calm down, something else can rile you up even further. Here’s an 8-step process you can customize with your fancy pens and colourful highlighters or just a paper and a pencil to make your set of instructions to check off the to-do.

1. Stock Count

It refers to the action of taking count of what you have finished and what is left in terms of your portion. Prioritize all that is left in order of importance within the time limit you have. Don’t try to bite off what you can’t chew; you don’t want to mess up what you have finished either. It’s always a good practice to also pre-pack all that you need for the exam instead of leaving it last minute.

2. Recaps

For people with nothing pending in the stock count, a snapshot reading of the finished pile seals that last minute revision (LMR) and hardwires it in your brain. Caution: It should be scheduled in a way that doesn’t cause you to panic in case you don’t finish all the recaps.

3. The Read-Breathe-Retain-Repeat cycle

Breathing’ is the most important aspect of this loop. And surprisingly the one that most people tend to skip. Hyperventilation is NOT a friend and just accumulates anxiety AND disrupts the ‘retaining’ phase. Read. Breathe. Retain.

4. Reaffirmation

Repeat after me: ‘I have done my best. I remember what I have studied. I will give it my best shot.’ And keep repeating this until you 100% believe in it. No amount of stock counts or recaps will motivate you to give your exam without stressing unless YOU believe to do your best.

5. A 15-minute Jam Session

Contrary to what people believe, listening to music or dancing or doodling – whatever your quick fix of a stress buster is – actually prepares your brain to sit through that 3-hour exam. The state of your mind >>> your LMRs. If your mind is cluttered with too much information plus panic, there is a high chance that the LMR will not come to your rescue. Keep calm and listen to music (or your substitute).

6. Hydrate

A very little, hardly a 2-minute detail that could lead to disastrous ramifications. We all know how hot summers can get and how October heat spills over to November. Remember to hydrate yourself especially if you are not fortunate enough to have a functional AC at your center. Imagine fainting from heat in the middle of your answer involving Ind AS 103. Shudders.

7. Say NO to Road Rash

Possibly the only thing that you can actively control on the day of your CA exam is the time you choose to leave for the exam. Reaching earlier is never a crime or a disadvantage. You really don’t want the added stress of being in the middle of a traffic jam due to a protest or an accident or whatever 101 reasons there can be. Why put yourself through the possibility of starting your paper 15 minutes later if you can reach well in time and finish your recaps while being early?

8. What NOT to do

Sometimes a what not to do on the morning of your CA Exam list may prove to be better than your customized what-to-do list.

1. 1. No new syllabus. No stress-inducing questions.
      These are definite confident shakers. It’s okay to lose out on 3 marks of something new versus gambling on the other 97 marks that you do know.
   2. Avoid greasy and oily and heavy sleep-inducing food.
      Eat light and control your portions. Your stomach should be the least of your worries while penning your answers.
   3. Do not stick your nose into your notes until the last minute
      You should set your clocks and your timers; shut your books at least 60 minutes before you step into the exam hall. You have studied well and all that you could. Your brain needs to be in the Do Not Disturb phase to deliver its outstanding performance.

Oh, and lastly, schedule in some time for a one-of breakdown. You may cry a little on the side and crib about it, but you’ve got to pull up your socks within minutes. Obviously, this might never happen to you; but again, who knows? It has never hurt anyone to be a little prepared.

I pray and hope that you all have maximum belief in yourselves and minimum stress, especially on the morning of your exam for the best possible result you could wish for. Best of luck!