Crack CAT While Working: A Practical Guide for Professionals

With the CAT exam looming large on the horizon, many working professionals find themselves at a crossroads — how to manage the challenge of a full-time job while preparing to get into the IIMs, especially the old guard?

For most, the biggest hurdle is not the lack of time, but the constant juggling act between work and CAT prep. Some may have already made the tough call to quit their job — hopefully after carefully evaluating the consequences. But for those who are still trying to manage both, a simple to-do list won’t cut it.

Because the real challenge isn’t managing your tasks — it’s managing your energy, mindset, and lifestyle. This guide is an honest take on what it takes to ace CAT as a working professional.

1. Your Most Precious Resource Isn’t Time — It’s Energy - Crack CAT While Working

Everyone complains about the lack of time after work, but what’s even scarcer is energy. After a long day filled with meetings, deadlines, and commutes, your brain and body demand one thing: to relax.

But relaxation, for most, turns into:

• Bad posture: slouched on the bed or sofa

• Bad food: comfort food that leaves you sleepy

• Mental junk: endless social media scrolling or binge-watching shows

After a few hours of this, there's little chance you’ll be in the mood to tackle Time, Speed & Distance questions. And when you finally decide, “I’ll wake up early tomorrow and study,” we all know how that ends.

2. Revving Up Your Mornings the Right Way

To reduce the need to “relax” in the evening, start by boosting your energy levels right from the morning. This way, you’ll have enough left in the tank to be productive after work.

You don’t need to sign up for a yoga class — just commit 15–20 minutes each morning to breathing exercises like Kapalabhati and Nadi Shodhana. These practices:

• Sharpen alertness

• Improve breathing and posture

• Reduce anxiety

• Increase physical and mental stamina

Even a few deep breaths and sitting straight during work can quickly snap you out of sluggishness.

3. Resetting in the Evening: Don’t Skip This

When you return home, your first move shouldn’t be to collapse on the couch. Instead, reset your body and mind.

• Take a shower, even if you don’t feel like it

• Follow it up with another short breathing session

Done consistently, this helps reduce cravings, calm the mind, and improve alertness. You might also consider Brahmi capsules, a natural memory and clarity booster — great for days when coffee doesn’t cut it.

4. Talk Less, Save Energy

You don’t realize how much energy you spend on small talk, meetings, and conversations. Start conserving energy like you do your salary. Reduce unnecessary chatter — especially at work — and you’ll find yourself more mentally charged by evening.

5. Pick the Right Study Slot

Whether you're a morning owl or a night bird doesn’t matter. What matters is choosing a consistent time slot that’s least likely to be interrupted by work.

• If you have flexible work hours, try a non-standard shift like 8–4 or 11–7

• If not, make sure you wrap up on time and leave work at work

For those stuck in high-pressure jobs with no weekends off, there’s no sugar-coating it — you’ll need to plan a break.

6. Plan a Focused Study Break (Sep–Oct)

No matter how disciplined your daily prep is, you’ll eventually need uninterrupted time to immerse yourself fully in CAT mode. Aim for a 2–3 week break in September or October.

Avoid wasting leaves on:

• Distant relative weddings

• Random trips with friends

These can wait. Your IIM dream should take priority. Inform your manager early and reserve your break.

Don’t take this break in November — it’s too close to CAT to adjust strategies based on mock results.

7. Avoid the Trap of Over-Consuming Information

With resources available at your fingertips — from Quora to YouTube — it’s easy to spend hours collecting material without actually using it.

Learn from my own mistake during a fitness journey: I ended up reading so much about diet and workouts that I barely followed anything. Don’t fall into that trap with CAT.

• Set clear, realistic, and enjoyable study goals

• Stop the information binge once it stops adding value

8. Manage Your Phone — Or It’ll Manage You

Your smartphone is the ultimate productivity killer. You may have heard of the “Bermuda Triangle of Productivity” — Facebook, Gmail, and Twitter. But today’s time-sinks are worse: Netflix, YouTube, Instagram.

Don’t try to “limit” usage — remove the temptation entirely. Uninstall the apps from your phone.

Give yourself one cheat day per month — watch what you like, guilt-free. But stay disciplined the rest of the time.

9. Enter Monk Mode: Find Your Flow

Top athletes talk about being in the “zone” — a state where action flows naturally, without overthinking. That’s monk mode, and it’s real.

You can’t reach this zone overnight, but you can get there gradually through:

• Breathing practices

• Daily meditation

• Reading calming, perspective-shifting books like:

  • I Am That

  • Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

These books can calm the mind and even test your Critical Reasoning skills. (Warning: they might also make you question the entire MBA rat race!)

10. Daily Choices Build Long-Term Success

Every year I meet aspirants with potential — and plans. But what separates success stories from sob stories is not talent. It’s everyday decisions.

Your dream of making it to an IIM is built — or broken — by the choices you make each day. Do your short-term actions align with your long-term goals?

If they don’t, realign — now.

Final Thoughts

Working professionals can and do crack CAT. But it’s not just about solving 100 questions in 3 hours. It’s about managing 24 hours across months.

Energy > TimeDiscipline > MotivationExecution > Plans

The mountain is visible. Now it’s time to climb — one deliberate step at a time.

Crack CAT While Working