You Can Solve It in Class. So Why Can’t You Solve It in the Exam?

For all those who keep watching the clock and keep taking unnecessary anxiety during mocks and exams — this one is for you.

You sit in a live class.

A question appears.

You read it, think about it, apply the concept, and solve it.

No problem.

Then the same kind of question appears in a mock.

Suddenly:

“Shit, 27 minutes left.”

“Have I spent too much time on this?”

“How much time should I have left?”

“I need to hurry.”

And before you know it, you are spending more time looking at the clock than looking at the question.

The problem may not be your ability to solve questions.

The problem may simply be your relationship with the clock.

The clock isn't your enemy. Watching it constantly is.

If you can solve questions comfortably when there is no timer, that's actually good news.

It means the concepts are there.

Your problem is not necessarily lack of knowledge or lack of speed. You may simply be creating unnecessary pressure every time you look at the clock.

Remember, CAT gives you 40 minutes.

It doesn't ask you to check the clock every 30 seconds.

You don't need to know the exact time after every question.

You just need a basic sense of where you are in the section.

And that sense can be developed.

Try this simple exercise

Don't immediately jump from:

“No timer”

to

“40-minute CAT timer.”

That's a huge jump if the clock itself makes you anxious.

Instead, gradually train yourself to become comfortable with time pressure.

Stage 1: Remove the clock completely

Take a set and solve it without any timer.

Focus only on:

• Reading properly

• Identifying the right questions

• Applying your concepts

• Making good decisions

Don't worry about time.

The objective here is to remind yourself:

“I actually can solve these questions.”

Stage 2: Use four 10-minute alarms

This is the trick I recommend trying.

Set four alarms on your phone:

10 minutes20 minutes30 minutes40 minutes

Now start solving.

And here's the important part:

Don't keep the clock in front of you.

Don't check your phone.

Don't keep calculating:

“It's been 7 minutes, have I spent too much time?”

Just solve.

When the 10-minute alarm rings, stop for a second, switch it off and make a mental note:

“Okay, 10 minutes have passed.”

Then continue.

Same at 20.

Same at 30.

By doing this, you slowly start developing an internal sense of time.

You begin to realise:

“Oh, this is what 10 minutes feels like.”

Eventually, you don't need to keep checking.

Stage 3: Start checking occasionally

Once you're comfortable with the alarms, move to a normal 40-minute stopwatch.

But don't keep staring at it.

During a 40-minute section, checking the clock 3–4 times is more than enough for most students.

For example:

• Around 10–15 minutes → Where am I?

• Around 20–25 minutes → Am I on track?

• Around 30 minutes → How much time do I have left?

• Final few minutes → Wrap up intelligently.

That's it.

The clock should give you information.

It should not control your brain.

And please don't make this a bigger problem than it is

This is a very basic and very common problem.

And the good thing is that it's very fixable.

The more you keep telling yourself:

“I have a huge time-management problem.”

“I panic whenever I see the clock.”

“I can't perform under pressure.”

…the bigger the problem becomes in your head.

And once you've convinced yourself that the clock is your enemy, every time you look at it, your brain goes into panic mode.

Don't do that.

Instead, treat it like a skill that needs training.

No clock → 10-minute alarms → occasional clock checks → normal 40-minute CAT timer.

That's the progression.

You don't need to become a different person overnight.

You just need to gradually teach your brain that 40 minutes is not something to be scared of.

The goal isn't to forget that the clock exists.

The goal is to make the clock so uninteresting that you barely care about it.

Solve the question.

Make the decision.

Move on.

Let the clock do its job in the background.

And most importantly:

If you can already solve the questions without a timer, don't assume you suddenly became bad at CAT when the timer appeared.

You may just need to train your mind to stop watching it.