If you’ve ever caught yourself checking your CAT percentile predictions right after one good mock, or feeling frustrated that your accuracy didn’t skyrocket after just two weeks of practice you’ve probably fallen into the “Microwave Mindset.” 

It’s that quiet impatience that creeps in when your brain starts expecting progress to appear instantly, like reheating leftovers. You want to see results now, not later. But CAT, unfortunately, doesn’t work like that. The truth is, CAT is a slow cooker, not a microwave.

The Allure of Instant Gratification

We live in an age where everything from reels to groceries arrives in seconds. You post something, you get likes. You Google something, you get answers. So, naturally, when you start prepping, your brain expects the same speed. “I’ve studied for three hours, why am I not improving?” becomes a daily frustration. 

The problem isn’t your effort, it's your timeline. CAT prep rewires your brain for delayed gratification. The growth happens silently, beneath the surface, like a slow-building muscle.

The Dopamine Loop of Mocks

Mocks can be addictive. One good performance feels euphoric, one bad one feels disastrous. That’s the dopamine loop in the brain chasing immediate emotional highs and lows. But real improvement doesn’t happen inside the mock; it happens after it, during review. The best candidates aren’t the ones chasing high scores every week, but the ones obsessed with slow, boring, consistent analysis. That’s where percentile turns into progress.

The Plateau Panic

At some point, everyone hits that painful plateau where nothing seems to move. Scores stop rising, motivation dips, and doubt walks in like an uninvited guest. “Maybe I’ve peaked. Maybe this is it.” But here’s the truth: plateaus are not the end. They’re the incubation phase before a breakthrough. The ones who sit through the stillness without giving up are the ones who eventually rise. Your brain takes time to consolidate skills; rushing only scrambles it further.

Training for Patience

Patience isn’t a virtue in CAT prep; it's a skill. You have to train it like Quant. Every time you feel the urge to “see how you’re doing” after a study session, resist it. Let your progress stay invisible for a bit. Build your tolerance for not knowing. The calm, steady kind of confidence you build through this silence is the same one you’ll need in the exam hall.

Because the truth is, most students quit not because they can’t solve questions, but because they can’t sit with slow progress. If you can stay composed through weeks where nothing seems to change, you’re already building the exact mindset CAT rewards: controlled persistence over impulsive reaction.

When Fast Feels Tempting

There will be days when shortcuts look irresistible, YouTube tricks, “one-month crash course to 99 percentile” ads, or random “strategy hacks.” Remember: what looks fast is often just shallow. The deeper understanding that actually moves your percentile takes time. Choose depth over speed. Every time you do, you’re rewiring your mind away from instant gratification and toward long-term focus, exactly what CAT rewards.

The Real Flex

In a world obsessed with “how fast,” the real flex is “how long.” How long can you stay consistent? How long can you stay unfazed by silence? How long can you trust your process before it shows results?

CAT doesn’t need you to be quick; it needs you to be steady. So, take a breath. Let your results simmer. The ones who master patience often end up mastering percentile, too. So, keep breathing and keep studying!