I remember this time 3 years back. I had a respectable job, more than enough salary for my expenses, the comfort of living at home with my parents, and all the free time in the world. It was this precise combination that got me thinking, "Why don't I do something pointless and expensive". Three years later, I'm writing this article as an MBA graduate.
I've got a couple of months before I join my new job (more on that later). During that time, I thought I'd note down some of my thoughts on the MBA dream.
The Initial Hurdle: CAT
I went for CAT coaching like all my friends. I went to T.I.M.E, not because of any deep research I had done but because my friends were going there. It was a good enough experience but a little pricey at around 20,000 that I had paid as fees.
If you are like me and prefer to sit at the backbench silently taking down notes and working on the problems given in class, I would suggest not to take the full course, but just get the textbooks and class notes from your friends and work on that (this works just as well). If you are taking the full classroom course, make sure to fully utilize it by demanding individual attention from the professors.
Something that you cannot skip though are the tests. I would argue these form the most important aspect of your preparation. A large percentage of serious CAT aspirants would be taking those tests and its results really give you an idea of where you stand against your competition. These tests are generally a bit tougher than the actual CAT, so expect a slightly improved score for the real deal.
When it comes to CAT, all that matters is PERCENTILE. You don't have to get all the answers right, you just have to get more answers right that the other guy. You could get into the IIM A, B, Cs with just one correct answer in the whole exam provided everyone else gets 0 correct (maybe a bit overdramatic, but you get the gist). Keep this in mind because the Indian schooling system has taught us over the years to look at percentages. This new perspective helps you in remaining calm during the exams. If you don't know a particular question, do not worry about it. Chances are, the rest of the applicants are as puzzled as you. So stay focussed on the questions that seem familiar and doable and try not to think about the results during the test.
Done with the exam? Great. Try not to discuss the answers outside the hall. It really adds no value to your life. You've already taken the test. Discussing the answers is not gonna right any of your wrongs. Instead of driving yourself into depression, enjoy the fact that the wretched exam is done. It'll be a couple of weeks until the results are announced.
Till then Chill, Relax because, after the results, the next hurdle starts (fun right? I know)
The above-mentioned tips (if you want to call it that, I would prefer "rant") do not apply for the Sharmaji's betas who score 99.99 percentiles. These are for the average Joes out there like me who have always been compared to Sharmaji's beta.
I scored a 90.44 percentile in the 2017 CAT (go ahead, judge me all you want).
As a general category Male Engineer, this score wasn't even going to get me past the top IIM campus gates. And that is how friends, I ended up in a tier 2 Indian B-School.
More on the MBA dream later.
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