With mocks starting again ..know that this is my last attempt at my CAT and have started religiously analysing mocks...giving the mock..loggin into PG...posting the scores..and verifying the stuff....
and the analysis here is just brilliant and so high standard...
also had se the scores of CAT gods here (omeo316,dheeraj_138,bvpavankumar,cat_demon,satanica,the_hate etc) as benchmarks to compete myself....and this has always provided me the kind of driving force towards my goal...
Again VA proved to be my nemesis evrytime in mocks..and dont know what else cud I have done to prepare for scoring cutoffs in VA...
and strangely even today i dont know what I cud have done to cross cutoff..
CAT-08:
this time I was confident abt CAT...took 15 day leave from my manager before diwali saying that I have got typhoid
and have prepared for CAT at home for the last 15 days...
and then I gave CAT
seen the 90 qn model and was like clear QA and DI fast and then go for VA for as much time as possible..
done 15 QA in 35 mins...and then got stuck with DI....shit happened..and then ended up solving more qns in VA with very less accuracy...
scored some QA-99.xx
DI-89.xx
VA-75.xx
have checked the keys and understood its bye bye IIMs for ever...
have given IIFT with rage and here missed the cutood for call by 0.2 marks
gave jmet-IITB and IITD are kind enough to call me..
SNAP-missed cutoff in GK
XAT-all 92%les ..unable to maximise in one sec
FMS:-some 97.xx %le..
IMT-G , out of blue SPJAIN call and IIT-B,D are the calls..
GDPI stage
this time I didnt wanna lose the opportunity that i got..have religiously attended mock GDs mock PIs at time,and to my advantage,the mock PI which I had just before IMT,IIT interviews are stress interviews and they have boosted my confidence like anythng...
also GDs ,papers reading,GK stuff etc has finally helped me in cracking IMT-G and IIT-D..
and here I am ..resigned to my joba nd waiting for my joining at IIT-D..
My 2 cents:
there are loads of posts on this thread which end up with the above note..
I am no great than tens of people out here whose suggestions are much more valuable than what I can offer...
But Would like to say a few words for my PG...
CAT is an exam ,willl be an exam,and let it be an exam...dont take too much to your heart..rebound with positive things and hit at it harder if you are so desparate...Desire to deserve and Deserve to Desire....
And finally...IF YOU WANNA DO IT..U WILL DO IT....AND IF YOU THINK YOU CAN YOU WILL..
but dont ever try to give it just because some xyz of ur friends batch has given it and cracked it....till then u never even would have thought of it ..but suddenly you wanted to ace it as evryone feels that it is difficult to do so and you wanted to prove the world that you are capable of doing it too.......dear friend..u live it for urself and you crack it fot urself but not for the heck of showing others that u can crack it ..
but if you really wanted to do that.....and then...give the best shot of your life and prepare like there is no tomorrow...coz...the one who wins ultimately is the guy who persists,performs and perseveres....
MAKE CAT A PART OF YOUR LIFE!!!!
signing off with my favorite Rocky Balboa Quote....
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"
Rocky Balboa
Aaahfinally a chance to post on the most sacred thread of PG. Thank you God ! I have been dreaming of posting this since last one year ! 
Although a bit late, but I'm doing it nevertheless.
It was the third year of my engineering when my friends and family started encouraging me to take up CAT. I had always been a technical guy, and this was the reason that I took up engineering. So I could never really convince myself, why I should take up this exam. My parents' reason was simple- they wanted a better career for me. Now, this is where many people lose their direction. And believe me, if this is the sole reason with which one prepares for CAT or any management entrance test for that matter, chances are really slim that he/she would be able to make it to the B-School of his/her choice.
So my first attempt on CAT was just to make my parents and peers feel happy of the fact that I gave this exam on their recommendation. Any guesses on my percentile that year ? Even I don't remember correctly- it was 75.xx overall
Although I didn't prepare even a bit, I felt really bad somewhere inside me. I had never fared this bad in any of my exams in my life. This event sort of- planted a sampling of revenge in me. I wanted to show the world that even I can score well in this much-hyped aptitude test. But then, I thought, should I prepare for CAT just for the heck of it ? Will this really be worth the effort ? Naaah 
Well, time went and I joined a software firm of my choice. And that is when my real motivation started. On the very first day of my induction, I saw six hundred guys and gals sitting in a large room, being briefed about the rules and regulations of the company. I felt a severe loss of identity here. Just then, we were asked to sign a bond of fifteen months. I wanted to stand up and run away- but I couldn't, since I didn't have any other option. I tried to calm myself. I told myself that if this is the way I have to prove myself, then so be it. Six hundred/seven/eight or a thousand- bring them on. If I have it in me, I'll do well in any situation. I am not going to be afraid of this crowd. Period.
Guys, this was one turning point of my career. Let me tell you, even at this point, I was not thinking of CAT. I just wanted to do well in my organisation, and believed in myself. Then the training started, and I did well in most of the tests. Our training was scheduled to get over by November- the CAT month The training had a really gruelling schedule- I had to wake up at 6:30 to catch the company bus, and returned home by 10. Boy ! That was really one hectic period.
Around the same time, I realized that the "revenge" sampling had grown to a tree. I was doing well in my training tests. I decided to give CAT another shot, with at least some preparation this time, so I joined a "test series". My scores were nothing short of a sine wave. I couldn't make out anything of my mock scores. I had no idea of strategizing, question selection, speed and time management et al.
Result: 78.xx in CAT-07, and similar pathetic results for some other exams that I wrote. 
Meanwhile, I got into a project, and work started in full swing. Just when I had joined the team, a senior guy left to pursue his MS. I was given a hell lot of work to do, with little time to think for my career. Nevertheless, I got a lot of appreciation from my managers and the client for my single handed and efficient handling of work related issues. Two months went by like this in a jiffy. It was then that I realized that I am capable of doing much more. The work that I was doing seemed very mundane and process-oriented. There was little room to voice your own ideas/opinions even if it could greatly improve the whole process. Soon, I started feeling that the office hierarchies, egos and "policies" always tried to pull me down whenever I tried to rise up. I needed to equip myself with some more skills to bring myself to the front end of an organisation, and give me some authority to make decisions, or at least suggestions. And for me, an MBA fitted in perfectly for this purpose. I saw MBA as an investment, which would make me a much better equipped individual, from the industry perspective, and also complement my existing skill-set.
I started working hard for CAT'08. I joined the TIME AIMCAT test series this time. I had only one study strategy- be regular. I used to spend a fixed amount of time everyday for my preparation, and work on my weak areas. As posted by senior puys many times, mocks are very very important for your preparation. Each mock would tell you your weak areas/sections. Work diligently towards improvement, and you would definitely see the results. An occasional dip in the scores does happen; don't ever get disheartened by such events. In the end it's how well you perform on the D-day, which in turn depends how much time you have spent on analysing your mock tests and worked on strategising.
Finally, the results came. Though I didn't do brilliantly, but it was enough to get calls from a few decent institutes. My overall CAT score was 96.25, with decent sectional break-ups. I also managed to do well in some other exams like XAT, SNAP, NMAT, and had a total of ten GD-PI calls by the end of the results season.
Now came the GD-PI season. I didn't have the time to join any coaching for this, since they mostly had their classes on weekends, and I felt that spending 6-7 hours of this precious time would be more of a waste. Instead, I decided to invest this time in improving my GK, something where I was really bad at. I concentrated more on current affairs, and started questioning each and every thing happening around me. I also started reading Economic Times and a few business magazines regularly. This proved to be of immense help. I started attending my GDs with full confidence. By the end of the GD/PI season, I had skipped two calls, got three rejects, and five converts. Finally going to join IMI, Delhi.
Mostly in life, once you get what you wanted for too long, you start reliving the memories of the whole journey which led you here.
Those..
Early risings from the bed, cursing the company bus timings;
Moments of feeling low when I couldn't score well in the coaching "test series";
Feelings of loneliness and that I'm missing out big time on life;
Times of self-doubt..
I've been through all this. And much more. And I'm much more confident and happy than I was before experiencing and coping up with these. This is what I toiled for a whole year. Finally, the hard work has paid off.
So, my biggest advice to the aspirants- dig in, and find whether you actually want it. Ask questions to yourself- are you ready for it ? will this make your career better ? and most importantly, what impact would this course have on your overall personality ?
The day you are able to find the answers to these questions, you are absolutely ready to choose your path. And trust me, once this exercise is done, more than half the battle is won. That's right. If you know thyself well, no interview can stop you from realizing your dreams.
Another piece of advice:
Most of the IT junta hates the company it's working for. The grass invariably seems greener on the other side. There's my simple advice-you HAVE to work here for some time to come. Accept this fact instead of cribbing, and start looking for opportunities. In a movie called "Evan Almighty", there's a very thoughtful dialogue-"God does not give you what you ask HIM for. He gives you the opportunities where you can prove yourself."
I was fortunate/sensible enough to get one thing straight, early in my career. All the successful IT companies have been built out of sheer hard work, strong value system and professionalism. Its like- there's an ocean of knowledge flowing at your place. Some people stand with a fork, some with a spoon and a few with a bucket. YOU have to decide what you're going to stand with. There's a lot to learn, wherever you're working. My senior manager is the person who taught me some of the best lessons of my life. I'll always be indebted to her for the same. The team meetings/discussions taught me something that no GD/PI coaching can ever teach you. The hectic schedules of my project and the gruelling deadlines taught me all the time management needed for an exam like CAT. Of course, extra reading and taking regular tests is very important.
Go on puys ! If you believe in yourself, there's no one- I repeat, No One who can stop you from achieving what you deserve. Clichd as it may sound, but still works nonetheless.
And of course, it goes without saying- PG rocks, and is a must for every serious MBA aspirant. There's a lot to explore here-pagalpanti ki koi seema nahi :D
All the best, and God Bless !
My CAT story is neither awe inspiring nor exceptional, its just a little journey in the life of an ambitious chap which saw him meet some amazing people. Except for a couple of points, it was a pretty smooth and enjoyable ride.
A brief background before I start with the actual CAT story. I was always a good student at school, with good grades and stuff. My extra curriculars were also consistently good, quizzing, debating, cricket etc being the highlights among them. Expectedly, I did well in class ten, topping my school with 91.6 . It was not the time for a career choice wherein I decided to opt for science. I'd prepare for IIT-JEE, but without any coaching. A couple of years spent in Puttaparthi was well worth it for the extra curriculars and stuff, but I could not put in much with respect to my JEE preparations. I secured a 91.2 in the boards, but could not make it through JEE. This was when I decided to give it another shot. I joined a coaching class, locked myself up in a room full of books and threw out the keys. At the end of it all, I secured 3303 in JEE and 1435 in AIEEE. Having loved programming in class 12, I went ahead with B.Tech (CSE) from IIIT Hyderabad.
I think joining IIIT-H was one of the most important decisions I took in my life, because it was these four years which really shaped me as a person. The kind of friends I made, the interactions I had, the understanding of life and other things around me which I achieved etc were all due to the institute. It was then that I saw the value of studying at a very good place, it exposes you to and teaches you a lot of different things.
I was a good student in the college, but somewhere down the line, I started thinking of an MBA. Thus far, I'd not given much thought to it, but coming from a family where nobody thinks of a career apart from business, this had to have an effect. I started weighing the pros and cons of doing an MBA, asked questions like now or later; India or abroad etc. Finally, after taking various factors into account, I decided to take the plunge and joined TIME for my MBA coaching in my third year (September 2007). I thought I'd complete the syllabus by May and then go for the kill in the mock tests.
However, it was not meant to be
. In our college, the third years take on the responsibility for organizing and managing the college fest, Felicity. I was elected the coordinator for the fest which was to be held in February, 2008. Its quite a huge event, we had a budget of over 15 lakhs INR. Thus began the preparations for Felicity '08, throwing everything including CAT preparations and college academics out of the window. As it turned out, the fest was a huge success. It was at this time that I wrote my first mock CAT, conducted by TIME. This was a test for the classroom students only, MC100901- written by a mere 10000 students. I was in two minds whether to take the test or not, as my preparation levels were at ground zero. However, I went ahead and the test turned out to be a major confidence booster. I managed to secure an AIR of 3, something which made me realize that a little effort, and I should do well in CAT '08.
However, the next few months- until the end of April were spent in making up for lost time wrt my college work. I somehow scraped through the exams and finally we had a break! A pretty long break it was, more than three months. I had decided that this was a make or break period- I had to do well during this time interval. I went home (Vizag) and started my preparations in earnest. I drew up a schedule for three months and put in some good effort. This was also a time when I started attending the tests being conducted by TIME Vizag. I was happy with what I was doing - putting in four hours of good study a day.
All this changed with one phone call from Microsoft Bangalore. A few weeks back, I had applied for the post of an open source developer in Microsoft, but I'd given up hopes of it as it was more than a month into my vacations. But here an opportunity opened up for me. I gave the phone interviews, and cleared them all. I was offered an opportunity to intern with the MNC for two and a half months- May 19th to July 31st. The temptation to take the offer was high, however one part of me wanted to stay back and prepare for CAT. However, I finally decided to spend the next couple of months with Microsoft.
It was in Bangalore that I gave my first AIMCAT (May 18th). The results of the AIMCAT reinforced my confidence - a 99.44 percentile, clearing all the cut offs. In the initial few days, I had a lot of time on hands to put in preparations- I managed a couple of hours a day, along with my usual newspaper reading. However, as time moved on, there was a lot of work pressure from office. Add to that all my other friends from college who were working with me- we would hang out a lot in the wonderful city of Bangalore- often at the expense of preparations. It came to a pass when I hardly had any time for my preparations. I'd give the mock on Sunday, analyze the paper and lo- the week was over! The bright point about my CAT preparations during this time was the scores I managed- they generally hovered around the 99 percentile mark. However, I was far from satisfied with my preparations.
I got an opportunity to change that in August, when I was back to college. This was a period when I really started the grind. My aim was to complete the basic syllabus by the end of August, and then focus on test taking. This I managed, albeit with a time gap of ten days. Meanwhile I also joined another test series - Career Launcher. I think this is one very important part of preparations - not getting used to the papers of a particular institute. CL's papers were good for the shock value- I think they have a very good mock series and online analysis. From September on, I'd fallen into a particular pattern. Give CL's mock on Saturday evening, come back and relax, write the AIMCAT on Sunday morning, come back and chillax. Then analyze the two papers till Wednesday evening. That is how important mock CAT analysis is. I spent a good five days in the week writing or analyzing mocks, and it was totally worth it. My analysis would consist of redoing the wrong or unattempted questions, looking for better ways to solve the questions I did, recognizing my weak and strong areas and working on the weak areas, using the online analysis on the coaching institutes. It was definitely the most important part of my CAT preparations. Its all very well for you to solve questions, but doing papers in an examination environment- especially when the competition is so high and margin for error is not becomes all the more important. CAT is an exam where selection of easy questions (and letting go of your ego- a tough question fetches the same number of marks as an easy question) is the most important aspect - and only doing real time exams can help you achieve that.
From August till the lead up to CAT, I was very happy with my preparations. I was able to give enough time to it, solve a lot of questions and do pretty well in the mocks. It was around this time that the Dream Team '08 was selected and my seeing my name in it (albeit as a substitute player) was probably the biggest confidence booster during all of my CAT journey. It reinforced the belief that I'd make it this time around. Coming to the role PG played, I think it was one major component of my preparation. Every Sunday, I'd write the mock, come back and immediately open PG to look at the scores of puys. AIMCAT threads were like mirrors, they reflected the performance we'd give. For all problems and issues, I'd rush to the DT and UDT threads - for me, they've been the lifelines of my CAT preparations. 😃
November 15th 2008. Like everyone else, I spent this day trying to calm my nerves down. I played TT for four hours, watched my favourite episodes from That 70s show, spoke to my close pals, wished people et all. In spite of all that, it was one of the most tense nights Ive spent- I could scarcely sleep. Come morning, and I felt a lot of positive energy and optimism. I got ready, and reached the venue well in advance. 10:15 AM, and my mood suddenly changed for the worse. I just couldnt fathom what had happened, it was probably the enormity of the day and situation. 10:30 AM. Thanks to 40 questions in verbal, I decided to follow a 40-65-45 strategy (DI-VA-QA) I usually start with my strongest section, DI and today was no different. 5 minutes into the first set, and Im unable to solve a single question. I try the second set, and score a dud in that too. Panic creeps in. Damn, this is supposed to be my strength! I generally score more than half my marks in DI. I somehow do a few questions (hardly confident about them) and leave the section 45 minutes into the paper. At this point time, my confidence was at a low- I had exceeded the time limit Id set for DI, and had reached nowhere with it.
This was when I just sat back and asked myself to relax. I finished off one of the dairy milk chocolates that Id brought, drank some water, closed my eyes and tried to recollect sweet memories. With some of my focus back, I started with the verbal section. The verbal and grammar part were alright and it was time to move to the RCs, students bete noire in the last two years. Surprise, surprise, it was one of the easier RC sections Id come across. I did three of the four RCs, solved a lot of questions spending 65 minutes on the verbal section. At this point of time, I was on a high, I was feeling super confident. I had 40 minutes in hand, and the quant section. I started with it, solved 1-2 questions in withina minute. I was now feeling like the king of the world. 35 minutes, and I completed 16 quant questions. Super cool. Now, I had 5 mintues remaining. Normally, I never go back to a particular section, but fate (will be reveled later!) made me go back to the DI section. Fortunately, I was able to pick up a set, and lo- at the stroke of the bell, I had three more questions in the pocket. At the end of 150 minutes, I had the following number of questions in the pocket
DI: 17 (50 mins)
VA: 34 (65 mins)
QA: 16 (35 mins)
It was my sisters engagement ceremony on the next day, hence I rushed back to catch the train and left for Vizag. It was only the next day that I was able to check my scores. It was probably one of the two shocks that I got during the journey. A mere 33 in DI (with one question having two correct answers), 64 in quant and 66/71 in verbal. I knew instantly that the DI score would be a fight to get through.
My mood was down, but Id to lift myself as placements were due in 20 days. I came back to college and put in a lot of effort for securing a job (which was a struggle, given the economic situation). All this time, I had one eye on the predictions- I was expecting calls from B,L,I. (considering previous years criteria and my good academic record).
I got placed on December 18th, and it was time to relax and look forward to my CAT results till then. In between, I also gave the XAT. On January 8th, while browsing through PG, I came across this thread proclaiming that the results had been declared. I tried opening the site, but it didnt. Hence, like many others, I posted my TR number on the thread and hoped for the results. Meanwhile, I also got a call from Prem bhai, aka prem_ravi (whod been my elder brother and guide for all these days). He asked me about my result. Hed got L, which was a disappointment. He offered to find out my results from estranged_gnrs and asked me for my Tr. Number. A call 5 minutes later from Prem bhai. Maroo, youve got 99.88 in quant, 99.18 in verbal and 99.86 overall. Prem bhai, tell me the calls!. DI 84.92
I was expecting a 33 in DI, but finally got a 28. When I finally looked, one of the questions which had two options as the right answer was cancelled. There went four marks, and possible calls from B,L, K and C (pgdcm) down the drain. I was shattered at this, as a similar questions in CAT 06 was not cancelled.
It took quite some time to recover from the situation. People told me to put aside the disappointment and focus on the calls I had (I also had XL PM&IR-; which I was not very interested in, converted it though). At this point, Id probably decided that Id give CAT another shot, I just couldnt motivate myself to prepare for the GD-PI stage.
I had my interview on February 10th. Till the last week of January, Id hardly done a thing. One fine day, I got a call from Career Launcher talking about some boot camp which was going to be held. I thought, chalo, lets visit the resort and have some good fun. I think this was a very important call. The weekend, I attended the boot camp and that changed my focus was completely. In one word, the boot camp was brilliant. I think its an amazing concept and the execution of it was superb. After the bootcamp, I had around 10 days to go for my interview- and I gave it my everything those 10 days. Reading up stuff, revising subjects, attending GD sessions, writing essays for my views... I did it all.
Once again, I was very happy with my GDPI preparations. On 10-2, I attended the GDPI in my city and it was a very good experience. You can read about it here.
Exactly two months later, I was playing the cricket finals in college, when someone called and told me that Id made it. The result was good, it made me happy.
However, now began the toughest part of the journey. I had to decide between a good paying software job with a shot at CAT later on one hand and IIM Indore on the other. Believe me guys, it was the toughest decision Ive had to make in my life. Nothing was as torturous, as irritating as thinking about it. On one side I had my parents, faculty members at TIME and a few friends urging me to take up my MBA now. On the other hand, I had other well wishers, college seniors and friends asking me to give CAT another shot. I had unto 30th April to send the DD to Indore. The more I spoke to people, the more I thought about it, the more conundrums were being created in my mind. My mind kept oscillating from one extreme to the other. Finally, the factors for joining Indore won, and I sent the DD at the very last moment, on 28th April. The biggest factor which finally turned the tide was Mr. Ravic, IIM Indores new director, who has quite a reputation. People actually expect him to accelerate Indores growth as an institute. Then there were your conventional factors like the fear of not making it again (especially given the new online CAT- whichd probably increase the luck factor), a run-of-the-mill-software-dev job, escaping the recession etc. And the other big factor- didnt I mention earlier that I was able to solve 3 DI questions in the last 5 minutes. If not for those questions, Id have been nowhere near getting any calls. It was as if destiny had chosen that Id just solve those questions and make it to Indore- none of the other IIMs. Hence, the percentile clock stopped at 84.92.
I know Ive disappointed a lot of people and well wishers by deciding to join Indore. Especially prem_ravi and sreekanthp. However, Im sure that you guys will understand.
Id take this wonderful opportunity to thank the following users of PG, without who I wouldnt have made it.
Sid_dharth, For being a mentor and a guide right from day one.
Prem_ravi, For being a mentor and a guide from the time we started talking to each other. Prem bhai, I hope youll understand my decision.
Kamalchhabra, for helping me make my decision. Also for the wonderful help hes always provided.
The_phantom, ujjwal.deep for helping me make my decision.
srinibas for being a great friend and a constant source of encouragement.
Sahilbansal, for being my biggest competitor and a very good friend. It was amazing that we so often got scores close to each other.
Dheeraj138, for being a guide, friend and inspiration.
The Raven, for so selflessly helping us out.
Selebratinglife, for being an amazing friend. Ive learnt a lot from you, dude.
Adityacoool, for being a guide, captain and constant encouragement
Orangutan, for being a very good friend and for all the help.
Rik_12, bhai you are awesome! Thanks for everything.
Vivekkahn, for always being the very sane and stable guy that you are. And for all the advices.
Varunkhullar, for discussing all those quant problems with me.
Maverick_srikan, for being such a wonderful mate.
kamalaandi, for being of such great help.
Friendlyfire, akshu4u, prateekgupta and other PG Hyd members for all the meetings and discussions.
Other members of DT and UDT, for being an inspiration, for providing the help and for all the wonderful discussions.
Sumitrocks, justlikethat and other seniors for being of such great help.
Ive also met some other wonderful people along the way on PG. I hope I can stay a touch with all of you
Sorry for any hurt that I may have inadvertedly caused.
All in all, its been a journey which has taught me quite a few things. Something, which Id always remember. Something which has given me a fair bit of ups and downs. Something which has introduced me to some amazing people. Something which has taught me to exercise control over my mind. Something which has taught me to value keeping your cool, confidence, humility, respect and systematic work. Something, which has been a version of life itself.
All the best puys, do PM for any help or gyaan which you might need.
Peace.
After Class X :
2 possible paths I choose for my career.
1) Do a B Com and then an MBA
2) Clear IIT and then an MBA.
Path 1 would be less risky and easier (or so I was made to believe). Path 2 was challenging, riskier and fancier.
I dont need to emphasize the path I chose.After Class XII :
Clear JEE.
IIT Kharagpur. Manufacturing Science and Engg.Step 1 successfully completed.
First 2 years go by without any incidents or too many achievements and not so bad not so good cgpa. Suddenly seeing the profiles of seniors who make it through CAT, I realize that, IIMs would remain a dream if I didnt do something about CGPA and my profile.
Study harder for the next few sems. Do some CV building.
After my 3rd year
Decide on not doing a foreign intern but stay in India and work less and prepare for CAT. Land up at Bangalore. Full Masti. Zero Prep.
4th year
Joined IMS test series. Only 8 tests that year. Clear the cut offs in a test and then the next test would be a complete mess up.
Cycle used to repeat. Still somehow remain confident that I will do well on D-day. No serious preparation other than play word games on LAN to improve vocabulary. These word games become an indulgence and I neglect QA and DI. No strategy in place. Very ill prepared.:splat: Could be termed cocky and over confident of self.D-Day 2007
Mess up every section badly. Nowhere near any cut off.:splat: All dreams lie shattered. Decide not to take CAT again. Instead want to give GMAT, while I decided to take up job at FICO.
On the Job
The desire to crack CAT still exists but the confidence in my abilities is at an all time low. Coding as a career choice feels like a wrong idea and I do not foresee any growth for self in that sphere. Suddenly, am in two minds about CAT. Casually tell a friend that Id give CAT this year but without much prep. He looks me in the eye and tells me, If you are giving CAT, do it with all your heart.:clap:
Mission CAT 2008
Discover Pagalguy from that very friend. QQAD was my favourite companion in office till D-day.
Join TIME test series. My 4 other roomies also join. Used to discuss scores and analyze and compare and feel jealous of the top scorers. Used to do well in most tests and slowly analyze and decide an optimum strategy. Decide not to worry too much about my high scoring roomies.D-Day 2008
I take time when I start off solving. So was solving a PG QQAD previous yr test at the centre. (Call me silly, but thats me) Keep myself in the problem solving mode so that I dont waste time in the exam hall warming up.;)
Question paper has 25-25-40 instead of the usual 25-25-25 with higher marks for VA than usual. Coz I Consider VA my strength, I tell myself that this is my year. :-P Confidently give the exam. 50-50-45-5 was my time break up for QA-DI-VA-QA again.
CAT 2007 Fiasco
Results day
Knew I would be through.
QA 45 98.08%ile
DI 41 97.37%ile
VA 82 99.74%ile
Total 168 99.89%ile
BLACKI.
Awesome feeling.
GD/PI season
Profile matters more. Unless I mess up badly, I was confident I would make it through one of the big three.
My IIM GD/PI Experiences
IIM Results
Wow!!! ABCLI want me in.
K kicked me out but I dont mind. Ecstatic. Over the Moon. Fruition of a dream.
Off to IIMA. To live my dream.
CAT 2008 story
Finally
A big thanx to my roomies for providing the optimum preparation :clap:conditions and to PaGaLGuY for providing the QQAD platform to hone my dying QA skills. ;)
PS: I'd penned a few tips for CAT aspirants out of request. Feel that it would be of help to a larger section if I posted it here.
My 2 pence on preparing for CAT
PPS: Use the links to know more.
My CAT story started in my 3rd year of graduation. Was not sure about what I wanted to do but was sure that pursuing a career in core electronics wasn't my cup of tea. Joined CL, wondering what this CAT experience would be like.. not knowing whether i was good enough or average or pathetic at these things. (Was preparing for CAT 2007)
To my pleasant surprise, I seemed to have a flair for CAT. Was quite good in quant and DI but was not sure how good I was in the verbal section. Worked very hard, decided to screw my placements and study for CAT.
Mock season started.. I was taking mocks from both TIME and CL and to my pleasant surprise, I was doing very well in both.. got over 99.7 %ile on an average on most occasions and was able to maximize in all 3 sections. In the meanwhile, I also got placed in a pretty good firm but still... focus was on CAT
CAT 2007: What I had feared had come true. The verbal section was as ambiguous and had an element of luck just like it was in CAT 2006. I spent some 75 min in the verbal section to try and attempt as many as i could (17 out of 25!) in that absurd section so that i could just clear the sectional cut offs. As things turned out, I did clear the sectional cut-off... got 95.3+ %iles in all 3 sections but the overall percentile was just 98.95. It was a kind of a shoker for me cause I did not get any IIM calls that year. Initially, I faced it strongly but then I got a little upset at not being able to do well after a strong mock season.. Got calls from IIFT, MDI and FMS. Did not attend IIFT and MDI interviews (liked these institutes but.. i just wasn't in the mood). Went for the FMS interview without preparation and couldn't clear it.
After the B-school season.. Focus was now on the job. Wanted to get about 2 years work ex now and thought about taking CAT seriously in 2009. In June 2008, some coaching institutes started their mocks and my friends sometimes used to come to my home to discuss how they did and talk about selection of questions etc etc.. It made me miss the mock season (I really loved taking these tests).. So I decided joining the TIME test series just for fun..
To my surprise, although i had not studied for a second since CAT 2007, my performance in mocks was still very strong... it was actually a little stronger than my previous season.. Kept scoring over 99.85%ile and even got top 10 finishes in some mocks at TIME (and at CL too, which i joined a little later on). I did not study, did not analyze mocks.. did not do anything except take the mocks but still, the performances were good..
CAT 2008: Liked the question paper right from the start.. Had decent attempts and by evening, I knew that it would be the turning point of my life.. My scores...
QA: 99.88
DI: 99.93
VA: 99.79
Overall: 100
when the result came out on January 9th, I had the best day of my life. Also managed 99.85 %ile in XAT and got a call from XLRI. Now there was another battle to be fought.. balancing the GDPI preparation with work.. I wont get into the details here but things got very... very hectic for me. To read an assessment of my interviews, you may click here:
http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/cat-and-related-discussion/3321-profile-people-who-have-converted-53.html#post1484816
I had calls from IIMs BLACKI, XLRI and MDI.. Converted calls from IIMs CBLKI, XLRI and MDI.. And I am heading to Joka day after tomorrow 😃
Hey siddharth,
u hav really unusual story....!!! but cheers...!!! u're living ur dream now....
pradnya
hey sidharth.
its realy cool dude..bt strange..gud
Its not unusual.. actually you can take away a key learning from this..
See, when I was preparing for CAT 2007, I could solve all kinds of questions. I used to solve the easier ones during the mocks and I could solve the difficult ones at home later on... After the gap between CAT 2007 and the next mock series, I kind of got weaker in solving the very difficult questions.. but they didn't matter, right??.. cause i never solved difficult questions during mocks anyway.. I could still nail the easier questions and that is what mattered
And I was more mature that time around and was more light-minded and aggressive in attempting.. which is why my performance did not dip, it only bettered during the 2008 mock season.. I hope this makes sense.. concentrate on solving the easier questions efficiently and CAT will be a cake-walk for you
Guys!!
I thought I must recount my story because some fun is definitely good for health.
I am a Bihari, the same one to whom IIT or IIM is a big brand. And I am also an egoistic brat who believes that cracking these exams make you superior to the masses.
CAT 2007
Like other IITians I also went for CAT in my last year. It was a fiasco. And the reason would make you laugh. My sister stays at Calcutta and I had gone to her place a day earlier to take my exam. And man I ate something ungodly.... I think some vegetable with lots of corns followed by a glassful of milk. And yes my tummy hurt but not so much that I could predict it could ruin my day.. my D-day. On the morning of CAT it did hurt real bad. After taking some pain-killers I somehow managed to reach the center and flopped down on the pavement in front of the main gate. I was trying to soothe my pain by adopting a number of awkward postures and it seemed to help. When I took my seat in the exam hall, I felt like Neo. Don't think you are, know you are. So I stopped thinking that I am feeling no pain and started trying to know I feel no pain. And I succeeded for 15 minutes which I must say were sufficient to get me all the score I could in quant. Beyond that, it was complete and utter comedy. A cruel end of my months of preparation. I ended up in bathroom though it was not allowed (examiner took pity on me). I also ended up drinking a lot of pudin hara. Well, I got 88.88. I could have gone to Shillong, I guess. :)
CAT 2008
I am getting bored. Well, I was in some company which paid me 4.4 lpa. Not enough and IT was something I hated from the core of my heart (prejudices die hard). Yet now I like it somewhat. Coming back, CAT was the only escape route I could see. I started taking the mock tests (TIME) and devoted some time after company. It helped that my room mate was also preparing and that he was also from IIT-KGP. What helped more was that being IITians we were enjoying such fabulous salaries. I was still not that serious, a frustrated mind never is. The trigger was another friend of mine who was in a better company (monetarily) and was cracking AIM-CATs quite easily. He was getting 99 with ease and I had not managed even one. The day he told me this was the turning point. Almost two weeks from then I hardly got a Still, ABLIK was good enough for me and I converted AL with wait list in IK. Now I am on the seventh sky and euphoria has not yet worn off me. But I must tell you I like studying hard. Afterall, it lets me prove to the masses that I am a cut above the rest. :P
Btw, more philosophically I don't believe in superiority of any individual. Everyone is potentially divine and potentially perfect, Swamiji said. And I value his words more than anyone else because I studied in Ramakrishna Mission, a school he founded.
The much awaited All I Wanted to Speak About CAT ebook!
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Cheers!
First of all, I am "inspired" by meshed (who happens to be one of my real good buddies on Campus @ IIM L)- which is why I'm posting her eon this thread! - Anyway, glad to share my story! :)
We all have our stories of having made it to an IIM or to the B Schools of our choice. Honestly, given the Demand-Supply mismatch for higher education in India, it toughens us up - and I consider that to be a blessing in disguise. Darwin couldn't have been more right about the Survival of the Fittest!
I graduated with Computer Engineering form BIT Mesra in 2006. Did not take the CAT in my final year (CAT 2005) - Was president of a club, member of the Placement Cell and more importantly, was part of a rock-band in college - so I chose to make the most of my final year of engineering college!
CAT 2006:
That's when it all started. I chose to work for Cognizant - Did not sit for other (read: better) companies 'coz I wanted to stay home - spend time with family since I had been away for a while and of course, prepare for CAT in the comfortable confines of my home. Started in July - thinking I had supernatural abilities and 4 months would be "sufficient." I was actually suffering from - what I call = the "good engineering college syndrome" - which forces everyone to beleive that he / she has the Midas Touch! - I was surprised to be proved wrong. I joined IMS, Kolkata - Weekend batch and took only the SimCATs on Sunday Mornings at Bhowanipore College, Kolkata (Popularly known as "Bhaggu").
As expected - my ego was slashed to pieces and I "secured" a 92.45 percentile in CAT 2006!
CAT 2007
Citius, Fortious, Altius, I thought! I started preps a little earlier in May. My monotonous job as a software engineer at a "top-tier IT Services Company" continued. I had a hard time spending time in office and had a harder time putting my idle mind (idle throughout the day) to work at night once I got back. Basically a desk job at these "IT firms" makes u so brain-dead sometimes - to add to that I was in Software Testing! Anyway, I joined TIME "this time" - a special program for CAT "Repeaters" - which was decent. I had scored low in QA in CAT 2007 - so I was all out to reverse that - being an engineer scoring a low QA was blasphemy. My CAT 2007 results turned out better than CAT 2008. - 98.09 Percentile.
Calls from IMT Ghaziabad, MDI Gurgaon.
IMT Ghz - Convert. Did not Join.
MDI Ggn - Waitlisted. I found the MDI selection process to be a little skew. As far as I could see it, the output of thier interview process was "binary". Percentile was so heavily weighted that there was hardly anyone above me with a lower percentile than me - and vice versa.
Anyway - "Jo hota hai, achhe ke liye hota hai!" - I thought. I was REALLY keen on making it to MDI Last year. I didn't. But I was determined that if my business education has to start NOW, it will!
I started finding out about making a career shift. Having been a debator and a passionate communicator, I knew that Marketing was worth giving a shot. Being an engineer and having IT work ex, the only firms that would consider me would be start-ups. I spoke to a few, interviewed 5 rounds with a start-up founded by some IIM A alumni and finally joined it. I decided to leave the "comfortable confines of my IT Cubcile in my hometown Kolkata" to pursue the hard life of joinind a company in it's nascent stages in Mumbai.
CAT 2008
Working at a start-up (and living on my own) meant long hours, 6 (if not 7) -day weeks, roaming around on local trains for meetings all over Mumbai and coming back home - tired and figuring out my dinner. I still made sure I took out time for 2 things:
1. My Blog - TalkingTails.in - and it paid off coz I got selected among 10 blogs by The Economic Times and earned an invite to the "Power of Ideas" event.
2. CAT 2008! - I got back late. But I ensured that I studied. I cut down on my sleep. Perhaps what also made things slightly easier was the fact that I was working with a GOOD set of people - a bunch that had passed out of the IIMA Campus, there were people from the IITs, the Army - so I knew that this is what I wanted to do. My "downside" had been lowered. I had a "Life beyond CAT now" - and I was excited about it. Anyhow, I worked hard and managed a GD / PI call from IIM L.
I was thrilled - but was weary of the pitfalls. It would take ONE bad day to take my 'L'one call away from me. I prepared to the minutest detail. I was fortunate to have some amazing friends who helped me tweak things to the the smallest detail possible. Finally my interview went off well. I had my fingers crossed though - and was THRILLED to have converted my only call.
MORAL OF THE STORY: If you've given things a shot and they aren't working out. Try out something different. There's no point doing the same thing all over again. No one can "deny" you anything. Everyone wants to study at an IIM - but well - If you can't make it, does not mean you don't learn "BUSINESS" or don't get to be a manager.
Honestly speaking, I have learnt a hell lot of business working in Mumbai - and that was one year that I was supposed to be in B School. So, if you want something, seek it! :)
Cheers - And all the very best to all "seekers!" 😃
I have a slightly differnet story to tell. It consists of struggle. But more importantly, it has self-realisation. I worked hard for 2 years to get into an IIM. Now, that I am here i am quite disappointed. I want to tell all you guys out there. Keep the blinkers aside. There are things that you ought to know.
The biggest disappointment for me was to find out the complete lack of diversity in my IIM. Everyone appears to be the same here. We all come from the same background and hence, there is no diversity here. The opinions and perspectives that people in class give are so similar! Ask anyone who has graduated from a good Bschool and you will realise that classroom leraning is not even 5%. They all talk about the learning from peers. I think the more different people you meet, more the learning. Currently, i don't see that. One keeps getting a feeling that one should go abroad. The curriculum here is very theoretical and though they tom-tom about case study method and all it's still very theoretical. Also, the course is designed almost entirely for people in corporate life. Entrpship and leadership have no mention!
The number of female candidates is astonishingly low. Lack of female participation makes the course dry and in real life you need to understand and appreciate the female perspective. The qulaity of professors is strictly okay. Please dont be in any illuison about an IIM giving you very good professors.
It appears to me a glorified placement agency. The entire endeavour is to improve/maintain rankings by getting better pay packets.
My advice to fellow puys:
1) If you are looking at entrpship, explore abroad option if u HAVE to do a MBA. In my opinion its not required.
2) Take the CAT but do not be obsessed with it. It's really not worth that much sarifice(i'm talking from experience).
3)If you have 3+ work ex, i would strongly recommend ISB inspite of the steep fees.
4)Experential learning is very low at IIMs. Be very sure why you are doing it(MBA).
5)The crowd at IIMs is strictly ok. They are no geniuses(except proabably the 99.9+%ilers). Most of them are just lucky to be there. Most of them only want a comfy job and all their efforts are towards that.
6) Don't get caught by the hype of the media and the coaching classes. Remember, it suits them if you are desperate.
I am personally going to take the gmat to see if i can go to a better place from here.
I have a slightly differnet story to tell. It consists of struggle. But more importantly, it has self-realisation. I worked hard for 2 years to get into an IIM. Now, that I am here i am quite disappointed. I want to tell all you guys out there. Keep the blinkers aside. There are things that you ought to know.
The biggest disappointment for me was to find out the complete lack of diversity in my IIM. Everyone appears to be the same here. We all come from the same background and hence, there is no diversity here. The opinions and perspectives that people in class give are so similar! Ask anyone who has graduated from a good Bschool and you will realise that classroom leraning is not even 5%. They all talk about the learning from peers. I think the more different people you meet, more the learning. Currently, i don't see that. One keeps getting a feeling that one should go abroad. The curriculum here is very theoretical and though they tom-tom about case study method and all it's still very theoretical. Also, the course is designed almost entirely for people in corporate life. Entrpship and leadership have no mention!
The number of female candidates is astonishingly low. Lack of female participation makes the course dry and in real life you need to understand and appreciate the female perspective. The qulaity of professors is strictly okay. Please dont be in any illuison about an IIM giving you very good professors.
It appears to me a glorified placement agency. The entire endeavour is to improve/maintain rankings by getting better pay packets.
My advice to fellow puys:
1) If you are looking at entrpship, explore abroad option if u HAVE to do a MBA. In my opinion its not required.
2) Take the CAT but do not be obsessed with it. It's really not worth that much sarifice(i'm talking from experience).
3)If you have 3+ work ex, i would strongly recommend ISB inspite of the steep fees.
4)Experential learning is very low at IIMs. Be very sure why you are doing it(MBA).
5)The crowd at IIMs is strictly ok. They are no geniuses(except proabably the 99.9+%ilers). Most of them are just lucky to be there. Most of them only want a comfy job and all their efforts are towards that.
6) Don't get caught by the hype of the media and the coaching classes. Remember, it suits them if you are desperate.
I am personally going to take the gmat to see if i can go to a better place from here.
To be honest with you, the first time I read your post, I did not like it. (I scarcely like anyone criticizing the IIMs). But after re-reading it, I felt as if you are just sharing your personal feelings with everyone, and you dont mean any harm or malice. And I can see that you are clearly disappointed after getting into an IIM.
Maybe you had quite high expectations. But the thing is, what you said in your post, most people know already. Let me take it, step by step.
First you say, the complete lack of diversity. Yes, its true. Over 90% of students in IIMs are engineers, with a similar mindset. And many are from IITs as well. So no wonder you feel everyone is same. But you cant help it. The CAT exam is designed in such a way that engineers will always score better in it.
Secondly, about the curriculum being theoritical, its true of all institutes in India, starting from schools, till end of college, we all follow the system of learn by rote. This is a very unfortunate situation, but unless it is changed from scratch, nothing can be done about it. The whole system needs to be revised, I feel. We all focus more on theory and bookish knowledge than gaining practical skills. Most people who score well in exams are those with a very good memory.
Thirdly, low no of female candidates. Sigh, this too is true for all major institutes in the country, esp Bschools and Engineering institutes. If I wished, I could keep writing about this all day long. But I will leave it. Will rather post an article on this in my blog later on.
Quality of professors low? I thought the IIM professors were amongst the best in the country.
And finally you are going to do another MBA? Frankly, I have never heard of anyone giving GMAT after getting into an IIM.
On the whole, good post.
I am one of the old timers 2003 batch of PG and writing my CAT story
5 years after it ended. unlike majority of the success stories on CAT you have here , mine is a failure as far as CAT is concerned, but nevertheless there were important takeaways from CAT as far as life was concerned.
I would have perused through the pages of this thread a hundred times. Looked at chandoo's thread and felt inspired. Used to think that "agla saal mera post bhi yahan aayega" .. I am definitely not a IIMite or any of those 95-98 percentilers who went to XL,NITIE,MDI and similar colleges. I would be one among the few hundreds that tried for CAT like crazy:drinking: who were on the precipice of success 
but just gifted away the seat by virtue of maintaining pressure upon myself on the D-day.
I started my prep for CAT 2004 in Dec 2003 a solid year in advance. PG used to be pretty small those days and there used to be close to 2000 members with 100-200 regular folks. It would be an understatement if i said i did not know the regulars. It was like a Cult to be a part of PG. after all people logging into forums for CAT discussion was something new. The desire to get into IIM was accentuated by the fact that three of PG's chennai folks had made it into IIMB in 2004. So we were a bunch of 3-4 guyz who decided that we would be juniors to those guyz. Its been 5 years since then and none of us had a chance to be their juniors. we did finish our MBAs from different institutes but the first love i.e. the IIMs remained unrequited.
Enough of the history. lemme get to the point. I did not make it into an IIM and did graduate out of Great lakes , chennai , but the point is i should have cracked or belled the CAT so easily that i fluffed it with open hands. This post is going to be a post of what not to do if you want to bell the CAT. There have been so many success stories in belling the CAT, but i believe my story might give some inspiration to folks to avoid the mistakes that i did. i honestly believe every year there would be at least 1000 candidates like me who would burn the midnight oil towards CAT prep and then see it wither away on the D-Day. For folks like that, please dont give up the seat that you so rightfully deserve.This post is dedicated to you folks who toil hard and unnecessary bring pressure upon yourself.
Things not to do
a) too many cooks spoil the broth.
too many MOCKS also spoil the broth
To ensure that i did a variety of problems i used to take both CL Mocks and TIME mocks. i used to take two mocks on a single day and the pressure was huge.one mock i used to do good while in the other i used to do real bad. this was a huge demotivating factor.Its difficult to maintain concentration for extended periods of time.so please avoid that. one insti mock is enough.
b) Spend at max of 6 hours per day for CAT.
for some this might be a huge number, but trust me i was spending much more than this during my CAt prep. we think that more we do better we would do. The problem is more and more we do we try to remember so many concepts that at times your mind could become cluttered.
c) CAT is not life. There is life outside CAT
I did that mistake. I forgot that i needed to have a life. I became a walking sloth immersed only with CAT. Frequently go out with friends. Try learning guitar or salsa. Hit a gym. hit a pub. do whatever you can to make sure you have a life outside college/work. for me it was work or CAT. period. To sum it in short i used to be a zombie. It becomes even hard to come out of it when CAT flops.
d) too much PG is injurious ( hope i dont get banned)
unless you are spending it at the chit chat session. i agree that PG is addictive and so are solving problems, but that is the problem with PG. It makes so addictive that you get mired into the circle called as CAT prep. Try to balance it by hitting the chit chat sessions.
e) Do not worry about the outcome of the CAT.
easier said than one. this has to be the most difficult part. But this is of paramount importance. The moment you start thinking about the exam results you could consider your case to be a goner. We have to be indifferent to the CAT result and just aim at giving our best. agar Hit toh we study at IIM this year nahin thoh.. there is always life outside the CAT.. i hate to use the paraphrase from eye eye pee yumm but it makes sense think beyond it.. there is more to life . the best part of my life began after my failure in CAT.
Each one of us have our own reasons. In my case, it was more like i hated my job, had to get out of it, all my friends were in the US or doing their MBA, peer pressure. so CAT was the only respite. that's what i thought and how wrong i was. for those of you in crappy job profiles, you are not alone and all of us are. Its not the job that sucks but it is life outside the job that sucks. so try to get a life guyz... dont become a loner while u prep. I am not asking folks to enjoy leaving CAT prep in the lurch. but please have a balanced life. Ps3 , age of empires, xbox, wii for those who are gamers, for the rest we have films, anime, girlfriends, sports etc... Try Yoga if you are not able to feel cool and composed.
Now for some gyaan on prep front..
a) CAT is not about solving all problems , but trying to solve the easier problems. so sometimes i feel the ones who have minimal CAT preparation are at an advantage as they would be easily able to identify sitters as opposed to those who do too much of CAT prep as the hard workers would always find all problems solvable. hence timing and accuracy goes for a toss.
with regards to quant at least 6-8 sitters would be there in every paper. if you solve this in addition to that you need to solve just 3-4 additional problems to clear cutoff. sounds simple nah?
b) Number systems, time speed distance, ratio proportion and algebra should help you sail through quant cutoff provided you know the fundas.thats it !!!
c) Geometry is invariably difficult and identifying sitters in geometry is also a bit difficult. so if one is weak in geometry i would suggest you devote less time to it. no point trying to hone skill in it as invariably we would fall short in finding the answer.
d) Start reading a lot of betrand russell passages to improve concentration in RC.
e) For sentence correction refer to salil's GMAT notes. I believe that is really good and i had a look at the SC thread in PG. Both these should be really helpful.
f) THE MOST important point. after every Mock, analyze each mock for 6-8 hours. try solving the remaining problems and when you are not able to solve it then look at the solution. do not analyze just your marks. analyze your capability to pick sitters too. I think that is the most critical capability that the CAT exam tests you on.
so now coming back.. about a brief history of what happened post CAT.. 2 months was psychotic... almost suicidal..then joined great lakes.. then it was bliss..
was a 99 percentiler in my mocks...
2004 - on D day -- 88 percentile.. thats what pressure can do.. ( more than 2000 hours of preparation)
2005 - wrote CAT again for the heck of it.. just to prove a point to myself that i was not so bad.. 97.6 percentile... ( zero prep)
Happy prepping. Hope this post helps at least one person and prevents him/her from screwing up on the D-day like i did.
i dunno y im writing what im writing here !!
mine is definately not a CAT success story ..infact its probably
the biggest failure story ever ..!!
i was in class 9th when i decided that i wanted to be an entrepreneur sometime in life..
had the kind of thinkin and vision that entrepreneurs need..used to read anything and everything related to business..be it
magazines or books...had very deep interest in anything entrepreneurial ...i dont even know how many times iv read the inspirational stories of dhirubhai n all in d book business maharajas !!
in class 9th i decided i want to be an entrepreneur..n realized that im an ideas person who can think of very good ideas which if implemented might create some story..
i was never exited abt the money part..wanted it but the zeal to create something of my own was too much..
so i decided that an MBA degree from an IIM should be my goal..more importantly IIM A..
then i came to delhi from a small place in gujrat where i was a very seedha saadhe padhaku ladka always scoring above 90..
delhi spoilt me ..big n rich ppl showing off all d money they had ..ppl used to come in mercs to school n all !!
i was taken away by all this...lookin at things like a young stupid boy does i thot business is all about ideas n smartness !
i thot education was not at all required for all this...never even thot abt engineering..technicals never exited me..i was a ideas ppl..ya economics and business studies is what exited me..so thot ill do economic honors and all
or may be a BBA...typical indian folks that i have ..."science le lo beta..engg ban jao " life ban jayegi n all..but still i resisted n joined the commerce class in my school after 10th..attended it for 10 days n fell in love with economics and business studies..
my teacher told me that u will head to Delhi school of economics if u persist with it..i never even enquired anything abt DSE or anything..i was always the kinda guy who just went on to do whatever i liked without any result orientation..ki kya karna hai..kaunse school jaana hai..kaunse college jaana hai n all
aim was always only one thing...MBA n some business later on...!!
but again my parents..beta science lelo ..engg kar lo and then MBA kar lena...fine i said ..i somehow never argued for anything..thot that i will come out a winner from anywhere..science leli..
had never even heard of engg....science leke bhi i used to sneak into commerce classes held at my school..just cuz i was interested..!!
scored a meagre 70% in 10th and 12th...oh and ya got into love with some delhi girl which made sure im completely off my career !! this srsly spoilt my life..
i also realize now that when im put in sthng i don like i never put in any effort ...was put into science never put in any effort ..
made it to an sundry engg college in a small town called bhilai..hated it ..wanted to run away from that place at the very beginning..cried like hell...hated the people i met there..it was a cultural shock in a sense..
met ppl from all places n got eloped into the culture there..but i hated it...anyways met a few ppl who were my type n then enjoyed..discussed entrepreneurship with them at length..everyone thot MBA was d way to go...
was never interested in technical...was interested in programming but the college n teachers were so great that they themselves never knew what coding was...
placements came ...d usual infy n all...never thot i cud ever get placed due bad technical..but was selected in all companies in their aptitude tests..was surprised and exited..thot now finally ill learn coding inside the industry..learn web technologies n all and look forward to building a website may be..
so the plan was set when i was finally selected into a company...college got over in MAY 2008..joining was in SEPT 2008..thot arre wah 3 months hain..let me study for MBA...thot that my basics were weak so ill probably take a shot or two at CAT n only then ill be able to make it..chalo theek hai placed hoon..paise kamaoonga for my startup n also learn..see the industry n all..
prepared for a month for CAT n got a 90%ile...but before that came the recession...n i knew i was dead..i somehow felt that for writing CAT with a cool head one needs a job to bank upon...now that was gone due to the recession..in simple words..the easiest jobs to come by for an engineer..the IT jobs were no more...new offcampus openings to choddo..lagi lagayi job ka ata pata nahi hai...its been more than a year now...its august 2009 and there is no news of a job n a joining..
i really dont know what to do ???!! my dreams have been shattered n crushed !! i have a gap year in my resume n i dont know if this gap year converts into 2 gap years...im sure after this even if my joining comes n i crack CAT..ill never make it to an IIM because of the awesome gap in my resume cuz of the recession . !!
i just dont know what to do puys !! im clueless ..
i need a job....i desperately need a job !!
ill never be able to forgive myself if im not able to make it to an IIM...
my dreams are shattered !!
Guys i really want to write a success story out from this now..i just have to ...i cant n dont want to lose like this..one recession cannot wipe me off...i want a job ..i just need a job !!
Please help me guys ..what shud i do ?? how shud i get a job ??
what shud i do abt the gap ?? Even in 2001 recession ppl got jobs in off campus within 7-8 months..abhi to woh bhi nahi ho raha !!
Please help me...i beg !!
PM me if anyone can help me on the job front !!
Please help me guys ..what shud i do ?? how shud i get a job ??
what shud i do abt the gap ?? Even in 2001 recession ppl got jobs in off campus within 7-8 months..abhi to woh bhi nahi ho raha !!
Please help me...i beg !!
Dear rs00,
Nice to see your frank admission, it requires courage.
They say don't dream because if you dream you have to wake up one fine day..to find nothing but your own carefully preserved but shattered dreams.
They are right since if you had followed the usual path, you might have ended up in a good college if not IIM's, and thanks to recession which is the biggest party crasherisn't????
Boss I would like to ask you if you had such an enthu about an MBA that to from IIM-A, why the hell you were not preparing in your college days, being student we have plethora of time but then you were celebrating for no reason and I am sure if you could not find time in college days then you won't find in your job as well (I am finding it tough to manage).
As far as your gap is concerned if you have any business plan/s then you may sell them anytime in your interview and if they are really good then you can easily negotiate on your gap as well, but I am afraid if you have any, do you???
You can or could have invest/ed your time working with an NGO or something whose experience always comes handy, after all where else you will get hands on experience in Microfinance "the buzzword of current & future entrepreneurship" and CSR (Corporate social Responsibility).
Dear it's been more than a year since you passed out and you are not sure about this CAT as well which is only 4 months ahead, imagine if you had only prepared for CAT after your engineering than you would have in position by now to get IIM calls this year, but you haven't done even that.
Since the fall of Lehman Brothers I knew it's going to be tough for all us, how come you had no idea of this if you were into reading business stuff.
But let me tell you nothing is lost reason being.
IIM's and other b-schools know the situation better than you (in-fact who knows better than them) so explaining delay in joining will be a cake walk, even top b schoolers joing is delayed this year (yes this is correct).
According to me following are the options available.
a) Since you are sure about entrepreneurship so I would suggest you to go for EDI Ahmedabad (hope you know this), I don't think the admission would be that tough there and you will end up in place of your choice as well, because even if you go to IIM-A interview panel their first question would be if entrepreneurship why not EDI.
If that doesn't goes that well with you.
b) Go for an ICFAI CFA/CPA at least that will make you employable, go for an MBA later.
If this also doesn't work for you and you want to employable as soon as possible go for
c) 1 year Insurance sales program run by top colleges in India IIMC, XLRI, JBIMS, IMI, SPJAIN (BCIDS), you can go for proper MBA later.
If this also don't works for you go for the NGO thing I told earlier for the reasons explained.
Yaar there are infinite possibilities of making a career but yes the path would be tough.don't bother about age factor as an MBA is Scotch the older the better.
And finally "Stop dreaming Start working"
P.S. After reading your post i think you are talented enough to make you mark in life and its painful that you are lost.
I know my words are rude in this post, but they must.
You may send your resume to me, i will see if I can....
Thanks.
I was thinking about the events and happenings that lead to me getting an admit from MDI, Gurgaon. Was it tough? How much of hard work did I have to put in?
There are gonna be thousands of guys who will take the CAT(rated as among the most difficult exams on the planet) this year too. A few will score a super percentile. But a super-percentile, as I learnt later, doesnt guarantee you a seat in a college.
I will give a blow-by-blow account of how things worked and didnt work for me. In the process, I hope to inspire some of you (I know, tall order) and console the others.
So this is how it started-
I was disillusioned by the way engineering studies are counducted in our country. I had a quater-life crisis back then. I had secured a job with Siemens but I didnt know if I wanted to work. To be honest, I wanted to stay at home, watch movies, play cricket, do every damn thing that I wasnt able to do coz of my 4 years of engineering. Now engineering in Mumbai is a lot different from other parts of the country. Its real bad if u have to waste 4 hours of your day in travelling only to reach college to find the class being cancelled. It becomes even worse when you have been a straight A's student all your life and have to work your ass off to maintain high grades in engineering.
I played with the thought of joining siemens, then decided on not to only to change it on the night before the induction day. I am glad that I took that decesion. Its among the best decesions that I took.
After working for 9 months, getting up early everyday, spending a lot of time doing electrical shit(I am a mechie), I got bored and quit the job. Again, among the best decesions of my life.
I left the job around May. The next months till January, when the CAT results came, were among the best days of my life. I did almost everything I wanted- played cricket like crazy, slept like crazy, saw every sitcom I could get my hands on, in short, enjoyed life! One of my really close friends felt that it was among the most eventful year of my life. I agree mate!
May-June-July were mostly fun. One fine day it struck me - what do I do next? Maybe a part-time job - the kind that doesnt reqire me to get up early. How about a course in Film direction? I have always wanted to do that... If not now, then when? I am 22, when will I get the time in the future? If I have to, it has to be now, and it has to be from the best institute in the country.
I applied for FTII's direction course (Gods like Ashutosh Gowariker, Sanjay Leela Bhansali are the products of this college). At the same time I got a call for part-time teaching at Career Forum teaching CAT. While I was teaching, I gave the exam for FTII and got selected in the top 40. After the interview, I made it to the top 10 in the country, but that wasnt good enough. They took in the top 6 and that was the end of that.
Around August, I became serious about CAT. FTII was behind me, I didnt have a full-time job, I didnt have a plan B. That is when I pulled up my socks and started giving mock tests of every god damn coaching classes.
I gave the JMET, CAT, SNAP, MICAT(for MICA)... The colleges I had filled up were-
1. MDI, Gurgaon
2. IMT, Ghaziabad
3. SIBM, Pune
4. SCMHRD, Pune
5. MICA, Ahmedabad
6. SIIB, Pune
7. Welingkar, Mumbai
In that order of importance...
The first results that came in were in Jan were JMET. I logged on - You have not Qualified for the next round. Bad start. One out. But I wasnt too sad. Jmet is for the IITS and though I like IITs, I wouldnt wanna spend two years of my life there.
The next results were the biggie - CAT. I was extremely cool about the results. I remember, I checked it around 4 in the afternoon. My friends were making franctic calls to each other, trying to find out each others scores. I was as cool as can be. I wasnt expecting much. And I also figured out that me getting excited isnt going to change the results. I logged on - 98.37%ile with a expected poor performance in DI.
Then came the SNAP results. I had a God-score of 101 in SNAP. I had virtually converted all Symbiosis institutes or so I thought.
As expected, I got calls from all institutes I had applied to.
I was sure to convert SIIB and SIBM, but was sckeptical about SCMHRD because of their vague selection criteria.
First, the SIIB results came out. "You have been waitlisted - WL123"
There hasnt been a time when I have felt worse. A college like SIIB doesnt pick me up? I aint good enough for SIIB? Its 6th on my list yaar! If I cant get into this how can I get into the top ones?
Next result - SCMHRD - "We are sorry to inform you that you havent been selected for the program at SCMHRD". Okay. This one I can understand. HRD looks for work experience or whatever no one know. They rather flip a coin 😛
Next- SIBM- now this one I was surely gonna convert. Its by far the best GD and Interview I have had ever! I was so damn confident about this one. I had already started dreaming of this place and how I will buy a bike and travel from Pune to Mumbai on weekends. I logged on - "We are sorry to inform...." I didnt read the next line. They didnt take me in- is all I could tell myself. They rejected me. The feeling of selfworthlessness cant be described in words.
3 of the 7 colleges I had applied to had rejected me. I had a God-score! What happened? How bad am I? What mistake do I make? Havent I prepared well? I am sure I have! I have given 8 hours per day reading shit like who is India's X minister and who heads Y committe.
MICAT- is the additional exam that you give for MICA. MICAT is supposed to check how creative you are. Now this is my turf. I gave the exam. Waited patiently for the results.
The results came in - "You are not selected for..." I kept looking at the screen.
4 out of the 7 colleges had rejected me. Dude? I got selected in God-damn FTII!! Thats the most creative exam on the whole continent! I get selected in FTII but ant creative enough for Mica?!
Now the only colleges left were MDI, IMT and Welingkar. The chances were bleak for mdi and imt since they are among the top instis in the country. If I cant make to normal colleges, how can I make it to the top ones? I will take a Welingkar. I am sure I will get it. But I have a 98.37 for pete's sake! Welingkar at that kinda score?
I used to find guys who cant even write basic English writing posts on Pagalguy saying - I have get admission to XYZ college. Aaj raat parti hogi. Chers!
I made sure that I swore atleast once at the college in question.
Then came the IMT results. I had a so-so GD and an average Interview. I wasnt expecting a convert, but atleast I got into the waitlist. "Game on," I said to myself. Maybe, just maybe, I might get in.
The most important results came in next. MDI- Waitlisted. Expected. Had an horrible interview. Now, when I think about it, I realise that I was depressed by the kinda results I had got. Here I was running out of colleges I can apply to and still havent got a convert.
Slowly and steadily my friends were getting converts. Everyone had orkut taglines changed to -Joining XXX.. 22 days to go.. some stuff like that.. Colleges are starting in 22 days? I still dont have an convert.
I started applying for jobs. But recession had kicked in and no one was willing to give me any jobs. BPOs loved to stay away from you if you were an engineer, which I was.
I was caught up. Tense. But like my friends tell me now, that I masked it pretty well. Infact even if you go back and read my posts dated around that time, they were still funny.
So here I was, 20 days remaining for colleges to start, with no job, no college. I felt like I had taken the worst decesion by leaving Siemens. Life can only be understood in hindsight.
I kept checking the waitlist movement at IMT. Somehow I had a feeling that I might just make it in this B school.
I remember that afternoon- I logged in on to the IMT site. I put in my id and password. The screen went blank for a moment. Then a new page appeared on screen -
"Congratulations...You have been selected for..."
I read the fifteen letter word again and again. Congratulations. When was the last time I read that? I didnt do what they do in the movies. No pumping my fists in the air. No shouting, No yelling. I just sat on the chair... letting it sink in... and then let myself sink in the chair... Then got up from the chair. Made a tight fist, and ever so slowly said - Yes.
The time I had spent studying, giving mock-cats, learning about minister X and committe Y, all of a sudden, I felt, had paid dividends. A feeling of gratitude took me over. I dont remember how many times must I had thanked the computer that day.
In the last week, I got a call from MDI too. And I took that up. But I still love IMT. In the way you love your girlfriend you had when you were 15.
Now when I look back, I feel everything fell in place. But I still wonder, the Intellectual capital that comes to MDI and IMT is way better than the colleges that rejected me. I dont get it, if the country's elite b-schools can accept me, then what are the traits that these other bschools look at? And its obvious that they are doing something wrong, else they would be higher up the rankings.
Also, I dont think CAT is a good way to judge students. Now, for eg, had I made one mistake in the paper, I wouldnt be in IMT or MDI. At the same time, had I made one mistake less, I would have been in the IIMs. The point being - CAT is definitely not the only parameter that a college should look at. But it should be remembered that CAT is the most transparent way of selecting students. The lesser of the evils.
Note: The whole point of this post has been to let you know that as an aspirant, you might lose hope and heart sometime - DONT!
Dust off the Dust..
.. Just Kick Butt!
TPI: All I wanted to say about the CAT...
Hi
I read your failure story. Now wanna read mine? Forget about 10th and 12th, I don't want to go too back into the time. Let me take you to the year 2007. The year which was the best in my life so far when I got placed in 2 of the top 5 IT companies of India. I was one of the few students in my college who were able to achieve this feat and the only one who had graduation percentage less than 70 at that moment. I was happy since my future was secure now. But I was wrong.
I won't blame recession at all. It began with my small carelessness. Due to gujjar agitation in the state there was little change in the time table of the 6th semester exams and that did the damage. I had never got grace in any paper, leave back alone, but this time i suffered. Got two of them. Sataym campus took place when I was in the final month of 7th semester and the selection in it came as a big relief for me since even if I couldn't go to Infosys I had Satyam. But after that my luck begin to desert me completely.
One paper in 7th semester was messed up completely. What happened that day I don't know. Paper was little tough but I had passed many of them before too. But this time I couldn't. Results came out in June and I was now staring at an extended engineering. Our university conducts back paper a year later so my hopes of joining any company were almost dashed. The only option I had was to try my hand in CAT and other MBA exams.
I didn't join any coaching institute neither did I take any test series. I was never comfortable with this 'coaching' thing right since 10th and so I decided against it. I appeared in different exams and some turned out to be good and some bad. I scored 88.03 in CAT, 50+ in SNAP, 98.1 in MAT while NMAT and CET were washouts. Even then I had secured calls from some decent colleges like SCIT, BIMTECH, IMT Nagpur and was sure about Welingker as well since I had scored 97 percentile in ATMA. I was pretty sure that I would convert atleast one of them. Here yet again fate didn't favor me.
My back exam was held post CAT results. I couldn't give much time in november and december to my studies but in the month of January I focused on my back paper alone. I couldn't do a very sound preparation but was confident that I would make it this time. Alas! The moment I saw the paper I knew my hopes were dashed. The paper was the toughest in the last 10 years and even though I tried hard I couldn't manage much in it. Heck! I didn't even have the privilege of getting grace of 10 marks since I was appearing in back paper.
All of my interviews took place after my debacle in back paper. I just couldn't focus on them. It was always in my mind that any of my converts would get wasted if I couldn't clear the back exam. This fear spolied all of my interviews. IMT Nagpur was the worst since the panel directly attacked on my weak point - my pending back. It was march 1st week when I was finished with my these interviews. I didn't have hopes from any except for BIMTECH where my performance was ok, though not very good. Few days later I got the call of Welingker.
By that time I had recovered from exam debacle and my single aim was to convert Welingker. I threw that fear out of my mind which had haunted me in the last 3 interviews. I did a lot of preparation for Welingker. Only a couple of days before my interview, another bomb fell on me. I knew it was coming but never expected to come at such a crucial time. I had again missed out in my back paper and now my engineering had swelled to 5.5 years. All the enthusiasm for Welingker was gone. I went to Delhi, appeared there to complete the formalities and came back. I didn't even bother to check the result.
Now here I am, a yet-to-become Engineer even after more than 5 years. I wonder if I would come across any pathetic profile like mine ever on PG. But even after so much wrong happenings in my life I refuse to concede. I am waiting for just that one chance of getting redeemed. And I am aiming for big. I didn't go for any college outside top 50 B Schools last time which would have been easy converts for me and I wouldn't do that even this time.
I know in what kind of situation you are in. Many of my peers would be out of B Schools while I am still to complete my UG. Even many of your friends too would be already on the path of success while you still haven't found the road. But don't lose hope. Work hard. That's the only thing we can do. Nothing else is in our hands but this.
i want to end the post with these famous lines of Robert Frost which are my favorite too
"And Miles to go before I sleep........................."
I made a promise to myself the day I saw this thread for the first time.Finally I get a chance to post my sojourn with CAT on this hallowed thread. It is sooner than I expected but later than I wished 😉 . It's not the regular CAT success story, but then I could not find a better place to share my story.
Before I start with my Journey with CAT let me tell you a little about myself. I was a good student till class X, always among top few students in school. I did well to score 80.xx % in Class X. After that my dad got transferred and we moved to a small town in Tamil Nadu, named Hosur. That's where a number of factors, led to me neglecting my studies and I managed a paltry score of 64.xx in XII. I also managed to mess up my AIEEE exam. But somehow I managed a good rank in Karnataka CET and I also sat for National Council of Hotel Management's All India entrance test, which is taken by over 10000 approximately every year and got an AIR 63. I decided against becoming an engineer and joined Hotel Management. I decided to make amends for my unsatisfactory score in school and ended up being among the Top 3 students for First and Second Year. In Third year, the placement season started, being among the top students, I was expected to be one of the leading contenders to be selected for the Management Trainee programmes by the Top Hotel Chains of the country. What I had not realized in all this time was that hospitality industry was not a place for an introvert. I was among the last few to be placed. Still I managed to set two college records, 1.) First person to be offered 3 different jobs in 3 different departments. 2.) Only person in the history of the Institute to be offered a job based on performance in practical examination.
Sometime during my third year I thought about doing an MBA but decided to get some work-ex before I attempt CAT.
2006:
Once college got over, I joined a 5-star Hotel in Bangalore. The first few weeks were good but soon it became monotonous and I realized that this is not something I want to do for rest of my life. That's when MBA came back to mind and I decided to take CAT.
Resigned from the Hotel in August, just after 3 months and joined a finance firm. With new job came new kind of work atmosphere which I found enjoyable. Soon it was November and I realized that the time I spent for preparation for CAT was less than 3 hours, that too in July, after getting the CAT application . Anyway, I went to the centre and decided to give it my best shot. Believe me, I had never read a boring passage in English than the ones in the VA section. (probably because I never took any mocks, hell ! I didn't even know what mocks were.) When the results were declared I was surprised to find out that I had scored 91.xx %ile and was furious that I had not prepared seriously enough. But I decided that next year I would be better prepared.
2007:
After previous year's performance, I decided to study diligently for CAT and enrolled for a Study-at-home course from one of the coaching institutes. This time I also decide to take other B-school tests too. I studied whenever I got time and my score in mocks varied from 95%ile to 46%ile. Sometime in the month of October I got a call from Indian Air Force to attend their Service Selection Board in the first week of November at Mysore.
So, I went to mysore to fulfill my childhood ambition of joining the armed forces. It was there that while performing an obstacle I fell from a height of 15 feet and landed on my back and lost all the skin on my left palm as I tried to hang on to the rope I was supposed to climb down. I was advised complete bed-rest for atleast a month by doctors. Against the doctor's advise I decide to attend CAT, which was a mistake. 30 minutes into the test, I realized that the pain in my back has reached a level where it cannot be ignored anymore. Still I somehow managed to sit through the test. Took other tests viz. IIFT, SNAP, NMAT, XAT. When the results were declared I scored 92.xx %ile in CAT, 96 in XAT and missed NMAT cut-off by 1 mark. My CAT score got me calls from TAPMI and K J Somaiya, which I couldn't convert.
Sometime in November I realized that I had registered at Pagalguy.com in early 2006. Just tried a random password and behold, I found a key to an insane world. Spent first few weeks at PG just going through different threads, hesitant to post. Finally, worked up enough courage to publish my first post and then one thing led to another 
Attended my first Bangy PG meet and got really hooked. Harsharocks (HR) introduced me to shoutbox and my addiction to PG started.
2008:
The season started with me changing a couple of jobs. With new job came new responsibilities and I wasn't able to get into the groove until September. But, after that I made it a point to study something every day. Attended all but two of the PG meets of the season to make sure I got a regular dose of Bakar.
Was eager to get into a b-school that I filled almost each and every form. Finally, the C-Day arrived. Saw the paper smiled when I saw 40 questions in VA. Started with VA as it was one of my stronger sections. Next, I moved to Quants and surprisingly, found it easy.
Moved to DI with 45 minutes remaining and realized the consequences of being complacent. I hadn't scored less than 96%ile in DI in any of the mocks or real CAT ever but on that day I couldn't get one answer correct. Moved from one problem to another hopelessly. Came out of the centre, looking at the brighter side that this could be the day when I clear the Quants cut-off for the first time in 3 years.
Next up was IIFT, which I never thought I would clear but took just for the heck of it. After that it was one exam after the other.
Soon it was the time for results, IRMA was the first one with a call at 99.61 %ile. Surprisingly IIFT too decided to call me. CAT result came with the usual server problems. When I finally checked my result, I didn't know what to do. I realized that I had shaded 3 bubbles wrongly, and instead of the 96+ %ile score I was expecting, I was still stuck at 92.xx %ile. Next day, the SNAP fiasco happened, and I was happy that I didn't have any result coming the next day. Got a call from NMIMS after just clearing the cut-off. Got a call from TAPMI and UBS - Chandigarh based on my CAT score.
IIFT was the first GD/PI of the season. Imagine a situation when four of Bangy PG regulars (Shabadp, the_hate, yogsconnect and me) are in the same group for a GD. My performance in the GD was satisfactory at best. Interview was cool and I came out of the room with a feeling, regardless of the result, I did my best. IRMA, TAPMI and NMIMS decided to grill me and successfully managed to do so.
When the results came, all the four instis decided to ding me. Waited eagerly for waitlists to come out, but to no avail. The final waitlist for IIFT was published and my name wasn't there.
Took the failure in my stride and realized that each year my performance is improving and decided to take another shot at CAT. Decided to wait till the CAT notification is out before I joined any test series.
There comes a day in everybody's life, which he remembers till the end of his days and knows exactly where he was at that time. 23rd June 2009 was one of those days for me. I was sitting in an auto-rickshaw, going for some official work when I received a call from a number from Delhi, which got disconnected thanks to poor network. I joked to myself that this could be from IIFT. 2 minutes later I got the call again, with a lady telling me that she is calling from IIFT-Delhi and I have been offered admission to IIFT - Kolkata Campus and if I would be interested. And I was like. " you've got to be joking". She said classes start from 1st July. I realized that this meant that I would have to resign soon anyway so chucked the official work and rushed home to reply to an e-mail from IIFT. :biggrin:
The quest for B-School has ended but insanity is intact and so it will continue with OMPA.
Lessons I learnt:
Failures are stepping stones to success. Might sound clichd but it is clichd because it is truth.
B-school entrances are an emotional roller-coaster and you need strong support from your family and friends, so do not ignore them in your quest for glory.
Miracles do happen :-P . I believe it now.
Logging on to PG was one of the best things I ever did. I would have given up CAT after failing twice had I not met people like Prem bhai, Amrutesh etc. I would like to thank everyone on SB for their constant support. To Ayaz (datkilldme), Siddharth (sid_darth), Pooja (Lehmanbrothershereicome) for sending me prep materials for GD/PI. To Ram (apatchofsnow), yogs (yogsconnect), Shabad (shabadp), Abhishek (the_hate) for being company for mock GD's and the honest feedback. To Bangy PG gang. To Diablo, just for listening to me after I messed up my CAT. To Junior (Utsav_s1986) for that inspirational call the day after CAT result, when I knew you were suffering equally if not more. To Sriram (rsriram84) for constantly egging me on. And to everyone else who believed in me, more than I did.
I did not want to write anything on this thread till I actually got admitted into a B-School and not completed the entire procedure....Now that everything is done and I am typing this from a B-School, I think I can start with my story....
Certain Pointers:
1: I am not someone who has got a 99+ in all mocks nor I am someone who is in an IIM....I am just an above average student who managed to get into one of the good B-Schools of the country....
2: I must say that apart from my own struggles in this journey, there were a lot of people who are responsible for whatever success I achieved and my thanks to them cannot be expressed in mere words....
3: I have sacrificed a lot to reach wherever I am now and when they say that you have to work hard and give your heart and soul to your CAT preparations, it is actually true....
4: Always give your honest attempt in CAT....Never say that if not this year, then next year....Because the next year might never come....
Now to start....
Pre 2007: I was an above average student in my school days. Good in studies, nice in extracurricular activities....90+ in 10th, 85+ in 12th, 87+ in undergraduate etc....I had gotten into a well known NIT for the 2003-07 batch in Ceramic Engineering, changed my branch to Chemical Engineering.... Life was good....In college, during the third and final years, I saw a lot of people joining coaching institutes, preparing hard for CAT etc....The thought of CAT or MBA for that matter had not even crossed my mind then....A couple of guys used to tell me that I was MBA material but I never heeded them....In the first year, I was more of a GRE person....Gradually, I came to realise the fact that scoring in GRE is the easiest part but getting a full scholarship was the catch....I got worried thinking that I was never going to be able to finance my education if I did not get a full scholarship....Somehow, the thought of delivering pizzas or newspapers to Americans in order to fund my education did not appeal to me....and needless to say, the interest in GRE faced a slow death....Come final year, I decided that I was not going to sit for any exams....I will just go for a job to get some work experience and then try to carve some path out for my life....My dad said sit for the exam at least you will get some experience of writing the exam... But I refused....I did not want to sit for an exam I had not prepared for....May be the fear of getting ridiculed for low percentiles haunted me....may be I just wanted to enjoy my final year in computer games and booze....I dont know....But I am now glad that I did not join in the 2007-09 batch anyways....may be God always has something good in store for everyone....Come campus placements time and unlike for our juniors, we had very few core Chemical Engineering companies on campus and as usual I landed up in a good IT company....IBM....Life felt good at that time....Meanwhile, a couple of my friends did land up at XIMB, MDI etc....
2007 (A crucial year): My joining was in June 2007....Kolkata....The city of Joy....I was quite excited about it....Had around 8 college mates who were joining at the same location, same date with me....We stayed together in a PG....partied big time....pocket was flush with funds....training period was fun....even made one very good room-mate during that time who was crucial in increasing my self confidence a lot....But most importantly, met the love of my life there....A beauty who can be best described as an angel....She changed my life completely....from being someone who had no aim in life, I began aiming of doing something worthwhile....for her....still did not have motivation enough for CAT....still wanted to just have fun for one more year and try for the next year....dad literally requested me to appear for CAT saying just give the exam....I will pay for the form....to appease my dad, I filled up the form, bought the series by Arun Sharma and started a bit of studies....approximately an hour a day for hardly 12 days....no seriousness, just casually flipping through pages, solving sums here and there....Come September 2007, training was over, bench period was over and I had to join a project at Bangalore....Those were the hardest days....I thought that I wont be able to sit for CAT anymore that year....Since I had given Kolkata as my centre....Was in no mood to apply for a centre change too....again dad persuaded me to try for a centre change....So I fax IIM Calcutta on the last day requesting a centre change from Bangalore (luckily got my transfer letter at the nick of the time after a lot of hassles with my manager)....Saying goodbye to Kolkata, the happiness there, saying good bye to my love was indeed difficult....At Bangalore, I was alone....No support....To make matters worse, I was given the office that was totally on the outskirts of Bangalore....and all my friends who had already settled in Bangalore lived far away....Preparations came to a grinding halt....Missed my love a lot....Missed the happy times at Kolkata a lot and just used to brood alone....Finally, I found another person of my college who had also been allotted the same office at Bangalore and we took to staying in a PG together just nearby the office....Luckily, my centre change was accepted and my parents received a letter at my native address....Even that had an element of luck involved....They were supposed to come visit me at Bangalore and they got the courier on the day before they were supposed to leave....Had it gotten late by one more day, it would have been bye-bye CAT 2007 for me....may be God wanted me to write CAT 2007 at all costs....Was asked to report at the centre one day early and confirm the centre change....Come November 18th 2007, I reported at my centre, clueless about what the result will come out to be with 12 hours of preparation in total....Saw the list and was shocked to find my name missing....There were a bunch of other people who had changed the centre and were facing the same problem.... Somehow the centre in charge confirmed that we were in Christ College instead of Christ High School or something like that....We were nevertheless allowed to sit for the exam after our verification was done and signatures taken....Just sat in the exam hall leisurely....Got the question paper, flipped through the pages, passed time....Now, traditionally, I was afraid of QA and found VA to be my strength....DI was OK OK types....never knew what to make out of DI....Finally could solve some questions and came out....Realised that I had solved only 3 questions in QA in total ....then went to see off my parents who were travelling from Bangalore to Bhubaneswar the same day....Just tossed away the paper and went back to work....Now work was getting very very hectic....Did not get even a bit of time to breathe....The project was at a critical stage and we were all getting screwed like anything....to make matters worse, we were new, no experience, no project-specific training, even our mentors were new to the project....frustration levels started growing day by day at the ways of working of the IT industry....Was sitting in my office one fine day and suddenly thought of checking the answer keys to CAT 2007....realised that I was scoring somewhere around 100....At that moment I dont know how or why, somehow the name PaGaLgUy came to my mind....had heard it from someone at college I guess and the name had stuck....logged on from office, created a user-id and went to the thread where discussions for CAT 2007 were going on, voted on the poll and came to know that around 100 was actually being touted as a very good score....Was immediately hyper charged....called up my parents, my honey and informed that CAT actually had been good for me....But 12 in QA I knew was anyways too less (All 3 attempts turned out to be correct )....One of my friends advised me to apply for SP Jain....plus XAT registrations were still open and with domicile advantage, I may go for XIMB too....At that moment, my dad gave me a very nice suggestion....See u have the potential....why not try for next year with a good work experience???? May be u get into XIMB but then we may never know what u r capable of doing with full sincere efforts....Anyways u have not given your best shot this year with fun, relocation etc. hampering preparations....so why not give it one HONEST SHOT???? I agreed....and just waited for CAT results....Come result day, I was not interested to check the web site even....Just waited till 3 PM and then casually sent an SMS....Got the reply....I still had that SMS on my mobile phone till last month before I changed my SIM....gives me quite a bit of strength....The scores read:
QA 12 (71 percentile)
VA 26 (93 odd percentile)
DI 46.88 (95 odd percentile)
OA 86 (94.38 percentile)
Anyways, I was happy scoring that....knew that I had the potential and all I needed was zeal and serious preparations....
2008(The year when everything changed):
2008 began with fresh hopes, CAT results and a most joyous news....My love had managed a relocation for herself from Kolkata to Bangalore....I was absolutely elated....We had different offices (may be Gods plan that u stay in one city but still meet only in the weekends so that preparations do not get hampered)....finally she came down to Bangalore and I started preparations from Feb onwards at a slow pace....Got her full support and loneliness vanished....Work pressure gradually reduced and I in fact took up such responsibilities which required very less work and was hence not preferred by people serious in IT....Used to prepare even in office....got myself a cubicle in the corner with minor intrusions and was happy with life....Come May, I decided to join weekend classes. Classes used to be in the afternoons and we (me and my girl friend) used to move around the city in the mornings when half of the shops hadnt even opened for the day. Sundays used to be worse. Exams in the morning, 1 hour of fun at Garuda Mall and then classes till evening. A couple of months later, I got a much-needed support from my parents. My mom came to stay with me, took care of me as a result of which all my external worries regarding food, motherly moral support etc. were eliminated and I could just concentrate on my studies. Life was good. I even found a senior in office. We used to prepare together, buy and fill up forms together etc. I was confident that I could make it into at least the top 20 colleges of the country this time. Then came and on-site opportunity in my project which I politely refused saying to my manager that I was preparing for CAT and if I dont get through this year, I will leave the quest for CAT. Thankfully, he understood. Mock scores were good too ranging from 99+ once to even 65 (but just once). I found a very good group of people to share thoughts about CAT, prepare together etc. My mom returned back to home for a short period and then came back just before the exams. I had filled up forms for every exam and every decently good B-School. Exams were IRMA, CAT, IIFT, SNAP, JMET, NMAT, XAT and colleges applied to were IRMA, IIMs, MDI (all three courses), IMT-G, SPJIMR, SIBM - Pune, SCMHRD, NMIMS, IMI, XLRI (both courses), XIMB. Exams came and went. It was time for the results. That was crucial. First result IIFT. Dinged. Could not believe my eyes. My confidence was shattered. Next IRMA. 99.49 percentile. Got a call. Happy. Was in two minds whether to actually go down to Anand to attend the interview or not. SCMHRD got a call. Next was the big CAT. Got a percentile of 96.74. A couple of stupid mistakes in Quant, lesser number of attempts in VA and another stupid mistake in DI did me in. Got a call from SPJIMR with the CAT score anyways. Anyways, it was OK I said to myself. NMAT had a rank of 700 odd. Got a call. JMET did not qualify. I still remember. That was the most shocking news for me when a friend informed me about the news. I had done well, I thought. SNAP scores were later revised and I got just equal to cut-off of SIBM Pune. Got a call too. Scored hopelessly low in LA in XAT, just 70 odd percentile. XLRI lost. Missed out on the over all cut off for for XIMB even with the domicile quota. Finally my GD/PI calls were IRMA, MDI-HR, IMT-G, IMI, TAPMI, FORE, NMIMS, SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, SPJIMR. I was OK OK types. I thought that I could at least convert a couple out of them and thought that finally I was going to join this year itself. Did not attend IRMA, TAPMI and FORE. GD/PI for IMI was pathetic. NMIMS GD/PI were OK. SCMHRD superb GD/PI. SIBM Pune OK types GD/PI. MDI HR OK types GD/PI. IMT G bad GD, good monologue and good PI. SPJIMR. Now this was the college that had become almost a dream for me. But royally screwed up the 2nd round of the PI. I questioned the interviewer when he was speaking and he ignored me 
I knew that it was over for me when I came out of the room. Finally waited for the results. First result SCMHRD. Not qualified. Was shell-shocked. That was by far the best GD/PI I had attended. Next NMIMS. Final merit rank of 571 odd. Hopeless. IMI next. Was out moving around Bangalore and returned in the evening. Logged on to PG as usual. Saw a new thread announcing IMI results are out. Called up my girl friend and talked to her while checking the results believing it could be a lucky charm and it worked. Qualified for both the courses. Was just plain happy that I would at least be going for an MBA this year. SIBM Pune dinged as expected. Then came IMT G. Was again out roaming around Bangalore when I got a line of calls from friends saying that IMT G was out and all of them had qualified finally. Was nervous. Did not ask them to check the result for me. Went home. Called my lucky charm again and checked the result again and there I had qualified in the first list for PGDM Finance. The choice was almost clear. But then again, IMI will always remain special for giving me the confidence to put down my papers at work. SPJIMR was a big let down. Did not even qualify after 5 lists. Was very very sad. Anyways life has to go on and you dont always get the best option life has to offer you. MDI HR hopelessly waitlisted as expected due to the low CAT score. So I was left with only two converts IMI and IMT G and two hopeless waitlists NMIMS and MDI HR. So I decided on IMT G. Put down my papers at work after the payment was received. Withdrew the payment from IMI. Got a farewell from the job on 15th May 2009. Stayed on at Bangalore till 31st May 2009. Had a lot of fun with my love. Went to many nice places to eat, explored Bangalore a lot and got ready for the long separation for 2 years. Reached Bhubaneswar on 1st June. Joining was on 22ndJune. Left Bhubaneswar on 17th June and reached Ghaziabad on 19th June and have been loving this place ever since.
Key learnings from this phase of my life:
1: Patience matters a lot.
2: Emotional support and love matters a lot.
3: Get ready to sacrifice a lot of joys and easier choices if you want to crack CAT.
4: Haphazard, nonchalant attempts at CAT are not going to help.
5: Concentrate on your strengths and weaknesses rather than on the competition.
6: Attend and analyse mocks religiously. Dont make a mockery of the mocks.
I would like to thank all the puys who I came in contact at Bangalore apart from my near and dear ones. I would never have had the strength to crack CAT had it not been for your support and friendship. I would also like to thank all the members of PagalGuy who I came in contact with either in ShoutBox or through posts. All of you kept me going strong on the journey called CAT. I would have easily given up mid-way had I not come in contact with wonderful people like you. I would also like to thank three people I prepared for the exams with. Support from you guys were also immense.
Thats it....Like they say, life in a B-School is just the beginning.