This isn't really an inspiring story but something which I had written for my blog two years ago when I was in my final year of engineering. I had thought of posting it on Pagalguy only when the time was right..
Here it goes..
Thursday, April 3, 2008
CAT-o-feeler!
Although I would have liked to write this post when I myself would have had something to write home about but nevertheless one should never miss an opportunity to humor the reality of life.
DISCLAIMER: The views of the author are entirely personal (and hence not important) and are a reflection of behaviour of people at large (including the authors!). Any resemblance to acts of any classmate or friend is purely co-incidental.
So the CAT season begins with these lively conversations in class usually around at the time of New Year when people sitting behind cant stop raving about this certain Kumar Sir/ Verma Sir/ Sharma sir who is apparently brilliant at teaching Prime and Composite Numbers to people in the age group of 20-25 years. His biggest fans being students of 3rd year engineering who as such are experts at solving partial differentiation equations using Lagranges Theorem and finding Fourier Transform of complex functions but genuinely need assistance when it comes to solving problems of Speed, Time and Distance.
People, who must have never gone beyond reading Chacha Choudhary at the age of 12, will develop an overnight fancy for books like Atlas shrugged, Fountain head, Freakonomics because the pretty female at the coaching institute asked the boys to develop good reading habits. All of a sudden, about a dozen students in the class can be spotted reading The Hindu every morning since The Hindustan Times and The Times of India dont really match up to the standards of English required for CAT.
The good thing about CAT is that everyone is made to believe that they have a lot of scope and potential to transform themselves into super human beings irrespective of whether you end up in a B-School or not. So people will religiously attend classes of How to read 600 words per minute. (If someone has mastered the art of the same, please drop me a line).
GRE Barrons would become a bible for most and highly sophisticated vocabulary used in grammatically poor sentences will find its way in daily conversations.
The buzzword of the season would be strategy! Every conversation shall find a religious usage of the word strategy which amongst other techniques shall also include intellectual discussions about whether to solve the jumbled sentences first or do family tree problems first.
The season shall start with discussions about how qualified and friendly (?!) the faculty is at each of the coaching institutes which apparently form the most important criteria of choosing one. Mid-way it will just boil down to where the crowd is better!
On the whole, the CAT season is a highly entertaining sight what with non-aspirants also taking an active part in this festival of strategies. So as the noble aspirants will shun the world to crack the paper (which some of them do!) , the non-aspirants will love to poke their noses all year through advising how good or bad a certain B-school is 
. Theyll love to take potshots at the hardworking souls, all the time being unaware of their own standing.
So much so for the journey, the emotional impact of CAT results varies directly in proportion to your passion for it. From those who are unable to make the cut, while some people will accept the negative gracefully, analyze the past and move on to cracking it next year, theyll be others from whom youll never hear the end of how wrong the circumstances were, or how facile the paper was or better still how the institute is no good anyway!! The last excuse makes up for the best lines :clap:
One day if I'm in a position to do greater justice to this post, then I shall elaborate further on the other earth shattering consequences of the CAT results 
until then, can someone tell me how to enhance my vocabulary by 50 words each day?
MDI
PGPM (2010-2012)
Hello Puys,
This space has lot of content about the inspirational story of the guys who are now part of the most reputed B-Schools
. Finally the wait is over for me to write this post as I am also a part of one of the most reputed B-Schools of India, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. I cant say that my story/challenges is different from other successful puys but it is definitely different in terms of actions/risk I took to achieve this success. Through my journey was quite painful but there has been immense learning from it.
This is story of Insane IT Guy aka Software Mazdoor who sacrificed his job in Coding factory, only to prepare wholeheartedly for MBA exams and finally got success after few bitter experience which I would like to share with you guys
.
History
2001-2003
After barely getting 60 marks in +1, I was very sad with my performance
. Moreover, I wasn't preparing for IIT-JEE and even AIEEE as I was still not clear what lies ahead. But in +2, after August I made my mind to appear for AIEEE exams. I knew that I cannot crack IIT-JEE as it required consistently 2 years effort and dedication:banghead::nono:. I started preparing for AIEEE very seriously and landed up in Thapar University, Patiala.:drinking:
In short, I was an average guy, had average marks in 10th and 12th, no IIT tags :oops::|but STILL AIMING VERY HIGH
.
2003-2007
The graduation went very smoothly, did nothing significant 
, moreover, I never want to do Chemical engineering but was forced by parents to opt for that and stay further at home for another 4 years
. I still regret that this was one of biggest mistake in my life.
I was in 3rd year of graduation when I first time heard about MBA
: and I wasn't still not aware of what exactly I want to do in life. Now begin the rat race as my most of college mates joined Career Launcher in Patiala, so I decided to join the class and started preparing for MBA
. Initially I prepared well but gradually I lost my interest and didn't even appear for CAT 2006 after I got placed in Accenture.
August 2007 till October 2008
I reached Bangalore after few days to join Accenture. Initially 2 months, the training period went really well and was hectic too
but soon enough I was well versed with how the project worked and being run and learned the great deal about various technologies. I worked very hard in the project and there were days when I have to work for 13-14 hours a day.Was quite unlucky that got into the worst project with just 13 members and loads of work.
From August 2007 till the August 2008, the life was completely changed.
It was in August 2008, when my Team Lead informed me that you have won ASE Achievers Awards and cash rewards for stupendous performance during your 1st year
. I was very happy that despite being non-computer science background, I have performed very well :). But soon after this achievement, sometime really started worrying me that I don't want to this thing my entire life and started preparing for CAT and another exams
. I was good in the Maths but was not comfortable in Verbal Ability. Throughout my 10th and then +2, I have consistently scored less and perhaps in the range of 60s and 70s:-(.
I had the Career Launcher material with me when I joined class in 2006 and started appearing only in mock cat for both CL and Time. I was very shocked with my performance as I was consistently getting low percentile in the range 80-90%. It was in October 2008, when my performance got worsened by every mock cat I wrote and added to this the work pressure:splat:.
November 2008
The D-day has arrived and surprisingly, the VA section had 40 questions as compared 25 questions each in Quant and DI. I gave approx. 75 minutes to my weakest section i.e. VA and 40 to 45 minutes in Quant section and a meager 20- 25 minutes in DI section
.
When I came out of examination center, I knew that story ended here and I am not going to make it as I had managed to mismanaged the management exams. I gave another 3 exams IIFT, FMS and XAT and in each exams, I did blunder in either English or DI section
.
So year 2008 ended with no calls and got overall 92.xx %(91.xx Quant, 96.xx VA and 32.xx DI:banghead: in CAT 2008 but still didn't lose the hope, I knew that I can also be a part of prestigious school by working hard and devoting more time in preparation.
January 2009 till June 2009
After CAT 2008, I had completely lost my interest in working in IT firm(coding factory):-( especially in development and maintenance team and was obsessed with cracking CAT. Moreover, the things started changing in my project. During this time, the condition in the project got worsened, my seniors started leaving project because of arrival of new team lead who was no less than Hitler. Some were forced to leave the project and other decided to move onto another assignment. But in my case, the Pre-CATing days were back again, spending 12-14 hours per day in office :drinking:and added to this that I have to crack CAT this year DEFINITELY.
Finally in the May 2009, I asked him to relieve me from this project. To my surprise, he agreed but still took another 2 months to relieve me from the responsibility. During my last 15 days in project, I started taking things sincerely regarding MBA preparation. I started collecting a lot of material from different sites and mock cats and prepared a study plan to crack MBA exams.
To be continued.....
July 2009 till Nov 2009
During this time, I had almost unofficial RESIGNED FROM MY JOB.
I had moved onto bench where I utilized my free time for studies. I had already made my mind that I won't be working any more in IT firm and definitely want an admission to any top 15 b-School in India except few IIMs where I was not eligible as per the kind of weight age they give to 10th, 12th and graduation marks.I started solving Quant Problems from PG, QQAD from previous years and DI sets and side by side, I have started solving previous TIME and CL Mock CAT of previous year 2007 and 2008. I used to spend most of my office time sitting in Conference Room and solving previous year Mocks
.Soon I came to know that I would be hard locked, it was then, I started planning and asked my HR for 1 month Loss of Pay (LOP) because if I wouldn't get LOP, then I am left with only another option to quit the job
and prepared wholeheartedly for MBA but somewhere I had concern to be in job till all forms submission are completed. I had morbid obsession to crack into B-School
.Finally my request was approved and then the whole next month I devoted to CAT preparation
.August 2009
After my LOP request was approved, I stayed back at my home in Bangalore and started preparing very hard. During this time, I had solved entire QQAD of 2006, 2007 and 2008. I got some Number system and geometry questions from Total Gadha and digested enough of material from Pagalguy and other MBA forums.
September 2009
I got know from my new Senior Manager that soon I will be hard locked in one of new project which demands working for 12- 13 hours. I was shocked that with just a month to go for IIFT and CAT exams, how I am going to manage it:oops:.
Also he told me that the pressure would be quite enormous and would have to work from my home and it can extend to 11-12 hours.
It was then I decided to resigned from my job without even telling my parents as they would not have supported my decision
. After considering so many factors, I decided to went ahead with my decision and put down my papers and planned to get relieve from the company
.That month, I never slept more than 3-4 hours a day in entire two month:sneaky:. I have worked very hard, solved again previous years and current year mocks. The entire month, I didn't went to Company and spend most of the time in my room where I was living alone
.IIFT Exam- 22 Dec 2009
At 10.00 AM, the exams of my life had started and before the bell goes, I was able to manage to complete all sections with uniform attempt in each section. I came out with confidence that I am very close to get a call from IIFT. I was very happy about my performance and finally hard work had started paid me off.
Last week of November 2009
Finally the wait was over, at least how is the pattern of CAT, difficulty level and number of questions in each sections. I was shocked :shock::shocked:to hear that students with no preparation level attempted in the range of 50-55. I was quite surprised by reading the reviews of students about the difficulty level. At one point, I was broken that this isn't fair for the students who are preparing hard for last 3-4 months:splat:.
CAT Exams-2 Dec 2009
On 2 Dec 2009, I went to center to write first Online CAT and perhaps last CAT of my life. Most of the students have started writing the exams but in my case the Test window hanged for almost 15 minutes which almost panicked me like anything
. Finally after 15 minutes, I began my exam with panic and confusion but manage to attempt 49 questions (18 quant, 15 DI and 16 VA) and was quite confident about getting few calls.
9 Dec 2009
I came to know that IIFT result will be soon announced today before end of the day. I was writing down Mock JMET when somebody stood up in the middle of the exam and announced that IIFT RESULT HAS BEEN DECLARED:cheers:. After few minutes, I got the great news from my friends that I have received my first ever call of B-School:cheerio:.:thumbsup:
Jan 2010 till Feb 18 Feb 2010
As I have resigned from my Accenture long back, I came back to my home town for few days and decided to move to Delhi for preparing further for interviews. Luckily, I got stay in relatives flat where no one was leaving and where I would be going to spend another 1 month and working hard to realize my dream..
By this time, I couldn't manage to get a call from SIBM-Pune and SCMHRD despite being scoring 111.5 marks:shocked:. Moreover, I did blunder in JMET and XAT and knew that FMS will probably near miss 300+.:|
The next whole month was spent on preparing hard for Group discussion and personal interviews. Till this time, I was quite unaware of the process how things are conducted in IIFT which means that it would require a lot of knowledge at least in my case who never had any experience before in B-School Group Discussion and interviews.
Based on my current knowledge, the kind of knowledge/skills expected in interviews and my marks in 10th, 12th and graduation, I knew that I have to work very hard and gather as much as information and knowledge as possible. I knew that the task ahead will be definitely going to tough, so I started my rigorous self study with exactly one month to go. I used to spend most of my time reading newspapers, magazines and other stuff gathered from PG and various other sources.
19 Feb 2010 Interview Day
Finally the most awaited and important day of life came, I went to IIFT for interview
. Appeared in GD, essay writing and PI round and was able to manage very well and was quite satisfied with my performance. One month of rigorous preparation seems paid me off and performed well in every aspect.After my interviews, next thing started worrying me as I have told everyone including family, relatives that I was in medical leave. I have to tell them truth that I took the risk and quit my job long back ago only to crack MBA exams and to achieve my goals and was not interested in further pursing career in IT.
Soon after CAT result were declared and managed to get 96%(98.xx Quant, DI 95.XX, Verbal 60% ). Thanks to normalization in scores and PROMETRIC
, myself was normalized too:banghead:. Just manage to get a call from IMT-G/N which I decided to skip as my only concern was that I have made a lot of effort and perhaps doesn't deserve that. (Please note that this is not an offence against any B-schools)But soon after months later, I got converted my IIFT call (lone precious call) and today I see myself proud that I was succeed in making my own way after bitter experiences. (Sorry Puys, if u thinks as overconfidence but it is pride
).Before i end my long boring post, i would like to share some learning i had with my fellow puys.
Dont loose hope if you dont get good percentile in mocks, just keep on working and try to develop strategies.
Prepare and fight wholeheartedly for any challenges you get in life.
Don't get obsessed only, have morbid obsession to chase your dream. Fight hard to bring your dreams close to reality.
Nothing is impossible, if you dream, work hard towards it, you will surely achieve success and make your own way.
Anyways, I would like to thanks PG team for supporting me and helping me in the every aspect of preparation.
ALL THE BEST
.Thanks
Harsimran Sahni
MBA(IB) IIFT Batch 2010-2012
Scores in IIFT 2009:-
Section Attempted Correct Score
Quant 9 9 9
DI 17 17 17
VA 25 20 14.33
GA 15 11 3.47
-----
43.74
In my entire mock history, I never scored with such accuracy.
So, finally my dream of IIM is in reality after a lot of risk, hard work, struggle, failure & patience. After rejection from 5 premier institute in India (IIT B, Kgp, D, IIM L,K in sequence.......later on 17/5/10 IIT kgp converted), IIM Indore gave me huge shock of life in form of my selection. The day 09/09/09 I resigned to 11/05/10 day of selection, I went through number of ups & downs. But I sustained to them & finally victory belonged to me. So folks, I will like to recap all those incidents in way of my admission.
On 3 Aug 2009, I resigned from my post of Assi. Manager - Lab in VMESI. But Manager told me to think once again & didn't accept my letter. I remained firm on my decision to go for management career & resigned. So, 09/09/09 was my last day in VMESI. People gave me farewell party & I marched towards my target of IIM. I came to my hometown & started study. I didn't joined class. But I took so many notes, books & question papers from my dear friend Dere. I filled forms of IIFT, CAT,XAT, JMET & FMS. I started study. I didn't have any friend in our hometown to study with me. But my self motivating approach drove me to do hard work. I studied there till diwali & after diwali I came back to pune to remain in heat of preparation. I joined reading room. I studied for 8 hrs per day. I solved so many question papers. My first exam was IIFT in mumbai. It was OK. On 30/11/09, I have CAT paper. With cool & unruffled mind, I gave exam, I solved near about 35 question. I became relaxed after exam. However I got to know people had had attempted 45+ questions. So, slightly I went in gloomy mode. But I had to have gear up as I had JMET after 13 days. I gave JMET & after exam, I checked my answers with answer key & I found I may get at least a single call from IIT & I was happy. From my view, both CAT & JMET were of same difficulty level. After that, I came to home, now I was looking for job because I don't like to get money from parent as I am 22+ year old. But I didn't got it or might be my efforts were less. Then I came to pune for NEW YEAR celebration & next day I appeared for XAT which was highly tough & for me essay was disastrous. Next day there was result of JMET. I was eligible to apply. I applied for all IITs. Meantime, I was in rejection list of IIFT & XAT(in turn XLRI & GIM). CAT result was postponed. Subsequently, I was eligible to apply to IITs.
Now I was in dilemma to go for job or prepare fully for GD/PI only & decided later- To go for Full-fledged GD/PI preparation. I was sure I will get admission somewhere. My next GDPI was of IIT R. but I skipped it as it was too long. After long agonizing wait, CAT result declared. I wasn't in for IIM A,C,S. I was again sad. But two days later, IIM L list came out & I was in. I had feeling of cloud nine. Within few days, I also had selected for IIM K & I. I got strong feeling that I will get admission somewhere. I skipped interview of IIT M & K. I attended interview of IIT B & Kgp & D. On 10/04/10, all interviews were finished. It was start of waiting time.
21/04/10 was date of IIT result declaration. I had great hopes from at least IIT kgp. But against my expectation I was dumped by IIT kgp & as expected I wasn't in for IIT B. Also, I got rejected after few days by IIT delhi. I was in turmoil. My feelings of defeat had started to grow up. But I had hopes from IIM L. My IIM L interview was better than best ever. But interviews of IIM K & I were average. On 28/04/10, result of IIM L declared & to the greatest shock of my life, I wasn't in for IIM L. I was completely devastated. I become totally numb. I found dark everywhere. I wasn't able to think. I wasn't able to understand where it went wrong. I guessed my CGPA (which is 6.56) is a reason behind my rejection. In mind, I started to accuse IIM L for giving so much credit to CGPA. I lost my confidence. I assumed I would be out of IIM K & I also and this is end of season for me as I also didn't appeared for MHCET. I didn't tell my family members about my rejection. Next day I packed my luggage (with CAT books & remained rough pages for preparation of CAT10) & came to Mumbai in search of job. I started to live with Vishwas in his flat at Sion. Internally I was broken. But I started to smile with friends. I was trying to boost my confidence with my positive attitude. I considered next year is one more chance for self improvement. I knew I deserve IIM, sooner or later I will be there. I have determination to go management & I have taken decision of management career & I need to stand by with it. My roommates in Mumbai were doing job. So they were leaving early from room & coming in evening. I was alone in flat. The day I was spending with ET & some books. I called some consultant also but there reply was "Right now we don't have any opening but if we will have, then we will come back to you". After their reply I was cursing myself for leaving job. Also most of time I was sleeping, but I had so many nightmares. The persons I didn't meet last some months were coming in my dreams. Days were passing, I attended one interview also, but my profile was not matching with their requirement. Meantime, I also in rejection list of IIM K. On 11/05/10 morning, my balance in card came to Rs.34 considering the fact that most of time bill was paid my Vishwas. Also, I didn't had room rent or any related accessory charges. So I had been looking huge crisis in future.
On morning of 11/05/10, my dad called me & asked about result. I clearly told him I have been rejected by all institutes. Now I am looking for job. He had disappointed because he has so many hopes from me. After call, I was on a way to cry. I had lost the battle. But also I determined to find job earliest & to start study of CAT10.
That was also a day of IIM indore result. But I wasn't interested as I assumed that I would not be in. But also I have curiosity to check the result, in turn my rejection. At 3pm, I called Vishwas & I asked him to check whether results are declared or not. He inquired about my CAT regn no & DOB. I gave. After few minute, he called me & said "Are tu nahi zala select, jaun de, apan job shodu (You are not selected. We will search job.)" I said "Ok. I know that. Bye". Before ending the call, he enthusiastically said "Bhai tumhi select zale ahat IIM indore madhe(you are seletced)". I was in a shock. I told him please don't make fun & tell me true result. He repeated again & again but I wasn't able to believe. He gave mobile to his colleague & he also said "I am selected". I can't describe my situation of that moment. I said OK to him & ended the call. I called another friend Charya & asked him to check result & he replied I am selected. Now I started to believe that I am in for IIM I. I was on half pant. I wore shirt & came down to building & by bus I went to Net Caf. As afternoon time, it was closed. I agonized. I went forward in search of somewhere near. My friends started to phone me & congratulate. But I was still uncertain about result. I wandered in that area & got a Net Caf. I went in & checked result & I found I m in for IIM Indore. ONE OF THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS IN MY LIFE. I was on top of world. My eyes became wet. I remember a stint in movie "Pursuit of Happiness " in which W. Smith get job as broker after tremendous struggle. "that part of life, that little part of my life is a happiness." I thank GOD for converting my efforts into success. I was entirely shivering. I called my dad & told "I am selected in IIM". He also became happy. I really can't describe that time in words. I came back to room. I was alone. I played song "God tussi great ho" on my mobile & started to dance. I had become mad.
In evening my roommates came. That was party time. They had to go early in office. Still we were in bar till 3 am. Next day I departed Mumbai & came back to hometown via pune. My dream of IIM has come in reality.
The most important thing which I again realized in my life is "PATIENCE & STRUGGLE". These words have supreme importance in our life. If you have done hard work, then you are bound to get what you want, sooner or later victory belongs to you. Just believe on yourself.
on 17/05/10, I got mail from IIT kharagpur that I am selected. But i m nt joining....
very long post.. so its time to stop
Story of my MBA admission: Dream in reality........IIM Indore
It has been my dream to post here in this thread. But i didn't know i would realise it this soon. I've learnt many things in life but here i'll just explain THE MOST important one. And the lesson is this - If you have an aim cherish it as if it were your baby.
UPBRINGING
----------------
Born to a farmer based in Kerala who somehow managed to get a job in delhi and got settled there. None among his brothers/sisters were allowed to pursue education after 10th as it was of no use. But he didn't want the same to happen with me. In fact he was pretty much concerned about my education. My parents admitted me in a nearby school as we were outsiders in delhi n they were concerned about my security. The school was recognised only till 8th but they said by the time i would reach there it would get recognition till 10th. The school authorities kept delaying it even when i reached 10th. We were 9 students in that class(only 1 section). Needless to say my command in english was bad. Whatever command i had was due to my father's consistent requests to read the daily newspaper.
I was like a frog in a well until i joined maths tuition in 10th. I met some high standard people there e.g. from DPS and similar top schools. I craved to study in such schools. I knew i was missing something really BIG. Managed to get 73.8% with 95 in maths. Hence got into a decent school in noida for 11th(The reason why i mentioned maths score was because the cutoff required for this school was 80% as far as i remember. And it's only because of maths score that i got some consideration). Initially it was a culture shock but adjusted soon. Now i was thinking in a way in which a normal Delhi/NCR school going boy would think. It definitely wont be an exaggeration if i say i was clueless about future. So decided to concentrate on engineering entrance exams after 12th especially JEE. Didn't perform well there but got into a very good college in Kerala. First and second years went like a breeze.
CAT
-----
After one of my 4th sem university exams got over i met one senior. He was already placed with Siemens and had been preparing for CAT. Dont know why but that hit me. People in my college aren't THAT career oriented. But this guy was having a good career option and a good backup as well. Enquired with some other seniors and as expected not many had a sound knowledge about the exam. So talked to some of my friends in college and decided to join TIME Trivandrum in august. It was about 1.5 to 2 hours journey from our place. And we were a good amount of people so enjoyed a lot. Ultimately what happened was that i wasn't faring well anywhere. AIMCATS started and i scored close to 90s. I was hopeful and wanted to improve exam by exam. Exams in college arrived and I lost concentration in CAT. In between all this i had joined PG but didn't use it. Still the fire was not there. Appeared for only 3 exams CAT, XAT and JMET. Meanwhile my mock story was coming to a tragic end as my scores got lower and lower. The reason was simple. I didn't analyse my mocks. Just came out of exam hall checked the keys and count my score.. well thats all i sincerely did.
CAT'08 came and went. What i remember from that day is travelling with friends to Calicut which is about 10 hours from our place. I knew that I'm not gonna get IIM calls this year hence i was cool throughout the exam. Came out saw a movie and had a booze with friends.. forgot CAT. So much that the day before result we were playing FIFA throughout the night. On my way back to hostel one of my classmates asked me my result. I was shocked to hear that results were out. Even though i hadn't worked hard still i was curious to know the result. 95.71% it was. I was happy to say the least. applied to some colleges and appeared for their second rounds. Went alone to chennai and bangalore to attend those. Was a very good experience but not a positive one. Got a call from a college which i didn't join. I had an INFY job offer which i thought about joining. Didn't give a thought to appear again and follow the same rigorous procedure starting from filling the forms.
Final sem exams arrived and i was hitting PG regularly especially this very thread. Even during my university preps i couldn't resist myself from this site. I had read all posts in this thread by then. By now i felt i should 've done this before. But it wasn't the time to regret. Rather it was one to assure myself that one day i would be writing here.
SEASON 09
--------------
BTech over and back home. Joined a test series after thinking a lot. Things went fine as i was able to chalk out a plan and work according to it. Thought of giving all the exams and skip the company's call. Suddenly everything looked gloomy due to my recent performances in mocks and was rethinking my decision. After a lot of advice from people from PG and other friends i had decided to join INFY. Had to convince parents as mother was alone at home. Quickly i completed all the formalities and landed in mysore thinking that i would prepare with all might for MBA exams.
And it wasn't the case. People were so busy that they hardly thought about doing anything apart from studying. And the fact that mysore campus was awesome and offered several facilities made things worse. I had in fact stopped writing mocks towards the end as training was getting hectic day after day.
IIFT exam day.. Went with one of my friends who knew bangalore and with whom i stayed the previous night. I still remember people studying in front of centre and we just smiled. We talked about anything but the exam. Whatever funny things we were talking about were still buzzing my ears just before the start of the exam. 5 minutes before the exam i prepared myself mentally to perform. Since i wasn't tensed i gave it a decent shot. Checked the keys and found i stood a chance. Forgot it.
Gave CAT on the second day of the window and had a feeling that i screwed it. Could never open PG from there as i thought it would be restricted but it wasn't. One
fine day i opened and saw IIFT results were out. NOW my hands trembled. Opened the pdf file and saw my name among the selected 1000 and was quite elated. Now it was time for real hard work as i knew i had to read a lot and sharpen my GK. Again i didn't have anyone to prepare with and people were so much immersed in training there were times i felt discouraged and to do exactly what they were doing.
I kept my composure and went to the GDPI with low expectations but confidently. My GD performance was average but PI was very good but overall I wasn't satisfied. Thanks to my hectic schedule i didn't even bother about it. Its good to be busy sometimes in life. In the meantime i couldn't write XAT as we had a very important exam(compre- for those who know) the next day. I had fared badly in CAT but again didn't spare time to think about it.
IIFT results were out one day and by not seeing my name in delhi list i was disappointed. I didn't bother about kolkata due to my ignorance about the waitlist movement. Got posted in bangalore. Came to know that i 've received an offer from iift kolkata. I thanked GOD for giving me one convert for this season. Checked PG that day and found out i had some chances of converting delhi. Felt great and started preparing mentally for this movement. The IIM waitlist had stopped moving or so i thought. Me and a friend who had cleared IMT G this season were going to join the test series next week when shockingly i received a mail from Mr.Gulati for delhi campus. Couldn't believe my eyes. I told my friends to read the mail and tell me whether it meant I had an IIFT-D call. I didn't confirm it until i called IIFT office the next day. The feeling is yet to sink in.
LESSONS
-----------
i) During my CAT preparation it happened that I was about to get bogged down by people's comments. But then I started putting people in proper perspective. If you feel someone is discouraging you understand why is he/she saying that. What I ve always found is that they are not getting what they want in life(as they are not striving for it) hence their approach is negative. And it is definitely not to pull you down!(though it may look like)
ii) From being an introvert, shy guy with low confidence during my school days to someone who could initiate a discussion, speak confidently in interviews, I ve seen a mammoth change in me. It's nothing but the desire and prayers. It's all in the mind guys. If you desire something and if you give enough energy to your thought there's no reason why you won't get it (provided your cause is right).
iii) Think positively always. If my parents hadn't dreamt of this I might not have been here. Whatever tough times I ve had I never stopped dreaming.
Conclusion: If I can be here anyone with proper focus can.
"That which is necessary will inevitably take place"
As i m a novice over here....I hav less to speak...but 'll stil give a try..
Going thru above posts...wat i feel is that..."Each n Everyone has its own way of doing things.."One's strategy cudnt b applied to other ppl...
Every person's surrondings r different...and a person's grooming...depends to the xtent on his/her surrondings...
For eg... A person who has done his school education in hindi medium...wud he/she not require preparation level in English to crack CAT...so how can one not require prep for CAT...
I also feel that CAT prep is not one or two year prep...its a prep rite from ur childhood...the way one grooms himself/herself....
I gave CAT in 2008 n was not able to crack it....but while going thru the preparation....I underwent many chnages....n that groomed my personality a lot...
So just cracking the CAT is not the sole aim in one's life...
:)wat matters is that wat lessons u learnt from ur mistakes and failures...:)
So on a positive note i'll say...
:):)DO YOUR BEST n LEAVE REST ON THE GOD!!!:):)
Hi friends,
After two season of CAT, I would also like to share my experiences with you all .My story might not be inspiring for an aspirants as it may not be one of those success stories but it will help people to understand that life is not always a fairy tale and in the end you get what you want. Some times you have to make compromises in life.
I heard of the buzzword IIM when i was in second year of my college. I used to see some third year and final year students going to coaching institute hanging advertising bags of institute at their back. I got curious what this PT, IMS, Cat and IIM is all about? why people sitting in the cantene more interested in solving maths puzzles then preparing for their end sems? I talked to some seniors and i came to know about the importance of this degree and what huge sums of money it can get you, something which being an engineer you can just dream of.
Yes, money in MBA degree motivated me to learn more about CAT. The real passion to go for it came when i looked through mock papers and free sample tests on net and used to score well in those tests. It made me feel that this is something which suits me and i should go for it with a structured preparation.
I joined PT education classes like many others. I used to score very good in mocks and was always a candidate who can get an IIM call if everything goes normal on my day.However english was something i feared. But good scores in few mocks in English gave me confidence that if it will be my day i am surely gonaa clear that hurdle too.
Being my first attempt and confident of my abilities i filled up forms of only 4 exams CAT, XAT, JMET, FMS..I still remember day when i was sitting for CAT my hands were shaking till i filled first oval..As time passed i felt more relaxed, but initial pressure of few minutes got me out and immediately after coming out of exam hall i got feeling that i could have done better. Some more exams followed after that and I performed well. Checking keys from coaching institutes after cat gave me hint that English section can break and make the CAT result for me. When result for CAT came it was a real disappointing day for me. English section as I feared got screwed completely and I scored mearge 10 marks compared to 20-25 marks I got through various institute keys. Though I managed to get a call from XLRI-BM and IIT Bombay the disappointment of not getting an IIM call was always there with me. Even after converting IIT Bombay call I didnt join as I wanted to give one more chance to myself to make it to big IIMs as I always believed and experienced that brand always matters.
After all this I joined wipro and didnt appeared for next CAT as I wanted to get a handful of experience. Then came year 2009 and I started preparing for CAT, joined TIME aimcats this time. My performance in AIM CAT was consistent as my scores ranged from 95-99 percentile again English always proved dicey in my scores. Then came CAT 2009, exams was going to held online first time, got form on the first day as it coincided with my birthday thinking it might prove to be lucky.
Then came the D-day, I was more nervous this time. May be because it mattered to me most.I came out with a sense of fear as I couldnt attempt more questions by getting cautious of not making wrong attempts. Results came and my fear came true I scored just 95.xx percentile. Dont know who to blame myself, my nervousness , prometric , IIM, I dont know who was accused for my debacle but one thing was sure I will not be able to make into IIMs again this year. Again I got calls from couple of good institutes like FMS, IIT B, IIT D..but not from IIM.
First I went for IIT Bombay interview, it was one of best GD/PI I have ever had. Then came IIT Delhi interview. I would describe it in one word: Pathetic. I felt very low after interview. It was the worst interview in my entire life. And then FMS interview was super cool and super good after a bad GD.
Due to some personal reason one thing was clear for me this is my last attempt to take admission in b school. If not this year then never.Results came and to this date I have converted iit Bombay and iit delhi call and waitlisted in FMS. I again was in dilemma whether to join IIT Bombay or delhi. After discussing with several seniors I took decision to join IIT Delhi.
I would just like to give one simple advice: dont put too much pressure on yourself. I was able to clear all exams XAT, JMET, FMS but not CAT. When I think of the difference in my approach between these exams and CAT I can find only one thing that IIM was something I wanted more than any other college that put an extra pressure which finally didnt helped me. All these exams are not only about checking your aptitude and time management skills but also how good you can handle pressure.
My end of story may not be happy but it is still not sad. I may not go to IIM but I am still going to IIT. Some dreams remain dream forever..
Hi ,
Before i begin ,let me give you a disclaimer . This is neither the story of a 99 % iler nor is it packed with tragedy and a final happy ending. This is just the story of a regular guy . Before i began preparation i told myself I will give this Exam one attempt , if it doesnt work out , then this is not for me.
If you still find this interesting Read On!
Background :
Born and brought up in a typical educated family in a small town .Above average student. Nothing special. Gave AIEEE a shot . Cracked it and got into NIT-Allahabad. Computer science and Engineering . College was totally new and during second year got to know about CAT. Also got to know that the probability of getting into an IIM was very low , So kinda lost interest. One day i was just chatting with Narendran, a senior of mine who told me to calculate the ratio of AIEEE applicants to number of people in NITs. That ratio seemed pretty low too ,but i had managed to get into one of the Top 15 engineering colleges in the country. I will never forget that conversation. I decided to give CAT a shot. Joined career launcher during my 6 th semester. Career launcher Allahabad was not very the typical high result producing coaching center. But the people were friendly and the materials they gave were interesting to read.
Preparation and Mocks:
Initially i was not very regular with the classes but i had two friends who got me the materials regularly. I worked out the basics during my class hours. There is no place to learn for Cat than the last bench of your lecture hall . During my summer vacation after the end of Third year , i was done with the basics and tried the Take -off series . Take my word - Take off series is the best thing that Career launcher has. It makes you realize the seriousness of the exam . It makes you wake up to reality. After all these days of slack preparation , i took the take off seriously and completed them at my home. I came back to Allahabad for my final year. The placement season was on. I knew that the initial companies would not be interested in a 7 pointer like me and decided to wait until the companies with lesser packages arrived. Meanwhile i took my first mock at Career launcher. I was very confidant . The test seemed to be easy and walked out with a smile. When the results were announced , the smile still stayed on my face but for different reasons . I realised how i ignorant i had been.I scored 82 % ile in my first mock 😞 .
I bunked a lot of classes and started quants once again. My English was pretty strong thanks to my foundation and healthy reading habits.The secret to doing well in English is " thinking from the shoes of the author " . Take any material you want and just read a page . Try to think of it from the author's mindset. It seems very very simple but trust me It isn't . It comes with practice and reading a variety of topics will help. Novels is not a good idea when it comes to this concept because you get to read only one author's point of view. Good magazines such as TIME are of great help in this regard. Coming to quants , I started reading Arun sharma religiously. Still i was not able to clear Quants section during my mocks .
I maintained a score of 93-97 % ile during my mocks. The occasional 70 was also there owing to the fact that i was juggling job interviews with cat preparation. Also the fact that i was in a relationship with a batch-mate did not help my CAT preparation . The fights between us would have a very negative impact on my mock scores. One day out of the blue she broke up with me owing to the fact that i did not have enough time for her . I was shocked for a lot of days . Time heals us all . I was back on my feet again.The IIFT exam was in 15 days. I spent over 7 hours everyday immersed in Arun Sharma and on the internet. My last mock score was 99.27 % ile but i was still not able to clear the quants section.
Exams :
During one my mock tests i got a call from my Ex asking me to meet her. She had realized what i was going through , We were back On
. It cheered me up . She dropped me at the IIFT exam centre and the exam was a surprise. They had introduced sectional cutoffs and i was not prepared to attempt GK questions. Still i managed to do well. Then came CAT . I planned the exam well and things went smooth. I managed to attempt 49 questions ( 13 Q , 19 DI , 17 V ) . I came out with a big smile on my face. Jmet was next and it was pretty easy when compared with IIFT and Cat .
Results :
The results were not to my expectations. I scored 37.9 in IIFT ,cleared the overall cutoff but missed the GK cutoff by .15 marks . Next came Jmet . Managed to get calls from IIT-K ,IIT-M AND IIT -R . Cat results were up next . The overall percentile was good but quants has screwed me over again. I knew IIMs were not going to be interested in me. I missed C and L call owing to my bad quant score . I was devastated. During my IIT-M interview i got a call from NITIE mumbai . I knew this was the best call i had. So i started preparing for the GD/Pi s . I did not join any coaching class because of the fact that the quality of peer group in allahabad was not very good. Pagalguy proved to be a boon .
The day before by train to Mumbai ,I got a call from home. My dad was admitted to the hospital owing to chest pains. I decided to go to Pondicherry straight from Mumbai. My train was at 4 pm and i spent the whole afternoon complaining on how shitty life can be. She consoled me saying my dad would be alright and there was no need to worry. I did not want to travel alone and unwillingly packed my bags and left for the railway station.
NITIE was a beautiful but the amount of competition was unforeseen.The GD was average but they loved my enthusiasm and zeal in the PI . I reached home hurriedly and spent some time with my dad.
The Beginning :
It was 2 pm when i was playing a game of FIFA . Suddenly i got a msg from career launcher saying the results of NITIE had been anounced. I opened my browser and kept staring at the results page for 15 minutes. I could not believe it .NITIE Mumbai converted.The feeling of having worked so hard towards something for 18 months and finally seeing you hardwork bear fruits is unmatched my any other feeling in the world. Here i am at room 418 at hostel 4 in NITIE Mumbai posting on this amazing forum.
I have been one of the avid followers of this thread and it gives me inspiration every time i feel low . It is such a privilege to post on this sacred thread.
The 2009 season
Calls IIT R ,IIT K ,IIT M , IMI , BIM , NITIE
Didn't attend IMI ,BIM
Converts IIT-R ,NITIE
Praveen
Management batch of 2012
PGDIM-17
NITIE-Mumbai
You can always use the shoutbox if you are need of an urgent query to find the thread.
Likely these two posts will be purged from this thread to maintain the thread theme 😃
Girish...!
Well I think its time for me to speak about my cat experience 😃 , I am just warning every one please dont read this one with high expectations, as i am not an IIM call getter or an IIM student. Its about how i managed to crack cat and got into a prestigious college , which even 2weeks before CAT Exam i didnt think i had even a remote chance of getting into
2008-2009:
Well the CAT journey started in june 2008 for me 😃 , i joined a 2 year course at Time Pune:biggrin::biggrin: , yes a two year course as i wanted to prepare in laid back manner i guess , i used to attend my classes regularly and did that till Jan 2009 , it was a weekend program, due to heavy workload during weekdays , only time i got to study was in the weekends, after January my focus shifted towards PSU exams , like everyone i also thought PSU would be the best option during those times, particularly when we faced a lot changes in policies , pay offs ,workloads, it was really a difficult time for everyone , i continued with my preparation of PSU exams , and became less regular towards my coaching classes, as a result i lost sight of CAT and MBA altogether , by June i was completely out of touch , when one day i attended a DI class , i was completely awestruck with the kind of questions being solved , also to see my peers doing so well , i literally wanted to run out of the class
I gave my PSU exam , and missed the cut off for general category by a whisker , i was completely down and out , i had sacrified my CAT preparation for it and also was performing below my competency level in my job , i didnt know what to do , fortunately i had my roommate who was always there to encourage me , and bail me out of these situations , i again started preparing for CAT 2009 , with 4-5 months in hand , i thought it was all but over .
My workload at job also increased i used to get free at 10pm everyday, i didnt have internet at my home so i stayed back in office every night solving questions, learning concepts , alongwith my roomate who was also preparing with me , we used to stay till 2am every day 
and come back sharp 8 am in the morning (Onsite Calls :nono::nono:) 😞 , i continued this way , but it was tough as i was performing miserably in Aimcats , Cl mocks , even getting negative marks in quant, which i thought once was my strength , my mock scores varied from 36-86 %tile mock to mock , everytime i gave a mock i got more and more dejected , but somehow kept working hard and kept analyzing my mistakes , improved a little over the months :)
D-Day
December 1 , well my center was COE , Pune , i was assigned the same lab , in which server crash happened on 29-30th:biggrin::biggrin:, we were all skeptic about our fate and asked prometric guys , about whether everything will be fine , they said "Sab bhagwan k hatho mein hai ":biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: , wow what confidence they showed in there systems , well after the intial screening , we were made to sit infront of the system for 45mins , and i dozed off during that time 
i still sometimes feel how can i doze off in one of most important days of my life but i did, well the paper went well attempted around 45-46 questions, but then found out that everyone attempted 50+, i knew my fate :biggrin:
28th Feb 2010
Well it had been a dissapointing season so far , performed badly in Snap , JMET , missed IRMA due to Social Concern section:biggrin:, missed out XAT and FMS due to dengue, so entire Jan 2010- and half of Feb 2010 was gone due to the ailments and after effects of dengue
After hearing dissapointing results of my friends who performed much better than me in mocks , i knew i would score less than 80 even:nono:, but when i checked my result i was surprised to see a 95+%tile against my name, was overjoyed, i called my roommate(cheeka nicknamed after his village's name in haryana) immediately, and later on found out that had got 99%tile in cat , we both were happy that finally the efforts we put in were reedeemed,(Cheeka is in IIM Indore 2010-2012 batch)
I got calls from Nirma , LBSIM , IMT-G, Wellingkar, IMI delhi, i didnt apply to many colleges due to my happening mock season:biggrin:
I converted all the calls i attended and finally joined IMI Delhi, I know i didnt make it to an IIM , but i am happy and contended where i am
Just want to say to every aspirant , if i can make something out my pathetic CAT season last year , so can you :)
There are so many things related to CAT journey :), which cannot be expressed in a single post , but it truly is a memorable one , whatever may be the outcome :)
All d best to everyone , for a journey of a lifetime 😃
hey all pagalguy people...........i m writing after a really long time........i really dunno how many people will read this as i m just a Graduate n didn't fare well in MBA exams..........but this post is about the people who r going to prepare for there M.B.A this year............all i really want is that u guys should learn from the mistakes i made last year...........i always worked on accuracy rather than timing..............but friends timing is as important as accuracy................n friends this is the time where u really need to focus on timing with accuracy..........do not get bothered by the fact whether the paper is gonna be tough or easy..............coz its simple guys, if u know a lot of questions its easy, but u aren't able to get thru much ques...............focus on three main areas Number System, Algebra, Geometry..............i know geometry is not a topic of much interest, but friends its imp n once u r able to get thru few tricks.........u r done with it.......English is truely in your hands...........n LRDI mostly depends on your DI coz LR u still will be able to do it...................last but not hte least, even if things doesn't turn out the way u want it to be, remember WHATEVER HAPPENS,HAPPENS FOR THE GOOD, coz i m happy 2day that i didn't clear last year..........i m currently in financial database company...........learning a lot n gaining a lot of experience n knowledge..........don't go 4 M.B.A for good job or sumthng...........go 4 learning........coz today i may not be earing much but 2years down the line i'l be earing more than u guys in the beginning.............so just M.B.A for the knowledge and experience it offers and not for the job it will offer in the future...........coz in the end AAL IZZZZ WELLLL.......:)
Friends, it is easy to do what u r best at...............but the fun n spice of life is to do what is not ur cup of tea..............in this context i would say Geometry........Even in life there will many situations where u will have to do what is right n not what is comfortable for u.............what will u do when u r in such a situation............u will be force to do what is right. Similarly do the same in this situation............force urself to do what is right n not u r comfortable in coz u will excel in what u r best at...............but the key is, not only in CAT but also in life, to excel in every part of it. I know its easy to say than done...........but then there r no free lunches...........n sucess is tasteless unless u have earned it............push urself as far as u can..............rest leave it on GOD..........if its best for u to be there..........ur hard work n GOD will take u there..........Keep working hard.............never give that up no matter what...........give ur best shot always
Round 1 with the CAT
I dedicate this post to all those who will come to this thread with stars in their eyes intending to one day pen down their story on this most sacred of threads on PG.
To that extent even my own post is technically not eligible to be here - never having completed my formal MBA - I add.. "yet " for who knows about tomorrow!! 😁 And sometimes with the passage of time those stars dim till they fade into the oblivion of self doubt and lack of faith - for them today I pour my heart out - not sure if this is the right place.
Back in 1994 when we passed out of Class 10 Shahrukh was on the cusp of being launched to superstardom and there was a very nice song picturized on him in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
- "Woh to hai albela; Harazo mein akela; Sada tumne ayeb dekha ; Hoonar to na dekha".So - I start this All I WANT to speak about CAT post to the tune of that theme song for all the albelas out there.
My CAT prep started in 1994 in class 11 itself!!!. This was because my friend Nikhil Mohta was passionate about the CAT to the extent of . Hell I don't have words!!
LEARNING ONE: Find a good friend /companion for the journey . A good guy will pull you up to his level . A bad guy will pull you down to his level! This is not a value judgement . I am just defining good by the level of interest in the CAT.
Nikhil and I had just upset our teachers by topping the school roll of honour - top scoring in Maths and Science and then opting for Commerce!!!
LEARNING TWO: Follow your heart. Listen to what everybody says. Parents teachers, friends but ultimately the decision should be yours because you will live your life and not somebody else.
So Nikhil - decides that CAT prep should start in Class 11 and 12 itself and I tag along , not very enthused but intrigued by what this chap is trying to do . These were the days when the CAT was still being popularized and the IIM list included only ABCL ..I and K were yet to be born!! Probably 30K people sat for the CAT in 1998 when I first faced it. And TIME and CL used to come to college campuses and distribute material for free. IMS was the only established national player.
So we would try to collect material from different sources like the above and put them together. Visit Career Fairs like AIESEC where they would conduct Mock CATS. In fact when Nikhil reached SRCC in 1996 he was ragged by his seniors because they had come to know that there was a first year student who was scoring in the IMS Simcats ( these started in 1992) more than they were!!!
End of Class 12 - Nikhil and I topped All India ISC Commerce -1996 and parted ways at that point. He decided to pursue his Bachelor's at SRCC Delhi and due to my dad's poor health I decided to stay back in Kolkata and join St. Xavier's, College Kolkata. From there on my academic performance has never been really up to the marlk ( Ref: L 1)
Earning seemed to have become a priority for me so I decided to put MBA on the back burner and decided to pursue CA/CS both of which I had completed the Intermediate stage by the winter of 1998. That is when both of us decided to flirt with the CAT for the first time (Nikhil - openly , Me quietly on the side without telling anybody!) .
Nikhil passed through with flying colours bagging 12 calls (6 IIMs and 6 more ) - 11 of which he converted (He did not attend SP Jain Huh!!- I think there was a date clash with an IIM) I got a lone solitary call from L - was completely disgusted with it and decided not to attend as a grand gesture!!!
(Well actually 3 years later I would meet a colleague and friend who
received an IIM A call went for the GD - His reaction was - Not my cup of tea Dude!! - I don't wanna do this all my life!! Today he is a successful freelance Journalist and considered one of the most famous bloggers in India - Jai Arjun Singh . He blogs at Jabberwock. (Ref L2 ).
Nikhil is of course now VP with the Carlyle Group - a Venture Cap Firm - The Carlyle Group : Mohta, Nikhil
And the good thing he is we are as thick as thieves today as we were in school
When I look back - it was more about ego which made me drop the call. Nikhil and I had always been equals and it hurt me that I had not matched up to his performance.)
LEARNING THREE : Never let your ego do the thinking while making decisions in the CAT process. Or let me rephrase that as blind ego! Also DO NOT LET it affect your friendships..
To be continued.... Round 2 with the CAT
A quick recap schooling was awesome till 10th. Scoring 90%+ was like everyday routine so NO pat on the shoulder as every test same DAMN score, pat came from friends only as everytime beating a girl was an achievement.
10th screwed up 53% & world seem to be BLACK now-where to go. Learnt a lesson keep head at 1 place thats BOOKs & not friends who care nothing for you. 11th choose Commerce as i lost interest in Science NOT THE HOPE or HEART. 12th scored 58% another shock for every1 as pre-board scores were 80%+.Got into a good management college for their grads program & promised not to get less then 70% & few universities ranking. First semester a whopping 76% 2nd position in class & 11th rank in university & then continued till 3rd year. Final score 72% (14th in University & 3rd in college) with 7 universities ranking & topper in 4 finance subjects.
In my 2nd year heard about CAT the mother of all exams, suddenly something happened & the BLACK magic of CAT worked & nothing apart from CAT was on mind & even dropped CA course. Self study is what i believe no helping hands or TUTION/COACHING. Got Norman Lewis for English (though my score in English till 12th has been above 90+) & RS Agarwal for Maths. Self study & everyday 3-4 hours & reading magazine & newspaper was a daily routine since when i was in 6th(Thanks to my parents). 1st prep-CAT score 89% hmmmm not bad
.With boosted confidence gave 2nd & 3rd prep-CAT score 90% & 95% Now on the 7th heaven & a break to absorve the feel good factor.
Finally gave CAT in 2004 & scored 84% VA-98,QA-77,DI-84. Boom Bang all Hopes Puffff as IIMs were at 99+.
:drinking:Put down my head & started for Season 2 2005. After my final sem i came to 2005 CAT hall with guns blowing & scored 98.xy%:cheers: Finally seemed to get a call from 1 IIM but no call & LIFE lost in time :drinking::drinking::drinking:
As 3 of my friend made it to IIM-A Agriculture,IIM-L Agriculture,IIM-B Software program. As all where nowhere near me 92% for IIMA,L & 95% for IIMB. But never lost the battle,meanwhile got a call from Hutch (now Vodafone) & Centurion Bank. Said NO THANK YOU. Got placed into CSPIL in Pune for Microsoft Server client,Inforys,Wipro. Choose CSPIL as Salary was good 15k+20K(incentive). Meanwhile getting nightmare about CAT now 2006 scored 99.13% Hurrah finally 99 line crossed but still no call from IIMs, then came MDI,SPJIMR,IMT-G in the meanwhile 99.45% in XAT & got calls from XLRI & XIMB but NO THANK YOU to all. Didn't even turned up for the GD/PI as why to waste some1 else chances. My collegue got XLRI converted (being Christian paid for him).:cheers:
2007 Meet my Fiancee & world turned over now IIMs meant nothing as this 1 thing was what gave the real PEACE OF MIND. But still getting nightmares about CAT as BLACK magic can't be BROKEN. All heads down & encouraged my Finacee to appear for XAT & she got XLRI & XIMB. She brought me the real LUCK after 3 years long journey on the path to IIMs. CAT 2007- 99.55% letters followed in as i wasn't too much worried as i had my lovely lady with me. 1st came IIM I followed by L,K & IIM-A the 1 i never want to be at...but Hey where was IIM-C the ONLY & ONLY IIM i want to be at, same fate for these letters too MDI,SPJIMR,IMT-G,XLRI,XIMB (XAT 99.8%) in the RECYCLE BIN (only to come back again next year).
2008 I got an offer from EDS Corporation to join them as Asst.Mngr. i went running as EDS one of the best IT support co. in the world. At last no more nightmare as 13 hours in the office took its toll & then constant flying to US,Malaysia,UK got its toll too & seemed no CAT/XAT this year. But i sat finally with NO HOPE but was SHOCKED :shocked::shocked::shocked: 99.77%. Again came the faithful IIM-I,L,K & shockingly IIM-A the 1 I never expected for the second time followed by MDI,SPJIMR. No XAT this year. Same fate like before NO IIM-C again eluding me as always & others followed their known destiny RECYCLE BIN. Meanwhile was doing my CFA from ICFAI & was amazing as i was enjoying the course as it was to my liking,preference & taste all finance but no boring management subjects
.Scoring at good 63% agg. at the end of 1st year final score was 65%.
2009-2010 have'nt been able to give CAT again but tried GMAT (200
& also had the pleasure to walk into ISB. What an amazing institution with mind blowing campus one feel like staying their forever.So IIM-C
still eluding me hopefully i day i can walk in its campus & sitting by the side of its lovely lakes & closing my eyes & smiling at HER. Not the right time to post on this thread , still So much tensed with exam schedule , So writing on such a scared thread.
Background : A simple fun loving guy from a village where still people don't know what is IIM , they know "Ladka kisi bade college mein hai" . Did my engg from a private engg college in Mathura from UPTU , There was no such thing as campus placement, yet managed to go through in Oracle despite of very poor Engg score , I was actually 67th rank in class of 90 :drinking:
CAT journey : It isn't too long , because never took MBA as serious before 18th Nov 2008. My roommate was preparing for CAT and he filled my form also along with his form , I almost forgot about the form and then got admit card , Gave CAT 2008 , calculated score , was coming as 107 Time declared that %ile would lie in 95+ range , filled all remaining forms ,i.e., SNAP , XAT ,FMS also applied for IMNU,IMT-G, TAPMI and SIMSR. Got 96.25 in CAT and got 3 slaps from SNAP , XAT and FMS .:drinking:
Gave interviews of IMT-G and SIMSR , cleared IMT- N didnt join , SIMSR rejected me
I joined PG meanwhile in december 2008 met with few awesome guys , who always motivated me , few names to mention :stalwart, TFA, SX , AFC and Snits.
It was may 2009 when I took things seriously and tried to manage both work and CAT , But things weren't that easy as Great recession hit a peak , and we had to wrk 14 hours a day continuously, Still I use to study in the travelling time as well as in office , daily 2-3 hours. Since I was very poor in VA and DI , I focused more on these things, DI didn't take much time to improve, But still TIME mocks always haunted me and they will keep me haunting also :lookround:
I dont know why, But I always found time mocks very difficult and way above CAT standard, I just focused on last year CAT exams , and focused only on clearing the fundamentals. Last mock I gave in oct 2009 , got 38%ile , after that I didnt give any mock , Was a part of SBT I , all SBT helped and motivated me , and suggested not to give mocks again, last one month , I studied with my full potential , and kept dream in mind , gave CAT and attempted 55 questions , was pretty convinced about DI.
gave XAT , IIFT and FMS as well , sound of slaps all around , Yet was very convinced about CAT, 28th Feb 2010 , CAT OA :99.45 (DI 99.92,VA 82.64, QA 98.33) I knew VA did me , yet was happy about NITIE and MDI ,Suddenly got IIMI interview call as well
Due to few reasons I had to leave job before my interviews , Gave all interviews and got all calls convert other than MDI
"ye thi meri kahani" Now 2 words gyaan
1. ACADS does matter , but not more than your will to achieve.
2. Mocks are not true reflection of what U are , they can give u an estimate , But can't decide your future
3. It is never too late.
4. Never loose hope and confidence , believe in yourself.
5. Study smart not only hard.
All the best to aspirants.
And thanks to everybody in PG who was a part of me in my journey 
Many of you must have heard the quote "nothing good happens after 2 am", it is 3 and am writing this post. I hope it will turn out into something useful, apart from obviously being a honest and emotional tale of one of persons who prepared for MBA education.
I did my Engineering from BIT Mesra in ECE, only in the second year we had our specialization subjects and it did not take me long to realize that I neither had interest nor aptitude in ECE. I was slightly above average as a student (rank 50 out of 130) though I had been among the top 15 in the batch in terms of AIEEE rank. Engineering was turning into a pain. Of course the entry as one of the talented ones in the batch and the slide to a no one in the batch was demoralizing. Things would have remained same, if I had not discovered two companions. One was my passion for dramatics which got me actively involved with a nascent dramatics society in the college. Other, of course was my pursuit of MBA.
I did not choose to do MBA for reasons that people have, I mean most people. I was an artist and wanted to be an artist. I kept doing things, and felt everything came to me naturally - Hindi poetry, Full length plays, musical skits, nukkad, Stand up comedy, Hasya kavi sammelan etc (writing and performing). Those were confusing days when I was feeling very passionately about developing into a socially conscious artist (was pretty good on raising relevant issues) but I was not a rebel to just shrug off the engineering and do something heroic. MBA was the answer I discovered, a lot of thought had gone into it. My goal of MBA was not because I wanted to follow the crowd, not because I had to earn a very fat package, I coined a term to define my dream - "Impact artist". (around the same time I thought of a line which would serve to motivate me in the journey, which is my PG signature 2 years hence). MBA was going to give me a much bigger platform where I could convey my message and encourage many others who lose out on their passion amidst all the hustle bustle of conventional challenges. Social Entrepreneurship was the ultimate dream, and as I mentioned, I prepared for MBA, not just for CAT.
I was a person whose English speaking skill was below average, who had hardly bothered to read newspapers, even had read very few novels, and who had spent two year of Engineering with nearly no value addition. My challenges were plenty, but my dreams were genuine. With a heart which truly felt for society and for arts, I took great pride in my preparations for the journey ahead. I was very actively involved in a dramatic revival of the cultural aspect (especially theatre) in my college. It took a lot of my time and energy but I knew, preparing for management was more important than preparing for Quants and DI. Mocks came, the first test was a disappointment but things gained momentum soon. I was among the best in the district and seen as one of the favourites. Newspaper reading became a habit, read a lot of novels and of course as the President of dramatics society, I was handling management issues daily.
It was time to fill the forms. It brings me to an important aspect, I was an OBC category student, but I had my views against reservation (they are dramatically changed now once I have seen more of background practicalities). Even earlier I had applied as a general candidate in such exams which had reservation (and they were pretty big exams). I decided to do the same, I had worked real hard and was not willing to dilute my achievement. When I filled the CAT form, I had applied as a general candidate, but it was after discussion with some friends and seniors, I did change my mind!
Career launcher mock tests did give me a surprise on odd occasions, but mostly I was consistent. The B-School predictor had confidently predicted one of the very top colleges for me, I was hoping for the same. The season started.
First exam I gave was IIFT, and was a decent enough experience. One worry I had was that I will struggle in clearing GK cutoff, this was one area where I had worked pretty hard in recent times, but considering my level of ignorance just an year back, I was still not much comfortable in GK. CAT was the second exam, and just appearing for the exam was a very emotional moment for me. As I said, I took great pride in my MBA preparation and had grown to feel passionately about the CAT exam (notice my pg name). IIFT,CAT,JMET,XAT and FMS were the exams I appeared for. Apart from XAT, where I did struggle a little, others really went well. CAT had been very satisfying with 52 attempts and good expected accuracy. Let us go to the outcomes:
Funny thing is apart from XAT, all the exams have reservation, and I was to benefit from it. I well and truly believed, and sincerely hoped I wont need it.
IIFT: I did not qualify. I was pretty sure it must have been GK that ditched me. Found it real difficult to control my tears when I later saw the scores, 40.2 overall (Gen cutoff was 37) but missed GK by 1 marks.
JMET: AIR 355 ( GEN cutoff for IIT B was around the 400 mark) no fuss this time and I had my first shortlist.
XAT: major disappointment, 91.2 percentile was a shock, had expected it to go wrong but it went too bad. Just a couple of people around me managed calls in XAT, to be honest it did help brighten the mood a bit (it happens you all know that)
FMS: This was a tricky thing, I had applied for this exam as a general category student (some technical reasons). The expected marks were around the 320 mark and I was pretty confident about this. The result was a shocker, with 311 marks (which was later announced) I had missed the cutoff of 331. (OBC cutoff somewhere around 260) .This call was totally expected, and so felt real bad, but life moved on.
If anything, CAT was closer to the other exams in its LOD than to XAT, and my accuracy had been pretty good in these exams (over 80 percent in IIFT and JMET). CAT results were about to come, late 99 was a possibility, 99+ was totally expected, 98+ was a surety. I did not even see a bad dream about getting below 98. Results were out, and I did not have A and S calls. (marks came out later). I had some idea regarding category cutoffs for A and so I knew this had not gone all that well. When the score came out, well I run short fo words to describe it. I had 96.65 percentile. I was one of those who made a lot of hue and cry about his percentile being a complete impossibility and all the complaints from the normalization by prometric. (I still dont accept that it could have happened). I cried, harder than I had ever cried, and I really dont think I would ever cry that bad again. My scorecard was something my heart was simply not ready to accept, an year of crying as if I was being tortured I could stop only when my mom broke down seeing my condition.
(contd. from above post)
It was one real tough moment. But then I had prepared for MBA, I was a person who broke down but regained himself and was ready to face the things. The very next day, I went and celebrated the wildest possible Holi in my college, to give myself a message that I will face the situation with zeal and vigour.
Possibly because I never thought of the possibility of getting such percentile, I was not aware that a category applicant could land up with calls at this percentile too. In fact C,L,B (was truly a surprise) and K ended up getting 4 calls. I was in some sort of confused state of happiness. I was very confident of converting the calls because of the inherent confidence that I will make a good manager in the future. Academics was an issue because I had never taken interest in Engg. Preparations started. I really struggled with some of the initial mock PIs when I was told that I am too honest, I had discussion with my CL teacher, and it was agreed that it can be disastrous to be so honest, to the extent of being blunt and direct. I decided to still go with it, my motivation was never an IIM, it was always the ultimate goal in mind, and it was not acceptable for me to be dishonest to them. (my views are different on this now with more experience and understanding of intricacies). The first interview that I gave was of IIT B and it went really well, I had been true and direct, telling them I did not do well in Engg because that motivation level was not there, but it is bound to be different in MBA.
IIM C -> IIM L -> IIM K-> IIM B was the sequence. IIM C was a good experience, except for a weird incident where I missed my GD because I was in toilet when my group was called for it, and had to attend GD in the next slot. The experience was fine.
IIM L was a strange affair. Almost entire interview was about why I should be doing MBA to follow my dream of social entrepreneurship. The response had been strange, did not know what to make of it.
IIM K was a stress interview, but I had handled it well. I had high hopes from it.
IIM B again was about my dreams, aspirants and the role of MBA now in it. This was one interview were I actually said that if IIM B does not select me I will not treat it as a rejection, will consider that it does not feel it can contribute to me achieving my goals! Believe that it was said in as humble and polite way as possible, there was no arrogance just a belief that it is more about the fit if you have a student who is inspired and motivated for the course.
Results: IIM C reject, IIM B reject, IIM L reject (same evening as of B). After some discussion, I was considering dropping my MBA plans, my CL mam was a source of great strength, and she had always maintained that MBA colleges add a very limited value in sharpening entrepreneurial insights, practical soiling of hands helps more. I was content with the offer from Sapient Global consulting. It was time to take some time and decide what was the path to be followed next. Meanwhile even IIT B reject came, I had thought of it as a perfect PI, even GD was good, yet I was not even in waitlist. The disappointment was such that I had already counted K as a reject, which obviously did not happen. WL 27 cleared and I had a final call from IIM K. There was very little chance that I can ever hit such low percentile again, which meant these big calls were there for the grabs, and now of course I knew, much better about what not to do for PI. A/B/C seemed a certainty if I waited an year, I decided to go with one college that had believed in me. Funny thing is it was the only PI where I was not asked my motivation behind MBA, and only one that got converted. Later IIM L final call also came, a day after I was admitted in K, I stayed with K. for k, for ever is the tagline now ď Š
Well, I have done well as a student, not among the toppers but somewhere among the top 25 percent in a batch of superstudious students (PGP 14, IIMK will be remembered for it). Important thing is the learning has been good, and I know am adding value, in and around myself. There is another side to it. IIM K did not have any play performed by any of its students in the last year(possibly many years before it too). The same college has seen first year (must have heard those deadly stories about life in 1st year) students going to the campuses of MICA and IIMB to perform full length plays, apart from a grand performance on IIMK stage. The impact artist is at work 😃
Gyaan: I dont think I need to mention anything explicitly. Read between the lines, there is too much of gyaan in there. The whole process of Management education is something that can change your world. It is too precious to be measured simply by the placement figures. Go and discover the true taste of education and transformation. All the infrastructure and faculty will take a long time in converting the IIMs(and other elite ones) into Harvards and Stanfords, genuine interest and enthusiasm of students will make it happen much faster 😃 😃
Posts like these are usually written in the middle of the night, after tons of introspection. Its 2:46 a.m. right now - the perfect time to fill up an entry on this most hallowed of threads.
No, the final admit lists haven't been declared yet. But somehow, that doesn't make any difference to me. I'm here to post about my experience, let go of some old ghosts, open up some secret vaults of thought, and most importantly, just thank CAT and the entire MBA exam experience for what it has given me.
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Caveat: This part is something you may choose to skip over. It'll sound more like any loser idiot's college journal than an MBA aspirant's CAT diary. This part of the post it terribly boring and badly written. You can read it for voyeuristic pleasure; I've written it down largely as a public acceptance of my many failures :)
If its CAT that you want to read about, you may want to skip to the next post.
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A little about me: I've done my Bachelor's in English from KMC, Delhi University (colloquially also known as Amitabh Bachchan's college ). This was after a considerable detour - I went to the US to study English, came back after the recession made it financially untenable to continue studying there.
I had science until XIIth (PCMB - I was a true masochist!), and of course, one question I get asked in most interviews is - why English? Well, what better thing to do in undergrad than wax poetry, dissect Beckett and drop Derrida in casual conversations? Frankly, I've always been in awe of the written word, and English still remains my favorite language (Hindi a very, very close second. Perhaps the status of a mother tongue breeds a certain disregard for something so familiar).
Coming back from the US after spending an year there was a difficult decision, one that few friends or relatives could understand (my immediate family, as always, was rock steady and supportive) and even fewer approved of. But an year in the US had bred a profound sense of independence - financial and otherwise. I'd been terribly lucky to be very successful at running a domain trading business that had paid my bills (and more!) during the year long stay in the US.
But the damn recession! The domain trading business collapsed within days of Lehman Brothers' collapse, the buyers, who were primarily based out of the US, being the hardest hit.
Back to square one. Starting all over again, from getting admission in KMC, English Hons. (thank God I hadn't been the usual goof-off and had secured a passable percentage in XIIth to get admission into a decent college!), to setting up another source of income - this was quite hard, especially when you've come under the spell of security and comfort that a good income and education can provide. This was akin to graduating from XIIth again, but only an year later ('an year wasted' as most relatives would say).
Setting up the income part was easy - freelancing pays quite well for very little effort, especially since you get paid in dollars. But what began in the first year and a half at KMC was the most extraordinary spell of laziness coupled with awesome partying that anyone could've gone through. For the first year, I never touched a single book, missed all my mid-term exams save one (for an optional paper called 'Mathematical Awareness' :drinking:).
The end result? A mind boggling 45.3%
English Hons., Delhi University is a low scoring course. Average stands at around 51% for the entire University (650+ students), and the highest typically goes up to 65-67%. Getting a 60%+ is considered quite an achievement. But even by these standards, 45.3% was completely inexcusable, especially when your girlfriend is the college topper 
Not that it bothered me at that time. Like most lazy idiots are wont to do, I dreamt up massive businesses - the next Facebook! or SalesForce.com! or maybe just some cheap knock-off of MySpace! We'll be billionaires I tell you, richer than that Gates guy! Of course, with my little technical skills and even greater skills at being lazy, little came of it. But at least I was able to work hard enough at freelancing to pay my monthly bills. I'm not proud of a lot of things in my life (so far), but not having to ask my parents for money is definitely one of the better things I've done.
2nd year exams rung an alarm bell. Worked hard and secured a much improved 56.5% without the aid of attendance marks (attendance in 2nd year: a massive 22%). Along with the alarm bells rang home ideas for internet startups - dozens of them, faster than I could scrawl them down - influenced by my experience of domain trading, freelancing, and (of late), internet marketing. But how to turn these ideas into reality? All my friends were either lazy idiots like me, intellectual artists who would scoff at such petty bourgeois pursuits, or MBBS and BDS students. No engineers or technically skilled people at all, and if there's one thing you need to create a successful internet startup, its talented engineers.
So I put two and two together - where can I come across skilled engineers with a passion for entrepreneurship?
Why, an MBA college of course!
So by the time 3rd year started, I'd decided to take CAT. I joined one of the last few batches at TIME North Campus, New Delhi. The course started at the end of May.
I dived headfirst into the course. Finished off algebra within a week. Solved tons of questions and worked religiously for 5-6 hours every day. I was massively surprised: the lazy dumbass had suddenly been replaced by CAT Superman! When you take someone like me who has shied from studies much of his life, 6 hours of daily effort seems nothing short of miraculous.
Of course, the intensity waned off after a few weeks. It was then that the mock CATs started. My maths was very rusty after years of idleness, and so were my calculations skills (and by proxy, DI). LA was something I enjoyed, but I knew if there was one thing that would help me sail through the exam, it would be VA. The first mock CAT pretty much proved it - a 99.xx%ile in VA, 80+ in DI, and a paltry 45 in QA. for an overall 85.xx percentile.
This would be the pattern that would repeat throughout my mock CAT season, including the actual CAT - high VA, mid DI, low QA.
I continued studying. Hardly attended any classes in college. Stopped the partying too. 
Motivation was difficult during this phase, especially after a string of low mock scores.
Then the announcement came that CAT would be preponed this year. Late starters like me, of course, would perhaps suffer the most. Classes at TIME went off at an even faster pace, all the teachers determined to finish off the course.
I struggled with QA. Maths had always been my second favorite subject, but after almost 4 years of English, I had trained my mind to switch off when confronted with numbers. It took a lot of time and dedicated effort to remove the rust. I delayed finishing the course, skipped topics, and did the bare minimum to clear the basic cut-offs.
DI/LA was a mixed bag. Some mocks went off amazingly well, some pathetically bad. I knew that on C-Day, a lot would depend on the kind of paper I get. If its heavy on complex DI calculations, I would be screwed. If it focused more on LA, I would sail through.
VA was something I never prepared for. Itna nalayak bhi nahin tha ki 4 saal English padhne ke baad VA bhi padhni pade.
But then, a month and a half before the exam, I got struck with Typhoid. It was that bad season in Delhi when Dengue and Typhoid become more common than eve-teasers in DTC buses at night. Coupled with my bad lifestyle - cheap, unhealthy food, little exercise - Typhoid was only but an inevitability.
Spent 15-20 days in bed, doing little else than sleeping. Was already thinking: I'm screwed at CAT this year, why even bother putting in the effort. Maybe Typhoid at this time was like the Universe trying to tell me to be a lazy dumbass once again and not aspire for greater things.
After 20 days, I finally shook off the doubts and worked harder than I ever had. Targeted QA and DI largely, focused on topics I hadn't touched. Took some final mocks, scored between 92-94%ile. Wasn't confident, especially in QA. A day before CAT, I watched a few movies, hung out with cousins and had a heavy dinner.
The test itself turned out to be far easy than I thought it would be. Attempted 19 questions in VA, 16-17 in DI, and just 12 in QA. Came out of the test center feeling confident about VA, good about DI (though accuracy had been a problem for me), and bad about QA. Even 2-3 wrong questions in QA would slide my percentile below the cut-offs.
Didn't worry about CAT too much though. There were other exams to tackle: FMS, IIFT, and later on XAT. But since this thread is about CAT, I won't get into these exams.
Results came out on the 12th of Jan. A Positive FMS result had already allayed some fears and nervousness. The breakdown was:
QA: 80.42
DI: 92.13
VA: 99.98
OA: 99.27
Phew! Most colleges have 80 percentile as the cut-off in QA and I'd made that just by a whisker! In a few days, all the call getters lists came out. As expected, I was dinged by IIM-A, B, C. S rejected me because of poor graduation marks (though to be fair to S, they would've rejected every arts student from DU). K's criteria was a mystery that only Dan Brown could crack. Indore was again, a mystery.
I finally had a lone call from IIM-Lucknow, and later, MDI
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I know this is where the story is supposed to have a happy ending. But the results aren't out yet. Regardless of a positive or negative result from IIM-L or MDI, I've pretty much made up my mind NOT to do an MBA this year.
After interacting with seniors, meeting professors and fellow aspirants, it became clear to me how unprepared I really am for an MBA. I'm 21 right now and have the whole wide world ahead of me. Jumping into a MBA course where the average age is 25-26 and where people already have several months of experience would be jumping into deep waters a little too soon.
For now, I'll continue my love affair with the English language and do a Master's in English from DU (if I get through the exam, that is). After that, a couple of years of work-ex, and only then will I think about doing an MBA. The first statement that Harvard Business School's website makes is "Apply when you FEEL you're ready to do an MBA". After much soul searching, I cannot really answer this question in the affirmative.
But most importantly, CAT has taught me a lot. I realized I had qualities which I never thought I'd ever possess: the ability to work hard. This exam drove me out of the ocean of chronic laziness and mediocrity that I'd drowned myself into. Where there was once little motivation, and only hazy ambition, there is today a clear and defined goal and enthusiasm for work.
Quite simply, CAT was my 'Wake Up Sid' moment, the moment when the world suddenly makes sense. I won't do an MBA this year, but CAT/FMS/XAT/etc. and the subsequent GD/PI experiences have given me an 'education' that will last a lifetime. More importantly, after this experience, I know I'll never settle for mediocrity again and I will never be the same person after this.
I'm perhaps also proof to all future candidates that if a lazy dumbass like I could crack CAT, then anyone else can too.
It's 4:05 a.m. now, the appropriate time to end what was started on a whim. It's been a long, long post which I don't encourage anyone to read through. It's been a pleasure being here at PG in the company of some fine folks though. Any questions, rants or insults - throw them all at my PM box
Note: Not a CAT cracker's story.
In the beginning..
10th exams- fooled around the whole year, took up the head-boy post,participated in all activities except studies. It was that crucial year when even the dumbest of kids in school concentrated 100% on studies. And here I was, the supposedly intelligent student who had lost his mind when it was the time to perform. Parents were unhappy,teachers were unhappy,friends were unhappy. Finally, 2 months before the exams, got back my sanity. However that was of little use. Scrapped through.
Nerd mode.
I changed thereafter. Saw most of my rich friends get through colleges because of donations and quotas /reservations. Realized that passions were reserved only for the rich kids as they could fool around with their careers .Daddy was always ready with a bag full of rupees when it came for corrective action.
On the basis of merit, managed to get into a Junior college which was the rich-kids' abode. Maintained my sanity and didn't get involved in those daily barista/pizza hut outings. Focused instead on studies.
12th exams-was well prepared this time around. Had purposely got into the nerd mode so as to avoid all distractions. Wanted to prove it to the world that I wasn't a dumbo.(Almost) cracked the Maharashtra CET, got through the best engineering college in Mah:)
Engineering.
Had a big culture shock. Hadn't met such a competitive crowd before. Some of the best minds were around and there was so much to learn. However the competitive are (almost) always egoistic. Made many friends as well as foes. Participated in many activities. Started a small commercial venture while in college.
During the second half of 2nd year, dad planted the idea of doing an MBA after B.Tech. Joined IMS in 3rd year. Simultaneously got into many other activities in college- Model United Nations,Technical event management,Research Paper etc.
Final year
Attended IMS classes regularly. However did some mistakes- concentrated more on the GD PI prep( reading news,GK enhancement,NCFM exams, Capitalism Vs Communism debates etc) . It was Cat 2009 which made me realize that it was a tough nut to crack. Got screwed by IIFT,FMS,XAT,CAT(94.4) and so on. This was also the time for campus placements. FYI this was also the year the recession had just begun. People like me who had hopes of getting through Lehman Brothers (which was a regular at campus) were shocked the day the big fall happened. Further, companies like TCS which were supposed to be the last options on campus rejected me. Where they had picked up 150 in 2008, they took only 25~ in 2009.Bad times...
Down Down Down...
Was having a pathetic performance in AIMCATS and SIMCATs. And people who had done zero prep were getting 99+ in all mocks. I started getting depressed. Finally managed to get through Accenture
Was sure of getting through NMIMS,CET only. A big GPL by IIFT,FMS,CAT,SPJIMR et al.
Morgan Stanley came around with a package of 9ctc-i managed to get through almost 5-6 rounds, but got kicked out in the last round 😞 😞
Shut up and bounce.
It was the vacation between 7th sem and 8th sem. While I was preparing for Nmat ( Dec 2009), I got an sms by a class mate about an American Bank which was coming to campus for recruitment. Had no interest and was focused more on NMAT,CET prep. Went for this company's process. That day, the mood in the auditorium was a bit different. We had around a turnout of 100. However I was somehow feeling good about this company. Spent the whole day. At around 9pm and after almost 3-4 grueling rounds, I realized that I had an awesome job offer in hand !! 😃 :)
Chose the battles.
After a struggle of almost 1 year, I realized that IIMs were not attainable. First,it was the prep for the most difficult exam. Even after cracking it, I had seen people getting rejected at later stages. Introspection revealed that since childhood I had been an achiever,dreamer, ambitious, competitive student but not an innate genius. This was the time I read a lot of books . Sun Tzu's Art of war taught me that it was not necessary to win all battles in order to win the war. During my 12th, my father had enrolled me for IIT JEE coaching. However ,within 2 months I had made a decision that instead of wasting my time over something that is unachievable, I would rather give my 200% to something that's actually possible. I didn't prepare for /write the JEE,but gave my 200% to MH Engineering CET and got through the best available option. This was a great decision and the same applies to my MBA struggle. For many, it is about cracking a difficult exam and a few interviews. For me, an MBA was more about an overall development.
I chose my battles-decided to concentrate on the 2nd best of the lot. At the end of 2009, had NMIMS . After much research,decided to accept the job offer.
Was it all worth it..
2010 was about getting adjusted to the first job. Simultaneously prepared for CFA L1 and MH CET. Got 99.9 percentile in CET. Prepared hard again for the GD PI. However 2 weeks before the GD PI I had a big infection on the left side of my face. Antibiotic medicines had drained me of my energy. Gave my best shot at the process, however got far less than expected. I was ranked 70~ in the fight for 38 seats at JBIMS. At work my team shifted to a new city and I had to do the same.
Journey has just begun..
Cleared CFA L1, but failed to get through JBIMS ( the best of my options).Work started getting hectic. Learned a lot of things at work. Interacted with people across the globe. Matured a bit. Came to know (through a cousin who graduated from NM in 2010) that it was improving its standards. Placements were good enough. While at work, I also realized a lot of other things. For example when some B Schools talk about students getting placed in Investment Banks, most of them are talking about back office operations jobs,which in my opinion is nothing but BPO data entry work. Started realizing that Indian banks, brokerage houses were actually doing real work specific to the Indian markets. These so called international IBs had set up their support shops in India. And graduates from top non IIMs ( Nitie,SJMSOM,NM) were made to do this support work. Started respecting Indian companies (and their REAL work) more.
To conclude- learnt a LOT!
Onward we ride, into the raging fury
2010 -2011 was a very difficult time. I had experienced all my firsts- first job,first GF,first kiss,first breakup,first appraisal cycle at work,first experience of living away from home town,first interaction with big bosses at work.
Cleared FRM L1 in Nov 2010.Gave NMAT- got a bad bad 218. Started getting a feeling that I had taken a wrong decision when I ditched it in 2009.Re appeared for NMAT-229. Also wrote JMET and SNAP.
Applied-NM,IITB,D,SIBM-P,CET
Results- NM rejected
Calls- IITB,D,SIBM-P
Awaited- CET( results- tomorrow! :O)
NM rejected me because out of 229,218, highest was 229 (with 2 sectionals cleared) and not 218( all cleared). Overall cutoff was 210~ and my 218 score wasn't considered! Down down down...
In the meanwhile started thinking about writing the GMAT and trying outside India. Economically an MBA from USA is not viable for me. However my research about NSU,Nanyang,SPJCM Singapore,AIM Manila put forth two points-
1. Need to work 1-2 years more for becoming eligible
2. Most of the Indians from these singapore colleges work later for Indian companies which recruit at the top 15 non IIMs in India- lets focus on India for now.
Appeared for GD PI at SIBM,IITB,IITD .Got through SIBM. One night as I was back from work and was checking my mails for payment of SIBM fees, I saw an email from Admissions Team NM-the management had taken note of the issue and people like me were reconsidered! I had to appear for the GD PI within 2-3 days!! I attended the same and finally have got through NM as well!!
My research tells me NM has improved a lot in the last few years with the scrapping of the Gujju,Management quotas. The entrance exam's level is also improved and I am sure I have made the right decision- to accept NM for an MBA Finance.
I had an awesome GD PI experience at SJMSOM and was impressed by the awesome campus. Results are due on 27th April 2011 and if I manage to get through, I have to make a decision between IITB(famous for Systems) and NM(finance). MH MBA CET results are due tomorrow and I have zero hopes this time around since I was screwed badly.
So,to conclude- what goes around, comes around.(NMIMS in my case).
I am highly inspired by the Odyssey and like to correlate many of those incidents with that of my MBA journey. Awesome song for you here ,as I sign off....