You either win or learn. There is no question of losing hope. So, if any Common Admission Test (CAT) aspirant has scored low and wants to move on from here, he/she has three good options available, to say the least. After analysing and getting in the depth of the reasons behind the low score one should try to learn from the experience and move on.
To begin with, it is a question of what you deserve and are you ready to settle for something less than you deserve. If the answer is that you cannot wait for another year and want to go for MBA this year itself, then explore the options within your percentile range.
Also read| How Did IIT Bombay Student Yash Mandhana Get 99.99 Percentile in CAT in First Attempt
Opt for Specialised Courses
There are a number of good B schools in the range of 75-85 percentile which offer average plus placements of around 5-8 lacs per annum. One can also go for specialized courses offered by top colleges at lower percentile scores. For example, FORE school of business may offer the PGDM programme at 87-88 percentile but may offer its international business programme at less than 80 percentile and financial management programme at even 70-75 percentile. IMI would offer its flagship PGDM for around 90 percentile, but one can get the banking and finance, and HR programmes at around 80 percentile. Same is true for XIM B, IMT etc for their other programmes and not the flagship one.
Check for Other Campuses
One can also look for the other branches of the good colleges as an opportunity of getting at least the brand name of the top college, though the MBA may not be from their main campus. For example, MDI Gurugram has a branch in Murshidabad, where one can get even at 75-80 percentile which may not be possible for the main campus of MDI at Gurugram where you need around 97-98 percentile. Similarly, colleges like IMI, IMT, Wellingkar, Great Lakes, etc have there branches where individuals with low CAT scores can easily get admission.
Alternative Exams
If somebody has got very low scores in CAT then one can depend on other exam scores and take admission accordingly. Through NMAT one can get into NMIMS campuses and through SNAP one can look at so many options available under the brand Symbiosis. One can also look forward to some of the forthcoming exams like CMAT, MAT and CET. Through CMAT options like GLIM, GIM, Wellingkar, KJ Somaiya, BIMTECH, IFMR, LIBA, etc are still open. The point that remains is at which level will you be ready to settle down, if doing MBA this year is the only option you look at.
Other Options
On the other hand, if you are not ready to settle for less, then there are plethora of other options available. Look for a job based on your interest and opportunities available as that can give you a lot of practical experience, which can further be used for cracking the CAT exam next year. The entrance exam is not just about QA, reasoning and English, it is more about the decision-making skills, time management, stress management which can be easily imbibed through work experience.
Read| IIM Ahmedabad Not to Consider Graduation Score, Revised Admission Rules to Count 10th, 12th Marks
If you need more time to prepare for the CAT and you may not be able to manage the preparation and job simultaneously then take up some internships and also engage yourself in some extracurriculars and hobbies, so that you can justify the one-year gap during the interview process.
Apart from the CAT exam, target other MBA entrance exams like XAT, IIFT, GMAT, TISS, MICAT, etc. Look for other entrance exams like bank PO, SSC, LIC, etc as there also you are tested on your aptitude similar to the CAT exam. One can also look at an executive MBA programme later on after working for 3-5 years.
— Authored by Amit Poddar, Sr Regional Head, TIME
Read all the Latest Education News and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment