IS IT WORTH DROPPING A YEAR FOR CAT

IS IT WORTH DROPPING A YEAR FOR CAT

There are millions of aspiring applicants every year who leave no stone unturned to reach the magical percentile which can give them a shot at the IIMs, IIFT, FMS and other top MBA colleges of India. It is no mean feat where you lose your sleep and appetite solving test papers, taking mock exams, going for coaching classes and laying your hands on anything which can take you an inch closer to your target.

Now let’s face it, out of the millions taking the exams each year only few are able to join the coveted institutes. The rest of the hopefuls are left with two options:

1. Go for a Tier 2 or Tier 3 college

2. Take an year and sit for the exam next year

These options are not as easy as it seems. Each of the students have to weigh their alternatives carefully before investing in their two-year degree that is going to decide their future course of professional career. Many aspiring students are confused regarding the course of action to be taken. A lot of factors come into play while deciding on such a scenario:

• Age

• Cost Analysis

• Whether there is any education gap

• Whether you have work experience

Age is a deciding factor because if you start taking CAT exam right from the final year of your graduation then you can give yourself another chance if you do not get your desired percentile. You can consider the first year of your exam as an experience to ace it in the next one as you have age on your side. Last year of your graduation is a hectic time wherein you have your major and minor projects to be submitted. If you are planning to sit for the exam again then it will be beneficial for you as you know which section of CAT paper is your weak link and improve upon it.

Cost Analysis and education gap is somewhat intertwined and is a factor to be considered. If you have already enrolled in a coaching institute to prepare for a year and planning to sit for the exam again next year then please take into consideration the education gap that you might have. You have to justify that education gap during your MBA college interviews as well as when you sit for your placements in college. There is a possibility that if the collaborated score of CAT percentile and Personal Interview is same for a student having zero work experience and an education gap and a student having work experience, then the student having work experience will get the first preference. So any of you who are planning to drop a year to prepare for CAT then please keep these factors in mind.

There are many applicants who have to juggle between their job and preparing for CAT. In these situations, it becomes very challenging to maintain the work-preparation balance; to maintain the quality of work at office, at the same time take mock tests. To this hard working bunch, I would say – You might not end up getting your desired percentile but please do not beat yourself up. It is okay to drop a year and go for the next shot as your work experience will give a boost to your resume. Applicants having work experience of two to three years have a very bright chance of getting brownie points during MBA college interviews or placements in college.

All in all dropping a year for CAT depends upon the situation you are currently in. In India, age factor works against women folks. We have to deal with the facet of marriage and starting a family. I would suggest please keep all the factors in mind which can work for or against your resume during your Personal Interview rounds anytime during your professional career.

https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cat-exam