I recently came across this question on Quora which asked whether one should take CAT 2016 or take up an institute this year. Here is something which might help all those who are in a similar position.
To start with, I would advise you to appear for all the GDPI processes that you are eligible for and then take the decision once you convert your call. You can’t really count your chickens before they hatch and at the very least it would give you exposure with regard to what the next stage of the process holds in store for you.
With regard to the decision, I generally ask students to answer on a few questions and then decide for themselves if they would want to take another shot:
- What was your score in CAT 2015?
If you have scored above 95%ile in CAT and are not satisfied, chances are that you were well-prepared with regard to content but somehow lost it ‘during’ the test. If composure is an issue, it surely can be worked on in the course of a year so, I would advise you to think about taking it again. If you have scored <95%ile, I would like to know which calls you have got and then probably decide whether to take it or not after your response to question number 2.
- Are you confident of bettering it in CAT 2016? Is there any area of improvement that you have identified or had you given it your best shot and still fell short?
If you had not prepared at all or prepared very little or were completely off target during your prep, you would need to assess if there is any major area of improvement that you can focus on. The reasons could be any one or many of not focusing on an entire section, ignoring some major topic (arithmetic, geometry, DI, LR, PJ, etc.). If there is something you feel that will definitely boost your score by a significant amount allowing you to enter a b-school that is at least a tier above where you are getting into right now, you might want to take another shot at it after your response to questions 4 and 5
- Which institutes do you stand a chance of getting into this year?
I have seen pretty adamant students wanting to get into IIM A, B, C and neglecting the likes of FMS, IIM L, XLRI and so on. While it certainly depends on the person making the choice and his/her profile, just because it sounds ‘cool’ doesn’t make it right. However, if you are looking at improving your performance by such an amount that you can get into at least one level above where you are getting into this year, you should ideally consider another shot at CAT again after answering questions 4 and 5.
- How hectic is your job? (If you are working)
Unless you are so stretched out that you cannot eke out even 1-2 hours for prep every day, or your boss is getting on your nerves and is creating roadblocks during your prep, there is no good reason to quit your job. Worst case, you can go for a switch but it is definitely not recommended to quit your job while preparing. If you feel that you have had enough of work-experience and can’t wait another year, then you leave me no choice but to advise you to take up the b-school that you convert this year.
- How many years of workex do you have and which specialization do you intend to take up?
If you are aiming for a marketing/finance specialization at an entry level, the more the workex you have, the more it will work against you. Ideally, companies would be willing to overlook 1.5-2 years of work-ex. Post that, the more experience you pile on, the more difficult it will be for you to attract companies to your profile. However, this can be offset by building your CV in the coming year so that you can stay afloat. If you are into IT and are aiming for a TMT consulting or an IT role post MBA, there won’t be any issue as such. Then it depends on your response to question 4.
- Are you open to taking other tests as well?
For every IIM/FMS, there is an equivalent XLRI, for every MDI/NITIE, there is an equivalent IIFT/SIBM/NMIMS and so on. Unless you have a very strong reason (profile getting diluted because of a non-IIM, etc.), it doesn’t make any sense in being selective about the entrances you take. If you do intend to take up CAT 2016, do focus on all the above mentioned institutes as well.
Finally, your performance in CAT is a function of your ability, ambition and awareness. You can’t lack either of the three factors and get into a top b-school. Understand what is a score that you are capable of scoring, the effort that is required to score that many and the resources that you would require to get to that score. If your result matches the vision with which you started, you should be fine.
All the best.
