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abhithehobbit · **Re: All I wanted to Speak about CAT -** 01-05-2008, 04:38 PM

Well, I thought I'd complete this tradition before I know where I am headed to this year - And truly, what a tradition it has been! I don't really know how much of a place this post will find here, but here goes...

I have now taken CAT thrice. Each time, there has been a tale to go along with it....

CAT 2005

Jaipur. A naive engineering student in his final year, who reads up on newspapers and is seduced by the massive salaries drawn by management graduates from the best in India. Having a massive ego himself, decides, " hey, if they can do it, I can do it too"...and decided to go give CAT a shot.

Around this time,I was having trouble with my academics - trouble, which wasn't very visible. I was a brash, lazy individual ( still am, actually

) who thought all that life had to give was his to take.

Job interviews were scarce at my college. However, I managed to secure a job with HCL in my final year, and a sense of relief set in. With around 2 weeks to go for CAT at this time, and me doing well at mocks ( albeit, still flunking in quant a lot - something that haunts me to this date )...I became rather circumspect.

Come D-Day, I took CAT, and was mighty pleased with myself - until the keys came out. When I checked my score, key after key told me I had failed. I decided to give up the dream and pursue my fortunes at HCL.

Then, fate took another turn. I checked the CAT result casually at a friend's place around a week after the result...and had managed 96.38%. I hadn't applied anywhere, so I was a little taken aback. I sent emails, frantic ones, to IMT, NITIE and the like, but none would consider me. ( told you i was naive

) - Eventually, gave interviews at Welingkar and KJS, but did not join.

CAT 2006

The naive student, is now working. The result last year has given new hope, and he has joined Career Launcher at Kolkata. New developments on the personal front give a fillip to life. But he is still complacent, and does not apply to XLRI.

At this point, I was doing very well on mocks at CL.Despite my centre manager's constant reminders to work on my quant, my scores used to help me keep my ego going. Also, I was in a sort of a relationship ( one that eventually ended, and pulled my scores down too...), so things did get busy. I had friends and had a lot of fun in life. Kolkata was probably one of the happiest phases of life for me, if you discount CAT and my missing my parents....It helped me grow both personally and professionally.

Eventually, I took CAT 2006 - what is deemed to be the Waterloo for most verbal enthusiasts like me. Was a real pain in the you-know-what on PG, with my constantly inane pretensions, advice and fervent hope I'll get a call from an IIM because I was 'scoring' 60 on verbal according to some key - ah, how naive i was.

Eventually, things panned out in a way that made me eat my own shoe - 89.66, with 98.98 on verbal and next to nothing on the rest. I was sufficiently humbled. Decided to leave it for another year, got crowned Bored Housewife 2 on the CAT thread and moved to Noida

Eventually, we come to this year...
CAT 2007

I was now very much over the ego issues. I knew now that I must temper my expectations, and learn to maximize potential and work on m grey areas - I prepared harder than ever before, even woke up at 6 in the morning for classes ( well, the number of girls in class helped

...) and constantly annoyed my centre staff. I had to manage to absolve myself this year...also, I was lucky yo get to Noida because it afforded me the best competition in the country so far as verbal ability was concerned. But Quant was still a major issue...My friends at work found my excitement contagious, and they took up CAT too - and they are now headed to b-schools around the country themselves

I am glad I helped them further their career interests.

I had become a veteran and a CAT adviser by now. Did pretty well on mocks, but quant still annoyed me. People like prashant, basilisk and Anirban know of my plight. Eventually, CAT came along - and to my utter surprise, I did pretty well for once. Mathematics, however, came back to haunt me again. Despite a 99.31%, I only had one I call. - I was lucky to get that too, by one mark.

But I look at it as providence, that I only got this one call, by just that one mark ( which counts for MDI too, where I am through in all probability )....I hope I have more good news to report soon, with the IIM Indore result just minutes away....but I felt this had to be done beforehand. To all those I have conferred, argued and debated with....this is my salute, to them, and to the spirit of PG.

Cheers,
Abhishek

	(#330 (permalink))
abhithehobbit is Dreaming away!... Hardcore PaGaL Status: Offline Posts: 605 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Noida Age: 23 Groans: 15 Groaned at 44 Times in 23 Posts Thanks: 475 Thanked 642 Times in 219 Posts	Re: All I wanted to Speak about CAT - 01-05-2008, 04:38 PM Well, I thought I'd complete this tradition before I know where I am headed to this year - And truly, what a tradition it has been! I don't really know how much of a place this post will find here, but here goes... I have now taken CAT thrice. Each time, there has been a tale to go along with it.... CAT 2005 Jaipur. A naive engineering student in his final year, who reads up on newspapers and is seduced by the massive salaries drawn by management graduates from the best in India. Having a massive ego himself, decides, " hey, if they can do it, I can do it too"...and decided to go give CAT a shot. Around this time,I was having trouble with my academics - trouble, which wasn't very visible. I was a brash, lazy individual ( still am, actually ) who thought all that life had to give was his to take. Job interviews were scarce at my college. However, I managed to secure a job with HCL in my final year, and a sense of relief set in. With around 2 weeks to go for CAT at this time, and me doing well at mocks ( albeit, still flunking in quant a lot - something that haunts me to this date )...I became rather circumspect. Come D-Day, I took CAT, and was mighty pleased with myself - until the keys came out. When I checked my score, key after key told me I had failed. I decided to give up the dream and pursue my fortunes at HCL. Then, fate took another turn. I checked the CAT result casually at a friend's place around a week after the result...and had managed 96.38%. I hadn't applied anywhere, so I was a little taken aback. I sent emails, frantic ones, to IMT, NITIE and the like, but none would consider me. ( told you i was naive ) - Eventually, gave interviews at Welingkar and KJS, but did not join. CAT 2006 The naive student, is now working. The result last year has given new hope, and he has joined Career Launcher at Kolkata. New developments on the personal front give a fillip to life. But he is still complacent, and does not apply to XLRI. At this point, I was doing very well on mocks at CL.Despite my centre manager's constant reminders to work on my quant, my scores used to help me keep my ego going. Also, I was in a sort of a relationship ( one that eventually ended, and pulled my scores down too...), so things did get busy. I had friends and had a lot of fun in life. Kolkata was probably one of the happiest phases of life for me, if you discount CAT and my missing my parents....It helped me grow both personally and professionally. Eventually, I took CAT 2006 - what is deemed to be the Waterloo for most verbal enthusiasts like me. Was a real pain in the you-know-what on PG, with my constantly inane pretensions, advice and fervent hope I'll get a call from an IIM because I was 'scoring' 60 on verbal according to some key - ah, how naive i was. Eventually, things panned out in a way that made me eat my own shoe - 89.66, with 98.98 on verbal and next to nothing on the rest. I was sufficiently humbled. Decided to leave it for another year, got crowned Bored Housewife 2 on the CAT thread and moved to Noida Eventually, we come to this year... CAT 2007 I was now very much over the ego issues. I knew now that I must temper my expectations, and learn to maximize potential and work on m grey areas - I prepared harder than ever before, even woke up at 6 in the morning for classes ( well, the number of girls in class helped ...) and constantly annoyed my centre staff. I had to manage to absolve myself this year...also, I was lucky yo get to Noida because it afforded me the best competition in the country so far as verbal ability was concerned. But Quant was still a major issue...My friends at work found my excitement contagious, and they took up CAT too - and they are now headed to b-schools around the country themselves I am glad I helped them further their career interests. I had become a veteran and a CAT adviser by now. Did pretty well on mocks, but quant still annoyed me. People like prashant, basilisk and Anirban know of my plight. Eventually, CAT came along - and to my utter surprise, I did pretty well for once. Mathematics, however, came back to haunt me again. Despite a 99.31%, I only had one I call. - I was lucky to get that too, by one mark. But I look at it as providence, that I only got this one call, by just that one mark ( which counts for MDI too, where I am through in all probability )....I hope I have more good news to report soon, with the IIM Indore result just minutes away....but I felt this had to be done beforehand. To all those I have conferred, argued and debated with....this is my salute, to them, and to the spirit of PG. Cheers, Abhishek Life = Lazy Idiot's Funny existence CAT 2007 : 99.31% *MDI PGPM 2008-10* Orkut\|My Blog\|All I wanted to speak about CAT

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