All I wanted to Speak about CAT

[teesra banda]

Finally thought of writing about my CAT journey. Lotsa old-timers on PG are aware of me but i havent been active for years now but the emotional-connect with PG still remains and will always do so.

Not so much as success but my story will be a saga of missed opportunities and wrong decisions.

CAT 2003:
Was in final year of engineering college at one of NITs. Full of confidence and pretty fearless, as in of situations. Never used to think much about future as i knew i had the capability to do the best. Computer Science & Engg. branch but had no interest in coding/programming so much so that i didnt even learn C language. Due to this reason didnt use to sit in campus placement of all the IT biggies which used to come to campus. Alongside started preparing for CAT and used to score pretty well in Mock Tests. Filled all sorta forms from CAT to MDI, SPJ to IMT. Got 98.18% in cat but calls from all other good institutes like MDI, XLRI, IITs, etc. Appeared in just XLRI and converted it. As the luck would have it towards the end of that year got a “supposedly” (at that time) great placement with a PSU and was pretty happy about that for the fact that i didnt want to work in an IT environment. Rejected XLRI offer – (Mistake no. 1)

CAT 2004:
Joined my organization in the year 2004. The initial screensaver was infront of eyes where things looked all goody-goody with nice posh office, salary and perks and the initial “unreal” treatment by the HR department. Had filled the CAT form but didn’t appear in the exam though heard in news next day that CAT paper was leaked hence it’s been cancelled and will be held again. Few days later after the initial training got my final posting. As the lady-luck would have it, I had been posted to IT (systems) dept of that organization for being an computer science grad. I was crestfallen, landed at the place from which I was running away all along. I used to despise IT-related work for lack of aptitude and attitude (no offence meant to anyone, just a personal dislike). Thought of appearing in to-be-held CAT. Registered with TIME in January and appeared in 4-5 Mock Tests and in none of them got more than 85%. Went with a very cool mind for the CAT which was held on 14th Feb. Got 99.73%ile and 5 calls (BCLIK) and told about them at office openly since had to take leaves etc. (Mistake no. 2). When results were out, I had converted IIM L.

And then insanity struck. Got confused as to join IIM L or not. (Factors for confusion: Parents prodding to continue with well-settled PSU job though they left decision to me, thought that i can work for a year and then will get again with a work ex to boot and yes no story is complete without a GAL factor ). So in a state of indecision for quite some time and finally on friday decided to send the DD (Monday was last date to accept the offer). The DD reached late and when i spoke to IIM L they said they received it a day late so wouldn’t accept it and my offer stands cancelled. I accepted the verdict and continued my life. Then after a month got a call from IIM L that they are offering me admission and i need to send a fresh DD but till that time i had acccepted the fact that i have left IIM so rejected it again (Mistake no. 3)

CAT 2005:
In the meantime due to the fact that i had already got into IIM once the view developed in office that this guy wont stick to company so there is no need to groom him. So no trainings were imparted to me and mostly bull-shit work for me. Anyway i wasnt interested in IT and this created a vicious cycle with my disinclination towards IT increasing more. Had a horrible time and used to cry at times as to why i left IIM. Though in the end it was my decision so had to face it.

The night before CAT 05 got fever and somehow went to exam centre. Once it was done it was clear that it had gone down the drain and there won’t be any miracle. Went to the seashore and threw away pencils and erasers in the sea. Results proved it with a mere 96.8%ile. Though got a 99.91%ile in XAT and got into XLRI. But again the insanity strikes. Again i get into confused state as to join XLRI or not. The hesitation being for the reason that once having been admitted to an IIM wasn’t feeling like going to XLRI (Not to belittle XLRI, its a great institute). Was so confused and indecisive that went to station 3 times to book the tickets for Home and each time came back when my turn had come to book the ticket. In the end didn’t join (Mistake no. 4)

CAT 2006:
Life at workplace went from bad to worse. Got a boss who was one of the most horrible person in this world. Everbody will say that their boss is worst but believe me he can be accorded the Oscar for that. Extremely rude, unhelpful and sarcastic person. Finding fault in everything i did made me lose my confidence a lot. Somehow prepared for CAT. Used to score pretty good in MOCKs with >95%ile always but as luck wud have it in final CAT got under undue pressure of "non-performance" and again failed with 98.2%ile. Obviously with no calls and this time XAT also ditched me with pathetic 89%ile. Again was down for few days and moved on.

CAT 2007:
Office continued as horrible as it cud be with me now being made a pawn in inter-department politics. No need to elaborate it further. Once again got onto CAT bandwagon as cudnt tolerate office life and this way or that way had to go out. More than getting in IIMs, the desire was to get-away from this workplace. Started appearing in mocks and the performance was great. D-day arrived and managed to do pretty well. Checked with all the institutes analysis and was getting pretty good score on the verge of 99.9%ile by their forecasts. CAT result and the key came out and all the institutes were proved horribly-horrible wrong due to English section. Had got not-so-good percentile in English and that was my strongest section. Wasnt sure if i wud get calls. Had became a bundle of cracked nerves and had to resort to online-professional counselling thru emails (more to share with someone what I was going thru). Finally the calls came out and managed to bag few calls. GD PIs were great and managed to convert few calls. And landed at one of the IIMs.

At times it comes to my mind:
- If i had joined XLRI straight out of college i wud hv been an MBA for over 4 years and might have been at a good position
- if i had joined IIM L it wud hv been 3 years since i wud hv completed my MBA. I would have been senior to a few of guys who are working here at place of my summer internship
- if even i had joined XLRI next time 2 years wud have made a big difference in my career

But unfortunately this "what-if" scenario works only on Excel sheet and never in life.

Mistakes and learnings:
Mistake 1: When u get an opportunity take an informed decision and take it. Instead of waiting for the golden opportunity, take the best one and u can make best out of it. In long term the "tag" doesn’t matter much and its your performance matters more than that.

Mistake 2: Its good to be frank and honest but with judgement. Its always good to confide in few people to help u in troubled times but dont openly declare such stuff in office, moreso in a PSU environment. I always believe that people are inherently good but u will always meet people who are just there to screw u out of jealousy factor or whatever.

Mistake 3: Had left CAT but fortuantely it was cancelled. Had rejected IIML offer but they again gave me chance to join. I was one lucky B****** and i sud hv grabbed the opportunities. By this i dont mean to say that dont have confidence on u. DO have it but make realistic assumtions and go along. Things change in seconds.

Mistake 4: Don’t b too indecisive. I still think that i went to station, filled form, stood in queue and came back – that’s height of stupidity. I give one advice to CAT aspirants, when u are not sure of any answer and want to choose one; choose one which comes first to ur mind coz even after thinking for 2 mins u will still mark the same answer. Check for urself this fact! Again i missed a chance to reverse my fortunes but i didnt.

Advice:
I dont think i m an xpert to offer any kind of advice to any aspirant but can just share my experience and learnings thereof:

1. Many ppl ask me which coaching institutes to join, X, Y or Z! Choose the one which is close to ur home and has suitable timings and don’t gv it that much importance. They r just stairs and not the floor where u wanu reach. Ultimately its U who has to perform. In last two CAT they have given horrible keys. Ppl who themselves arent sure of answers, what will they teach u. They are good for practice by way of providing mocks and exam environment but certainly not the "gods" so don’t treat them like that.

2. Yes the brand name might matter but not in the long term. Essentially u will find ur workplace to be a mix of all sorts of ppl frm everywhere. And the thnig wch has taken thm there is performance. Statistically higher echelons are filled up with ppl frm top B schools coz thts (generally) where the good stuff goes. So this is no way implies that only brand name can take u there.

3. Don’t trust too much ur supposedly "strong section" and dont shy away from "weak " section. There can be reversal of fortunes many times as CAT is pretty unpredictable.

4. Most important CAT is mainly a mind-game. If u can keep cool, u are half-way through cracking it. U panic and u r half-way down. Though with recent decrease in number of Qs and less emphasis on speed this might not be that important but things change every year

Important lesson: May b after 5-10 years, i will reach the same place i wud hv reachd had i joined IIM L or XLRI so u never know wats in store for us. I don’t believe in god but i do believe that life comes full circle. U screw someone and someone else screws u up (and by this i dont mean to sound goody and say screwing someone is bad, its necessary part and parcel of life). Do each and everythng in life. And one major thng m learning to come to terms is not giving too much importance to one's feelings. They change too frequently. U feel good for no reason and same way u feel bad for no reason at times. So just let them be.

Guess too much gyaan.

REQUEST: To those people who know me are requested not to disclose my identity. Unlike bollywood potboilers, here story and message is more important than the cast.

Disclaimers: All standard disclaimers apply. Personal views blah blah and I am not against any institute (except that eye eye pee m )

[ajithprasadb]

Ever heard of someone who bunked an IIM class to attend another IIM interview..Well, read on .

A bit on profile
-----------------
10 - 93 %
12 - 91.7 %
Grad NIT Calicut CSE - 2004 - 74 %
Working in Oracle Since then.. 47 Months WorkExp. Oracle Financials development team

Other Extra/co-curriculars - An interview of Kapil Dev for college magazine ..
Physics & Chemistry Olympiads- National level ( Which I dont think is anything significant )

Some quizzing prices upto University Level..

A Web Venture ==> BlogPane Welcome to BlogPane ( This helped me a bit, I should admit )

Quite diverse reading habits from technology to history to fiction


-----------------
CAT History
1) CAT - 2003 ( The leaked CAT ) - 87.xx

2) CAT - 2004 -- Dont Ask percentiles
--- The above two were non-serious CATs..But I scored less mainly in Verbal .. Realized that I need to pickup my reading habits..And prepare well

Took IMS correspondence course, plus mock tests.

3) CAT- 2005 - 97.11 ( Breakup QA - 98 , DI - 89 , VA - 88 )
-- An out of the blue IIMB interview call...The soul searching began at this point..Prepared very very hard reading up quite a few things..statistics,economics,ERP... all the stuff that I could.. But I kind of realized another thing at this point..You can't create a good personality overnight..It has to be built up.. So, Ideally an MBA aspirant should start his profile development early itself..Its something that should happen along with CAT preps.
March 23, 2006 - IIMB PGP interview.. A misfortune stuck..Developed a swelling in my cheek due to a wasp bite..The swelling was so bad that I had to undergo a surgery the day after interview.. Attended the GD & interview under painkillers.. GD was good..Interview was decent..though nothing exceptional..

Results on April - 11 .. I'm put in Waiting list - 47 .. CAT- 2004 & CAT-2003 IIMB waiting list stats indicated that I'll get through...But ultimately got kicked out of waiting list.. I was OK with that ..Becoz, getting a call itself at 97.11 was something unimaginable.. But I happened to get into quite a few troubles in job at this point.

Took a move to a team in Oracle B'lore from Hyd'bad ..Better team, great work..I should say I fell in love with the work that I got .

4) CAT - 2006 ..

This time I prepared with all the mock tests..TIME,IMS & CL .
CAT came & went..Checked the keys.. TIME , CL , IMS - all predict six calls with amazing scores in Verbal .

Results - Better than last year.. 98.08 overall
( QA - 90.28 ==> This was the culprit
DI - 98.25 , VA - 96.8 )
-- No calls from IIMs/SPJ .. Didnt apply to MDI.. Misfortune continued to trouble me on the day of XAT ( Venue confusion, non-familiarity with B'lore roads etc etc )
-- Extremely disappointing times..Lost interest in CAT..But, took a backup option at this point..Joined PGSEM @ IIM Bangalore after eking out a nomination from Oracle .. Reasons- I kind of felt a helplessness over CAT..GMAT wasnt in my radar due to quite a few financial & personal reasons.. So, felt it'd be better to join PGSEM.

CAT - 2007
-------------
A last chance to redeem a bruised ego .. Took the test just like that..
Scores - QA - 97.6, DI - 93.17 , VA - 96.4 , Overall - 98.62
Calls - L & K .

L - Good GD, But pathetic interview.. They quizzed me on Economics..And its rare that two economists would agree ..Needless to say, a reject.

K - Fishmarket GD ..I chipped in with just two sound points..Rest were submerged in cacophony.. But great interview..They tried to stress me out with questions from 12th Std Physics & Chemistry..But I could answer almost all .. Converted this. ( Attended this interview bunking a PGSEM class ) .

After quite a few deliberations, dropped PGSEM and joining IIMK PGP 08-10 .. I can't elaborate all the reasons..The reasons for this switch vary from professional to personal reasons..Infact I would have taken K even if L had worked out.. Kozhikode is my hometown .

================
Few suggestions to the aspirants

1. Your PROFILE is extremely important.Its not that you cannot crack IIM if you have an average profile..But, if you have an average GDPI, you can still get in if you have good profile... I'd say, things in my profile - PGSEM, blogpane.com etc would have weighed in a little bit towards the final selection.. Another friend of mine who too was doing PGSEM gave the test just like that , got LACKI calls & LACKI converts..And after hearing his interview experiences, I'd say the difference in his profile - PGSEM after nomination from his company -- weighed in a great deal in his final conversions...So,its important to have some kind of profile building activities- be it NGO work / writing in magazines / organizing events / entrepreneurship / sports / music -- all adds value to your profile..And this would ultimately help you in IIMs too .

2. CAT is an extremely unpredictable test..So, have backup options of some sort ..

3. Mock tests is perhaps the only good thing that coaching institutes would give to you..There is not much need to read through all that complicated formulas that TIME/IMS gives..Just practice the tests..The composure on the CAT-Day is perhaps the most important thing.

4. Verbal you can't prepare by mugging up word lists..Only way to pick up on that front is to develop good reading habits..Read a variety of subjects..Fiction/ economics / current affairs... If you do that for quite sometime, verbal won't be a big problem for you.

5. LUCK matters..No substitute for that . Had I been a little bit less unlucky so as not to be sick on that IIMB interview day 2yrs ago, maybe I would have passed out of an IIM now..But those 'ifs' and 'buts' have no relevance in life..I failed to make it then. I have to accept it whether I like it or not. Thats the fact.

Ajith

[Jaydev Doshi]

CAT 07 had been one hell of a ride for me with my fortunes swinging between the extreme ends.
It all started with the results of CAT 07 and then there was no looking back. The ride had just begun and it had all its share of ups and downs.

After scoring 99.43%ile (A high)
I received calls from only 2 IIM's (A low)
Had a decent outing as far as IIM I interview was concerned (A high)
And a very bad day as far as IIM K interview was concerned (A low)
Results were out and was rejected by IIM K (A low)
But the was still some hope as i was in the waitlist of IIM I (A high)
All hopes got shattered as i got a waitlist no. of 272 (The lowest point)

But then, i have now gathered myself and am preparing in full swing for CAT '08.
Hope i will make it this time around.

[anir-iim2005]

This is continuation of the posts already completed starting from this page –

http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/cat-an...-about-28.html (All I wanted to Speak about CAT)

The first hurdle had been cleared, but not time to rejoice yet. A few days of Fun, then back to work. And it was Hard Work for the GD/PIs. I knew I had nothing great in my profile, and if I had to get through, I had no other choice but to work hard. The focus was mainly on– Current affairs, India (Economic, Political & Historical angles), Work Exp related areas and Acads. I prepared some 15 papers from my B.Tech for the PIs, inspite of the 2.5 yrs work exp. There were wild mood swings throughout, as the GD/PIs of different institutes came and went. I would find fault with every answer of mine after each PI . Each Night, we (me & Nitin) would try to find out what is the meaning of a Good GD/PI . Time flew by, and finally it was all over with the big one, IIMA on 18th March. There was a gap of around 3 weeks till the scheduled date of results (Well, scheduled only) and it was time to relax. First thing I did was to resign from my job . Not that I was super-confident about getting into an IIM, but I couldn’t continue with the burden of continuous lying any more. Having an alternate offer in hand only helped me in taking the decision. So, here I was now, waiting for results and jobless. Gave me ample time for introspection. And here I realized that the entire GD/PI process had made me a more mature person. The effort that went in, the friends I made during the GD/PI process, the decisions I took trying to manage time between office and my Dream, all contributed to this. The Biggest thing I learnt from this whole thing – Nothing is in my Hand. My job is to go on doing what I am supposed to do, nothing more, nothing less.

In spite of all the learning and maturity etc, the wait was killing. To describe the feeling in one sentence – I don’t want it to happen even to my Worst Enemy.

Finally, 1st May. B came out 1st, but I had nothing at stake there. Couldn’t sleep till 4 am. Got up again at 8 am and went back to the task of keeping tab on latest news. Around 9.30 am, Parul pinged – IIMC results out. A Final round of prayer, and then the Keying in of CAT TR No & DoB. Was courageous enough to keep my eyes open while the screen was being refreshed. After what seemed like an eternity (not more than 15 seconds actually), saw that Word – Congratulations. There it was, 4 years of struggle, pain, everything was worth it now. Success tastes best when it is comes after a lot of hard work, and it couldn’t have been sweeter for me. As the day progressed, it kept getting better - with the pinnacle being IIMA Convert.

That was the End of my journey, I had reached my destination. I have tried to tell the story in detail (I hope it's not boring ), but still so many things remain untold. I will finish it with some quotes (Not from Great Men, but my friends - the Would be Great Men ) –

From my Friend in IIMI
“Whoever has sacrificed a lot for CAT, has always ended up as a success”
“Your CAT journey is not destined to stop with a 97.16 %ile”

From Macora
“Only Failure is possible multiple Times, Success comes only once” (Just before CAT, this helped me a lot in removing self doubts originating from previous failures)

Anirban

[mayank105]

Hi guys
i m visiting this thread for past few weeks and noticed that this is the best place on pagalguy.........

I used to wake u early in the morning and after having a cup of tea i used to visit this thread and read some or one story daily....

The posts in this thread inspired me a lot for the whole day and keep me energized for the whole day for my cat preparation ....

I m pretty new to pagalguy but i wanted to gave some suggestion regarding this thread .....


Kindly start a new thread as story of the day as it will inspire many other puys and other to keep them energized for there preparation

As there r many stories in this thread and already a new threat is started as inspiring stories of cat but the new thread as "story of the day" will contain a single story for the day taken from old or recent posts and will be more useful for those who can't gave much time to this thread and visiting all the pages here


If i have posted something wrong here kindly forgive me

But can't stop myself to post this .... after reading some great stories

Thanks

[Surreptitious]

So it is precisely 26th May 2008 which has turned the tide for me, Something I will never forget because this is when my intense preparation for some of the most sought after B-Schools has ended or can I say finally culminated and bore fruit with only a single but formidable B-School convert. So puys here goes a story of another engineering moron who wanted to pursue management as a post-graduate course.
I can still vividly recollect life after my second year in engineering. Unusal jargon/language began to flow around in my friends circle. "GRE" screamed one of them, "MS" the other.., some of them said "M.Tech" and the newspapers said "MBA". "What the hell is going on..!" I wondered.. From then on trickled down the notions of a post-graduate course. Some of my friends were already on the hunt for M.Tech in IIT's and NIT's by joining the usual coaching centers. I used to tell them or shall I say soothe them by asking whether such hardwork was required. "I need to try" said one and "My goal is that" said the other. I thought that a technical-knowledge oriented course was not my cup of tea..!
I passed some days in the summer doing nothing great and due to some unusual circumstances landed myself at a coaching center out of nowhere. "What am I doing here..?" I wondered. During the one month GRE coaching I got to know about the basics of Quant and Verbal sections. I was pretty good at Quant but complex english words were something I was never used to in my previous life. I completed reading the famous 'Norman Lewis' book which has all the fundamental words of complex english usage. Slowly I became obsessed with these words and an uncanny feeling for devouring more words took center stage for me. I completed all words given in the institute material. So now was the time to test what I had learnt. Time to book a slot on the internet for GRE..! College reopened after summer and I was into my usual preparation of exams. I got diverted so much that I never found time to write GRE..ya..you read it right..! Somehow the auspicious day never arrived for me to book a slot and write GRE..!
Fast forward six months and once again I find myself at the cross-roads of my career. It was december '06 and I was running out of time. I had to take a decision fast and this time I again find myself at a coaching center.., albiet a different one, for CAT. So began my chase for a B-School convert.
Fast forward another 5 months and mock and AIMCAT's started and from then on almost every sunday I ended up writing a Mock or an AIMCAT. I considered an AIMCAT to be a platform for testing what I had learnt in that week. I knew that AIMCAT performances mattered because they reflect your All India standings every week. Starting with AIMCAT 0820 I tried to improve my performance with each AIMCAT. For the first three AIMCAT's my percentile was hovering around 85-90 percentile range. When I first crossed the 90 percentile range I felt that I had the ability in myself to do more. I was able to score consistently well in Quant and Verbal. From AIMCAT's 0820 to 0814 I scored the highest of 96.xx percentile. Then one sunday followed an AIMCAT performance that was a quintessence of time mismanagement. I spent unusually high time on verbal section and spent very less time on DI, the section I feared the most. When I checked the AIMCAT scores I was shocked to say the least, I got a 99.xx percentile in VA which took me to heaven and when I saw my DI score I was back on earth, I scored a 1 out of 100. Yes..one single mark out of a hundred marks. I don't lucidly remember the AIMCAT but it was for 300 marks. I got a 42 out of 100 in verbal which fetched me 99.xx percentile and a 1 out of 100 in DI fetched me some horrible percentile in DI. I knew that DI was the section in which I needed to perform well if I had to do well in CAT. My scores were dipping from AIMCAT 0811 to 0807 and I got a very low percentile of 68.xx in one AIMCAT. "Where am I heading..?" I wondered. But I kept myself egging on. AIMCAT 0804 was conducted and I felt that I had done reasonably well after writing the paper. When I checked the key after coming out from the center I was getting 102 out of 300. When I checked the results later that week I got 108 out of 300 and a percentile of 98.xx. During the whole CAT preparation this was the highest score I got in any AIMCAT. But I could not keep up the same performance for the next three AIMCAT's. When I completed all my AIMCAT's I checked my AIMCAT scores again. I got a percentile of above 90 only for only 10 times out of 20.
All the while I was doing this I needed to concentrate on my semester exams so that my percentage wouldn't dip. I also prepared for campus placements and my CAT preparation slightly worked to my advantage here and I ended up with two job offers in my lap. November 18th was the D-day and from the start of Nov. I could not concentrate on CAT because of practical and theory exams etc. which hampered my performance. The D-day finally arrived and I completed my paper and handed it over to the invigilator. I couldn't make out anything of what I had written. I started with my strongest section, Quant, but it was supposedly the toughest section of CAT-07 paper. Then I shifted to Verbal and then to DI randomly. I wasn't able to answer a particular question when I picked it up which made me threw my strategy (that I built up during the AIMCAT's) to the winds. I knew that accuracy was more important than attempts during the exam. Half an hour was still remaining when I browsed through the entire paper again to see if I could answer any more questions. This half an hour was the crucial time because I was able to answer 4-5 questions correctly and these were from different sections. My attempts were like this.. Quant-10 DI-11 Verbal-12. So in a paper of 75 questions I just attempted 33 questions. "Very Low" I thought. But I knew that good accuracy could surely push me up the ladder.
One of the better things that happened to me during the last few days of CAT preparation was PagalGuy. When I joined PG I was literally shocked to see so many aspirants discussing each and every mock extensively. After extensive discussion of CAT-07 paper and all permutations and combinations of scores and institute cut-off's I was reasonably satisfied with QA but a bit apprehensive with my DI,VA scores. I thought I would end up with a score of 92. December '07 was one hectic month coz on almost all Sundays I wrote an exam.
Cometh second week of Jan and CAT results were announced. I didn't dare to see my scores through any other means except internet. But one of my friends called up and said that SMS was working fine. So I typed my TR no. and sent an SMS. Result came the next instant and voila..!
QA-96.76 VA-97.67 DI-77.23 OA-97.24
I was nothing short of a mixed bag of emotions. IIM key yet again proved leading coaching center key's wrong and I ended up with a score of 98.21. I scored my highest in VA and that made me happy. The smiley after my DI score above summed up my emotions then. DI yet again proved to be my nemesis.
Meanwhile a disaster performance in XAT showed up. got an SCMHRD call through SNAP and an NMIMS call through NMAT. Got kicked out from both the institutes at final stages and that is a different story all together..!
My DI score had not crossed the 80 percentile benchmark due to which I was out of reckoning for MDI and IIM-Shillong. NITIE's cut-off was 98.22 and so my hopes went for a toss. So it was either IMT-G for me or nothing..After my GD-PI for IMT-G I started to come more frequently on SB where I made some of my best friends on PG. "All is Well" I thought. Controversy strikes and I receive a jolt. I do not want to raise the issue again and tell you puys as to what actually happened and who was responsible. But I would like to say Thank You to all the puys who stood by me when I wasn't there on PG.
Fast Forwa