Grinded into the dust

Read the preparatory post @ With No Preparation
My Workplace @ WizIQ Learner's Blog

My dreams were smashed to smithereens yesterday when I had logged in to check my CAT 2011 result. I sat for the top notch entrance exam few months back as the first customary step to fulfill my dream of getting into the best B-school in India. Cracking CAT is the first step towards chasing your MBA dream as it paves way into one of the best management institutes of the country, the Indian Institutes of Management or IIM’s. 

Around 1.85 lakh candidates took the test over a 20-day testing window across 36 cities from mid-October out of which nine were successful enough to secure 100 percentile in the Common Admission Test this year. And, here I’m licking the dust all around. I never thought of making it into this year coveted list except in my dreams where I thought God blessing me with HIS supreme powers and getting me an easy access to the IIM’s. Yet the dismal of not being selected vex me. 

licking the dust all around

This post contains the autopsy report that I prepared to know about my weakest links and areas that I needed to improve if I want myself into one of those Mecca of management studies in India. After going through various CAT coaching websites after the initial CAT exam I speculated of getting something around 80-85 percentile but then destiny had some other plans for me and I hardly managed to get somewhat around 70 percentile. A 10 percentile steep fall startled me completely and compelled me to diagnose my footfalls. 

Failures are stepping stone to success

The gravest mistake I happen to commit was not getting enrolled for any mock tests provided by almost every coaching institute. I had my own reservations behind that but at last it’s the end results that matters the most, where unfortunately my technique collapsed. To every CAT aspirants please before the actual test sit for some mock tests that may eventually help you in easing out the pressure and letting you know about your preparedness for the CAT. Mock tests make you learn from your mistakes and ensure that you don’t commit them in future.

Secondly, I scored badly in Data interpretation (DI) where the certainty of having more than one close answer dilapidated me completely. For solving questions on DI accurately one must fully get himself versed with all sorts of graphs, schemes, plans, etc. Nothing else other than practice can save your sinking boat . The busy schedule of engineering tolled with major project in the last semester proved a big hindrance to my path towards achieving mastery at DI. But excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. Consistent practice increases the accuracy and speed needed to improve this section that comes through lot of practice papers. 

Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure

Thirdly, the Quantitative section though junior classes based still needs a thorough understanding of mathematical formulas.  Lack of practice made it harder for me to recall the important formulas when I needed them the most. Adding to the mayhem were the close options the question paper contains where judging the answer closely won’t matter until you bang on the target. I never understood how the psychometric analysis works while differentiating a closed option from the correct one. In any case it’s always better to go for the right option than for a closed one. I guess that in my case the majority answers clicked were closed but not correct. 

even an ant works hard to get her food

Lastly, passion is great for cracking the CAT yet a strong dedication and commitment which comes from regular and discipline study are vital  prerequisite for good score. One must study for around 2 hours a day continuously to get ones foot set before the D-day. I know it' gets really hard for working professionals to dugout time from there busy schedule but then I cannot have everything served to me directly in my mouth; even an ant works hard to get her food.  You take out time, study daily, prepare well and make it to IIM’s.

Isn’t that simple? 

I won’t get disillusioned by this year debacle of mine at CAT as they say, “Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom.” Will surely learn from my past mistakes and try to put afar the dark clouds looming over me.

Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom

With No Preparation

Here comes the 28^th of this month and I will sit for one of the top notch entrance exams of the country. Yeah, majority of you guys would have guessed it right, its Common Admission Test widely known as the CAT. Cracking CAT is the first step towards chasing your MBA dream as it paves way into one of the best management institutes of the country, the Indian Institutes of Management or IIM’s. 

You might be thinking so what’s the big deal in that, every year lakhs of students sit for few management seats across the country in hope of making it into one of the IIM’s. But then it’s not about everyone, it’s about me. I have been blessed with a prophecy since birth that nothing will go smooth and in a planned way with me. And, CAT’11 is no exception to it. 

Family, friends and well-wishers bombarded me with their suggestions of first earning a good job after the engineering degree, gaining some expertise and experience and then finally switching the gear towards the MBA. But all those suggestions fell on deaf ears; I was least interested in their words. Then putting aside suggestions from fellow college-mates I filled the test date in the middle of festive week. 

And here I’m with no air of relief. The preparations haven’t been unto the desired level as it I’m in the battle field with no arms and ammunition's. Making the matter worse are the chances of change in the test centre. 

So, here comes the 28^th laughing all the way and here I sit cramping. 

Note: I’m sorry for not been consistent with my posts. The pre-placement tests, major projects, entrance exams and final year are keeping me all busy these days. Yet blogging is not a hobby but a passion for me and so I couldn’t keep much distance from it for a long time.