Updated on July 21, 2016
So you want to bell the CAT, this November, and enter into the prestigious B-schools like IIMs, JBIMS, XLRI and MDI? But you have several questions about entrance test preparations and life at B-School?
Who better to answer these questions than the CAT toppers themselves, who are now studying at top B-school!
India's leading management portal MBAUniverse.com presents its series 'Road to CAT 2008' which will guide and inspire CAT aspirants at every stage. In this series, begin with a chat with students from top B-schools on their journey, and life at B-school. The B-school students that we interviewed for this series are from institutes like IIM-B, IIM-I, IIM-K, JBIMS, FMS Delhi and IIT Bombay's SJMSOM.
MBAUniverse.com presents chat with Prateek Gupta, student of Post Graduate Programme in Management at IIM Indore, where he shares with MBAUniverse.com her experience while into IIM-I, and campus life.
Q- What is the importance of 'preparation' for a candidate wanting to crack management entrance exams like CAT, XAT and others? How important was preparation in your personal journey to your campus?
A- Though I agree that aptitude plays a vital role in cracking entrance exams, but I believe that a good plan for preparation is a must in this regard. Preparation played a very significant role in my journey. I always believed in putting regular dedicated efforts towards my goal. I started my journey by drafting a plan of action for my studies. This really helped me in being regular to my studies and motivated me further to achieve arduous targets. I also did regular assessment of my capabilities and changed the plan according to the needs.
Q- How did you prepare for management entrance exams like CAT, XAT and other exams? Please elaborate.
A- I started my preparation by evaluating various alternative coaching institutes. After careful analysis I joined one of them. The institute helped me in assessing my strong and weak areas. I started to work a lot on my weaknesses and at the same time worked hard on my strengths so that I can leverage them in exam. I also formed a group with my college friends to share the material and knowledge that each one of us had. We met weekly and discussed each other's problems. This group really helped each member in improving upon his/her weaknesses. I think that was a great example of peer to peer learning. 2 months before the CAT, I joined all India test series which helped me in evaluating myself at the national level. My competitive scores and the difficulty level in the test series motivated me to work harder. I kept my calm and patience during the exam, and got the reward for my sustained efforts in the form of admission in one of the best b-schools of the country.
Q- Did you enrol into a coaching or test-prep institute? How did it help?
A- Yes, I joined a coaching institute for my preparation. I think most crucial element of any preparation is the effort that an individual puts in towards his goal. Focussing in the right direction is also very important for the efforts to bear the fruits. This is where the role of coaching institute comes in. It first helps in giving the right direction to the applicants. Then it helps in making their efforts regular and in line with their goals.
My coaching institute also gave the right direction to my efforts. It helped me in refreshing my basics and at the same time, made me regular in my studies.
Q- How should an aspirant choose the right test-prep institute? What should be the parameters for making this choice?
A- First of all, an aspirant should look at his/her own strengths and weaknesses and decide on what kind of requirements he/she has. Then he/she should evaluate various alternative institutes available. There are various parameters to judge the institutes like past success rate, personalised attention, batch size, feedback from past students, faculty, course material, fees, flexibility in batch change, doubts sessions, personalised sessions, efficiency of back office, brand name, location, etc. There can be many more of these parameters but one should choose and give importance to parameters depending upon his/ her requirements. Interacting with past students and faculty is a very important source of information and helps to a very large extent in choosing the right institute.
Q- How is life in a top B-school from a student's point of view? What are some highs and lows!
A- Life here is very interesting as we face new challenges almost daily. It is full of uncertainties and we need to be on our toes to meet the deadlines. There are daily assignments, case studies, surprise quizzes, competitions, events, etc to keep us busy. In the beginning this all looks very hectic but after a while one gets used to these things happening around. There are occasions where you feel that this is your maximum limit of working but soon you realise that the limit could be stretched beyond your imagination. Once we learn the art of managing time, then we can take out time for other things such as sports, movies, games, etc. These all things prepare us well to deal with the real pressure situations that we would be facing in the corporate world.
Road to CAT '08 special series will continue on India's leading management portal – MBAUniverse.com. Stay tuned to read more Chats with MBAs, expert admission advice from B-school Directors and from top test-prep experts.
To read our earlier chats with CAT toppers, click on the links below:
http://www.mbauniverse.com/aspirantNews.php?id=1203
http://www.mbauniverse.com/innerPage.php?id=ne&pageId=1226
http://www.mbauniverse.com/newsFortnight.php?id=ne&pageId=1232
http://www.mbauniverse.com/newsFortnight.php?id=ne&pageId=1238
