Practice and nothing else to get into a top MBA institute
In the last MBAUniverse.com interview of Amey Mashilkar (http://www.mbauniverse.com/admission_2009_coverage.php?id=1815), we saw how he grabbed the eye balls of all IIMs and received group discussion and personal interview calls by all the six Indian Institute of Management institutes without taking any help from the CAT test preparation institutes. His score of 99.14 percentile fetched him final admission offers by three of the top MBA institutes in India. Amey has really set an example for the MBA aspirants who will be appearing for CAT 2009.
The following is an interview with Amey Mashilkar on his success in the final stage of belling the CAT exam.
Q: Which are the MBA institutes that short listed you for GD PI and offered you final admissions?
A: I was short listed for GD PI by IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode and Lucknow. I was offered final admission by three popular MBA institutes; IIM Bangalore, Calcutta and Kozhikode.
Q: Which is the MBA institute that you have decided to take admission and why?
A: I decided to take admission in IIM Bangalore as it has an excellent curriculum.
Q: Which test prep institute did you go to? How did you make the selection? How should CAT 2009 aspirants make this decision?
A: I did not join any coaching for CAT 2008 but went to both T.I.M.E and IMS for GD PI coaching. Both offer coaching for GD PI at reasonable prices and it is good to join both for diverse insights.
Q: With just over 6 months to go, what is your advice to CAT 2009 aspirants?
A: I cleared CAT in my first attempt without coaching. So if I can, even you can! Start with the weakest section first and then move on to the stronger sections for preparation as well as in actual exams.
Q: As you are aware, CAT 2009 will be a computer-based test. In your view, how does this change the exam?
A: Nothing much changes according to me except the need for familiarity of such exams and practice as also the reading comprehension in verbal section.
Q: What is your take on this new format?
A: I am a bit apprehensive about the percentile system if every group of 10,000 attempts a different paper. Also it fails to solve the purpose since now the faculty members of the IIMs will have to set almost 3,000 questions instead of 100, which would take up as much amount of time as was utilized for supervision at the CAT exams.
Q: Are you happy that you did not have to appear for this format or you feel that CBT form would have been better for you?
A: I am happy to have made it to the coveted IIMs in my first attempt itself and got call from one of the top MBA institutes. CBT or no CBT what else could I have asked for?
Q: What should aspirants do to adjust to this new format?
A: Practice and nothing else to get into a top MBA institute.
