IIM Ahmedabad - Indian Institute of Management Vastrapur Answered Questions

Prepare well for CAT. Hard work is the only way to get a decent percentile in CAT. I would suggest you to join a coaching center and religiously follow their guidelines if you are not self motivated enough. Otherwise, get your basics right and then go for mocks for practice.

Yes, they do. Do understand that IIM A students usually have stellar academics. A good academics (relatively) become average academics with this peer group. So, a poor academics will become even poorer (relatively) which might be a huge downer for such firm's shortlisting.

Join any CAT coaching center and get your basics cleared. After going through the basic reading materials, you can graduate to more advanced practice by going for more advanced time based sectional mocks. Do understand that CAT is a test against time also. Just having the right know how is not enough to clear CAT. Hence, practicing mocks is the most crucial part of CAT preparation. You can personalize this strategy according to your strength and weaknesses.

It would be preferred to gain some experience prior to an MBA because it helps you to get some hands-on experience before learning MBA. You can co-relate the learning during MBA with your actual work experience. If you have a lucrative MBA offer then I would suggest you to not let go, otherwise get some experience and do an MBA.