CAT 2013 results: Cracked it, but marred by poor academic records

Ipsita Sarkar Gupta | shiksha.com

What could be a CAT aspirants’ biggest tragedy? A score of 99 percentile or above but poor academic records in Class X and XII. “Guess what? I got above 99 percentile. But not expecting a single call from IIM-Ahmedabad, Bangalore or Calcutta. Why? I got 60% in 12^th,” says a candidate on a popular MBA forum.

What are the viable options for such candidates?

“History cannot be changed. What you scored in Class X or XII will stay. So while the IIMs may not shortlist you, there are a few other good B-Schools that can choose you just on the basis of CAT scores – FMS and MDI being some of them,” says Ankur Agarwal from Endeavour Careers.

Reiterating similar views, IMS Learning’s Vinayak Kudwa says, “There are many other top management colleges a student with good CAT score but poor academics can target. Chalk a list of top colleges and see which colleges have reduced focus (as compared to other colleges) on past academic records.”

According to Shiksha expert Surya Prakash Singh, IIM Calcutta alum, “You may get shortlisted by SP Jain (CAT score shortlist), or FMS, MDI and IMT. But then, the key is to perform really well in round two – Written Ability Test, Group Discussion and Personal Interview.”

Here are some colleges you can seek admission to:

• Faculty of Management Studies (FMS)
• S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research
• Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS)
• Management Development Institute (MDI)
• National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai
• Institute of Management Technology - IMT
• Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA)