Students' Speak: A low score is not the end of dreams of getting into a good B-school

By: Nimisha Sharma

If the candidate is not able to clear the CAT exam, he/she should not lose confidence in oneself as it can hamper their performance in other exams.

Every year, CAT (Common Admission Test) takes place in November. Around 2-2.5 lakh applicants seeking admission in IIMs and other top B-schools. Generally entering into IIM’s require 98+ percentile (for general category) and 85+ percentile for other top 50 B-schools, but getting into IIM’s and other top B-schools is not the only option if someone is not able to achieve desired results. It’s not the end of dreams of getting into a good B-school. There are many good emerging B-schools which accept low score and help you get a good placement.

While preparing for entrance exams, the candidate should at least apply for 3-4 different exams (whose scores are widely accepted) rather than relying on CAT exam. Applying for different exams keeps your options open for admissions in good B-school and it gives another chance to the candidate who is not able to score good in CAT exam to score well in other exams. Candidates should not stop practicing the concepts which he/she has learned as usually all other exams are conducted after CAT. If the candidate is not able to clear the CAT exam, he/she should not lose confidence in oneself as it can hamper their performance in other exams. The candidate might think of dropping a year and then preparing well for the exam for entering into top B-schools, but this advice is only suitable for candidates with work experience; who had worked for 1-3 years and want to join business school for a hike in salary. If you are a fresher then dropping a year is not that great an idea because no one can assure you that you will definitely score good marks in your next attempt. If somehow you take a drop and do not make it then it might leave a bad mark on your CV.

Candidate should consider his/her mock test scores which gives the best estimate of candidate’s preparation level prior filling the college’s admission forms. Candidate can select the colleges based on previous Placement Reports, NIRF rankings, Accreditation, Profile of Faculty, Alumni base, Management Development Programmes, International Exposure, etc. These all factors will provide the candidate information that how well the B-school is performing. Candidate also need to select the B-school based on yearly cut-off as every college has a different cut-off. Based on probable scores, he/she should list and target some 5-7 colleges which best suits the candidate. There are colleges which open its applications post CAT results, candidate can choose based on above factors which college suits the most, candidate should keep 2-3 colleges in his bucket and should read reviews of that college. A candidate should prefer to go with good brands which accepts on low scores but provides good placements and have very good faculty base. Some examples are IMI, IMT, IBS, NMIMS and SIBM. These colleges have a good reputation in the market.

A candidate should give himself/herself a year in order to prepare for any B-school entrance exam so that he/she can cover all the basics and learn all the concepts. In CAT or in any entrance exam speed is mandated, one should keep the pace high so as to clear the exam with good scores. Candidate should take various test series like AIMCAT’S, IMS, etc. for their online practice apart from regular classes. Taking online test series is a must for the candidate writing CAT exam, it helps to give a feel to the candidate, moreover makes him aware about the pressure which the candidate may face while writing the exam.

About the Author:

Nimisha is a second-year student at IMI, Bhubaneswar. She is currently a member of the Corporate Relations team at IMI Bhubaneswar wherein she deals with campus placements. She has also presented a research paper at an international conference.