By: Abhishek Desai
It entirely depends upon you if you are prepared to drop a year or not. For example, a fresher can afford to take a year’s gap and prepare well next time whereas someone who has given the exam(s) multiple times may or may not be able to do so once again.
Two years ago, I went through this very predicament of taking a drop once again upon not getting admission in a good college. But I knew that it would be much better for me and my career to pursue an MBA/PGDM from a reputed college only. Hence, I decided to take another year’s drop and prepare much better for the entrance exams. I took up a job in an IT company which not only allowed me to earn some money, but also enhance my CV by acquiring the work experience factor. So you can take the same path as that of mine or maybe take up an internship (part-time/full-time) or freelance in doing something which you genuinely like to do. Just ensure you do not waste an entire year studying only since these exams generally do not require 3 – 6 hours of daily, diligent study. To utilize a year’s gap, students can do one or many of these activities as per their wish: internships, working full-time somewhere (unless it doesn’t hamper your studies), taking part in social work-based activities, freelancing, completing valid certification courses, to name a few.
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Also at low scores, it’s nearly impossible to get into a good college. Though you can do some thorough research about any prospective college(s) by reading placement reports and student reviews wherever available if you are still willing to go there. Taking admission in colleges accepting low scores is surely a risk since there are high chances of one not getting an overall good learning exposure during those two years of pursuing MBA as well as ending up with a mediocre job offer. And trust me, the pride in telling the world that you are pursuing your MBA from a prestigious college is an incredible feeling altogether which, unfortunately, isn’t possible by pursuing MBA from an average college. Hence, refrain as far as possible from taking admission into a college that accepts low scores.
A coveted degree such as MBA is usually done only once in life, so it is pretty obvious to do only from an esteemed college.
About the Author:
Abhishek Desai is currently pursuing Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) in e-Business from Welingkar Institute of Management. He has done his Summer Internship in the field of Market Research with 'TimesofMoney'. He's also served as 'Secretary of the Green Committee' at Welingkar.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
Yes. IIMB does require the CAT exam, but the rest of the top B-schools in Bangalore also take in candidates through the state-level CET, ie, the Karnataka PGCET exam, or through MAT or CMAT.
Top B-schools in Bangalore without CAT | Cutoffs Required |
|---|---|
26690 | |
29592 |
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
IIM Calcutta has only mentioned accepting GMAT score for admission into EMBA courses.
However, CAT is commonly accepted by other similar institutes for both MBA and MBAEx courses. Thus, candidates are advised to ask admission desk for confirmation on this question.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
It is not possible to determine a candidate's admission in IIM Calcutta MBA course through CAT score alone. In Stage 1, a score 85% in CAT will be enough for a general category candidate to be selected for PI+WAT admission stage.
Final admission cutoffs are based on many factors other than CAT score.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
No, IIM Calcutta cannot get into MBA courses without appearing CAT first. CAT is a mandatory entrance exam and it is conducted every year for admissions into all MBA courses offered by this institute.
However, candidates who are applying for MBAEx course will be required to appear in GMAT for admissi
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
To get a seat at IFMR Chennai, students have to first appear for any one of the entrance exams accepted by the institute for the MBA/PGDM course admission. CAT, XAT, NMAT, CMAT, Andhra Pradesh ICET, IPAMT and SAT India are the entrance exams accepted by this institute for admission to the management
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
No, you cannot use the CAT score for direct admission to the MBA/PGDM course at this university.
You would need to first appear for the CAT entrance exam, and then get shortlisted for the PI and or GD rounds to be considered for a seat. Since the CAT cutoff is not released publicly, the closest esti
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
The Vishwakarma University CAT cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM course for the All India quota.
For the General AI category, the estimated Vishwakarma University MBA cutoff 2025 was 50. Students who gained this percentile are then eligible to enter the second round of admission
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
The National Institute of Bank Management Cutoff 2026 for General AI category in CAT exam is 80.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
No, you cannot use the CAT exam result for direct admission to the MBA/PGDM course at AIMS Institutes, Bangalore.
The college accepts the CAT, XAT and MAT exam results for admission to the management programme. Students have to first attain the qualifying cutoff percentiles and then sit in the select
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Candidates applying for admission in MBA at IIM Raipur should have qualified the CAT exam. Check below the application fee of CAT:
- INR 2,300 for general category students
- INR 1,150 for SC/ST/PwD students
R
Contributor-Level 10