5 reasons to kick-start your CAT preparation Now!
Few investments in your life have the same potential payoff as an investment in your education. Investing in a good degree while you’re young will pay off in higher earnings throughout your career. But what if I told you there’s another time and energy investment you can make right now that will pay off handsomely: CAT
Investing the time now to prepare for and take the CAT exam, and achieving a high score, has the potential to yield a huge payoff in the form of admission to a top business school.
sceptics will say every year, roughly two lakh aspirants compete for a few thousand seats at top business schools. Those who make it to the final list are the deserving lucky ones, but there are so many who do not. This is bound to make the majority of aspirants nervous, which is understandable; what if I don’t make it? Will the effort be worthwhile? What will I gain from studying so hard if I don’t pass the exam?
To counter this argument made by the naysayers let me tell you two stories about two persons who showed the courage to prepare for a competitive exam once upon a time
The President
After graduating in law from DAV College, Kanpur Ram Nath Kovind came to Delhi to prepare for the civil services examination. He passed this exam on the third attempt, but he did not join because he had only scored high enough to work in an allied service rather than in IAS and thus started practicing law. And today he is the 14 President of India.
The journalist
All of us have heard his name, the famous journalist and television personality from India, who has recently been bestowed with the Ramon Magsaysay Award. He too had appeared for the civil services exam but couldn’t clear it. The knowledge which he had gained during the preparations has helped him outshine as a journalist. Yes, I’m talking about Mr Ravish Kumar.
The premise might have been different for both of them. But the Honorable President and Mr Ravish Kumar are not exceptions. There are scores of people like them who have done exceptionally well despite not having fared well in a competitive exam.
Not getting selected in any competitive exam is not equivalent to failing. In any competition, there is a process of selection and not rejection. Life without setbacks will be insipid and tasteless. So all you CAT-o-Sapiens out there here are the 5 reasons to kick start your CAT preparation NOW.
Start now – while you’re sharp and you’ve time to prepare
You may have recently graduated and begun working, or you may be in your final year of college. It will only become more difficult once you have graduated and your hard-earned math and verbal skills have become rusty. Furthermore, your mind is much more malleable now than it will be in the future. You’re in peak learning mode right now, so grasping key CAT concepts will be easier for you now rather than later.
And if you’re still in college then you should immediately start your CAT preparation. Believe me, once you get into the working world, your time will be even more limited. Part of the advantage of preparing for CAT now is that it’s much easier to fit CAT Preparation into your schedule now versus once you’re clocking full-time job hours (Believe me it will take every ounce of your being : P).
It helps in holistic development
Going for an MBA is about more than just the exam scores; there are several other factors to consider as well. The first step is to perform well on the CAT exam. Selection into the top colleges of one’s choice is based on factors such as interview performance, experience, academic records, and the right fit for the sector. Those who binge-prepare for a short period of time risk becoming overly focused on the academic aspects. Those who are going for a longer period of time can work on other developmental activities.
They can gain a better understanding of factors by reading novels and other books. They can read articles to improve their general knowledge, which will be useful in group discussions and writing tests. They can gain a deeper understanding of various aspects of a business, such as marketing, human resources, and finance.
A good CAT score shows that you mean business
One of the most advantageous aspects of taking the CAT exam is that it demonstrates your dedication to business schools. Preparing for and taking the CAT demonstrates to schools that you are serious about a business career and are not considering other graduate school options. Your CAT score highlights and demonstrates your mastery of the skills most important in any business classroom or career, such as logical reasoning, problem solving, and critical reasoning.
Furthermore, employers value it. CAT scores are sometimes considered by recruiters from top investment banking and management consulting firms during the hiring process.
It gives you the option to flirt with multiple ideas
Things are never static because the average age of CAT aspirants is between 21 and 29. Ideas and aspirations change on a regular basis in this age group. If one takes a short to medium term preparation period, one is almost bound to the idea because there is less time to adapt to the unanticipated changes.
During the course of a year’s preparation, one can always look into other related ideas. One might ditch the idea altogether. Alternatively, one could take a related exam such as the GMAT. Another possibility is that the student is genuinely well-prepared but still chooses a campus placement, even if it is a really good one. A working professional may abandon the concept simply because he or she receives the desired promotion or an appealing company switch.
A longer time span allows for more leeway in experimenting. An MBA will be required eventually, but the urgency can be worked out.
It will help you in all walks of life
The knowledge gained through CAT preparation provides a completely new perspective on life, regardless of the occupation chosen. In a nutshell, there are numerous opportunities, and you can plan for fallback options as part of your CAT Preparation journey to account for the possibility of not clearing the exam.
Always remember, that if you are not chosen for a career in management, then you would be chosen for something different and much more apt for your skill-set. The moot point is to be ready to seize that opportunity and preparation for the exam is a mechanism to prepare yourself for that. So, just dive in and enjoy the preparation stage and watch how it evolves you into a much more mature individual.
Very often it is said that CAT is the mother of all aptitude exams. However, we believe that LIFE is the mother of all exams. One can fail in exams like CAT but not in life. You must take your CAT preparations as a phase in life and not as your life.
I will end this blog with one of my favorite quotes from one of my heroes – “Prepare for the exam like everything depends on it but write the exam as nothing depends on it”.
Best wishes for CAT 2022 folks!
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