I know this has been a while coming but to me it made sense get a complete hang of the how the crisis is going to unfold and its implications before venturing an opinion. By now I have received enough and more queries to know what the major & minor concerns and the main decision-making conundrums are. So, let’s jump right in.
Placements — It is all about the economy!
The first and immediate concern is the summer placements — they usually happen right at the end of the first trimester will that be happening, will they be delayed, or will they not happen at all.
Well, they might be delayed a bit for since the start itself has been delayed and whether the quality will suffer or not depends completely on the economy.
From all the sources the news in the short-term is not looking good at all. The period from now till mid or late next year is going to be a pretty rough ride. Internationally, another financial sector crisis like the sub-prime crisis is looming and unless there is a bailout the signs are ominous. So yeah, summer placements are going to be badly affected.
But given that the conditions are anything from normal, a below par summer-placement will not adversely affect your resume since everyone will be more or less sailing in the same boat. This prognosis has nothing to do with the lockdown since work-from-home is now more or less a standard practice.
But when it comes to final placements the predictions seem more sanguine, at least based on the survey of the CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies.
On the most important parameters — economic activity and capital expenditure — more than 3/4th predict that by 2022 will be the year things will bounce back.
So the placements for those graduating in 2022 placements should not be a major worry.
Which schools are safe?
Most of the queries that I am getting are revolving around which schools are absolutely safe and which ones are a risky bet. Well, it does not quite pan out that way.
What happens when the economy is good?
Firms hire in large numbers and things can get so desperate between firms during placements that some might even decide to drop entire rounds so that they at least get the candidates who have cleared the rounds so far, lest they join competitors.
It goes without saying that in such a situation many people end up getting their dream jobs or may be even jobs beyond their dreams and many otherwise solid firms go back empty-handed.
What happens when the economy is bad?
Firms hire in fewer numbers than usual and run a really fine-toothed comb through the candidates (both through resumes and during the interviews).
Otherwise sure-shot candidates for a job might lose out on their dream roles because the firm is recruiting in fewer numbers and at the other end many mid-sized and even super-small firms get a chance to recruit from the topmost firms (IMS was invited and went to recruit from IIM-A in 2009, the subprime crisis hit in 2008).
In that sense all the top-schools — Old IIMs, MDI, NITIE, FMS, XL, SPJIMR, IIFT-D, NMIMS, SIBM, SCMHRD, XIM-B, MICA, TISS, IITs, new IIMs, are more or less in the same bracket — one school is no safer than the other — a bulk of each school’s usual recruiters will turn up but recruit in fewer numbers, and a few new firms will get a chance to be a part of placements.
If you are likely to be in the top 100 profiles of your batch in any of the top 30 schools, you are very safe.
A bad placement in a crisis year does not sound a death knell to your career
Rewinding back to 2009, the IMS office was swarming with MBAs from the old IIMs, NM, and other schools but within two years all of them moved on to their preferred jobs, and are now working with firms such as Amazon (remember graduating in 2009 is like graduating in 2021 not 2022).
What you have to realise is that given the 10-year boom & busts cycles in businesses, every trough is followed by a crest and the net demand for MBAs evens out.
Top firms recruit throughout the year and not just during campus placements. So they will not wait for campus placements to come around when the economy picks up, they will recruit people off-campus and later pick up people from campus too.
Won’t an online trimester dilute the experience?
Yes, an online trimester will dilute the experience but this is an exceptional year and this is a problem that affects not just you but every single candidate with an admit from Harvard as well and other life situations as well — I am sure people have had weddings over the past few months that are far different from what they imagined it would be like!
So yeah, it is not perfect but it is not a deal-breaker.
The real question is should they reduce the fee in the event of one of the trimesters being online — YES — will they — NO.
Should you consider deferring to take another shot
The only reason to defer is if you want to be absolutely certain without an iota of doubt about the health of the economy when you are graduating. In that case, graduating in 2023 will be the safest option.
Freshers and those who have less than 2 years of work experience and a good job in hand can consider deferring their admit if you feel you want the safety of graduating in 2023.
Those with more than 2 years of work-ex will end up going in with 3 to 4 years of work-ex, which is slightly on the higher side when compared to the mean of 22-24 months. So you are better off joining right now when your work-ex is in the sweet spot for Indian 2-year programs.
The things to read before considering quitting and/or retake
The pandemic and the fears around it can lead you to consider options that you would not have considered before — quitting your job and retaking, retaking for A-B-C etc.
Quitting your job is not a deal-breaker but you need to know the ramifications and the things you need to do if you quit — https://thecatwriter.com/2017/03/10/should-i-my-job-to-prepare-for-cat/
Retaking should also be done by asking yourself the right questions; you must not retake because of fear of the pandemic, you should ask the right questions as if it were a normal year — https://thecatwriter.com/2020/02/17/to-re-take-or-not-to-re-take-the-cat-3/
Retaking for the A-B-C or nothing is not worth it at all except in a very narrow range of cases, I will do a post on that soon. The biggest thing about a retake as you would know is your ability to nail the test again.
The next year will test everyone — professionals, businesses, governments, labourers, economists — and the people who will succeed are those who can keep a calm head about themselves, do the best they can, not panic, and stay patient — exactly what you need to do when you run into rough weather, whether on sea or up in the air because as of now everything is truly up in the air.
The CAT Writer 
Sir which would be better option, enrolling in NIBM Pune or defer to take another shot for more better options. Please suggest.
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Hi Sir,
I am a GEM with 24 months of workex in a big 4 firm as a consultant. I am thinking of quitting my job as consulting is an arduous job and I need in excess of 99.5 to even be eligible for calls from old IIMs. I am scoring in the 93-97 bracket as of now in SIMCATs, and need to push it to 99+. How wise is it to quit my job? I feel that I have no shot at old IIMs without a very high percentile, and no shot at a high percentile with my work keeping me engaged.
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Hi Rajat,
Since you have two years of work-ex at the time of applying, it is okay to quit your job since the incremental gain for one more year of work-ex is not high at all.
I have had quite a few students who have taken a gap year and gotten into the old IIMs. It is not a big risk, I feel the bigger risk is being stuck in the job and not cracking it the next time around.
So ahead and do it. Just google should I quit my job to prepare for CAT and you will find my post there. It explains things in detail.
All the best!
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Hii Tony sir,
I’m Sagar from IMS Varanasi.
I saw in the LMTC.
I remember, you recommended us to solve sudoku.
Ahh…since then I’m solving it and I also hold a my personal record of 1 minute 35 seconds 🙈.
Anyway, coming to the point.
My academics are 91.2/84/60.
I completed BA from BHU in 2019.
I appeared in CAT 19 and as of now I’ve cleared IIM Jammu.
Also I’m being wait listed in Bodh Gaya, Raipur, Kashipur and Ranchi HRM.
Not very optimistic about the conversion.
Can you please take me out of the dilemma whether I should join IIM Jammu or I should give another shot (CAT20).
Yes, I’m confident for another attempt but I will be having gap of 2 years by then and still no work ex.
I’d really appreciate your suggestion.
Thanks 😊
(P.S. EWS Category)
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Hi Sagar,
Awesome job with the Sudoku timing.
I would suggest joining now and not going in with a 2-year gap and since the job scene seems bleak it is a big risk.
IIM-Jammu — As long as you are positive and will play an active part in the batch, you should be able to get a decent break for your profile
All the best!
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What a lucid way to explain things, providing data and calming aspirants during pandemic. This writing style is a very under-rated trait one can possess, that no one talks about before entering a top-15/20 B-school.
Kudos to you sir. Your blogs are really helpful.
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Glad the post did what it was supposed to and that you find the rest of posts helpful.
I think if the objective is clear and there is clarity in the thought process, the writing style will easily follow.
All the best!
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Hi Sir,
I’m Nitish from IMS Deccan.
My academics are 88/75/70 and got a score of 89 percentile in CAT.
Sometimes ago I got an offer from IIT Jodhpur for a course of Tech MBA program.
I am interested in the course because it aligns with my interests, but the problem is that its their very first batch .
So sir, should I wait for another year to get a better college or should I go with this program.
I would really appreciate your suggestion.
Thanks
( P.S. I am GEM with work ex of a year in family business)
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Hi Nitish,
The answer is simple if it is one of the top 30 programs in the country join it, else take another shot.
All the best!
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Hello sir
This is going to be little long so please forgive me for that
I am admirer of your patience as over 2 years I have seen you reply each of us.God Bless you.
Coming to my problem
X-80%
XII-87%
Graduation-49%
Chartered Accountancy- 53%
Work ex-5 Years (Till June 2020)
I am 30 Years old , Chartered Accountant, getting around 60k in hand in a small CA Firm
Over past 2 Years, I have given CAT, I scored 85 and 89%. This year there was couple of IIM who iniiatlly selected me but I could not get into WAT/PI round, best result was being waitlisted at IIM Vishakhapatnam (WL-1152) but seats their is almost filled and chances are very less for conversion.
Now being 30 Years old, should i give CAT2020 another chance or should I leave behind my MBA dream? Will my age be a factor against me ? Should I concentrate my efforts at GMAT ? If yes then will working in a small CA firm as work ex be a problem ?
Kind sir , please be very frank in letting me know of my best course of action
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Hi Animesh,
Good to meet someone who appreciates the work that goes into running the blog.
Your profile will very much be an outlier profile in a 2-year program since 5 years of work-ex is quite high.
You will be better off looking at the Indian 1-year MBA programs via the GMAT.
So yeah, you do not need not give up on your MBA dream by any stretch. Realistic programs will be the 1-year ones at SPJIMR, XL, GLIM; IIMs and ISB will be a bit aspirational (some of the IIMs should be possible)
All the best!
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Sir, I am an integrated law graduate, graduated in 2019. I gave CAT 2019 but managed to score just about 83%ile, though I scored well in SNAP and have converted SIIB Pune. I’m not entirely up for joining the college and thinking if I should give another shot at CAT 2020. What would be your suggestion ?
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Hi,
Please go through this post.
https://thecatwriter.com/2020/02/17/to-re-take-or-not-to-re-take-the-cat-3/
All the best!
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Hello Sir
I am BA graduate ( completed on december 2018)
therefore have a gap of approx. 2 years with no job ex
XII – 83%
X – 86%
Grad – 59%
CAT 2019 – 76.91% It wasn’t my honest attempt, because of my fear as I am weak in English.
Converted – IMT Nagpur
Sir I am very confused between taking it or not and in this year it really puts me in dilemma..
what is your suggestion sir?
your reply will be very helpful for me..
Thankyou
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Hi Konpal,
A three-year gap will be disastrous for your career I suggest joining now, IMT will you give decent breaks for your profile.
The reason you should retake is if you have a job in hand.
All the best!
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Hi Sir,
Thanks for the post.
I am Kanika and I took CAT 2019. I got a call from IMT-G but,I feel that I can do better next year and land to a tier-1 college. I have 3 years of experience till now. So I am planning to take GMAT (for Indian Colleges) and CAT this year.
I really don’t feel like joining IMT, despite everybody asking me to go for it and to be frank I don’t even feel that I am in a dilemna.
Could you please share your opinion on this as well.
Regards,
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Hi Kanika,
IMT-G was a good school but am not sure any more given the huge batch size. You will be better off taking another shot than graduating in 2022, not an easy year, from a Tier-II school.
All the best!
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Thank you so much sir 🙂
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Hi Sir,
I graduated in 2017 as a Computer Engineer.I have one year work experience in IT.Post that i have been giving various MBA exams for 2 years now.I scored 98.86%ile in CET 2020. I have also converted Welingkar PGDM in Business Analytics.
Meanwhile during my second year of preparation i also did some Data Science and ML Courses and also have a keen interest in this field.So with 2 years of gap shall i join Welingkar Mumbai?Will it be a good option ?
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Hi Vishal,
My knowledge, unfortunately, is limited to the Top 30 programs, so I have no direct information (from students that is) on the quality of the outcomes of this program. You have to take a call on the basis of the stats they publish whether the outcomes are good enough for you.
Another gap year is definitely not advisable, take another shot if you can get a job while prepping for another shot.
All the best!
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Hello Sir,
IIM Trichy recently started their 1st batch of PGP HRM course, Should we consider joining it ?
* having No other calls
* Also No specific inclination towards any specialization
* Gap of 2 years
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Hi Kowshik,
You know that when you have no inclination towards any specialization you are essentially shooting in the dark.
So if you all you are looking for is a good break, if you are okay with the average package at IIM-T and trust that they will be able to get around the same figure for HR then go ahead and join the program.
Another attempt without work-ex might not be a great idea at all.
All the best!
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Hello sir. I graduated in 2019 and got calls from several new IIMs and am currently waitlisted for XLRI HRM & IIFT Kolkata. But converting those seem highly improbable. I have converted XIM-B. Should I take it this year ?
PS – I don’t have any work ex
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Hi Sushant,
Assuming that you have only XIM-B and no job in hand, it is not a bad idea to take it up. XIM-B is a decent college, my students who have gone there have had nice things to say. If you are okay with the firms that visit and the salaries they offer, go ahead and join.
All the best!
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Good evening Sir…
Sir, I’m very confused…
I need your guidance…
Sir, let me give you a little brief about my profile.
Here are my academic details
Academic details:
Btech: 2016 pass out with 82%
12th: completed in 2012 with 70%
10th: completed in 2010 with 90%
I completed my BTech in mechanical engineering in 2016. After that, I started preparation for UPSC, but I couldn’t clear it.
In the meantime, I started my own business which is a business of organizing events and I’m running this from the last 2 years.
Recently I gave cat and scored 84 percentile.
I converted to two colleges…
1) MBA at XIM, Bhubaneswar
2) PGDM Big Data Analytics at Goa Institute Of Management
Sir, I’m confused and scared after seeing this pandemic situation and not able to decide what to do, whether to join or not.
please sir if u can guide me
Thank you, Sir.
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Hi Abhishek,
It is not a easy situation to be in. XIM-B is a decent college and if you are okay with the firms that visit and the salaries they offer then you can go ahead and join.
Given the year you graduated in, unless you expect a dramatic jump in percentile that will help convert schools in a different league, it is better to join this year.
All the best!
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Hello Sir,
I am actually confused and need guidance.
My 10th score is 81.21% and 12th 64.14 followed by B.E. score 65.8%
Till today i have work Experience of 2.7 year.
I am bit confused whether i should opt for MBA course or go with the job only.But it is my dream to do MBA ,more work experience is stopping me ,Will you please suggest me.
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Hi Aishwarya,
Do you have an admission into an MBA program this year or are you planning to take the CAT this year?
Regards,
Tony
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Hello Sir,
I am planning to take cat this year.
Regards,
Aishwarya
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Sir can you please suggest.
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Hi Aishwarya,
I do not understand the problem. You have 2-7 years fo work-ex and there are enough and more people who have 3 plus years of work-ex and are in 2-year programs at the IIMs. I had a female applicant who had 4.5 years of work-ex and joined IIM-B.
So yeah, if you want to do an MBA then go ahead and give it a shot.
All the best!
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Hi sir
I am Rahul Mundada
I am in dilemma from last one month whether to join DMS IIT D MBA in Telecom or not
I am waitlisted ( WL 10 ) in EWS
My profile:- 94.15/87.23/7.71 (10th/12th/Btech)
I am graduated from COEP in 2018 & Now on 16th July work ex will be 24 months working in Sterlite Technologies in Operations Dept.
Last year CAT’19 I scored 95.87 (66.7/97.2/98.6) my first attempt (Verbal didn’t clear)
I converted NMIMS, IRMA & waitlisted in DMS IIT D
So whether should I join DMS or give one more attempt to land in Top 15 B schools with this profile & EWS category
PS:- I don’t want to wok in IT sector unless its last choice & In DMS last year around 30% placement is in IT Sector
& I got mixed reviews about DMS from their students
& As of Now i am not clear in which specialization I want to do MBA
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Hello Sir,
I am Mehul from Baroda. I am confused and need guidance.
My profile:
10th %ge is 81, 12th %ge is 61, Degree – B.E. Electrical (CGPA – 7.95)
WORK EX – 4 Yrs (Polycab), Profile – Sr Engineer (Technical & Design), Current CTC – 4.2 LPA
CAT Result: Overall -84.11 (NC-OBC)
I have converted IRMA & IIM Nagpur call this year. Last year also I appeared for CAT but won’t convert decent college.
Currently, I am working & I have a safe job. Is it worth going for two years MBA in this pandemic situation after 4 yrs of work ex or continue the job? Shall it be count as over work-ex and impact at the time of placement? Or should I think for a 1 yr executive MBA after these pandemic situations get normal?
If I have to choose between IRMA & IIM Nagpur which one is best according to my profile?
Kind sir, Please be very frank in letting me know of my best course of action.
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Hi Mehul,
I think you should take up the course at IIM-Nagpur since it will be able to give you the 2.5X times jump in salary and role as well.
As you rightly pointed out gathering more work-ex will reduce your options in a 2-yar program and 1-year programs are not yet that great or comparable to the 2-year programs.
Also, you have already given two attempts and a jump of at least 10 percentile is required yo make giving up a new or baby IIM worthwhile and I am not sure that is possible after two attempts unless you did not prepare at all and have a much higher potential than your percentile indicates. Even so, more work-ex will be counterproductive.
Since you asked me to be frank — if you were at an 8 to 10 LPA job then I would have maybe suggested otherwise since IIM-N might not be able to guarantee even a 2x jump in that case.
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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Hi Sir,
I am Abhishek
I am an IMS student from Cochin from batch 2019-20.
My acads are:
9.4 CGPA – 10th
80.4% – 12th
69.56% – B.Tech (2017)
I have a total of 16 months of experience in Engineering and Manufacturing
My exam score
CAT-19 – 76%ile (85/57/72)
XAT20 – 83% ile
SNAP – 92 %ile
I made it into SIIB – Pune for international business.
But due to the pandemic and the fact that classes might go online and a possible chances of all these affecting the SIP and final placements, I am in a dilemma.
Should I take another attempt at CAT or should I go with my current option?
Kindly advise..
Thank you.
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Hi Abhishek,
My students who have gone to SIIB have gotten pretty decent options — 15 plus LPA.
Since you will be graduating by 2022 things should be fine.
Unless you are very confident that you can score a substantially higher percentile and get into much higher-ranked college and have the stamina for another attempt — join now.
All the best!
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Hi sir
I am Rahul Mundada
I am in dilemma from last one month whether to join DMS IIT D MBA in Telecom or not
I am waitlisted ( WL 10 ) in EWS
My profile:- 94.15/87.23/7.71 (10th/12th/Btech)
I am graduated from COEP in 2018 & Now on 16th July work ex will be 24 months working in Sterlite Technologies in Operations Dept.
Last year CAT’19 I scored 95.87 (66.7/97.2/98.6) my first attempt (Verbal didn’t clear)
I converted NMIMS, IRMA & waitlisted in DMS IIT D
So whether should I join DMS or give one more attempt to land in Top 15 B schools with this profile & EWS category
PS:- I don’t want to wok in IT sector unless its last choice & In DMS last year around 30% placement is in IT Sector
& I got mixed reviews about DMS from their students
& As of Now i am not clear in which specialization I want to do MBA
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Hi Rahul,
I would suggest NMIMS as a more reliable bet than any of the other schools that you have admits from since you will have a width of sectors to choose from.
If you are confident that you can overcome the Verbal hurdle and make a significant jump in percentile to get into the old IIMs then take another shot.
Both options are equal in terms of pros and cons, what matters is which one you are more confident about, you cannot be under-confident about either one.
Hope this clarifies,
All the best!
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Thanku sir
I am not confident about joining in DMS & NMIMS I left due to higher fees ,batch size
Now I will start prepare again & will try best to cross verbal hurdle
I also scored 99.4 in CET but fail short for JB
So this year I will try my best
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All the best!
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Thank you sir
How can I improve my verbal
I failed to achieve good score in verbal in every exam i given last year
CAT, SNAP, NMAT (Just cleared cutoff by 3 marks in verbal), CMAT, CET
verbal being a hurdle for me
& Sir How is DMS compare to new IIMs like Ranchi & Trichy
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Hi Rahul,
The stats of DMS and the new IIMs are there for all to see. I myself am not a fan of the programs at the IITs, the placements might be good at some but the college is for the B.Techs, the M.Techs and MBAs. I would always study in the college where the program I am enrolled for is the reason why the college was established.
As far as Verbal goes, you can look at the category titled Verbal Strat and the webinar called 7 Skills to crack the CAT.
All the best!
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Hi Sir,
I gave CAT last year and scored 98.58. The best college which I am getting is DMS-IIT Delhi. I graduated from NIT in 2018 and since then working in analytics industry. I am confused whether I should join college this year or not seeing this pandemic situation. Right now I have an experience of 2 years and earning near to 8 LPA. I am hesitating to join college this year just because of semester going online and I fear that this can go on for whole 2 years. Is doing an MBA course fully online is still worth it or should I wait this year so may be I get to attend at least 1 year of physical classes. Please give your opinions sir.
Thank You
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Hi Nikhil,
With 8 LPA from NIT Trichy, you should take another shot, very little to lose and lot to gain.
All the best!
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Good morning sir,
I have been a regular follower of your blog from more than one year.
I haven’t taken any formal coaching and you filled that gap easily. From 89%ile in SIMCAT SOLO to 98.89%ile in CAT 2019, it was you along with me.
Thanks for all that.
I am 2019 BBA graduate (state university) and have been working as an assistant in LIC for seven months. Acads 95/66.2/74.67.
I have an offer letter from FMS. I’m interested in GM. Is it a good decision to join or do I need profile building?
If so, then how can I improve on this count?
Took two SIMs this year, average 99.02.
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Hi,
FMS is a good school and you have an okay profile.
The only catch in your profile — your XII and Grad Marks — which effectively rule the big old IIMs — A, B, I.
So another shot is essentially a shot at C, L, and I, with the proviso that you will crack above a 99.50.
Is FMA good to join, well it depends on you actually. I have always not been in favour of non-residential MBA programs such as the one from FMS since the MBA is supposed to be a transformational, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The only reason to join FMA is if you have already had this sort of experience — an IIT undergrad — and you feel there are no additional skills you need to pick up, all you need a job, in that case, you can save the money join FMS.
So it is up to you to decide whether you will be able to crack a 99.50-plus and willing to take a risk.
My advice, you are young and have only a bit of work-ex, you can benefit from adding a bit of work-ex, especially if you looking at GM roles, and doing a fully-residential 2-year program.
But as I said it depends on how you feel about the whole thing.
All the best!
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Glad, you replied.
I can hit 99.5. But beyond that, I am not certain. So, that rules out the chances of having C and L.
Next year, my best shot will still be FMS.
I am sceptical that this profile holds even a chance for TAS, ABGYLP or MAHINDRA. That’s why I decided to stay back.
Now, how can I make this profile suitable for these dreams?
Extracurricular —> Participated in National Children Science Congress as a group leader.
Won an essay writing competition at the district level.
Won a speech competition ( on RTE) at the district level.
PoR –> Am an auditor of my union at branch level.
( Volunteered for College elections and took care of accounts at flood relief camp – NO PROOF).
I work at LIC in a small town in Bihar.
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Hi,
I do remember you from last year’s blog comments and was wondering why you did not meet me when I came to Patna or did you?
I am not sure there is anything big that you can do right now to boost your profile for these few firms.
A good CGPA on campus, and a PoR there are more likely to get you a shortlist.
Also, the best piece of advice that I can give to all students who get admits — do not make your MBA about just a few firms, the world is such larger and has more great oppurtunities to offer than a handful of firms — ladki, bus, train or company ke peech nahi bhaagna chahiye, ek jaayegi doosri aayegi.
Your work-ex will be different and the skills you pick up during this stint and way you present them will go a long way in your cracking a job.
Recruiters always like people who are orginal and genuine and have passion for what they do.
Immerse yourself in your job to do it the best you can, be greedy to observe abd learn everything you can — LIC in small town Bihar or BCG in Bombay, what matters always is what you bring to the table.
Also, examine strategically and figure out the precise skills that will take you beyond 99.50
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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I am really sorry for not showing up full time that day ( One of my closest friend and once room partner married a girl without informing anyone’s parents. So, we have to tell them via Bihar police, quite an eventful day! Had to leave the centre after your arrival).
We, a pack of eleven assistants are sent here to work. Every evening, we play a cricket match along with friends from neighbouring villages. I will try to get this yet-to-come club with Fit India Youth Club.
Another thing is, I along with two friends used to teach Mathematics, Reasoning and English to some local students on weekends for free. Never thought about doing these things in paper too. I think, will give it a chance too.
These are the reasons why I mentioned I work in a small town in Bihar. Things are pretty much relaxed here and there are a lot of things to do. Should I go on doing as mentioned or let there be no change?
A recognition from Drona sets the mood. I am honoured.
Rest will try to follow as you said.
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Looks like you are doing well. So I would suggest sticking to the same and gathering experience — while everyone talks about Jobs’ connecting the dots speech, very few go back and make the dots!
And of course, prepare for the exam.
Btw, I am neither as great as Drona nor as unjust (asking for the thumb!)
I am sure you will do well 🙂
All the best!
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Hello Tony Sir,
I am a product manager with 6 years of work experience. I have worked in three companies till now (10-30 employees), Healthcare-IT, and a B2C app.
My academics:- 87/76/75 (10th/12th/BE – Biomedical)
I want to do an MBA so that I can find a job in a big, reputed company and it would give a push to my career.
I am not sure about doing a 2-year full-time course or 1-year full-time course. I have been talking to a lot of people and everyone has a different view on this.
What would be the best choice for my career?
Please help me with me this.
Thank you!
Best,
Vinaya
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Hi Vinaya,
The thing is that with 6 years of experience your profile in a 2-year program will be that of an outlier.
This means that your profile might not be suitable for the bulk of the roles that are on offer in 2-year programs since the average work-ex in a 2-year program is around 2 years.
Having said that the fact that you are a female candidate makes things easier for you since firms are looking at having a certain amount of gender diversity.
You fill fit in straightaway into a 1-year program and will have a shot at the roles offered in that.
The maximum work-ex that a female student of mine had was almost 5 years and she had a stellar profile with great work-ex at Dow Chemicals after graduating from an NIT.
I would suggest that you take a shot this year at a 2-year program if you make it to a great college go ahead and join, it is not a big risk, if the panel feels your work-ex will be a hindrance then they will let you know.
You can take a shot a 1-year program next year.
Either way, you graduate in 2023, when the economy will be in much better shape.
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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Hello Tony sir
I am 2020 B.Tech passout . My profile is 95/85.17/68.8 . I am a fresher and in Cat 2020 I got 93.55 Percentile . I am Ews category . I want to prepare again for cat 2021 but i dont have a job offer due to the covid situation . If i take a drop again this year how will it affect my chances to convert a good B school next year. What would be the best choice for my career 1) Join a b school this year 2) Try to get a job and prepare along with job 3) prepare for cat 2022 without job .
Thanks
Kapil
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Hi Kapil,
Your task — first convert the best calls you get at your percentile and category and secure a final admit; with the admits in hand, I’ll answer the questions — one task at a time.
All the best!
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Thanks for clearing doubts on multiple level sir. I am a fresher and want to ask you how to choose between IIM B/ IIM C/ FMS.
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Hi Shaili,
Between B and C, B is has a larger share of work-ex students. There is little to choose actually between the two. It completely depends on the kind of roles are looking at and on the kind of culture, you want.
If you want Fin/Mark/Analytics roles then C; Consulting and Tech, then B
If you want a more relaxed/fun place with more freshers, then join C.
As far as FMS versus other schools goes, I have detailed that in this post — https://thecatwriter.com/2020/05/29/iims-versus-fms-xl-mdi-and-other-top-schools-3/
Hope this helps,
All the best!
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