The CAT Dream

Summers 2002
It started in 2002 summers when A and I just sat together and he said lets join PT for CAT. I was like why now we are still in 3rd year. He said if we start now we'll be better prepared next year cause next year we'll have placement tensions. I thought it wasn't all that insane anyways so 4 of us joined PT test series.

It was fun solving maths questions in tests though I always rocked the bottom in english. Yet what made me happy used to be my maths score. M used to do pretty decent and was improving but we remained kinda same. Pretty soon it grew boring and it got reduced to just going and appearing for test.


CAT 2003
Placement season was on and we all were busy with it. I had plans in my mind to get a job soon and prepare for CAT. I did get a job soon but I sensed that my financial independence was necessary with bhaiya going to do MBA and didi's marriage in hand. So I ditched the MBA idea for a couple of years and decided to do job for a couple of years. Yet as I had already filled up CAT form I just went to write CAT. No test series, no preparation.

Yet CAT that year was fruitful as I saw a girl at Doon Public School and had a deep crush on her. I can't forget that face. I stared at her so much that day that she had grown completely conscious of my presence.

And then CAT was cancelled in 2003. I was very happy because I could run into her again. And guess what, I did. I wanted to catch up with her and talk but was too introvert to do that. Anyways that was all I had to say about CAT 2003. Oh yes I blew the exam and got some 87 percentile.

CAT 2005
Didn't write CAT 2004 but for 2005, all of us A, P, M, and A and I got together and
prepared. A and I joined IMS together in hope that we could motivate each other in preparation with the heavy workload at office. M also joined IMS when he came to bangalore.

Just a week before CAT, I had a release. When it was assigned in September I just hoped it didn't grow bad. However it turned out to be the most nightmarish project I ever did. Anyways I did get free a week before CAT and took off from office. It was enough to calm me down. Pattern had changed in 2005 and I couldn't do well. Ended up with 96.23 and so did my friends. None of us could get through. It was a real heartbreak.

CAT 2006
I wrote CAT again initially with a heavy heart but later with new energy. This time again A and I joined TIME test series together. I had an even bigger group this time around. But I didn't spend too much time on CAT. Just the test papers of test series I did. Nothing outside it. CAT went fine this time but I blew up english. CAT 2006 had the strangest english I had ever seen. My friends who were good at english did just fine in it.

But when the results came out, I was pretty decent in english but my friends didn't make it because of english. Don't know what gave me a feeling of guilt for this flip. I had 99.73 percentile and people predicted that I should get atleast 4 calls (had around 90 %ile in DI). Shortlisting criteria changed that year and I ended up with single IIM-I call.


Didn't prepare for GD-PI. Just went and appeared for GD-PI under friends and family's pressure. And the final results said:

You are waitlisted (no. 44).

People said last year waitlist moved till 200 so just chill u are through. One circumstance led to other and finally I resigned from this ordeal. I agreed to my parents and got ready to join IIM-I. However, the waitlist didn't move past 20 on first deadline. Admission Office said it was unlikely that I could make it. Meanwhile my office wanted me to go to US for a month. I accepted. 10 days after I landed in US, I got a mail that I was offered admission to IIM-I. People suggested me to talk to manager and it was possible to make it in time.

Don't know why but I just let it go.

CAT 2007
Went with a friend and bought CAT form filled it up soon and posted it. Just to keep the promise I had made to my family when I had said that I won't join IIM-I. I had lost whole of my group by now. Circumstances drove all of them in different directions.

In October an onsite opportunity for US arised and I said a yes to it. It meant I had to say bye to CAT. I anyways had not devoted a single second to CAT preparation this season and though if preparation didn't help then as it is I didn't have a chance. But one circumstance led to another and I had to stay back. CAT 2007 was still on.

It was night of 17th Nov. R was leaving bangalore and it was his party. Of course wet party. We partied till 12 midnight and they pushed me to sleep.

Next morning I had a hangover. Made my best effort to cook a maggi for me and went to the center which fortunately was nearby. Before, I had thought that I would write CAT only if they assign me a nearby center. Christ College indeed was pretty near.

Went on and wrote the test. Took first 15 minutes to solve just 3 english questions. The hangover though mild yet was still on and my vision wasn't very clear. But when I saw my watch then the good old fear came back and I got serious. Took a break of 5 seconds to think that its all in the mind.

When I came back I just had good feeling that I had done pretty decent. People asked me which section was difficult. I couldn't tell.

When I checked with TIME key, it indicated that I had a chance to get 4-6 calls.

I ended up with 5 calls. Percentile 99.55 (balanced in all the sections) . And now I am going to join IIM Calcutta. The IIM of my dreams. Itindeed is strange the way life chooses to reward us.

Perhaps this is the first time I have confessed all this to this extent. This is all I want to speak about CAT. I guess its fun.

Disclaimer: This post doesn't suggest that CAT can be cracked withouh preparation under intoxication. I had prepared enough in previous years and that helped me crack the exam. CAT still is one of the trickiest exam in the country.

P.S. : Taken from my other blog Dreamer