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Once you are done with the mammoth task of taking the CAT exam, you will have a fair idea of how you have fared in the exam. Be it good or bad, there is no time to spare. Given the current conditions, the interview procedure might see some changes as most of them would be conducted online, however, it is advisable for the candidates to prepare questions about themselves, their background, work experience, common concepts from their respective fields and of course, current affairs. Here are a few experiences shared by the current students of SPJIMR :
I am a B.E graduate from NSIT, Delhi, currently pursuing PGDM at SPJIMR. I was working when I gave my CAT exam. After giving CAT, I took a week off to rejuvenate myself. Attempting CAT involves a lot of hard work and effort, but I knew the journey doesn’t end here. After looking at my answer sheet, I had a decent idea of what calls to expect. Hence, I started refining my profile accordingly. I enrolled in mock interviews and GD so that I have a fair idea of how to go about the interview process and refine my communication skills and upgrade my profile accordingly.
I would suggest the students of the incoming batch not to slack off time waiting for the final results before starting their interview preparation. Instead, I would recommend leveraging this time to the fullest. It’s important to prepare and be thorough with your CV and profile. Get it proofread by your friends or seniors to get better clarity. Moreover, I would also highly recommend you to go through past interviews to get the essence of the interview patterns of various target institutions.
Even if the results are not as you expected, don’t feel disheartened and utilize this time in building your profile. I feel profile building is extremely vital for any professional. Focus on the highs of your profile and try to work on the lows. I would recommend you to utilize this time to the fullest to build up your career and yourself. It is an enriching and beautiful journey ahead. Wishing all the incoming MBA aspirants the Best of luck!
I am a mechanical engineer and worked as a business operations associate. I am now pursuing operations and supply chain management at SPJIMR.
I started with framing my answer for 'Tell me about yourself'. This is the most common question asked in interviews and has the potential to make or break your interview. I revised my answer several times before having the final version that I used in interviews.
It is important to know yourself well. Start with that. If you haven't kept a tab in current affairs, read up for a couple of past months and then stay updated on a daily basis. Maintaining a diary may be helpful here. If you have work ex, or Any significant projects, make sure you revise them well. List the things you would be comfortable talking about in the interview, and try to include them in your tell me about yourself.
I appeared for CAT 3 times before I was able to bell the CAT. There are some people who take even 4 or 5 attempts. We come from a background where we are supposed to crack exams in the first attempt, like the boards. However, this is not true for CAT and you can take your own sweet time. All the best!
I am currently pursuing PGDM at SPJIMR. I have 3 years of work experience prior joining for the program. 2 things I would recommend to do right after the CAT exam. First thing is to take a break from your busy schedule and spend some time with family or go out with friends and enjoy the day because you need this time to give some space to your mind. 2nd thing is to check your expected percentile based on the official answer key. This will give a rough picture of what calls you can expect based on your performance.
Post CAT phase can also be divided into 2 parts. First phase is preparation for other competitive exams like XAT and PGDBA. For XAT you get close to 1 month of gap after CAT exam. If you have prepared well for CAT then 6-7mocks, revision of concepts for QM and practice of DM questions from previous year XAT papers will be sufficient for XAT exam. Preparation for PGDBA exam requires additional effort in studying the concepts of 11th and 12th Maths section from NCERT and RD Sharma book. One month may not be sufficient for this you need to give 2-3 moths for this section. 2nd phase is the preparation for Interview for which you can go through the current affairs. It helps both for WAT and Interview. There are GK Modules available of Times and CL for IIFT exam which you can use. You can also use this time to brush up the basics of undergrad subjects which helps during the interview.
As I mentioned above there are other competitive exams like XAT and PGDBA through which you can get into some reputed B schools. With additional effort for next 2-3 months, you can fulfil your dream and avoid going through the entire one-year cycle again. Give some time to yourself, take a break and spend some time with family and friends so that you can start fresh. Try to reflect upon what went wrong during the D Day and try to work on those points. Best of Luck!