So a friend of mine, a non-engineer male, fresher with a year gap and a BBA degree from a tier-3 college scored 98.08 percentile in CAT 2024. And as we were talking I realised there were a lot of factors that he didn't know about that later became the reason for his dissapointments.
I still remember the day I received the email from IIM Shillong. “Congratulations!”: one word, and countless emotions. For a few seconds, I simply stared at the screen. It felt like a dream. After months of struggling, failing, trying again, and hoping for the best, I had finally made it. And looking back now, the journey feels like one of the toughest yet most rewarding phases of my life. My Profile: 85.5/91.6/84.6, MIT Manipal (BTech in Mechanical Engineering), 3 YOE as Software Engineer.
"Are you still working full time while preparing for CAT?” This was the question I was asked frequently by many people for the past year. And my answer was always yes. Because I didn’t quit my job, I didn’t take a sabbatical, and I didn’t rely on coaching full time. I cracked CAT and made it to IIM Kozhikode while working full-time in consulting and so can you. Here is what helped me in my journey to IIM-K
Today, I’ll be sharing my honest opinion about T.I.M.E (Triumphant Institute of Management Education) coaching materials. Quick heads-up — this article is focused solely on the study material provided by T.I.M.E and not on the in-class experience.
Every year all of us prepare for MBA entrance exams where we are convinced we are entering a fierce competition where only the smartest and most strategic survive. But here’s the uncomfortable truth that we often miss and that is these exams aren’t about winning but they’re about not losing. There’s a difference, and it’s massive. MBA entrance exams are not competitive in the true sense of the word. They’re eliminative and once we understand this, our approach and our expectations should shift accordingly.
It’s that time of the season again.
All those sleepless nights. Countless mocks. Hours of video lectures. Sitting in a chair straight for 6–8 hours, taking a break, and then pushing yourself for another 2–3.
This interview was conducted with Anas Ahmad(IIM-U 2025-27), who discussed his CAT journey and shared valuable insights for the current CAT aspirants.
So a friend of mine, a non-engineer male, fresher with a year gap and a BBA degree from a tier-3 college scored 98.08 percentile in CAT 2024. And as we were talking I realised there were a lot of factors that he didn't know about that later became the reason for his dissapointments.
I still remember the day I received the email from IIM Shillong. “Congratulations!”: one word, and countless emotions. For a few seconds, I simply stared at the screen. It felt like a dream. After months of struggling, failing, trying again, and hoping for the best, I had finally made it. And looking back now, the journey feels like one of the toughest yet most rewarding phases of my life. My Profile: 85.5/91.6/84.6, MIT Manipal (BTech in Mechanical Engineering), 3 YOE as Software Engineer.
"Are you still working full time while preparing for CAT?” This was the question I was asked frequently by many people for the past year. And my answer was always yes. Because I didn’t quit my job, I didn’t take a sabbatical, and I didn’t rely on coaching full time. I cracked CAT and made it to IIM Kozhikode while working full-time in consulting and so can you. Here is what helped me in my journey to IIM-K
Today, I’ll be sharing my honest opinion about T.I.M.E (Triumphant Institute of Management Education) coaching materials. Quick heads-up — this article is focused solely on the study material provided by T.I.M.E and not on the in-class experience.
Every year all of us prepare for MBA entrance exams where we are convinced we are entering a fierce competition where only the smartest and most strategic survive. But here’s the uncomfortable truth that we often miss and that is these exams aren’t about winning but they’re about not losing. There’s a difference, and it’s massive. MBA entrance exams are not competitive in the true sense of the word. They’re eliminative and once we understand this, our approach and our expectations should shift accordingly.
It’s that time of the season again.
All those sleepless nights. Countless mocks. Hours of video lectures. Sitting in a chair straight for 6–8 hours, taking a break, and then pushing yourself for another 2–3.
This interview was conducted with Anas Ahmad(IIM-U 2025-27), who discussed his CAT journey and shared valuable insights for the current CAT aspirants.
