The CAT journey is usually very long and arduous and aspirants face multiple obstacles. While preparing for the exam and scoring well is challenging in itself, the process of preparing and doing well in interviews is another herculean task. One hurdle that a large number of aspirants are concerned about is the presence of gap years on their resume. Aspirants often assume that the presence of gap years would mean direct rejection or fewer marks in interviews. This opinion has an adverse impact on their preparation as well as confidence.
This assumption is highly incorrect and misguided. In this article, I will be speaking about my own experience of converting FMS, IIM Lucknow and some other colleges in spite of having about 2.5 years gap on my resume. I will also share the experiences of other people who have converted colleges such as IIM C, IIM B and FMS with gap years.
The first approach to answering this question is basically considering the logical answer to the question of gap years affecting your chances ; no IIM specifically deducts marks for gap years hence the logical conclusion should be that it does not matter. If a person has not worked after graduating and has one or more gap years then their profile would be considered as that of a fresher’s but that’s all. There are no further tangible implications, at least objectively.
However, what bothers the aspirants is the perception the presence of gap years would have on the interviewers. So let us try and answer some of the common doubts that aspirants have with inputs from Vikrant Syal (IIM B PGPBA’24), Manavdeep Singh (IIM C PGP’24) and Akash Garg (FMS MBAFT’24) .
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Can you convert good B-schools with gap years on your resume?
Throughout my CAT journey, I have met numerous people who’ve taken some time off from pursuing a full time job due to a variety of reasons. And many of them have gone on to convert great b-schools so, yes, it is completely possible to get into a good B-school with a gap on your resume. Interviewers might or might not question you about the gap year. Vikrant says that in some of his interviews, the panelists didn’t even notice that he had a gap year.
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How to justify a gap year?
This question bothers the aspirants the most so we will explore it in more detail. There can be multiple reasons why someone has had to drop a year. For me personally, the reason was UPSC preparation. There are people who prepare for other competitive exams; some are busy with personal projects, entrepreneurial ventures or are just looking for the right opportunities. Some people even have to take some time off for personal health or family-related issues and none of these reasons are wrong or less relevant. The truth of the matter remains that your reason is personal to you and you have to convince yourself before you can convince others. All 3 of the incoming B school students I talked to were very clear that they chose to be honest and straightforward about their reasons instead of beating about the bush or lying.
After giving their reasons, most of the aspirants didn’t face any objections against their reasoning. According to Vikrant, sometimes there were follow-ups pertaining to the choice of MBA at this stage while Akash faced questions wherein the panelists tried to understand if MBA was plan B for him. Manav believes that the follow-ups basically were aimed at understanding his reasoning better instead of pushing him into a corner. So we observe that the aim is to understand if you have made good use of the gap year and if you have a solid rationale to justify it. The interviewers also try to understand if you have enough idea about MBA and how clearly it fits in with your short term and long term plans. Here they are trying to understand you as a person and not make you feel bad about making certain choices.
Akash believes that one need not be apologetic about their gap years and the key to making your case is believing the fact that whatever decision you made was in pursuit of some goal and hence it was not a mistake. Similarly, Manavdeep feels that when you are asked to justify your gap years, it is an opportunity for you to display confidence in your life choices. He says that one needs to remain unfazed and have faith in oneself in case there is a lot of cross-questioning on the justification.
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Does gap year lead to less marks in an interview?
An interview consists of multiple parts. The panelists are trying to judge your values as a person, dedication and consistency in your academic life so far, and understanding and awareness of the world around you among other things. The topic of a gap year can't only have a limited effect on the whole process even if you fail to justify it well.
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Parting Thoughts
Aspirants who are planning to appear in CAT in the coming years should focus on maximizing their score in the exam because things that are in the past are not under their control. The focus at this stage must be on strengthening the basic understanding of various topics and clearing concepts. When I got calls from some great B-schools, the issue of having gap years bothered me for very long. However, once we realize that the aim of interviews is to select the most suitable candidates and not look for reasons to eliminate you, we take a more constructive approach to the whole preparation. Confidence and self-awareness are two tools that will take any aspirant to their dream destinations in this journey.
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