As far back as I can remember, I was a “gifted child” excelling in schoolwork, extracurriculars, and sports. I even skipped a grade in school just because my principal said, “She already knows everything in the curriculum; we have nothing else to teach her.”
So you can imagine the sort of mindset I carried. Either I had to be amazing at whatever I did, or it simply wasn’t meant for me, no in-betweens. Then came college, and with it, a reality check: I’m not the only one. I’m not always going to breeze through classes and competitions. That’s when I learned that hard work is unavoidable. Everyone struggles at some point but the trick is to keep going and not let the struggle consume you. I still have a long way to go, but I can now humbly say I’ve learned to work hard — not in the stereotypical way of slaving away at something, but by being conscious of my time and efforts and putting them to the best use.
Note From Editor -> Free CAT Mocks 2025: Daily Sectionals!
The CAT prep journey often seems daunting to the uninitiated, but it really does get simpler and more intuitive after the first two weeks. I say two weeks and not less because in that time you’ll likely start and stop multiple times, tweaking your strategy and refining your approach until you find what works.
For me, the first and most important step was just information gathering. I spent a few days understanding the A-Z of CAT prep — the syllabus, resources for concept-building, mock tests, and how to analyze them. After that, I focused on the basics: YouTube videos for each of the three sections. I found Rodha’s channel to be the most comprehensive, and for LRDI, I really enjoyed solving sets from Elites Grid’s playlists. This was probably the most time-consuming part of the prep, but also the most important as you don’t want to be revisiting basic concepts every time you take a mock. 
Next came mock tests. I bought test series from Career Launcher and IMS, which were more than enough. In total, I gave around 30 mocks and while many people give 50+, I focused more on quality than quantity. The key? Mock analysis. I would spend over 3 hours on just analyzing each mock and I even used a progress tracker on Excel for this purpose. The process was simple but rigorous: go over every question, even the ones you got right. Look for faster methods. Re-solve the questions you couldn’t attempt and bookmark the ones you want to revisit later. This approach helped me build both speed and confidence as the exam neared.
Interviews were another hurdle, but they’re easier to navigate once you’ve gone over your HR answers and taken time to reflect on who you are and what you want. I gave a few mock interviews beforehand and learned a lot from the feedback I received. I assumed that, having enjoyed public speaking in college, I wouldn’t get nervous. But nerves did hit. Before my IIM Indore interview — which I had prepped for in just five days — I woke up feeling like it was do-or-die. Fortunately, I managed to calm myself just before the interview, and it really showed. I turned the interview into more of a conversation, and I felt the professors were genuinely engaged. I slipped up twice, but I didn’t let it rattle me — and that confidence reflected in the results. I got in with a merit rank in double digits.
Soon after, I also received an offer letter from ISB for their new two-year PGP-YL program.
Thus, the titular dilemma.
I spent two days gathering every bit of information I could — listening to different perspectives from people in the industry and others in the same position as me. I made pros and cons lists and spent half a day ruminating until I finally chose to go ahead with IIM Indore. For me, the risks outweighed the certainties with ISB — but of course, there is no objective answer. In the end, I’m incredibly grateful to have had the luxury of choosing between two such esteemed institutions, and I hope to prove it was the right one through hard work and God’s grace.
