I was a final-year BMS student at St. Xavier’s Kolkata when I decided to take on CAT 2024 — without coaching, without a fallback, and without certainty.
Everyone around me raised eyebrows-“Self-prep? Are you even serious?”. Well, I knew I was up against the odds — but I had faith in my consistency.
My love for marketing sparked back in Class 11, Shri Shikshayatan School. Even in online classes, I looked forward to the brand wars my teacher would host. That passion slowly evolved into a dream — to pursue an MBA from a top B-school.
The Prep Season
I only began studying seriously around May — six months before CAT, self-doubt got in the way and slowed me down. I nearly decided to drop a year and join coaching for CAT 2025. But a friend’s faith in me changed that. Two months before the exam, I realigned, blocked out the noise, and went all in.
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Chaos, Chai & Confidence
I tracked progress by content completed, not hours clocked. I shifted routines constantly — waking up at 5 AM some days, pulling all-nighters on others, my love for Tea helped me power through. My motto? Keep the brain uncomfortable. CAT won’t ask for your preferred slot.
Though Quants had always been my favorite subject, CAT's pressure made me question my love. I spent 50% of my time on Quants, 45% on LRDI, and visited VARC when I needed a break — only to discover through mocks that VARC was actually my strongest section. The paper type often decided whether I’d do better in Quants or LRDI, rarely both. But I kept showing up.
CAT Day: Nerves, Gambles, and Gut Calls
I didn’t sleep the night before CAT. Anxious on the inside, composed on the outside. But inside the exam center, I zoned in. VARC flowed intuitively. LRDI felt unusually easy, which sent me on a spiral of self-doubt mid exam. Took a breather, rechecked, then gambled smartly on the tough ones — attempted all TITA questions. Lastly, Quants, as usual, turned out to be a challenge of what to pick and what to leave.
The Dream That Thankfully Did Not Come True
During prep, I used to dream I’d mess up CAT. After the exam, I dreamt I already had. But when results dropped — I had scored 97.25 percentile in my first attempt. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Like a curveball came the interview season. I had around 15–16 interview calls. Among the best ones, I had converted IIM Indore, Shillong, and MDI, was waitlisted at IIM Kozhikode, and heartbreakingly rejected by SPJIMR. But here I am — a fresher yet to graduate — joining IIM Indore this year. A campus that once felt out of my league is now my reality. And Planet-i surely gives me goosebumps.
My Two Cents
If I had to distill this journey into three things that kept me going, they’d be:
- The tracker – no matter how small, progress feels real when you mark things as “done.”
- Block out the noise
- Talk to people who genuinely want to see you win
CAT is a simple strategy: Aim the highest. Grind towards it. What’s meant for you will find its way — even through chaos and confusion — if you just keep showing up.
So, Show up — Even when it’s hard — especially when it’s hard.
