What To Do When Your CAT Score Falls In Between 55-75%ile Bracket?

Let's talk about the “CAT” in the room! CAT 2019 will be a rather difficult exam to crack. So, not everyone will be able to get entry into the top IIMs or other top management institutes. When you have a score that falls in between 55-75%ile bracket, you will probably be losing all hope! But, you know what? Scoring less than the desirable percentile in CAT is not the end of the world. You have several options in front of you. In fact, in this article, we will explore these options and help you find a way towards your MBA dream. Read to know more.

Option 1: Should You Take CAT Again?

If you are one of those people who are not satisfied with your CAT score, reappearing for CAT 2020 is your first thought. However, there are three things that you need to keep in mind. They are -

Situation 1: Certain B-Schools Will Not Find Your Academic Profile Relevant

B-schools like IIMs, FMS, MDI etc. not just rely on CAT score but also look into your work experience and academic profile. Your profile should look like the following -

10th Percentage: 85% - 90+%
12th Percentage: 85% - 90+%
Graduation Percentage: 75% - 85+%
Also, 60-70% (approx) of the students in the batch will have 12 to 48 months of work experience. This will work in their favour.

If you want to join a b-school that has such rigid framework, then it does not make sense to attempt CAT 2020. You will probably not receive a shortlist call, even if you manage to score 99+ percentile. Therefore, you should probably start considering a shift to other career prospects, or go for interviews for those business schools that may shortlist you.

But, if you think your profile is suitable for the above-mentioned b-schools, then you can try to analyse the other two situations, and consider the possibility for appearing for CAT’20.

Situation 2 - If you score lies in the 55-64%ile bracket

To be brutally honest, this percentile suggests that something has gone astray in your exam prep strategy or test-taking technique. Maybe you started late or simply didn't have the drive to appear and ‘bell’ the test. However, in this case, here is what a great Chinese philosopher had to say -

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

Confucius

Which means that you have a great academic profile and enough work experience which is suitable for top management institutes. The only thing that is stopping you is your CAT score. Study some extra hours, pull some all-nighters, in short, do whatever it takes to crack the exam. If you are deciding on giving another shot at CAT, then you will have to put in the extra effort in order to ace all three sections and aim for 95+%ile and nothing less. If you have the determination, this is not an impossible task.

Situation - If your score falls in between 65-75%ile

In case you fall in this bracket, there is a huge scope of improvement in both your prep or outlook towards the exam. If you are thinking of re-appearing for CAT 2020, then you need some guidance either through coaching or online courses. You will also have to invest an extra number of hours to get a minimum of 120-130 marks. The coming 11 months are in your grasp. It is on you to decide if you want a minor improvement or to give everything you got and go beyond the 95%ile.

In case you need more guidance, read the articles below:

What Happens After CAT?

From Low Percentile To 99%ile After Multiple Attempts In CAT Exam | 10+ Stories

5 Ways To Win Over Your Weaknesses For CAT 2019

Life After CAT - The Void And How To Fill It

Option 2: Continue Your MBA Dream In Another B-School

Here are lists of a few institutes that are likely to shortlist you based on your CAT percentile.

Colleges Accepting CAT - 55%ile - 64%ile

XIME Bangalore
XISS Ranchi
IBA (Indus Business Academy), Bangalore
Army Institute Of Management, Kolkata
IILM Noida

Colleges Accepting CAT Exam - 65%ile - 75%ile

BIMTECH
Christ University
Amity School Of Business
ITM Navi Mumbai
NL Dalmia School Of Management

B-Schools You Should Apply Now!

B-SchoolLast Date For RegistrationsXIME, BangaloreFebruary 26, 2020XISS, RanchiFebruary 7, 2020IBA (Indus Business Academy), BangaloreApril 30, 2019 (Last Year)Army Institute of Management, KolkataSecond week of February 2020IILM NoidaOpen Now!BIMTECHDecember 2, 2019Christ UniversityApril 28, 2020ITM Business School Navi MumbaiMarch 31st, 2020NL Dalmia School of ManagementLast week of April 2020

How To Prepare Interviews For These B-Schools?

Now that you have identified the b-schools that you want to apply to, it's time to start preparing for interviews. Listed below are a few articles that will help you crack these interviews:

5 Ways To Ace Your GD/PI Preparations

WAT/PI Preparation Series: A Guide to Ace the MBA Interviews

Acing Your MBA Interview 101 - Roshni Arunkumar

Preparing For B-School Interviews | Guidelines From An IIM Lucknow Student

Stay tuned for more content related to CAT 2019 results!