With a 99.92 percentile in the CET, VARUNA KAMATH claimed the state’s 20th rank overall. Her score was a result of smart preparation, determined use of limited time, and probably most importantly, the correct assessment of which test to write. In this article, she shares her journey from the gates of Accenture to the gates of JBIMS.
My tryst with MBA entrance exams began in the final
year of engineering. There were many students clear about their path
ahead after graduation, but to tell you the truth, I wasn’t one of them.
I simply wrote the CAT because at the time, most students had to opt
between two choices – MS or MBA. I discarded MS as a choice simply
because I wanted to stay in India. Also, to me, an MBA signalled a top
job and a fat paycheck. However, I managed to get a 96.89 percentile in
CAT, and no calls from IIM.
Previous attempts
After I graduated, I started working, with the MBA always at the back of my mind. Two years into my work, I decided to try for an MBA again. This time, I left no stone unturned. I wrote all the entrance exams, took a leave of absence from work for two months. But again, the results spelled out this – I missed getting a call from one college by three marks, couldn’t convert my interview with another, and the one call from a college I did convert turned out to be not where I wanted to go. At this juncture, I felt quite demotivated, as if things were not going my way, and it appeared as if the MBA would be out of my reach.
Mistakes in hindsight
In hindsight, I can tell that my mindset wasn’t correct. In my final year of college, I wasn’t realistic about what an MBA course was or what it would actually impart to a student. Later, however, my work experience opened my eyes and helped me realise that an MBA might not always imply a top executive or managerial position in a multinational company, but can also make you an expert in a domain of your strength. Then again, if you don’t want to remain in one particular domain, the curriculum and internships will expose you to different work patterns and scenarios, to make you better equipped to handle various roles at various levels across industries.
The second blunder I had committed was writing all the entrance exams. Now there are certainly brighter minds than mine for whom top scoring in all MBA entrance exams would be a piece of cake. Or perhaps there are those who can use six months to a year of their lives and spend it only in coaching classes, their noses buried in books and newspapers. I realised that I wasn’t in either group. If I had to take another shot at this, I would have to narrow down the universities based on my preferences, judge the exam content and difficulty, and finally decide which exam I would most likely want to and be able to crack. At this point I realised my preferences were mainly the return on investment and location. I also realised that I could not realistically think of getting a 99.99 percentile in the CAT. So this left me with the CET, and aiming for JBIMS.
The beginning of preparation
Fortunately for me, the CET was reintroduced in 2014. I started my preparation in January, as I had already taken the CET earlier and therefore only had to revise, not re-learn the basics. The most important factor here was time. I needed to manage that properly, as I could not take long vacations at this time and had to work 10 hour shifts for five days a week.
Most of what I say now can be considered as pointers by future aspirants, but please bear in mind that your preparation entirely depends on your intelligence, studying and improving capacity, and the time you have. For me, I decided to spend a month just on sharpening my Quant skills and focusing on bettering my speed, as in the CET, 200 questions need to be solved in just 150 minutes. I had always been strong in Verbal, so I wasn’t worried there. I would practice daily, for around two hours, late into the night as I’ve never been a morning person. If it got too tiring I would take a one-day break, but I made it a point not to leave off practising till the weekend. I felt having too long gaps between my study sessions wouldn’t help.
As I practised quant, I also monitored my question solving speed, trying to keep my solving at less than one minute. Initially one makes blunders, but one gets used to the rhythm. Finally, I made sure not to get too fed up with any single area by switching to another every hour. For instance, after one hour of Geometry & Mensuration, I would switch to synonyms-antonyms (my “comfort zone” ) for another half hour and then take a break. After that, I would solve some logical puzzles for another 45 minutes to one hour (Logic for me lies between Verbal and Quant in difficulty.)
The simulated tests begin
In February, I started taking simulated (or mock) tests over the weekends, while continuing individual problem practice over the weekdays. I tried to adopt a different strategy for every mock test, so in the end I would be able to identify the strategy that would be best suited for me. For example, I started leaving tough RCs for the end, and my approach to slightly simpler RCs was to not read it completely, but look at the question and skim through the paragraphs till I got my answer, as in simple RCs, the answer is direct. I also tried to give each mock test as if it were my last. Analysis of mock tests takes a lot of time, but it helps to identify weak areas, which I would then practice over the weekdays.
In March, I could only take four days off from work before the exam. I took one mock test on each of those days, and spent the remaining time analysing a couple of previous mock tests. It helps to keep a relaxed attitude before and while going into the exam, and this applies not just to the CET, but to all others as well. Your instinct would tell you if you have done enough to deserve a good turnout, so just keep that thought in mind and don’t get stressed out.
Success, and what follows
I scored a 99.92 percentile in CET 2014 with a state rank of 20, and am waiting for the admission process to begin, though my heart tells me I shall finally manage to enter the hallowed campus of JBIMS as a student. At the same time, I still want to keep in mind that although the next two years will be dedicated entirely to the world of MBA, it would ultimately be for a job. So I would urge eager MBA aspirants to not disappear completely into their world of MBA preparations for so long that you become oblivious to everything else. I did it for around three months and I wouldn’t have for any longer than that. In addition, use your free time wisely, enjoy the time spent with family and friends, cultivate your hobbies and even join an NGO to spend time for a cause you believe in, and maintain this even if you get the college of your choice. I am still trying to.
Previous attempts
After I graduated, I started working, with the MBA always at the back of my mind. Two years into my work, I decided to try for an MBA again. This time, I left no stone unturned. I wrote all the entrance exams, took a leave of absence from work for two months. But again, the results spelled out this – I missed getting a call from one college by three marks, couldn’t convert my interview with another, and the one call from a college I did convert turned out to be not where I wanted to go. At this juncture, I felt quite demotivated, as if things were not going my way, and it appeared as if the MBA would be out of my reach.
Mistakes in hindsight
In hindsight, I can tell that my mindset wasn’t correct. In my final year of college, I wasn’t realistic about what an MBA course was or what it would actually impart to a student. Later, however, my work experience opened my eyes and helped me realise that an MBA might not always imply a top executive or managerial position in a multinational company, but can also make you an expert in a domain of your strength. Then again, if you don’t want to remain in one particular domain, the curriculum and internships will expose you to different work patterns and scenarios, to make you better equipped to handle various roles at various levels across industries.
The second blunder I had committed was writing all the entrance exams. Now there are certainly brighter minds than mine for whom top scoring in all MBA entrance exams would be a piece of cake. Or perhaps there are those who can use six months to a year of their lives and spend it only in coaching classes, their noses buried in books and newspapers. I realised that I wasn’t in either group. If I had to take another shot at this, I would have to narrow down the universities based on my preferences, judge the exam content and difficulty, and finally decide which exam I would most likely want to and be able to crack. At this point I realised my preferences were mainly the return on investment and location. I also realised that I could not realistically think of getting a 99.99 percentile in the CAT. So this left me with the CET, and aiming for JBIMS.
The beginning of preparation
Fortunately for me, the CET was reintroduced in 2014. I started my preparation in January, as I had already taken the CET earlier and therefore only had to revise, not re-learn the basics. The most important factor here was time. I needed to manage that properly, as I could not take long vacations at this time and had to work 10 hour shifts for five days a week.
Most of what I say now can be considered as pointers by future aspirants, but please bear in mind that your preparation entirely depends on your intelligence, studying and improving capacity, and the time you have. For me, I decided to spend a month just on sharpening my Quant skills and focusing on bettering my speed, as in the CET, 200 questions need to be solved in just 150 minutes. I had always been strong in Verbal, so I wasn’t worried there. I would practice daily, for around two hours, late into the night as I’ve never been a morning person. If it got too tiring I would take a one-day break, but I made it a point not to leave off practising till the weekend. I felt having too long gaps between my study sessions wouldn’t help.
As I practised quant, I also monitored my question solving speed, trying to keep my solving at less than one minute. Initially one makes blunders, but one gets used to the rhythm. Finally, I made sure not to get too fed up with any single area by switching to another every hour. For instance, after one hour of Geometry & Mensuration, I would switch to synonyms-antonyms (my “comfort zone” ) for another half hour and then take a break. After that, I would solve some logical puzzles for another 45 minutes to one hour (Logic for me lies between Verbal and Quant in difficulty.)
The simulated tests begin
In February, I started taking simulated (or mock) tests over the weekends, while continuing individual problem practice over the weekdays. I tried to adopt a different strategy for every mock test, so in the end I would be able to identify the strategy that would be best suited for me. For example, I started leaving tough RCs for the end, and my approach to slightly simpler RCs was to not read it completely, but look at the question and skim through the paragraphs till I got my answer, as in simple RCs, the answer is direct. I also tried to give each mock test as if it were my last. Analysis of mock tests takes a lot of time, but it helps to identify weak areas, which I would then practice over the weekdays.
In March, I could only take four days off from work before the exam. I took one mock test on each of those days, and spent the remaining time analysing a couple of previous mock tests. It helps to keep a relaxed attitude before and while going into the exam, and this applies not just to the CET, but to all others as well. Your instinct would tell you if you have done enough to deserve a good turnout, so just keep that thought in mind and don’t get stressed out.
Success, and what follows
I scored a 99.92 percentile in CET 2014 with a state rank of 20, and am waiting for the admission process to begin, though my heart tells me I shall finally manage to enter the hallowed campus of JBIMS as a student. At the same time, I still want to keep in mind that although the next two years will be dedicated entirely to the world of MBA, it would ultimately be for a job. So I would urge eager MBA aspirants to not disappear completely into their world of MBA preparations for so long that you become oblivious to everything else. I did it for around three months and I wouldn’t have for any longer than that. In addition, use your free time wisely, enjoy the time spent with family and friends, cultivate your hobbies and even join an NGO to spend time for a cause you believe in, and maintain this even if you get the college of your choice. I am still trying to.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.