Hi Aniruddha and Ayush, I just wanted to ask if I'm pursuing an online degree, will that affect my profile?

Hello There how are you

Hello There how are you

Hello There

Hey guys! It was really fun interacting with you. I hope my insights added some value to your preparation. I'll be logging off from this AMA, but in case you have further queries, please reach out to me on LinkedIn(I'm pretty easy to find :P). 

For Tara Shri: Difficult is not impossible : )

For Mithila Dev: 
DOs -> Finish the syllabus comprehensively and attempt all PYQs available at your disposal. Attempt mocks frequently and analyse them effectively and in-depth to understand your mistakes and gaps. Before CAT, do not worry too much about your percentages and GPAs, or experience, or gaps, etc. because people with all kinds of profiles make it to the top B-Schools, but one thing common among all of them is a good CAT percentile. Read the newspaper(prefrebly IE) to stay aware as well as improve your comprehension skills. Keep some time for yourself to pursue a hobby or any interest(could be as absurd as watching K-dramas). 

DONTs -> Daydreaming. Taking shortcuts(one-shot lectures, etc.) as smart work is only for aiding hard work, not replacing it. Using too many sources for a particular topic(I followed a general one topic - one lecture - one problem set approach). Not analyzing or overanalysing mocks. 

Hope this helps!

Hey guys! I believe there is a technical issue with the platform as I am not able to reply to certain comments. I'll try to consolidate a few replies below. 

For Krishna: You are supposed to score badly in mocks. But if you attempted the mock, calculated your score, and then let it be, that's an issue we need to resolve. Analyze your mistakes and preparation gaps very critically and make sure that you work towards improving them. It's only May, and you have plently of time to improve. Hope you do well in CAT : )

For Merlin Mathew: Sorry to disappoint you but there has been a mistake by the AMA organisers in mentioning my profile. I did not have a full time job while preparing, rather I was preparing for UPSC civil services examination until October 2024 and attempted CAT in November as my Plan-B due to the high degree of uncertaintly associated with that exam. I do not have enough insights to be able to help you at this moment. Sorry again : (

For Hurera Akhlaq: You can focus solely on your end semester examinations as they're very close. You can keep CAT on the backburner for this month atleast. Prioritize, Act, Overcome : )

Hi Ayush, hi Aniruddha! Hope you are doing well. I'm a CAT 2025 aspirant. Just started preparing one week back. Hopefully I see you on the otherside soon. Any tips that you guys would like to share with beginners like me? What should I do and not do in this journey to be successful? 

Which is the right time to start giving mocks??? I am planning to buy TIME but heard they are difficult and demotivating. What should I do?

The right time is ASAP. Give sectional tests as soon as you finish a module. For FLTs, finish one iteration of the syllabus and start giving mocks. I gave AIMCATs in my 2020 attempt where I scored 99.54 percentile. I'd agree that they are difficult and demotivating but understand the purpose of giving that mock. I'd be okay if you were scoring zero marks and then analysing your gaps and mistakes and not repeating them in the next mock. Identify new gaps and mistakes in the next mock and repeat the cycle until your errors reduce and marks increase. Sweat in training so that you do not bleed on the battlefield : )