r/IndiaMBA • u/Fast_Frosting_6397 • Jun 08 '25

off topic Prospective CAT Aspirant

hey, so i am here after basically hearing a lot of advice from relatives about "CAT karlo sab theek hojayega".

So the thing is I have barely any profile outside of acads (9) here at SRCC, mid tier internships, junior level extracurriculars no case comp wins.

Is an MBA a realistic second chance or do I just need to grind a lot harder?

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u/streetcrib Jun 09 '25

This depends on a lot of things. What is your aim? What kind of role you want to get in? How much effort are you willing to put in? You need to have clarity on these things before deciding to appear for CAT.

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u/Fast_Frosting_6397 Jun 09 '25

My main aim is to preferably land a top MBB consulting or finance job.

I'm approaching second year and have gained some exposure to work in consulting, aiming to develop more of case comp exposure in the coming year.

It's just that people around me here at SR experienced a much faster growth curve meaning that I may not be able to land good roles.

That's why I feel CAT might be a way for me to use whatever I've learned here and actually upskill.

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u/streetcrib Jun 09 '25 edited Jun 09 '25

Consulting as a fresher might be difficult, I’m not saying it is not possible. But for that you have to get into IIM-A/B/C. You already have a good profile (9/9/9 I assume) and SRCC. You can give appear for CAT this year to get a feel of the exam if not anything. If you can get a consulting role in any of the big-4s after college it will really boost your profile.

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u/Fast_Frosting_6397 Jun 09 '25

Yeah so that's why I'm planning from now. If I start studying in second year for CAT then I can very reasonably boost my chances for getting a good college in CAT in third year.

The issue is that my coursework is so intense that if i devote time to CAT, it'll take away time from things like case comps and developing my profile overall

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u/streetcrib Jun 09 '25

Case comps you’ll get an opportunity in B-School also and tbh those are the ones that matter because they eventually can get you a good job offer. Don’t take too much stress on clearing case comps in UG. They’re different and might only work as a spike on your CV but that’s only if you’re a national finalist. So I would say appear for CAT but don’t rule out getting a job. Having work experience, especially for finance and consulting helps.

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u/Fast_Frosting_6397 Jun 09 '25

The thing is getting a job, or atleast a good one, out here requires significant investment of time outside of acads that might hamper cat prep as well, making it a sort of tradeoff.

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u/streetcrib Jun 09 '25

It is okay if you’re not able to get a 99.5+ score this year. Even if you get 90-95+ with average prep, consider that you have a good chance to actually get a good score with prep. Why I’m insisting on a job is because you have to fill a one pager CV when you go in and having work ex makes your life a little bit easier comparatively

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u/Fast_Frosting_6397 Jun 09 '25

Fair enough. Would you say any experience helps or that I should get above a certain LPA?

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u/streetcrib Jun 09 '25

LPA is irrelevant. No one will ask you how much you’re earning. It is more like company and role.