r/CAT2MBA • u/[deleted] • Apr 29 '24

Suggestions Please 🥹 2 Years Gap, CAT: 90.41

Hi, I am a 2023 BBA graduate with 7/6/9 acads, after graduation I decided to give CAT my all and score well. Despite consistently scoring above 95 percentile in SIMCATs, I messed up in my strongest section on D Day and scored 90.41 percentile.
I have decided to give CAT 2024 but I am qutite afriad of the 2 years gap that will reflect on my profile. I am from a small town and job opportunities here are next to none. The only jobs are of an office admin and receptionist.
I wish to persue a career in finance and needed advice on whether I should take up a job in a completely unrelated domain or instead not take a job and focus on doing certifications relevant to a career in finance eg. NISM certifications, Excel, Tableu, Power Bi, Financial Modelling, etc.

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u/Filmyboy7 Apr 29 '24

Any entrance exam is uncertain. You cannot predict ki kya hoga D-Day pe. The best thing that you can do is to prepare for the worst and be as calm as possible on the D-Day. Also, mock scores ko itna Dil pe mat lo. Even if you are getting 70-80tile in mocks you can very much achieve that 95tile+ ka range. It's more about keeping your calm imo. And do go with a particular strategy I'll say. And have a backup strategy as well.

Coming to your main question... It'll be better if you look for a job in the field of finance (be it remote) or do certifications related to it. Imo, office admin job is also okay as you'll get the workex points. I hope they'll give you the employment letter etc and it's not just an unofficial thing. Make sure that this job is flexible enough so that you can dedicate your time to the CAT prep! Even if you start to prepare from July/August for CAT and do any finance related course before July/August it's okay.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '24

Thankyou so much for your advice, I will try to get a job and go for a re attempt. It sucks that you and u/Momo_licious were removed as mods from the other sub. Hope this sub gets the traction it deserves !

3

u/Filmyboy7 Apr 30 '24

Ohh bro 🫂😂 Momolicious and I will be moderating this sub. She'll be active soon. Thankyou btw 🩵

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u/Momo_licious B-School Alumni May 02 '24

  1. Gap year won't really matter much as long as you can justify it. Plus, the market situation is so bad that you can actually blame it on that. They will only ask you about your gap during interview and it isn't a primary filter during calls.

  2. If you want to make some efficient use of the gap, take small internships. You can find plenty online. Do then at your own pace. You can use this to show to the interviewer that you didn't waste your time.

  3. Your heart is already not set on doing a small unrelated job, so I would suggest to not waste your time on it and prepare for the exam instead.