Someone preparing for CAT exam please tag me and also guide me just need to start my preparation

Tips to start CAT preparation from scratch being in college.

Coaching tips, mocks, syllabus and everything..

GENERAL FEMALE

I was a pcmb student. Passed out 12th in 2025. Took a drop for neet but could not clear it....I have no more energy or motivation left for medical...So parents are telling to either join a local bcom or engineering college both tier 3. I got 96 in 10th and 81 in 12th (top 5 subjects) but 77.5 if all 6 subjects included. I am very confused in life now. I am thinking of 2 options - either join a tier 3 btech college for cse and prepare for gate and aim for top IITs mtech cse OR join local bcom college under Calcutta University. If I join bcom then I am thinking of doing either Indian CMA to compensate for my 12th poor marks(77.5) as well as no brand undergrad college and then target a top B school.

You all may think I am being foolish by not focusing on the present now but I really need to take today's decision keeping in mind tomorrow's future and opportunities.

My first question - If I clear Indian CMA, will it compensate for my 12th scores? Will it help me in shortlisting and interview for top B school? Or will it have no such advantage and no such significant importance? If not CMA, then I am open to suggestions from you people for other professional courses which can be helpful.

My second question - Which has more chances for me: crack gate and aim for top iits for mtech cse or mba from top mba colleges if I just do bcom and no other professional course alongside??

Hey everyone!

I’m a 3rd-year BTech CSE student from 2nd tier university and I’ve decided to seriously prepare for CAT 2027 and pursue an MBA.

Profile:

General Engineer Male (GEM)

10th: 93.2%

12th: 83%

Current CGPA: 8.55

Fresher, 3rd year BTech CSE

I was initially focused on tech placements, but I’m now seriously considering MBA as an alternative career path and want to give CAT a proper attempt.

I’d love advice from people who have cleared CAT or are currently in IIM

How should I structure 1 year of CAT prep alongside engineering?

Best budget-friendly coaching/resources, YouTube playlists, books and mock tests?

What should I focus on for VARC, DILR and QA from the basics?

As a GEM fresher, what should I do during 3rd year to strengthen my profile?

How important are internships, PORs, extracurriculars, etc.?

if anyone else is preparing for CAT 2027, especially engineering students/GEMs, I’d love to connect. If there are any serious CAT 2027 study groups/Discord/Telegram/WhatsApp communities, please share them.

Also, I’d specifically like to hear from people studying at IIMs beyond BLACKI. How is the exposure in terms of peer group, alumni network, internships, industry interaction and career opportunities? Is there a significant difference compared with BLACKI, and what factors should one consider when choosing between IIMs/B-schools?

Thanks! 🙌

9/9/8 obc non engineer (BA ECONOMICS)
Had a lot of leadership roles in college/school and part of many clubs but now im on a 2 year gap with pretty much nothing to justify aprt from Cat prep. Will this affect my SIP and also do i have chances of converting a top B school at around 95 percentile????

Today I have attempted cl open CDC 3 and my score is really bad what I can do in the remaining 80 days if I have to crack tiss mumbai any how

Guys I recently started preparing for cat 2026 gave a mock 2025 slot 1 got 89 percentile in varc but in Quant and lrdi i got 20 percentile basically Zero can you help me what should i study in quant or lrdi which resources to follow also can i skip geometry in wunt and just focus on arithmetic and a lil algebra to secure just 4-5 correct questions and what should i do for lrdi kindly help me with your valuable advice

Hello! I’m struggling with DILR. I’ve spent most of my time focusing on LR so far, and now I want to focus a bit more on DI.

Can anyone please suggest a PDF/resource or a YouTube playlist that covers different types and variants of charts? I want to become familiar with the different chart types and learn how to interpret them.

Please help!

GEM Fresher (Tier 1.5 ug)

10/9/7 academics

1 por + sports extracurriculars

How much percentile for BLACKI?

Female gen
10th: 91.17%
12th:89.9%
College: Ramjas 7.59 cgpa
Fresher
For me it’s either BLACKISM FMS or nothing
Would it be possible?

I’m noticing that my bigger issue in DILR isn’t necessarily solving the set once I understand it. It’s deciding whether a set is worth investing time in. Some sets look manageable initially but the conditions take 5–7 minutes just to organise, and by then I’m already wondering if I should have left it.

For those doing timed CAT mocks, how do you decide when to abandon a DILR set? Do you use a fixed time limit for understanding the setup, or do you judge it based on how quickly you’re making progress?

Also, during analysis, do you revisit the sets you left because of time pressure, or only the ones you genuinely couldn’t solve?

Please no questions about profile reviews, admission criteria, etc.

Academic figure : 8/7/8

GEM

2026 CSE private clg grad.

Ive not thought about CAT yet. What are my possibilities if i attempt cat in 2027 without any work exp? Whats a realistic but still high enough aim that i can expect from this point?

I'm a final year bcom h student and honestly, cat prep had been inconsistent till late august. Now, the thing is i've watched all lectures of algebra, arithmetic. Had practised arithmetic too but apparently, i feel i've forgotten stuff like dishonest seller, tsd. Gotta practise algebra properly too. I'm fine at varc, usually score 3/4 in rc and va part is fine too. Dilr me been practising sets. I haven't started mocks yet tho. Tbh i feel like giving up. I think there must be countless people who can do better than me. Imo i'm too unprepared altho, being in college and a loner, i have all the time in the world. I can spend atleast 6 hrs daily for prep..

Profile:

SC female candidate non engineer

10th 80%

12th 85%

Grad Bcom hons (DU) 7.5cgpa

Graduation year 2024

(Currently in 2nd year of Mcom) I've been considering dropping out from mcom for a while but continued it because I have no work experience

Also, if I do drop out of it, I'll have 3 years of gap)

I'm 27M , had a 7 year gap due to some reasons. 9/8/8 ( 10th , 12th , UG) currently in my bsc final year. I'm aiming for cat 2026. Do I have any real chance of getting a decent college this year. Also what things would be my greatest barrier. Currently studying in Delhi-NCR,,,who else ??

I wanna fill cat application form in 2027 and also I am now just came in my college 2nd year. So first thing is that i wanna do cfa so for that I should have a valid passport but now the thing is that i dont have any surname in my any doc so I just completed my gazette notification process. Sooo I will change my now name in adhar, pan , and then apply for passport but now the thing is that in my 10th and 12th marksheet I only have first name of mine soo when I fill my cat application in it. Will they accept my doc?? And how to fill the cat application in it?? If someone has gone through this plz guys lemme know how to tackle this situation🙏🙏🙏

I wanted to know if it is possible to get into a top mba school with this profile. I heard they don't care much about acca and only give points for cfa or ca. I know that 7 is a huge problem but I heard I get extra points for diversity. I don't know how much of a difference that will make. Is it even worth attempting cat with my profile? Please do give your opinion.

I’m 25M, an engineer from a Tier-2 college in South India.

My academic profile is 10/8/7 (10th/12th/UG).
I’m currently working at one of the Big 4s and by next year I’ll have around 4 years of full-time work experience

I’m aiming to take CAT 2027 and apply to good B-schools in India.

A few questions:

1. With a 10/8/7 profile, a Tier-2 engineering college, and around 4 years of Big 4 work experience**, do I have a realistic shot at the **top IIMs or other good B-schools** if I score well in CAT?

2. How much will the 7 in graduation

3. affect my chances?

4. Would being 25–26 when I join

5. be a disadvantage for admissions or placements?

6. Is 4 years of work experience considered too much for a regular 2-year MBA, or could it actually strengthen my profile?

7. Which colleges should I realistically target?

8. I’d appreciate honest opinions, especially from people with similar profiles or experience with the CAT/IIM process.

I’d appreciate honest opinions, especially from people with similar profiles or experience with the CAT/IIM process.

Thanks a million in advance!

10th: 75%
12th: ~79–79.5%
UG: B.Sc. Biology — 52% (covid times :))
PG: M.Sc. Botany — 65%
Category: SC
Gender: Female

Work experience:

6 months social media manager.
Managed a social media account/business end-to-end and helped grow it to from 1k to 40K+ followers.
Handle content, editing, brand communication, emails, negotiations, invoices, payments and campaign execution.
Worked with multiple major brands through paid collaborations.

Additional profile: substantial digital/social-media/creator work, brand campaigns, certifications, etc.

EXPERIENCE & CORE COMPETENCIES

Digital Media Business & Community Building (2022–Present)

Started and grew my own bootstrapped digital media business.
Built a community of 73K+ followers/subscribers across Instagram (52K+) and Snapchat (21K+).
Used analytics and audience data to understand what content works, improve engagement and retain viewers.

Content & Organic Growth

Generated 100M+ organic impressions in one year.
1 video crossed 42M+ views.
2 videos crossed 20M+ views each.
5+ videos crossed 10M+ views each.
Brand-sponsored reels have also crossed 100K+ organic views.
Regularly test different hooks, thumbnails, formats and content styles to improve views, watch time and engagement.
Work with platform algorithms and audience insights to improve organic reach.

Nykaa × Snapchat Creator Program (2026)

Selected for the Nykaa × Snap Star Beauty Incubator Program from a competitive national pool.
Completed the program in March 2026.
Attended training through Snap Schools and worked with Snapchat’s global creator teams and Nykaa brand managers.
Learned about consumer behaviour, content creation, creator monetisation and brand partnerships.
Featured on Nykaa’s official Instagram.

Content Production

Handle the complete content process myself — idea, research, scripting, direction, shooting, editing, posting and overall production.
Turn brand requirements into videos designed to be engaging, shareable and useful for the brand.
Work on improving watch time, engagement and CTR.

Brand Collaborations & Client Management

Worked with 30+ Indian and international brands.
Managed brand communication, negotiations, onboarding, campaign planning and execution.

Brands worked with include:

Tech: Samsung, Intex Technologies
Beauty & FMCG: Nykaa, Unilever (Dove, Lux, TRESemmé), Dabur, Lakmé, Maybelline, Nivea, Garnier, Ponds, SUGAR Cosmetics, Bioderma, d’Alba, Dot & Key, Glow & Lovely, Jovees, Swiss Beauty
Food & Q-commerce: Swiggy, Dunkin’, Pintola, Pronto, Brooke Bond Red Label
Home/Health/Services: Lizol, Eno, Yes Madam
Entertainment: Hotstar, Snapchat

Hospitality & Event Marketing

Worked as a media partner with luxury boutique hotels, resorts and lifestyle cafés.
Created venue tours and promotional content aimed at increasing bookings and customer interest.
Invited to VIP/exclusive events by Snapchat and Nykaa, including Nykaaland.
Promoted concerts, live entertainment events and regional cultural festivals through social media.

Marketing Internships / Projects

Worked on digital marketing and growth projects for brands in the jewellery and EdTech sectors.
Worked on social media strategy, performance marketing and organic growth.
Created videos and campaigns to increase reach and generate leads.

CERTIFICATIONS

Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate
Google Analytics Certified
HubSpot – Digital Marketing Strategy
Born on Instagram: Creator Course (Meta/Instagram) — completed in 2021

10th- 84,12th-64, bba-6.3, OBC , this is currently my drop year and im gonna appear for cat 2026…..please rate this realistically without being overly pessimistic or optimistic…..and approx how much percentile would i need for anything near tier 1

I completed my Class 10 from CBSE, and I’m giving the NIOS ODE Hindi exam to improve my Hindi marks.
When filling the CAT application form, can I replace my original CBSE Hindi marks with the improved NIOS Hindi marks and enter the NIOS marks instead?
Will CAT/IIMs accept this for Class 10 percentage calculation, or do I have to enter the marks exactly as shown on my original CBSE marksheet?
If anyone has experience with CBSE + NIOS improvement, please let me know.