CAT results are out this week. To begin with, best wishes for all the students who have taken up this exam. Over the past few days, we have got a few calls from students who are facing results-anxiety. So, this is probably a good time to get some
perspective. A few thoughts -
1. The biggest business houses in this country were built by non IIM grads. A degree from one of the IIM's is a great route to take a big leap, but is not a necessary (nor is it sufficient) condition for success in business.
2. There are probably 40 good colleges in the country now. When we guys wrote CAT 10-12 years ago, there were probably 6 worthwhile colleges to do an MBA from. Now, the anything in the top 40 can give you a boost. If you get 99th percentile and get a call from 4 IIMs, great. If you get 95th percentile, you should still feel good that you are in the top 5 percent in the country. Shoot for the best, but best to be pragmatic as well.
3. If you miss the bus now, there is always next time: India now has plenty of options for doing an executive MBA. This option is open for candidates with 5-6 years of experience. Now, there is also a chance that CAT might be conducted more than once a year. So, there is always next year. Some of our students have cracked CAT at the fifth attempt. So, if you are in the close-but-no-cigar category, probably best to lick your wounds and come back next year.
Once again, best wishes to the guys.