Indian Institute for Management or IIMs are the top B-schools of India. A dream college for many, IIMs have a tough selection process. It is not a cake-walk to qualify for any of the IIMs. A sky high percentile in CAT (Common Aptitude Test) is what will secure you a spot in an IIM. If you are looking to join their executive program, then GMAT is another gateway to get in through their iron doors!
Tracing the steps to any IIM institution, there appear these four landings:
- CAT Exam
- WAT: Writing Ability Test (comprehension as well as your writing skills are put to test here)
- Group Discussions: Once you are shortlisted in the qualifying exam, you will be called over for the GD round.
- Personal Interview or PI: This is the final leg of the selection process where you would have to face a one-on-one interview.
The CAT exam has two sections:
- Quantitative Aptitude/Data Interpretation
- Verbal Ability/Logical Reasoning.
You have to bag a minimum of 90 percentile to even start an IIM application. And to make this a reality you have to score a minimum of 80 percentile in all of the sections of the CAT exam.
Now that the process of admission is divulged and seemingly clear to all aspiring students of IIM, lets talk about the toughest part, the exam preparation!
Step 1: Start by doing an honest self-assessment regarding your understanding of the CAT syllabus.
Step 2: Download a bunch of sample papers from the internet, and start solving them. Initially, don’t worry about the timing. Once you are done with the first couple of tests, you would know where you stand. just do them honestly and sincerely. If you manage a good score, you can self-study, if not – enroll into a coaching class.
For self-preparation:
You can download all the books and materials online and make sure you finish each one of them thoroughly before appearing for the exam. While solving the material online, you got to understand the concepts clearly. Also, try to solve every problem in the most efficient way.
While preparing, be sure to attempt as many timed mock tests as possible and aim to improve every day! Time is another important factor that comes on during the later part of your preparation since the actual exam is time bound and needs you to be swift.
Identify your strength and weaknesses and work on the latter till you achieve perfection. Push yourself till you score a 99 percentile in the mock tests, because getting into the IIMs is no easy task. Read through the sample solutions over and over again to know where exactly you are going wrong in your approach. Repeating the same mistakes is an unpardonable offence during your preparation. The idea is to learn from each mistake and come out stronger the next time.
