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Patrick

Patrick Dsouza  |1466 Answers  |Ask -

CAT, XAT, CMAT, CET Expert - Answered on Oct 01, 2025

Patrick Dsouza is the founder of Patrick100.
Along with his wife, Rochelle, he trains students for competitive management entrance exams such as the Common Admission Test, the Xavier Aptitude Test, Common Management Admission Test and the Common Entrance Test.
They also train students for group discussions and interviews.
Patrick has scored in the 100 percentile six times in CAT. He achieved the first rank in XAT twice, in CET thrice and once in the Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test.
Apart from coaching students for MBA exams, Patrick and Rochelle have trained aspirants from the IIMs, the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and the S P Jain Institute of Management Studies and Research for campus placements.
Patrick has been a panellist on the group discussion and panel interview rounds for some of the top management colleges in Mumbai.
He has graduated in mechanical engineering from the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad. He has completed his masters in management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.... more
G Question by G on Sep 29, 2025Hindi
Career

Sir, after completing my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering in 2015, I prepared for GATE and various state-level mechanical exams. Unfortunately, I was not able to clear them. After spending 4–5 years preparing in this field, I shifted my focus to banking exams. In banking, I was able to qualify in the prelims when vacancies were good, but I could not clear the mains. Now, at 31+ years of age and without a job, I recently qualified in the ICET exam with a rank under 100. However, due to a poor choice, I opted for a college that had IT companies in its placement record, thinking it would increase my chances of recruitment, instead of choosing a UNIVERSITY that had better opportunities with banks. Later, I even gave up that college seat. At present, in the special counselling phase, I am unsure if I will be able to secure a seat again in the UNIVERSITY. I am confused about my next course of action—whether I should pursue an MBA or not. I would like your guidance on the following points: Do banks in India or IT companies offer better recruitment opportunities for MBA graduates? Do banks like Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank, which recruit through MBA programmes, have an age limit? Do IT companies impose an age limit for MBA placements? Should I join whichever MBA college I get admission into this year, or wait one more year, reattempt the exam, and aim for the desired university? Please guide me on the best course of action...................

Ans: It is better to take up a job so that there is some work experience there in your cv rather than just joining any MBA college. you can simultaneously prepare for MBA entrance. But join only if you get a good college. Else take a few years work experience and try for executive MBA course later. Another option would be to do short job oriented courses in the area you are interested.
Banks may not have age limit when the recruit, but your age could face a problem in some of the companies. Same goes with IT companies.
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Patrick

Patrick Dsouza  |1466 Answers  |Ask -

CAT, XAT, CMAT, CET Expert - Answered on Oct 01, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Sep 29, 2025Hindi
Career
Sir, after completing my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering in 2015, I prepared for GATE and various state-level mechanical exams. Unfortunately, I was not able to clear them. After spending 4–5 years preparing in this field, I shifted my focus to banking exams. In banking, I was able to qualify in the prelims when vacancies were good, but I could not clear the mains. Now, at 31+ years of age and without a job, I recently qualified in the ICET exam with a rank under 100. However, due to a poor choice, I opted for a college that had IT companies in its placement record, thinking it would increase my chances of recruitment, instead of choosing a UNIVERSITY that had better opportunities with banks. Later, I even gave up that college seat. At present, in the special counselling phase, I am unsure if I will be able to secure a seat again in the UNIVERSITY. I am confused about my next course of action—whether I should pursue an MBA or not. I would like your guidance on the following points: Do banks in India or IT companies offer better recruitment opportunities for MBA graduates? Do banks like Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank, which recruit through MBA programmes, have an age limit? Do IT companies impose an age limit for MBA placements? Should I join whichever MBA college I get admission into this year, or wait one more year, reattempt the exam, and aim for the desired university? Please guide me on the best course of action..
Ans: It is better to take up a job so that there is some work experience there in your cv rather than just joining any MBA college. you can simultaneously prepare for MBA entrance. But join only if you get a good college. Else take a few years work experience and try for executive MBA course later. Another option would be to do short job oriented courses in the area you are interested.
Banks may not have age limit when the recruit, but your age could face a problem in some of the companies. Same goes with IT companies.

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Latest Questions
Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |11009 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Apr 18, 2026

Career
Sir, My son has appeared in Class X ICSE Exam and results are awaited. So far , he has been an average performer academically. I believe he is capable and he can do great if he puts in the hard work. His performance in subjects like History/Geography etc has always been better than in Maths/science. I personally never wanted to force him to choose any stream for higher studies. He also is not sure about it. While discussing I suggested him to go for Commerce or humanities stream and then for MBA from a reputed institution. However, he is more concerned about job opportunities and wanted to go for science. Hence, after a lot of discussion, we have got him admitted in Science stream in Delhi and also got him enrolled in Allen for JEE Coaching. We thought if he adapts well and gets going, then may be he can achieve good result. Otherwise, we may decide to change stream after Class XII. What is your opinion? Request for your suggestion please
Ans: Shyam Sir, I have thoroughly reviewed your son’s background. You haven’t mentioned whether he is continuing with the ISC board or has enrolled in the CBSE board with Allen-JEE coaching for this 11th/12th Grade. Firstly, I recommend a psychometric test for your son to gain a rough idea of the most suitable career options for him.

Secondly, job opportunities exist across domains, but to be competitive, your son must have passion and interest in his chosen field and continuously upgrade both technical and soft skills relevant to that domain.

Thirdly, besides understanding suitable career options through the psychometric test, ask him what types of problems he is interested in solving in the future.

Fourthly, since you mentioned his performance is better in History and Geography than in Science and Maths, Allen-JEE coaching would be suitable only if he is truly interested in Maths and Science. If not, his performance may fall short of expectations, leading to demotivation.

My suggestion is to consider enrolling him in the Arts/Humanities stream with a focus on Geography-centric subjects. Later, he can pursue civil services, media, law, or management studies. Reassess his progress after about a year (by December 2026), focusing on his interest, mental health, and realistic performance rather than perceived job security alone.

Before he completes 11th grade (by February 2026), you both can collectively decide and start preparing for entrance exams in law, media, or management (CUET, CLAT, IPMAT, NPAT, SET etc.) based on his interests and future plans. ALL the BEST for Your Son's Prosperous Future!

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Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |11009 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Apr 18, 2026

Career
Sir my son is expected to score 90+% in 12th boards typically between 93-95% of board marks .. and 90% and above pcm cutoff .. is he now eligible with this met score of 125 marks and 12th score for admission in mit manipal mechanical? . . Also i need a guidance about aeee also . Since my son scored 90.3 percentile in aeee entrance phase . Is he eligible for slab 1 mechanical engineering in aeee ? Kindly support pl
Ans: Bala Sir, I have already addressed the first part of your question, confirming that the chances of him getting admission into the Mechanical branch at Manipal are higher. The official handbook of AMRITA states that seat allotment and scholarship consideration are done through CSAP allotment. Your son may secure a Mechanical seat, but Slab 1 cannot be guaranteed unless his final AEEE rank or JEE percentile is strong enough at the time of CSAP choice allotment. Slab 1 is based on merit ranking, not raw marks. His 125 AEEE marks will be converted into a rank relative to all candidates; if many score higher, the Slab 1 cutoff will rise. Therefore, raw marks alone do not guarantee Slab 1.

The chance of getting a Mechanical seat from Slab 2 is moderate at Amrita Coimbatore and highly probable at the Bengaluru campus. It’s advisable to have 2-3 backup options besides Manipal and Amrita. Mechanical Engineering is generally less competitive than CSE or ECE, but having backups is still wise. ALL the BEST for Your Son's Prosperous Future!

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