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Worried about my academic profile for top MBA colleges: What can I do now?

Patrick Dsouza |861 Answers |Ask -Follow

CAT, XAT, CMAT, CET Expert - Answered on Jun 26, 2024

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

Asked by Anonymous - Jun 22, 2024Hindi

I graduated with a B.Com (General) with 73.52%, and I obtained 54.71% in 10th grade and 51.17% in 12th grade. I belong to the General category and am eligible for an EWS certificate. My academic profile is summarized as 5|5|7. Since graduation, I have been a fresher with no practical work experience or internships, and I do not have any notable co-curricular or extra-curricular achievements. I took the CAT 2022 exam shortly after graduation for experience. Following that, I started preparing for CAT 2023, XAT 2024, and MHT CET 2024 but was unsuccessful due to a lack of consistency, discipline, and dedication. This year, I am preparing for CAT, NMAT, SNAP, XAT, MHT CET, and CMAT with the goal of getting into a top B-school in India. My preparation is going well this time. Although I realize I may not get into the top IIMs (BLACKIS), I am targeting and working hard for the new and baby IIMs, XLRI, FMS, SPJIMR, NMIMS, SIBM, and other reputable non-IIMs. Many people have advised me to pursue an MBA from local colleges or to try for government or banking jobs. While I respect their suggestions, I am determined to pursue an MBA from a top college in India. I cannot change my past academic record, but I am focused on improving my overall profile. I seek your valuable guidance on how to justify my gap years, improve my profile, and get advice for GDPI, securing a SIP, and placement. Currently, I am only able to get job of BPS in MNCs with only 11k p.m. for night shift. It may affect my schedule my preparation and work culture will be hectic and will only get 1.5 to 2hrs on weekdays for preparation. If I able to get a sales/Marketing related to my career interest then i can max 14k with more hectic work and more travel which may results inconsistency in preparation in weekdays. Even if I start working now, I can only add about 2 months of work experience before CAT and other MBA entrance test registrations, and less than 10 months of work experience before GDPI next year. I am committed to achieving a 99+ percentile this time. Alongside my preparation, I have acquired two beginner-level certifications in digital marketing and plan to add up to five more certifications in pre-MBA relevant skills. I am highly grateful for your feedback and suggestions.

Ans: It may be a little difficult to get into top colleges based on your academics - though it is possible if you do well in the written test and interview. It will help if you look at more colleges for admission. IF you are ready to wait then can take up a job and try to get experience along with preparation for CAT. By next year you would have 1 year experience which would give you some additional marks that could help you get a call.