Is re-attempt in CAT worth it?

While there is no one answer to this question, like any other difficult question, there are some factors to consider:

You need to be extremely clear on why you want to clear CAT and pursue MBA from an Indian college. CAT preparation is exhausting, and it is easy to lose motivation if the big picture is unclear. So the first step is Introspection.

You must figure out what percentile you would need to reach your goal. You have cut-off data available for different colleges for different categories, gender, work experience & background at multiple sources. A tentative cut-off summary is provided towards the end of this article.

The next important question is the gap between your target percentile and the last scored percentile. If the gap is huge, you will need to work hard to reach your goal. Not just you need to be mentally prepared to put in the hard work, but it could also be psychologically difficult to redo it. You can’t afford to take the one-year gap to make your CAT Exam Re-attempt. It will work against you in interviews and put you at double risk if you cannot make it. So are you prepared enough to clear CAT along with your job?

Does any other option besides MBA make more sense for your career? It could be an upskilling course, a job change, a master’s from abroad, a different degree from an Indian university, or your startup. Please give it a thought.

Plenty of students end up at IIM Ahmedabad eventually though they had 50 percentile on their first attempt, the journey for them was a challenging one. The real question is whether you can bite the bullet and whether it is worth the effort.

CollegesCAT cut off (General)CAT cut off (NC-OBC)CAT cut off (SC)CAT cut off (ST)CAT cut off (DA)
IIM Ahmedabad99.5+99+85+75+70+
IIM Bangalore99.5+99+80+70+70+
IIM Calcutta99.5+97+75+70+65+
IIM Lucknow99+85+65+55+55+
FMS99+85+65+55+55+
MDI Gurgaon98+No quotaNo quotaNo quotaNo quota
IIM Indore98+85+65+55+55+
IIM Kozhikode98+85+65+55+55+
SPJIMR Mumbai98+No quotaNo quotaNo quotaNo quota
IIM Shilong96+85+65+55+55+
IIM Ranchi95+75+60+40+40+
IMT Gaziabad95+No quotaNo quotaNo quotaNo quota
JBIMS Mumbai95+No quotaNo quotaNo quotaNo quota
IIM Udaipur95+70+60+40+35+
IIM Raipur95+70+60+40+35+
IIM Trichy95+70+60+40+35+
IIM Kashipur95+70+60+40+35+
IIM Rohtak95+70+60+40+35+
IIT Delhi95+70+60+40+35+
IIT Bombay95+70+60+40+35+
IIT Madras95+70+60+40+35+
IIT Kanpur95+70+60+40+35+
XIM Bhubaneshwar90+70+60+40+35+
GIM Goa90+70+60+40+35+
K J Somaiya90+70+60+40+35+
IIT Kharagpur90+70+60+40+35+
IIT Roorkee90+70+60+40+35+
IIM Nagpur90+70+60+40+35+
IIM Vizag90+70+60+40+35+
IIM Amritsar90+70+60+40+35+
IIM Sirmaur90+70+60+40+35+
IIM Sambalpur90+70+60+40+35+
IIM Bodhgaya90+70+60+40+35+
IIM Jammu90+70+60+40+35+
TAPMI80+70+60+40+35+
FORE, New Delhi80+70+60+40+35+
IFMR, Chennai80+70+60+40+35+
IRMA, Anand80+70+60+40+35+
MICA Ahmedabad80+70+60+40+35+

Also Read :- How to prepare for CAT?

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