The cat roared again

2.76 lakh applicants, 2.4 lakh aspirants, 1800 seats, 23 centers, 7 IIM’s, 2.5 hours, 1 question paper. I can’t drill it down any further because what happens next is completely between the aspirant and his own mind. I have been following this ruthless yet magnificent exam for last 6 years now. CAT is known for surprises just as the family. Something changes every time. Yet the one thing that has remained same over the years is the immense craze for this particular exam. Each year the number of applicants for CAT just keeps on increasing and at a very healthy rate too. In 2005, when I first appeared for CAT, 1.47 lakh applicants; which has almost doubled in 4 years. Reason? I don’t know. It can be different for different people. A perfect career choice, a topic of discussion, business, a way of life, a routine… who knows.

Personally, I think of it as a front where I have to prove my worth at least once. I do not have to admit this because everyone who has seen me over the years will also agree that I have never belonged to the elite brainy class at school level, the GATE group at college level and the Microsoft, Google at the professional level yet somehow I have managed to find my way out; maybe not that convincingly. I don’t need a MBA degree for what I do for a living. I also don’t need it for what I wish to do. But the reason why I strive to fare well in this exam is to prove that it’s not luck alone that has carried me over the years. This is my Everest.

I’ve been advised to look for simpler options. Compromise with life and move on. Someone told me once, “IIM? Good! Aim for the stars, at least you will reach the tree top.” Why? Is it not possible to aim for the stars and reach there too? I can’t think of any reason why not. After all they are normal humans who appear for CAT, crack it, reach the IIM’s and fulfill their personal aim. If thousands can do it every year; so can I. More so, I have freed myself from the shackles of time and I don’t care how long it goes on. As long as I have the zeal, the energy to fight it, I will. So let the CAT meow each year, at least once, it would be me who will roar.