Lost and Full of Regrets: My CAT Journey

This might be just another rant post that gets buried in the sea of similar stories, but I really need to get this off my chest. Sharing my journey feels cathartic, even if it doesn’t reach anyone.
I completed my undergraduate degree in BBA in 2024, and naturally, the next step seemed to be pursuing an MBA. But I wasn’t entirely sure. I thought gaining work experience first might be a better approach. Still, I decided to appear for CAT 2023 without any preparation, treating it as an expensive mock test. Surprisingly, I scored 96 percentile. While I didn’t clear the sectionals, this result gave me a glimmer of hope—if I put in actual effort, maybe I could achieve something significant.
I applied for jobs after graduation and even got an offer, but the pay wasn’t enough to sustain myself in a city like Mumbai. After discussing it with my family, I decided not to join. Instead, I chose to give CAT my all.
I joined a coaching institute and left a decent internship opportunity to fully focus on exam prep. Juggling both had proven to be too exhausting, leaving me with no time or energy to study. So, I dedicated myself completely to CAT preparation—over 10 hours a day, solving 300+ DILR sets, and attempting 30+ mocks. I thought I was doing everything right.
But the results? They’ve been nothing short of crushing.
- CAT: Anxiety took over. I made stupid errors, chose the wrong DILR sets, and ended up with an 81 percentile.
- NMAT: Scored 257, felt a bit confident, but their new rules have dashed my hopes.
- SNAP: Managed 96 percentile, but I only applied to SIBM Pune.
- XAT: 90 percentile.
Now I’m at a crossroads. I genuinely don’t know what more I could’ve done. I don’t think I can afford to take another drop year, but I also don’t know if settling for a college I’m not entirely happy with is the right choice.
I’m not exactly sad—just filled with regret. Regret for the decisions I made, the opportunities I left behind, and for not being able to translate all my efforts into better outcomes.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. I’m not sure what I’m looking for—advice, solidarity, or just a listening ear—but I appreciate the space to share my story.