🐾 Chasing CAT: How I Aimed for IIMs but Ended Up Questioning My IQ

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— A Tragicomedy in 3 Phases, 99 Emotions, and Infinite Percentile Dreams


🎬 Phase 1: The Dream Was Free… But The Prep Was Not 💸




It all started one random evening while I was dramatically sipping chai and pretending to be the main character of my life — when suddenly, I decided:


“I want to crack CAT.”


Yes. CAT. That prestigious, mysterious, life-altering exam where you fight with Percentile Gods to earn a seat in an IIM.


Why? Good question. Even I don’t know. Maybe because:




That one topper on YouTube said “It changed my life” 😭




Or because I had nothing else planned except crying over my ex and watching Shark Tank



So naturally, I Googled:


“How to crack CAT in 3 months without maths?”


And Google laughed. I heard it.




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📚 Phase 2: DILR = ‘Did I Lose Respect?’ & Other Daily Tragedies




So I bought books heavier than my emotional baggage.


Set alarms. Made timetables.


Watched toppers’ strategies with high hopes.


And day 1 went great.


Day 2: “Aaj break le lete hain. Mind bhi rest maangta hai.”


Day 7: “Is this really for me or should I become a food blogger?” 😭




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🔢 Quant – The Real Villain of My Life:




Quant looked at me.


I looked at Quant.


We both cried silently.




I tried learning formulas but ended up writing motivational quotes in the margin. Every time I tried Time, Speed & Distance — I felt like I was running away from the question itself.



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📈 DILR – Death Is Literally Real:



I solved one set in 30 mins.


Got all answers wrong.


Then checked solution, which said:


“It’s a very easy set.”


Excuse me, how?


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📖 VARC – Very Aggressive Reading Comprehension:




I tried reading editorials.


Day 1: “Hmm...Interesting.”


Day 3: Scrolls Instagram while keeping newspaper open for aesthetic.


Also, why are RC authors so dramatic? Why can’t they write like normal people?


"Post-modernist reinterpretation of economic hegemony in the global south" — BRO, JUST SAY YOU’RE BROKE.



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😵‍💫 The Mocks That Mocked Me:



First mock: “I’ll give it seriously.”


Result: 28 percentile.


Cried. Slept. Ate cake.


Gave second mock: 22 percentile.


Cried again.


Made Excel sheet to track progress.


Never opened it again.


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🧠 Phase 3: Spiritual Awakening (And Also Existential Crisis)




One fine day, while solving a puzzle for 45 mins and still not getting the logic, I had a moment.


Not an ‘aha!’ moment.


A “main kya kar rahi hoon life mein” moment.



But here’s the plot twist —


This journey changed me.


I started waking up earlier.


I started showing up even when I didn’t feel like it.


I started celebrating small wins, like solving ONE tough question.


It was no longer about IIMs.


It became about ME.


My consistency. My mental gym. My tiny victories.



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🌟 Ending Note: From One CAT Survivor to Another




If you’re still solving RCs at 2 AM,


If your calculator is your best friend,


If you cry every time someone says “mock de de,”


Then hey, same bro.



But trust me when I say:


This exam may not guarantee you an IIM,


but it’ll give you a stronger version of YOU.


One that doesn’t give up.


One that knows how to try again.


One that laughs even while preparing for a paper that mocks your IQ weekly 😂




So, chin up.


Mocks down.


And may the percentile be ever in your favour 😌🔥


🖋️  Note:


Written while sipping chai, crying over DILR, and still dreaming of that IIM convert.


— A fellow CAT warrior 🐾📖



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