(7) CAT-a-LOG: All about CAT, IIMs and Coaching.
Article(7) CAT-a-Log: How to select a Coaching Institute?
(Posted on 5/9/2023, Teachers Day.)
(Click here for the next or previous articles:
Today's Mantra: Don't expect to be a great Manager; if you can't manage your studies on your own.
You know about your strength and weaknesses and you also know about pros and cons of joining a Coaching Institute. Now decide rationally whether you want to join a Coaching Institute or not.
It should not be really very difficult to make the decision if you have understood the mechanism of Coaching Institutes for CAT.
Before jumping on the bandwagon, please remember that Coaching Institutes will benefit only approximately 10% of the total Students.
Think twice before making any payment to join any Coaching Institute. At least read all the articles of the Section A of this Blog before joining any Coaching Institute.
Remember, there are many students who get selected in IIMs without joining any Coaching Classes.
If you are sure that you are definitely in the first 10% of the students, you definitely need not pay to the Coaching Institutes. You will be able to go to a Top B Schools on your own with your efforts.
And if you are aware that you don't have necessary aptitude and that you are definitely in those 90% of the students likely to be rejected by Top Business Schools; then also you need not waste your time, money and efforts on Coaching Institutes. Sounding harsh!? Yes it is!
In fact you may be born for something much bigger than an MBA. Would like to recommend that you go to a professional Cousellor of your choice, pay him or her and then only decide to go for a profession suitable to you.
Approach a Coaching Institute for 'Counselling' for CAT or CMAT only after Counselling from a true and professional Counsellor.
With the availability of You-Tube, Google and ChatGPT, a lot of quality Material is available free on the net. I intend to provide links of the best Material available on the net in this blog in due course of time for the students who do not wish to join regular Coaching Classes.
Moreover, I will keep posting articles on Maths and English on my blogs Love Thy Number and Epeolatry. More than anything else, I will be there to guide you to be a Self- Mentor! You may send messages to me on WhatsApp for any clarification.
At least read all these articles of the Section A. It will cost you nothing. This blog is not commercial! It is just to help you understand truth about CAT and Coaching Institutes and to help you become a successful Self-Mentor.
As 90% of the students of Coaching Institutes are going to fund for the success of the remaining 10% students and the owners of Coaching Institutes; you should pay your hard earned money wisely after considering all the positive and negative points.
If you still decide to join a Coaching Institute, despite reading all the disadvantages; please go ahead but take following actions and precautions which will help you a lot financially and otherwise:
(1) Consult your seniors, colleagues, Parents and Google Search to evaluate all the Coaching Institutes on various Parameters, like:
(a) Number of Faculty members and Students.
(b) Credentials of Faculty team--- their academic achievements, CAT Score, LinkedIn profile etc.
(c) Average number of Students per Faculty member subject wise.
(d) Number of classes/sessions for the whole programme.
(e) Condition of Class Rooms.
(f) Availability of clean wash rooms.
(g) Availability of AC.
(h) Size of the batch.
(I) Composition of batches.
(j) Doubt clearing sessions.(Offline/Online)
(k) Mentoring sessions.(By subject experts only)
(l) Quality & Qunty. of test series: Google Review.
(m) Availability of lift for Coaching Students.*
(n) Do they treat you with dignity you deserve.*
(o) Last but not the least: Discount!
(2) Approach all the available Coaching Institutes in a group and ask for huge group discounts. They all are in the business of making money, so don't be shy to ask for discounts!
You are going to be a Future Manager. Start learning about Team Work and the Negotiating skills right away!
(3) Don't pay the entire amount upfront in a single Instalment. As more than half of the students leave within a few months of joining; please be prepared mentally to pay miniscule amount initially.
Ask for more number of instalments, preferably monthly. They will immediately reject! You know why! But still try! I repeat: ask for more instalments!
You can easily get your Scooty or bike on Instalments but not hefty Coaching fees. Ask yourself, why? Now ask them too! And then you will realise their true intentions.
(4) Please don't be pursuaded by the Sales Girls (Counsellors) for the short duration Course just before the CAT for 3-4-5-6 months. Don't ever forget that it needs time to prepare for CAT.
(5) If you want to do MBA from an average local College, there is no need to pay huge fees for CAT.
Instead join a course for CMAT for a fraction of fees of CAT. Or just chill out, waste your time, Parents' money and don't appear in the CAT. Still you can join many B Schools without CAT score!
(6) Please consult some of your immediate seniors about their experiences with different Coaching Institutes. It will help you in making the decision to join or not to join a particular Institute.
(7) You will certainly meet succesful students of the previous years but make it a point to meet a few unsuccessful students also who left the Coaching Institutes in between without getting refund. Such students are in majority. Please consider their perspective too.
Pankaj Khanna
Indore (9424810575)
B.E. (Mech.) SGSITS Indore 1983 Batch
-Worked with HPCL from 1984 to 2007.
-Faculty Maths/DI-LR -T.I.M.E. Indore 2007-20
-Faculty Maths/DI-LR-IMS Indore-June22-July23.
-Blogger on diverse subjects.( Love thy Numbers, Epeolatry, CAT-a-LOG, Corruption in Oil Companies, Tawa Sangeet, Ikshak Indori and a few more.)
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List of Articles of the blog CAT-a-LOG:
Section A: The articles written in this section are about basics of Self-Mentoring, MBA, CAT and perils of Parallel Education System (Coaching Institutes). Everyone concerned about Coaching Classes including the Parents and Students are requested to kindly go through following Articles in this Section before joining any Coaching Institute for CAT.
Section B : This section is all about Mental Health of CAT aspirants. The darker side of CAT Preparation nobody discusses. These articles should also be read by Everyone including Parents and Students.
Section C: It is about detailed CAT Preparation Plans for Students. Parents may also Read:)
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* There is a building in Indore in which a Notice is displayed by the Building Management and a Coaching Institute that Students of that particular Coaching Institute are not allowed to use lift. Despite paying Rs.40000 to 50000 fees! The callous Coaching Institute is not willing to listen to the students and even their parents. As a result all students have to climb 5 floors day in and day out!
Obviously the Coaching Institute is not treating the Students with dignity. For them Students Dignity and Mental Health don't mean anything.You should be aware of such Red Flags.