Hello Aditya,
Greetings!

CAT is not the only entrance exam for management, there are a couple of others as well. Considering your situation, first you need to identify certain colleges that you consider worth taking admission into . There are various factors which play a role in deciding a college which is favourable, such factors include: fees, placement statistics, top recruiters, faculty, infrastructure, location, accreditations, etc. It would be beneficial to have a list of 20 approx colleges that you consider as 'finest b schools', worth taking admissions. Once you are through this, identify the exams, all the shortlisted colleges, take into consideration for allocation of seats. There are many fine colleges in India which accept MAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, CMAT , etc . At times, there are state based management exams which are accepted by the colleges in that state, these include: MAH CET, KMAT, TANCET etc . Therefore, if a college, under your list of fine colleges, accepts another management entrance exam, then you can try to appear in that and can aspire to score well.

Further, many a time, people join colleges to be recruited by a particular company. If you have a dream company as well, then try to find out colleges in which that company is a top recruiter. Through such research, even if you take admissions into an average college, you will still stand a chance to become a part of your dream company.

Another alternative to your situation is, appear in CAT 2019 and take admission in 2020. Since you are a 2017 pass out, in the counselling sessions, you will have to justify the gap . If you manage to justify it, then you can get admission in your dream college. Considering that you have the salary pay slips from your previous job as a proof of your experience, we cannot neglect that it was only for 10 months. In order to cover the gap, it would be advisable to take internships or additional projects. You can also go for volunteering at an NGO but you need to ensure that you earn something from the volunteering job / internships as a proof, such as certificate or recommendations. The internships will give the impression that you were not sitting idle during your gap.

Hope you find this information useful.
In case of any doubt, feel free to raise more queries. we will be happy to assist you.
All the best for your future endeavours!

Hi Aditya,

Firstly I'm not sure what a not good score means. Secondly, even if u drop a year, it is not possible that you change your enginneering score. So for now or forever, you will have to stay with that score only. If the score is above 60% you are at a decent state.

Dropping an year, doing neither job nor internship, will only worsen your profile further. In my opinion, you may want to give another attempt after a year but during this one year keep yourself occupied with something productive as well which you can showcase in your interview.

If you have any further doubts, you can feel free to ask.

All the best

Hello Aditya,

If you have not scored well the first time, don't lose heart as you can always try again. If you think you have the aptitude and the dedication to work hard and work smart, no one can stop you from achieveing your goals. In my opinion, if one has a positive outlook and a zeal to excel, they should always aim for the best and never settle for anything average. Think your decision through, consult with your parents and mentors and if you think that by dropping a year you would be able to do deligent studies, go for it. If you do decide to drop a year for studies, don't take it casually as it is going to decide the course of your future. Time is the most valuable entity one has. Good Luck!