Current IIM students generally shouldn't retake CAT - no legitimate career-advancing reason exists. The community consensus was strongly negative about retaking CAT from an IIM seat. At IIM Ahmedabad (Rs 27.5L fees, Rs 35.22 LPA avg), IIM Bangalore (Rs 26.2L fees, Rs 34.88 LPA avg), and IIM Calcutta (Rs 27L fees, Rs 34.23 LPA avg), retaking CAT provides: (
- Nothing material to placement resume (employers don't care about multiple 100 percentiles), (
- Takes time away from year 1 coursework and SIP prep, (
- Potentially affects normalisation for genuine aspirants, (
- Signals ego or career confusion to interviewers. Legitimate exceptions: (
- Planning to become CAT coaching entrepreneur post-MBA (niche career choice), (
- Research interest in standardised testing (academic career), (
- If currently at new/baby IIM and targeting ABC through switch (financially expensive but defensible). The time investment: serious CAT prep is 100-200 hours - better spent on CFA L2, case comp wins, or PM certifications. The opportunity cost: if you invest 150 hours in CAT, you could instead clear CFA L1 with 200 hours, which has direct career benefit. For aspirants reading this: once you crack CAT, put it behind you. Focus on MBA performance and placement. Don't follow the IIM Calcutta student's retake pattern - it's counterproductive to career. Channel your competitive energy into something useful. The real intellectual challenges post-MBA: CFA L2/L3, hackathons, case comp finals, side business - these build career. Check your eligibility at collvera.com/eligibility