“Do I have to be a city resident to crack CAT exam?”
His tears mixed with the running water in the river, as his sullen form positioned itself near the river bank like a stone. The cool breeze in the mountains of Munnar rustled in his air, while the trees swayed around, almost beckoning him to look at them. But, all he had in his mind was the incident at home, the fight, the screams, the desperation, and the lack of hope.
All of Munnar, his childhood, the beautiful walks across the vast tea fields, the delicacies, all of them seemed to fade away as he started to develop a pulsating hatred for the place. He questioned himself for being born here, a place where one could not live his dreams, where one could not be a part of a much bigger reality. The lack of proper coaching centres in a rural area as this had made him considerably depressed, owing to the fact that he could no longer see himself getting into a top management institute. All the beauty of the place, all of its greenery and all of the people who saw him grow no longer mattered to him.
The lack of proper educational institutions that cater to the needs of MBA aspirants in rural areas is one of the biggest problems that most students face. The low quality of existing educational infrastructure in these areas makes the scenario much worse. For most students from rural regions, CAT exam preparation is a reality that is too daunting even to think about.
It is considered that people who reside in cities have an advantage while preparing for MBA entrance exams. However, there are several elements and cases which point to the fact the rural population can have an equal, if not better chance at cracking the CAT exam. The reason for this is the advent of facilities such as CAT online coaching and online study repositories such as Praqtise.
Some of the main reasons why online coaching has helped students in rural areas to a large extent include the following:
Advances in Technology and Connectivity
Technology, in India, has been growing at a fast pace. The availability of Internet has become easier, with increased accessibility for even those students who stay in rural areas. It is the Government of India’s promise to connect all the villages of India digitally. It has been laying down fibre optic cables to reach even the deepest and most inaccessible parts of the country. Many students who aspire to become MBA graduates have the option to study online. There are many online tutoring websites available. These help students gain increased exposure to everything that is required to prepare for CAT. These websites teach the entire CAT exam syllabus right from the basics. This helps students have better concept clarity.
Online Question Banks and Repositories
In the virtual realm, a student can gain access to an ocean of question banks and study material. Some online coaching classes also offer gamified versions of the syllabus. The learning experience of the student is becomes more interesting and intuitive rather than merely a chore. The results of the tests are stored, overall progress can be seen at the click of a button. They have blogs where they can post doubts and queries regarding questions, exams, colleges and more. All you need is a good internet plan and dedication, elements that students in rural areas have access to.
Self Study
Another option available for students in rural areas is to prepare for the examinations on their own. To some it must be difficult, owing to the perceived lack of guidance that self-study might be associated. However, several studies point to the fact that self-study is one of the best weapons that an individual can wield.
Take the example of Julius Yego, a field athlete from Kenya. He is the one and only player to have learnt how to throw a javelin only by watching YouTube videos. He has many awards including in the
- Commonwealth Games of 2014,
- the World championship 2015 in Beijing and
- Olympics games, 2016 in Rio de Janerio.
If winning medals in international sporting events is something that can be achieved just by watching online videos, why would it be difficult to prepare for CAT exams through self-study? There are numerous online tutorials and question banks for MBA aspirants. Self-study is no longer something to be afraid of.
If your dream is to get into one of the best b-schools in India, nothing can stop you. Surroundings or your background do not matter.
Does the rural population have an equal chance as the urban population in CAT exam? What do you think? Let us know in the comment’s section below.
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[1] Self Created