Come November, the clock starts ticking faster for thousands of Common Admission Test (CAT) aspirants across India. That single day of performance can make or break their future career trajectories. But behind this high-stakes moment lies a story often overlooked, the relentless months of preparation, sacrifice, and grit.
India’s management education landscape is also transforming in parallel. As industries evolve at unprecedented speed, an increasing number of mid-career professionals are heading back to the classroom- this time for Executive MBA (EMBA) and Working-Professional MBA programs. These offerings from India’s top business schools blend academic rigor with real-world application, enabling professionals to upskill, pivot careers, or accelerate leadership ambitions.
The numbers tell their own story. The executive education market in India is projected to grow from ₹1,480 crore in 2024 to ₹2,090 crore by 2029- a remarkable 41% surge. This shift signals not only institutional expansion but also a mindset changes among India’s workforce. With this growth, it is reasonable to assume that nearly 40% of CAT aspirants each year are working professionals with over six months of experience.
Yet, for this cohort, the journey is uniquely demanding. Cracking CAT is challenging for everyone, but the difficulty multiplies for those balancing a full-time job, intense exam preparation, and the need to maintain some semblance of personal life. Their days begin early, end late, and are dominated by a constant shuffle between deadlines, mock tests, and responsibilities at home and work. While it looks simple: office 9 to 6, CAT prep 7 to 10, a bit of sleep, repeat. In reality, it’s juggling deadlines, guilt, fatigue, and ambition- often all in the same day.
Take the case of Akash, an IT engineer in Delhi, with about 3.5 years of work experience, terribly needed to break the monotony of his job. Not liking the treatment of his manager and the practice of giving proofs of the work he had already done, he looked for a change in his career and an MBA seemed to be the best option. He started preparation for CAT by giving 5 to 6 hours daily to studies after work hours. What worked for him was work-from-home during COVID and afterwards, that saved him lot of time and energy from office commute. He converted this saved time to preparation time and reaped the benefit.
However, every one is not as fortunate as Akash. Sharvi was working as an analyst in Mumbai for about 2 years. For her, weekdays were chaotic and messy with work commute in Mumbai locals and full-day job with sometimes unexpected work commitment even in the late evenings also, so she became the ‘weekend warrior’. She blocked the weekends for attending classes in a coaching institute and then doing self-study, attempting mock tests followed by analysis. She committed around 10-12 hours every Saturday and Sunday to these activities. But that lead to zero social life- missing Goa trip with friends, trekking plan with colleagues or a cousin’s destination wedding. For almost a year, her life revolved around work, office, classes, studies- feeling even sleep deprived most of the times.
Both Akash and Sharvi, and thousands of many such cases go through such routines sacrificing their comforts and going through a regimental life for a significant time. There is a continuous mixed bag of emotions like guilt of not giving their 100% to work; anxiety of not giving 100% to the exam preparation and fear of a bad day in November taking away all their efforts. People talk about discipline as a fixed trait. In reality, it is a continuous negotiation between depleted energy and the dreams of a better future for people like Akash and Sharvi. The situation becomes worse for those having familial responsibilities also with them
So the question is why do people opt for such hustle and sign up for this rollercoaster in a large number every year? For many, their motivation is part necessity-part ambition. They have understood that lifelong learning is no more optional and they do not see CAT as just an exam, but as a symbolic reset button for reinventing themselves. It represents to them:
- the hope of better future including pay, status, and mobility
- chance to shift from execution roles to decision-making roles
- the desire to work in domains that feel more aligned with one’s interests
- or simply, the craving to challenge their own boundaries and to prove to oneself, “I can still learn, I can still stretch.”
The phrase “work–study–life balance” is misleading in the case of such working professionals. Balance does not mean everything gets equal time. It means intentional temporal imbalance with clarity and self-respect. It is less about perfect schedules and more about conscious trade-offs.
For a working professional preparing for CAT, balance might look like:
- Accepting that social life will temporarily shrink, but not allowing yourself to become completely disconnected and isolated.
- Focusing on quality than quantity: means doing fewer things at work, but better.
- Setting the priorities: means instead of getting into everything at work define your domains and prioritizing your preparation also.
- Setting SMART goals for yourself as an outcome of the exam: means not fantasizing to be the CAT topper but targeting a realistic score that will fetch the desirable calls.
- Protecting one non-negotiable: sleep, exercise, or a daily 30-minute “no screens” zone to prevent burnout.
- Being honest with family and friends about this phase, instead of carrying the burden silently and resenting them later.
For these working professionals, preparation of CAT is less of time management and more of self-exploration, attempt to unleash their potential and identity management of who I am and what I want to be.
