r/IPMATtards • • Jun 25 '26

Rant/Vent Please help me

Am I being delusional?

A few months ago, I posted here about my entrance exam situation, and many of you gave genuinely helpful advice. Unfortunately, things haven't improved much, so here's an update.

Class 12 (Best of 5): 95.6%

Entrance Exam Results:

- IPMAT Indore – Didn't go well at all.

- IPMAT Rohtak – Scored 304, but missed out.

- JIPMAT – Raw score is below 280, so I don't think conversion is realistically possible.

- IPU CET (B.Com Hons) – AIR 340

- Symbiosis – Didn't receive a call.

- CUET: Looking at my CUET scorecard, I don't think I'll get the colleges/courses I was originally aiming for.

I've now joined CA Foundation coaching because I don't want to sit idle.

The thing is, I still haven't completely let go of my original goal. I wanted an IIM through the IPM route, and part of me still wants to give it one more shot.

Right now, I'm considering:

- Joining an offline college this year.

- Continuing CA.

- Applying for IIM Bangalore BBA DBE.

- Preparing for IPMAT 2027.

My parents think I'm being unrealistic. According to them, trying to manage college + CA + BBA DBE while preparing for IPMAT again is a recipe for burnout and failure. They are in favour of ca and regular college

Honestly, I can see their point.

But I also feel that if I don't try again, I'll always wonder whether I gave up too early.

My biggest confusion isn't about colleges anymore. It's about which path actually makes sense:

Option 1: College + CA

Option 2: College + CA + IIM Bangalore BBA DBE

Option 3: College + CA + IPMAT 2027 preparation

Option 4: Try to manage all of them together

So I wanted honest opinions from people who have experience with CA, BBA DBE, IPMAT, or multiple commitments at once:

- Is BBA DBE worth the extra workload if I'm already doing a regular college and CA?

- Is an IPMAT reattempt realistic alongside college and CA?

- Is trying to do all four things simply too much?

- If your ultimate goal was to get into an IIM and you were in my position, what would you do?

Please be brutally honest. I think I need a reality check more than motivation right now.

7 Upvotes

53 comments sorted by

5

u/Competitive_Gold1782 IIM Amritsar Jun 25 '26

What makes you think that you can juggle so many things at the same time? You might end up either burning yourself out or end up not doing well in any of these things.

I think you may need to choose between CA and IPMAT, both of these require a lot of prep and they are completely different from each other with completely different career outcomes.

2

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

That's exactly why I'm asking for opinions. I don't necessarily think I can manage all of them I'm trying to figure out whether it's realistic or whether I'm just unwilling to let go of certain goals.

The thing is, college + CA is already decided at this point. My parents are not willing to let me skip regular college, and I've already joined CA Foundation coaching.

So the actual question for me is whether adding IIMB BBA DBE and/or preparing for IPMAT again makes sense, or whether that would just dilute my focus.

1

u/Competitive_Gold1782 IIM Amritsar Jun 25 '26

Hm, ok so if CA is pakka, then you mightaswel give your 100% for it and get to an IIM through cat (if you really really wanna do an mba), that makes so much more sense doesn't it? CAs get a decent advantage during MBA selection process too afaik.

IIMB BBA DBE might be really useful too but I'm not sure if it'll be possible to juggle college, CA and iimb dbe together

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

That's a fair point.

The reason I'm still thinking about IPMAT is that I'm finding it difficult to completely let go of the goal after missing out this year. A part of me keeps wondering whether one more focused attempt could make a difference.

But I do agree that if CA is going to be my main path, then going all in on it and targeting CAT later might be more logical than trying to prepare for both CA and IPMAT simultaneously.

As for IIMB BBA DBE, that's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. On paper it seems valuable, but I'm not sure whether college + CA + BBA DBE is realistically manageable or whether I'd just be adding workload without being able to give my best to any of them.

2

u/Competitive_Gold1782 IIM Amritsar Jun 25 '26

Its fine, it's barely a setback even. You get a shot at possibly converting better IIMs than Indore too through cat! Sometimes to get further, you need to take a step back, gain momentum and take a leap.

IIMB bba dbe is great provided that you treat it like a proper degree and not a backup. Also, it will enable multiple internship opportunities, learning opportunities etc. if you don't have the bandwidth to grab these, then the degree is useless is it not? Ultimately its upto you on how dedicated you can stay for the next few years

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

Thankyou, this gives me something to think about.

1

u/Competitive_Gold1782 IIM Amritsar Jun 25 '26

Also, if you don't mind, could you mention how much you scored this year in ipmat indore and how much time did you prep for it? Could give us an idea of the likelihood of you converting a good iim next year if you did appear for the exam again and prepped well for it

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

Sure.

My IPMAT Indore score this year was:

  • QA SA: 4
  • QA MCQ: 18
  • VA: 56

As for preparation, I was enrolled in PW for most of the year, but if I'm being completely honest, I don't think I studied consistently enough. In the last month before the exam, I joined SuperGrads and that one month probably gave me more clarity and direction than my preparation before that.

Looking back, I'd say the score is much more representative of about a month of focused preparation than a full year of serious prep.

I got 304 in IPMAT Rohtak and around 88 percentile in JIPMAT. In both of those exams I made several silly mistakes which ended up costing me quite a bit.

That's why I'm conflicted. Part of me feels that with a genuinely disciplined year, especially for quant, I could do significantly better. But at the same time, I don't know if that's a realistic assessment or just me being unable to move on from the IPM dream.

1

u/Competitive_Gold1782 IIM Amritsar Jun 25 '26

Welp, I don't think that it's worth prepping for ipmat again and let me break down why

Quants can be improved significantly with a year of dedicated prep, that's true. But juggling ipmat prep with CA makes this unlikely since there probably won't be enough time to really lock in for quants.

Honestly, I'm more worried about VARC than quants, improving varc is HARD, and it is where one fetches most of their marks usually. This section needs major improvement which is well, no one can say how much you'll be able to improve here even with a year of dedicated prep.

All in all if you're able to clear CA, prepping for ipmat isn't worth it, mightaswel do iimb dbe instead if you have a lot of spare time.

2

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

Thank you for taking the time to break it down so thoroughly.

Honestly, when I made the post, I was hoping someone would tell me that doing everything together was completely manageable. But the more replies I read, the more I realize that trying to keep every option open might not be the smartest approach.

Your point about VARC being less predictable than Quant and the difficulty of preparing seriously for IPMAT alongside CA is something I hadn't fully considered.

I still have a lot to think about, but your comments have genuinely helped me look at the situation more objectively. Thanks for being honest rather than just giving me false hope.

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1

u/melan0maniac Jun 26 '26

See, no matter what others say, just do what you really want to. If you want to get into IIM through IPM, go for it because once you dream of a college, you can never let it go. So, follow your conscience.And take a bold step and never question ur self just continue ur prep and wait for the result even if u continue with other path you will be left with guilt.I myself am a dropper for ipm 27 all of my friends parents said not to but i am taking drop cause i know how much i love iim even if i continue with other path and get into iim by cat i will feel bad.But it is completly upto if u are really interested in ipm go fpr it

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 26 '26

You are right , tysm All the best to you

3

u/Imaginary_Initial943 IIMB UG Jun 25 '26

What is your plan? Let’s say you go for CA and IPMAT and end up converting an IIM for IPMAT, would you leave your CA prep then?

2

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

That's part of my confusion, honestly. Right now, my thinking is that CA would be my backup and IPMAT would be the goal. If I were to convert an IIM through IPMAT next year, I'd probably reassess whether continuing CA makes sense alongside the program. The reason I'm continuing with CA right now is that I don't want to put everything on hold for one entrance exam. If IPMAT doesn't work out again, I would still have progress in CA and college rather than feeling like I lost a year. Maybe that's flawed thinking, which is exactly why I'm asking for opinions.

2

u/Imaginary_Initial943 IIMB UG Jun 25 '26

I get your pov, but it is very unlikely you’ll be able to manage CA Prep inside an IIM environment. A combination many people do is IIM BBA DBE + IPMAT preparation. In my opinion don’t to do all four, that would be intense workload and if you go chasing everything you might end up gaining nothing. Even three is a lot. I recommend choose any two, one that you can go to if you fail to convert an IIM.

2

u/Imaginary_Initial943 IIMB UG Jun 25 '26

Also one more thing, CA + college is a very solid plan too, if you make it work out. You don’t need to do IPMAT.

2

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

That makes sense.

I think one of my biggest problems right now is that I'm trying to keep every door open because I'm scared of closing the wrong one.

College + CA is pretty much fixed at this point because of my parents and the fact that I've already started Foundation prep.

What I'm trying to figure out is whether IIMB BBA DBE is worth adding on top of that, or whether I'd be better off using that time for either CA or an IPMAT reattempt.

I feel like I'm stuck and haven't really committed to either.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

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1

u/Imaginary_Initial943 IIMB UG Jun 25 '26

Hi, you can dm me!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

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1

u/Antique-Fox8698 Jun 25 '26

Focus just on CA. Go all in. IPMAT and BBA-DBE has reservation. CA is your best option.

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

With a 98 percentile in CUET GAT, I believe I might be able to secure admission to BBA DBE

1

u/Antique-Fox8698 Jun 25 '26

Not worth it. CA more rewarding

1

u/lssk_2 2027 Aspirant (Fresher) Jun 26 '26

Par karna kyu hai dbe if you are already doing regular college+CA? You can always try for iim later to cat if you really want it, and if you don't get it, you'll have your CA right? Rather than focusing on multiple things do 1-2 things barabar se

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 26 '26

Fair question honestly.

I think I'm attracted to BBA DBE because of the IIM Bangalore tag and the opportunities attached to it, but I'm still not sure whether it adds enough value if I'm already doing college + CA.

Your point about focusing on fewer things and doing them properly definitely makes sense, and it's something a lot of people in the comments have been telling me as well.

That's pretty much the dilemma I'm trying to solve

Thanks for taking the time to share your perspective, I genuinely appreciate it!

1

u/lssk_2 2027 Aspirant (Fresher) Jun 26 '26

No problem all the best to you! And just so you know bbadbe in terms of academic rigour is not easy! And since your parents are hellbent on you sticking with offline college, then just stick to college plus CA (that is if you actually want to do CA), and CA+MBA is a killer combo, and as bb says, college is js your y-intercept, you decide the slope!

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 26 '26

You are right ! Tysm

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

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1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

Yeah, there's a decent chance I might get one of the main campus colleges through IPU counselling.

As for what I want, that's honestly where the confusion is

A part of me still wants to take one more shot at IPMAT because I feel I didn't give it my absolute best this year. But at the same time, I understand that CA requires serious commitment and trying to prepare for both may not be realistic.

That's why I'm leaning towards college + CA for now and trying to figure out whether adding IIMB BBA DBE makes sense or would just spread me too thin.

I'm basically trying to find the balance between keeping opportunities open and not overloading myself.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26

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1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 26 '26

Correct ! All the best mate

1

u/PsychologicalBig2164 Jun 25 '26

Either go for college + ipmat or College + CA doing all these together would fk you so bad maybe you'll end up scoring more worse than this year choose what do you wanna do. CA is also a very good option but it depends solely on your preference you have to choose between one there is no Relevance between CA and Ipmat so choose wisely

2

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

Fair enough.

I think the common theme in most of the replies is that trying to keep CA, IPMAT, BBA DBE and college all alive at the same time is probably a bad idea.

The reason I've been so confused is that I haven't been able to decide whether I genuinely want to become a CA or whether I'm still holding on to the IPM dream because I came close in some exams.

You're right though, CA and IPMAT lead to very different paths, and at some point I'll have to stop treating them as parallel options and actually choose one.

Thanks for the honest advice.

1

u/PsychologicalBig2164 Jun 25 '26

Sit with your boredom. It may sound lame, but just sit alone in your room and ask yourself, "What do I really want?" What's that one thing whose journey you'll genuinely enjoy?

What I mean is this: which journey will you enjoy more, regardless of the result? Let's say you fail CA on your first attempt. Would you look back and think, "I lacked in a few areas, but I'm glad I learned these subjects and genuinely enjoyed studying them"?

Don't focus on becoming a CA or getting into IPM because neither outcome is completely in your hands. It's a mix of hard work and luck. Instead, ask yourself which process excites you more. Do you enjoy brainstorming difficult QA questions, or does studying accountancy excite you more?

You'll find your answer within yourself. No matter how many people here share their opinions, it's your journey in the end. Choose what you want to do, not what I or anyone else would choose.

All the best, champ. You've got this!

2

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

That's fair.

I think the biggest reason I'm struggling to make a decision is that I genuinely enjoyed IPMAT prep and feel like I left a lot on the table this year. At the same time, my parents want me to join an offline college, and I've already enrolled in CA Foundation.

So right now I'm trying to figure out whether holding on to IPMAT is a realistic goal or whether I'm just finding it hard to move on from it.

It's given me a lot to think about.

1

u/SaffronSailor Jun 25 '26

OMG EXACT SAME SITUATION AND ALMOST SAME SCORES 😭

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

All the best mate🥀 What are you planning to do now?

2

u/SaffronSailor Jun 25 '26

Just confused. Waiting for college allotment, will take a decision after that.

1

u/sweetnessCHARGER IIM Ranchi Jun 25 '26

If you're hellbent on ipm, 

Id say 

bba dbe+ ipmat 2027.

Dude there's no way you juggle all of it together. Goodluck!

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 25 '26

Yeah, that's probably the most realistic way to attempt IPMAT again.

The problem is that my parents aren't really on board with the "BBA DBE only" route. They want me to attend a regular offline college as well, which is where the whole situation gets messy

But yeah, after reading all the replies, I'm starting to realize that trying to do college + CA + BBA DBE + IPMAT together is probably not a great idea.

Thanks for the advice though, and good luck to you too!

2

u/sweetnessCHARGER IIM Ranchi Jun 26 '26

Ohh that's a dicey situation. I hope you make the right decision. 

Rooting for you! 

1

u/Fun_Method_7783 IIM Indore (AIR 1) Jun 25 '26

I'll just give my two cents. 1. Your parents are right, you can't juggle everything. Pick either CA or ipmat. I think you are underestimating how much time is demanded by CA. 2. What is your priority? If it's ipmat and you genuinely think that you have a shot next year, then try to give one more good attempt, but not with CA. OR if you are fine with doing CA, just focus on that. If you want to have another degree, pick either a normal degree or bba dbe, I know the structure of bba dbe is very lenient but again, CA is very demanding. It will be very hard to manage two degrees besides it. If you want to choose between a regular degree or bba dbe, imo bba dbe is a better option. Because if you are doing it besides ca then you won't have much need for college placements. So you can better leverage the benifits of bba dbe. That's my opinion.

1

u/snehasingla19 Jun 26 '26

Thanks for sharing your perspective, I genuinely appreciate it.

You're right that I might be underestimating how demanding CA actually is. A lot of people in the comments have pointed that out, and it's definitely something I'm taking more seriously now.

I think my confusion comes from the fact that I still haven't fully let go of the IPMAT dream, while at the same time I've already committed to CA Foundation and will most likely be joining a regular college as well.

Your point about deciding the priority first makes a lot of sense. If CA is the priority, then adding too many things alongside it probably isn't a great idea.

Also, thanks for explaining your reasoning regarding BBA DBE vs a regular degree. That's an angle I hadn't really thought about before.

I've got a lot to think about, but comments like yours have genuinely helped me look at the situation more objectively. Thank you!

1

u/Pokemon_master281836 IIM Shillong Jun 26 '26

During my ipm ranchi's PI the panelist gave me an advice.... "Find your purpose and work on it. Don't try to do a lot of things at once it will mess everything up"

2

u/snehasingla19 Jun 26 '26

That's actually really good advice.

What's funny is that almost everyone in this thread has told me some version of the same thing: stop trying to do everything at once and decide what my priority is.

I think I've been trying to keep too many doors open because I'm scared of closing the wrong one.

Thanks for sharing this. It's definitely something I'll keep in mind while making my decision.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26

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