No matter what time of the year it is, publications carry tips for taking the Common Admission Test (CAT) and advertisements for preparation packages. No one, however, seems to talk about whether or not you should take this exam in the first place. I suppose it does not make for a good revenue model for the coaching institutes to screen and counsel candidates against taking the exam. I worry that too much effort is made to get people to sit for the CAT and other assorted MBA entrance exams, but sufficient attention is not given to either the requirements or the consequences of such 'sitting'. In the absence of formal counselling on whether or not the CAT is for you, here is an outline for a self-exam.

"I do not like mathematics." I heard this from someone who was preparing for the CAT. All I could say was that I wish we had met before you began preparing for the exam. Even if you have the basic mathematical skill to get through the CAT, you need a degree of comfort with the subject to make it through two rigorous years of business school.

After you are through with that mathematical hell, your job will require some involvement with your bete noir . So take a long-term view of things and don't take the CAT if you dislike math.

"I don't like reading." Word lists will get you only that far in the CAT. If you need to understand a word, you must understand it in context. And that comes only from regular reading. Just magazines and newspapers don't cut it. Neither do Mills & Boons and Sidney Sheldon. Just like math, your two years of business school will require a large amount of reading from you. At business school you will go through a number of books and articles. If you are not comfortable reading something that is not racy and requires focused effort, perhaps you need to rethink the whole CAT/IIM thing.

Having said this, these are not the main hurdles to CATdom to my mind. It is possible, with some effort and time to make up for these shortcomings provided one is willing to work on one's mindset. You can develop a passing familiarity with math, if not a torrid love affair. Reading, of course, is an easier habit to cultivate.

But there are bigger fish to be fried for you to succeed. I find that a lot of my friends who take the CAT see it as an end unto itself. I, during my time, was no different. For many, getting through the CAT is all that matters and, therefore, it's all they prepare for. But the fact is that the two years in a top B-school can be a pretty tough and stressful experience. Have you read Snapshots From Hell: The Making of an MBA ? About everything you do at a B-school - readings, tests, presentations and even the odd snooze in class - add to, or subtract from, your grade point average. This grade point average is what a lot of potential employers look at.

At the end of the two years, you go through the dreaded 'placement week' - when you will hope and pray that the pain and suffering will all be worth it and you will have a decent job. And if you think that is nirvana, I am afraid it's not. Most MBAs I know go through two kinds of phases in their jobs. The first of these is the better known 'ditch and switch' where very few of the MBAs end up holding onto their first job for more than 3 to 5 years. The lesser known is the "life stinks" phase where the disillusionment from work overwhelms you as you come to terms with the harsh reality that we are not going to change the world any time soon. So you either look to escape by going to another B-School, preferably overseas, or join an NGO.

But doom and gloom aside, there are those who find B-school experiences very useful in their chosen profession and find jobs that they enjoy and excel at. For some, serendipity plays a role, while for others who have had some corporate experience B-schools are a well-considered option.

My concern is greatest for those who choose the CAT because their friends are doing so. They have given little thought to career and even less to what is needed to successfully chart your way in the MBA-world. Please don't get into this without thinking through the issues. First, do you have the skills to successfully take the CAT? Second, are you able and willing to take on the challenges that follow the exam? You should see the CAT for what it is: as a minor hillock in the marathon of life and not the finish line of a 100 metres race. Take the CAT by design - because you understand what it takes and are willing to go the length; not by default - because everyone is doing it or because it is the well publicised career option that leads to the pot of gold.

The author is an IIM-Bangalore alumnus and an ex-banker, chasing entrepreneurial ambitions in education. He runs an MBA discussion blog at catinator.blogspot.com or can alternatively be reached at mail2adw-blog@yahoo.com.