Aritra Chakrabarti
Aritra Chakrabarti tried his hand at CAT for the second time in 2016 and scored 99.56 percentile. Owing his success to his parents, he said that they always believed in him and supported him in every phase of life. Aritra’s sectional cut-offs were: 99.96 in VA, 85.75 in LRDI and 98.42 in QA. Shiksha asked him about his preparation strategy and this is what he had to say:
Was this your first CAT attempt?
Answer: No, this was my second attempt.
Q. How satisfied are you with your score?
Answer: Though at 1st glance a percentile of 99.56 may look good, I feel I could have done better in Quant and LRDI section. Then I could have got an even better percentile.
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Q. Tell us something about yourself.
Answer: I did my civil engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. After graduation, I got a job at Mu Sigma Inc. which basically deals with decision sciences. I am currently working there and the work has been pretty interesting so far. But for better career opportunities I intend to an MBA.
Q. What area of specialization you intend you choose?
Answer: Finance.
Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy.
Answer: In 2016, I started my preparation in May. I gave regular sectional tests and two mock tests a month. I analysed my weak areas and tried to improve them.
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Q. What is the minimum time frame needed to prepare for CAT, and when did you start off with your preparations?
Answer: I would say 6 months of rigorous practice are sufficient to excel in CAT.
Q. What did you do to improve your weak areas?
Answer: Give mocks to figure out your weak areas. After identifying them, practise questions on a regular basis from those areas and try to track your improvement in subsequent mocks.
Q. Is it important to join a coaching institute?
Answer: It differs from person to person. If you are starting from scratch then it is better to join classroom programs and give regular sectional tests and mocks. Else, if you feel you do not need regular classroom coaching, it is very important to enroll in a mock test series and that will be very beneficial in your quest for a good percentile.
Q. What’s your dream institute?
Answer: IIM C
Q. Tell us about your hobbies.
Answer: I like to play the violin. I can also play the piano. If not anything else in life, I would rather become a pianist.
Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
Answer: Practice makes one perfect. Study smart. Give as many mocks as possible and stop procrastinating.
CAT scores are used for admission to 19 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and various other top B-Schools. Are you eligible for the IIMs? To know more, click on the image beside. |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
Dear reader,
Lovely Professional University (LPU) is a great substitute for Delhi University, which offers a good and prestigious platform for management education. With an industry-aligned curriculum, broad global exposure, and an exceptional track record of high-package placements with top interna
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Dear reader,
Lovely Professional University (LPU) is a great substitute for Virohan: Vivekananda Global University, which offers a good platform for specialised study. With an industry-focused curriculum, extensive international exposure, and an exceptional track record of high-package placements wi
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes. IIMB does require the CAT exam, but the rest of the top B-schools in Bangalore also take in candidates through the state-level CET, ie, the Karnataka PGCET exam, or through MAT or CMAT.
Top B-schools in Bangalore without CAT | Cutoffs Required |
|---|---|
26690 | |
29592 |
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
IIM Calcutta has only mentioned accepting GMAT score for admission into EMBA courses.
However, CAT is commonly accepted by other similar institutes for both MBA and MBAEx courses. Thus, candidates are advised to ask admission desk for confirmation on this question.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
It is not possible to determine a candidate's admission in IIM Calcutta MBA course through CAT score alone. In Stage 1, a score 85% in CAT will be enough for a general category candidate to be selected for PI+WAT admission stage.
Final admission cutoffs are based on many factors other than CAT score.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, IIM Calcutta cannot get into MBA courses without appearing CAT first. CAT is a mandatory entrance exam and it is conducted every year for admissions into all MBA courses offered by this institute.
However, candidates who are applying for MBAEx course will be required to appear in GMAT for admissi
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
To get a seat at IFMR Chennai, students have to first appear for any one of the entrance exams accepted by the institute for the MBA/PGDM course admission. CAT, XAT, NMAT, CMAT, Andhra Pradesh ICET, IPAMT and SAT India are the entrance exams accepted by this institute for admission to the management
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, you cannot use the CAT score for direct admission to the MBA/PGDM course at this university.
You would need to first appear for the CAT entrance exam, and then get shortlisted for the PI and or GD rounds to be considered for a seat. Since the CAT cutoff is not released publicly, the closest esti
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The Vishwakarma University CAT cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM course for the All India quota.
For the General AI category, the estimated Vishwakarma University MBA cutoff 2025 was 50. Students who gained this percentile are then eligible to enter the second round of admission
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The National Institute of Bank Management Cutoff 2026 for General AI category in CAT exam is 80.
R
Contributor-Level 10