CAT 2013 topper: Jainik Dedhia prepared for just two weeks
Yes, that’s right. CAT topper Jainik Delhia studied for only two weeks. “I knew that I am good in QA and maths. I also took CAT 2012, when I scored 99.71 percentile. So, I took five-six mock tests in the last two weeks,” says Jainik.
Jainik’s score card reads something like this: Section 1 – 200 marks, Section 2 – 160, Total – (360/450)100.
Jainik is a pass out of IIT Bombay, Mechanical engineering, 2013 batch. He is currently working for as a consultant at Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC) for the last six months. He also won scholarships during his JEE preparation and is a part of an NGO that guides students.
Listen to podcast of Jainik speaking about CAT preparation on Shiksha.com:
Here’s an excerpt from the interview.
Q. Did you take any coaching?
No, I didn’t take any coaching, but opted for test series and mock tests.
Q. Is this your first CAT attempt?
No, this is my second attempt. I took CAT 2012 and had scored 99.71 percentile. I got a call from IIM Calcutta but couldn't convert. So far this year, I have got calls from IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Bangalore.
Q. What is your dream institute?
My first preference is IIM-A and then IIM-B.
Q. What are you doing to prepare for GD PI?
I am attending session and classes on ‘How to crack interviews’. Other than that, I am reading up on news and current affairs.
Q. What is the minimum time-frame needed to prepare well for CAT?
It depends from person to person. If a person is comfortable and good at with quantitative analysis / maths (Section 1) then he should just prepare for Section 2 that has vocabulary and logical reasoning. Vice versa is also true. Ideally, it shouldn’t take more than six months to prepare.
Q. How long did you prepare?
I feel that I didn’t prepare properly. I gave five-six mock tests in the last two weeks.
Q. Just two weeks!!?
I knew I am good at QA. Even last year, I got good marks in paper 1. Only paper 2 was little bit of an issue. During mock tests, I concentrated on Paper 2.
Q. Is it necessary to join a coaching institute or is self-study good enough?
Self study is good enough. There are no hard and fast rules on how one should prepare. It varies from person to person. I don’t think coaching should make that much of a difference in CAT. You should know which section you are weak in and prepare it, instead of wasting time equally on all sections.
Q. Tell us about your family. They must be very happy.
My father runs a business of manufacturing steel utensils while mother is a housewife. My younger sister is also in IIT Bombay.
Q. Do you ever think of joining your father�s business?
As of now, I don’t think so. I’ll rather take up a job in corporate and see how it goes.
Q. Were you an academically bright student?
Not that bright. In school I never came first but during my JEE coaching, I was pretty good. Again in IIT, I was an average student.
Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
Concentrate more on weak areas during preparation. You are supposed to do equally good in both the sections. Some IIMs have individual cut offs in paper 1 and paper 2. So, one shouldn’t lose out in a particular section.
