CAT 2013 topper: Tejaswi Kasturi loves playing with numbers and reading
We finally caught up with Tejaswi Kasturi, one of the eight candidates who scored 100 percentile in CAT 2013. “I was busy with my presentation at college,” he says. A final year student at IIT Madras, he is pursuing dual degree (BTech-MTech) program in Microelectronics and VLSI design.
For Tejaswi, CAT was not very high on his list of priorities. And yet, his score card reads: section 1 – 175, section 2 – 179 and total – 364 (100 percentile).
“What I do normally complemented my CAT preparation,” admits Tejaswi. He loves playing with number and solving puzzles while reading is like second nature. And hence, his total CAT prep time was around two-three months only!
“But it’s not a very good representation of CAT preparation,” he admits candidly.
Listen to this exclusive podcast where Tejaswi talks about CAT prep and advises students.
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
Q. Is this your first attempt?
Yes.
Q. What is the minimum time-frame needed to prepare well for CAT? How long did you prepare for it?
I didn’t spend much time on CAT, because I am good at Quant and read a lot. So, I am good at Verbal too. I spent two-three months on preparation. The thing is I like numbers a lot and play around with them. I also solve puzzles. Normally what I do complements my CAT preparation. But it’s not a very good representation of preparation.
Q. Did you have a study plan during preparation?
No, I just wrote mock exams for CAT. That’s it. I started writing exams and reviewed the mistakes.
Q. What did you do to improve your weak areas?
Verbal, mostly vocabulary was a slightly weak area. But I read a lot and covered it.
Q. Did you join any coaching institute?
No, but I took AIM CAT from TIME to write mock exams.
Q. Is it necessary to join a coaching institute?
It depends on the person. I could clear without joining an institute but others may benefit from joining institute. Institutes have a structured learning and tell you what things to improve. It’s efficient learning in a short time. Mine was completely unstructured. I just know what I learnt. But ultimately, it’s a person-to- person thing.
Q. Tell us about your family.
They are very happy – over the moon! My parents are employed in the Andhra Pradesh state government. They supported me a lot. If not for them, I wouldn’t have any inkling at all.
Q. What calls have you received so far?
IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Shillong.
Q. Which institute are you aiming for?
I am aiming for the top three – IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta. But I am not sure. I am talking to my institute alumni, friends and relatives.
Q. What is your back up plan?
Job! I already got placed in EXL services as a consultant.
Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
The important thing is to know the fundamentals well. It helps a lot in solving problems quickly. CAT is all about solving quickly and accurately. When you learn concepts, don’t learn them for the sake of learning – understand how the formula came about; understand why we are solving like this. In an exam we may directly apply formula, but in some cases formulas may not be very straightforward, and it will take you forever to answer a question.
In verbal section, it is better improve by reading a lot. Reading not only imparts knowledge but opens up new worlds for you. Read a lot – not only for CAT prep – but because it is a good habit.
And finally, manage your time well.
Explore more Topper stories:
- CAT 2013 Topper: Budding entrepreneur Suneet Kumbhat played Sudoku and Kakuro before CAT
- CAT 2013 Topper: PV Krishna Koundinya is a basketball player and loves playing guitar
- CAT 2013 Topper: Delhi’s Anirudh Batra, a sports enthusiast, scores a perfect 100
- CAT 2013 topper: Abhinav Jain (99.99 percentile) loves to party and watch sitcoms
- CAT 2013 Topper: Abhiram Iyer loves fantasy fiction and wants to write his own series
- CAT 2013 Topper: Siva Surya Teja, a math wizard, believes self study is the best practice
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