CAT 2015 topper Sanuj Mittal shares his strategy of scoring a perfect 100 in the exam

Sanuj Mittal: CAT 2015 topper

The much awaited CAT 2015 exam results were declared yesterday i.e. on January 8, 2016. After much confusion regarding the leaked results, students finally got to view their scorecards on the official website. 

This year CAT saw a series of toppers. Shiksha got in touch with Sanuj Mittal, one of the CAT 2015 toppers and interviewed him on how he prepared for CAT 2015 exam. Sanuj is a final year engineering student from Delhi Technological University (DTU) and specializes in electronics engineering. Here is what Sanuj had to say while speaking exclusively to Shiksha:

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Q. Congratulations

A. Thank you so much.

Q. How did you feel on seeing your result?

A. Firstly, as you know some leaked results were doing the rounds before the actual result was declared, so I couldn’t believe that I had scored a perfect 100. I wasn’t even expecting a score of 100 to be honest. I expected somewhere in 90s, but 100 was definitely not was I had expected. It was a shock for me, rather I should say a pleasant shock.

Q. Tell us something about yourself.

A. Well, I am pursuing engineering from Delhi Technological University. I am in my final year of graduation. My specialization is in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

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Q. What is your area of specialization?

A. I haven’t yet decided which specialization I would be choosing, but I am more inclined towards Marketing and Finance. But as of now, I am not very sure which one I will choose. 

Q. Was this your first CAT attempt?

A. Yes. 

Q. How does it feel to score a perfect 100 in your very first CAT attempt?

A. Elated.

Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy.

A. Practising as much as you can and attempting as many mock tests as you can is the basic strategy to crack the exam. This is the only strategy that every CAT aspirant must follow because practising and attempting mock tests is the only thing that can help you reaching great heights – this is exactly what I had followed. 

Q. What is the minimum time frame needed to prepare for CAT?

A. I think 2- 3months before the actual exam is the bare minimum time frame needed to prepare for CAT. You certainly cannot crack CAT by preparing a week before the exam. So 2-3 months of time is needed to prepare for the exam. 

Q. How early did you start preparing for the exam?

A. Well, I started off a little early. Since the exam was scheduled for November, I started preparing for the same in January. But is one wants to score a decent percentile, preparing 2-3 months in advance is important.

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Q. What did you do to improve your weak areas?

A. For me my weak area was Verbal Ability. Being from an engineering background, this section was certainly the one where I was lacking. As I said earlier, practise plays an extremely important role, so I did the same. I practised a lot, attempted several mocks tests, and I guess I was pretty much sorted out. 

Q. Is it important to join a coaching institute?

A. Well, I did. I had joined T.I.M.E. In my opinion it is not necessary that a candidate who has joined a coaching institute will only be able to crack CAT, and one who has not joined an institute will not be able to excel in the exam. The only benefit of joining a coaching institute is that there is a sense of competition among the students, there is a competitive environment, which one cannot experience while preparing for the exam sitting at home. Also, the test series offered by the coaching institutes are highly beneficial. So, yes, joining a coaching institute can be beneficiary. 

Q. What’s your dream institute?

A. IIM- Ahmedabad

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Q. Any placement offers?

A. As of now no. My prime focus was on cracking CAT, so I wasn’t even looking into that matter. 

Q. Tell us about your family.

A. Both my parents are working. My father is a banker and my mother is a teacher. 

Q. Tell us about your hobbies.

A. I like to hang around with friends and read novels. 

Q. Any tip for future CAT aspirants?

A. Practise, practise and practise! Practise hard enough.

What after CAT 2015?

CAT 2015 results are out! 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.