CAT Topper Tips: Mock analysis is crucial for CAT preparation

Abhishek Maurya

Abhishek Maurya was not very enthusiastic about CAT when he appeared for the exam in 2015. However, after the exam, he made up his mind that he would reappear for the exam in 2016, and this time with a serious approach. It is rightly said, that if your goals are clear, there’s nothing that can stop you from fulfilling your dreams. 

This time, cracking CAT 2016 with a good percentile was on Abhishek’s mind. He made sure that he prepared for the exam in the best possible manner, and his efforts were clearly visible when CAT results were declared – Abhishek scored 99.39%ile. Shiksha spoke to him and he shared how he had prepared for the exam. 

Q. Was this your first CAT attempt?

Answer: No, this was my second CAT attempt. I appeared for CAT 2015 but was not very focused on it then. 

Q. How satisfied are you with your score?

Answer: Overall I am satisfied with my score, but expected to do better in Quantitative Aptitude section. That would have translated my scores to a different point. 

Q. Tell us something about yourself.

 Answer: I have done B. Tech in Electronics & Communication Engineering from B.I.E.T., Jhansi. I love innovation even in simplest of things, be it working for college clubs or designing a poster for NGO. 

Q. What area of specialization you intend to choose?

Answer: I would prefer Finance for specialization. It has a much wider scope and learning opportunity. 

Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy.

 Answer:  I tried to be thorough with the basics of all the three sections within the first two months of preparation. I started giving mock tests from August and analyzed them properly. I feel mock analysis is the most important part of CAT preparation. 

Q. What is the minimum time frame needed to prepare for CAT, and when did you start off with your preparations?

Answer: It differs from person to person. If you are good with basics, you need not more than 3-4 months to ace CAT. I started my preparations early, in June. 

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

Answer: VARC was my weakest section. I tried to give more sectional tests to improve my performance in this section and analysed my mistakes and made sure that I do not repeat them. 

Q. Is it important to join a coaching institute?

Answer: I personally feel coaching is not very important if you are self-disciplined and are good with basics. CAT preparation demands consistency. Coaching can be helpful to regulate your schedule. If one needs it, I would suggest, it’s better to join an online coaching institute that has a better pedagogy than offline coaching institute and also you can get an excellent study environment. 

Q. What’s your dream institute?

Answer: From the beginning of my preparation, undoubtedly, I wanted to secure a seat at IIM Ahmedabad. 

Q. Tell us about your hobbies.

Answer: I love solving Sudoku. I am also interested in Graphic Designing and do the same for an NGO. 

Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Answer: Try to give equal importance to all the three sections. Aspirants often tend to ignore Verbal section, which costs them extensively. Try to actively solve questions from online social media groups. Remember, consistency is the key.

CAT scores are used for admission to 20 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.