CAT 2016: Here’s how Dhananjay Tripathi scored 99.89%ile in his first attempt

CAT 2016 99.89%iler, Dhananjay Tripathi

CAT 2016 results are finally out. Some candidates scored more than they expected while some were disappointed with their performance. Amidst this aura of anxiety, nervousness and happiness, Shiksha spoke to Dhananjay Tripathi who scored 99.89 in CAT 2016. 

Dhananjay hails from Kanpur and is currently pursuing B. Tech Mechanical. His father is a Branch Manager in LIC and mother is a homemaker. Here is what Dhananjay had to say about his result. 

Q. Was this your first CAT attempt?

Answer: Yes, this was my first attempt at CAT. 

Q. How satisfied are you with your score?

Answer: I am satisfied with the scores in VA. I feel I could have done better in LRDI and Quants. Talking about my overall performance, I would say it is satisfactory. 

Q. Tell us something about yourself.

Answer: I have completed my class Xth and XIIth from my hometown Kanpur, and I am currently pursuing B. Tech Mechanical from VIT University.  My areas of interest are Design and Operations and I like to write and discuss about politics, economics and movies with friends and on social media. 

Q. What area of specialization you intend you choose?

Answer: Finance 

Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy.

Answer: My preparation strategy was focused on self-study. I watched videos from YouTube to learn theory and concepts and referred various books available for practicing questions. I also joined a mock test series of a popular coaching institute. Reading Quora answers and newspaper articles helped me in the VA section. 

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

Answer: I believe if the basics are strong, one can score 99.5+ percentile with 1-2 months of preparation. If one is starting from scratch, he/she may need up to 6 months to prepare. I started preparing from July, 2016 and studied for CAT for 3 months between July and December, 2016. Daily 3 hours of sincere practice is more than enough for scoring a decent percentile in CAT. 

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

Answer: My weak areas were RC and LR sets. Attempting mock analysis definitely helps in improving weak areas, especially Reading Comprehension. 

Q. Is it important to join a coaching institute?

Answer: No, I don’t think so. I myself didn't join any coaching institute. Having said this, I however believe mock test series provided by the coaching institutes are certainly helpful. 

Q. What’s your dream institute?

Answer: I dream of securing a seat in IIM Ahmedabad. 

Q. Tell us about your hobbies.

Answer: My hobbies include computer and online gaming, watching movies and TV series. 

Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Answer: Coaching is not mandatory to score well in CAT. Self study is sufficient to obtain a good score.

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.