Bharat Santani
Once the result of CAT is announced, few candidates experience the sweet taste of success while a few do not score as they had expected. Bharat Kumar Santani appeared for CAT 2016 and scored 96.12 percentile. Though his percentile was good, he could not clear the sectional cut-off of VARC, and his dream of getting into an IIM could not be fulfilled.
Not disheartened by his performance, and with the ambition of securing a seat in IIM Ahmedabad, he once again started his exam preparation. Hard work finally paid off, and Bharat cleared CAT 2017 with flying colors. This time his overall percentile was 99.67, and his sectional scores were VARC-95.93, DILR-99.41, and QA-99.31.
Bharat is an engineer and his hobbies include watching cricket and hacking. Shisha spoke to him, and he shared his preparation strategy with us. Read his exclusive interview here:
Q. How did you feel on seeing your result? Were you expecting this score?
I was excited as well as relieved after seeing my results. I was expecting around 99.5+, but I scored 99.67 percentile so I was happy that I scored somewhat close to my expectation.
Q. Was this your first CAT attempt?
No. This was my third attempt at the exam.
Q. What area of specialisation do you plan to opt for?
I have experience in IT industry of more than 3 years so I will be option for majorly Consulting or Operations.
Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy.
Mocks, Measure, Analyze and Repeat. This is what I did almost every week. Achilles heel was VARC section – this section costed me IIM calls and in turn, another year (I couldn’t clear sectional cut-off for VARC section in CAT 2016, though my overall percentile was good enough for at least new IIMs).
Q. What was your weak area (s) and what did you do to improve the same?
VARC was my week area. I devoted 50 % of time to this section preparation. I solved around 45-50 sectional tests and around 30 All India mocks.
Q. Is it important to join a coaching institute?
If your basics are strong then there is no need to join coaching. The best way is to gauge where you stand is by giving 2-3 all India mock and checking whether you can get around 90%ile or not. If you are scoring 90 percentile and above, then no need to join a coaching institute, and if not is would be good to go for coaching.
Q. What’s your dream institute?
My dream institute is IIM Ahmedabad, but due to average academics I may not be able to get that call. I believe that at the end, it’s not about the institute, but learning. Thus, I will try to convert whatever best I can.
Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
Try to maintain consistency in preparation and give at least 2 mocks a week.
Also Read:
 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. |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
Yes. IIMB does require the CAT exam, but the rest of the top B-schools in Bangalore also take in candidates through the state-level CET, ie, the Karnataka PGCET exam, or through MAT or CMAT.
Top B-schools in Bangalore without CAT | Cutoffs Required |
|---|---|
26690 | |
29592 |
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
IIM Calcutta has only mentioned accepting GMAT score for admission into EMBA courses.
However, CAT is commonly accepted by other similar institutes for both MBA and MBAEx courses. Thus, candidates are advised to ask admission desk for confirmation on this question.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
It is not possible to determine a candidate's admission in IIM Calcutta MBA course through CAT score alone. In Stage 1, a score 85% in CAT will be enough for a general category candidate to be selected for PI+WAT admission stage.
Final admission cutoffs are based on many factors other than CAT score.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
No, IIM Calcutta cannot get into MBA courses without appearing CAT first. CAT is a mandatory entrance exam and it is conducted every year for admissions into all MBA courses offered by this institute.
However, candidates who are applying for MBAEx course will be required to appear in GMAT for admissi
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
To get a seat at IFMR Chennai, students have to first appear for any one of the entrance exams accepted by the institute for the MBA/PGDM course admission. CAT, XAT, NMAT, CMAT, Andhra Pradesh ICET, IPAMT and SAT India are the entrance exams accepted by this institute for admission to the management
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
No, you cannot use the CAT score for direct admission to the MBA/PGDM course at this university.
You would need to first appear for the CAT entrance exam, and then get shortlisted for the PI and or GD rounds to be considered for a seat. Since the CAT cutoff is not released publicly, the closest esti
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
The Vishwakarma University CAT cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM course for the All India quota.
For the General AI category, the estimated Vishwakarma University MBA cutoff 2025 was 50. Students who gained this percentile are then eligible to enter the second round of admission
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
The National Institute of Bank Management Cutoff 2026 for General AI category in CAT exam is 80.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, you cannot use the CAT exam result for direct admission to the MBA/PGDM course at AIMS Institutes, Bangalore.
The college accepts the CAT, XAT and MAT exam results for admission to the management programme. Students have to first attain the qualifying cutoff percentiles and then sit in the select
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Candidates applying for admission in MBA at IIM Raipur should have qualified the CAT exam. Check below the application fee of CAT:
- INR 2,300 for general category students
- INR 1,150 for SC/ST/PwD students
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Contributor-Level 10