CAT 2018 Topper Interview: How Tushar Singhal scored 99.70 %ile without coaching

Tushar Singhal scored 99.70 percentile in CAT 2018 by self-study. He says, online prep material and mock tests helped him in a big way to achieve this feat.

CAT 2018 overall percentile: 99.70

VARC percentile: 99.83

DILR percentile: 97.22

QA percentile: 98.86

Tushar Singhal was aiming for more than 99.5 percentile and guess what, he proved himself by achieving 99.7 percentile in CAT, it is just like an icing on the cake for him. Hailing from Aligarh, Tushar is currently working as an assistant manager in a well reputed company. Shiksha spoke with Tushar to know his secret behind the success in CAT exam. A an Electronics Engineering Graduate from Aligarh Muslim University, Tushar told us, the secret is mock test series and advised the aspirants to attempt at least 25 mocks. Know more about his CAT prep strategy in the interview below:

Q: Congratulations, Tushar! Are you satisfied with your CAT 2018 result? How much scores were you expecting?

A: Thank you. I was aiming for 99.5+, so pretty much satisfied with my result.

Q: Was this your first CAT attempt?

A: No. This is a very long and arduous journey. My first attempt was in 2016. Scored 94.09 in CAT 2016, scored just 76 percentile in VA. My second attempt in CAT was in the year 2017, scored 96.63 there. I was able to get calls for around 8 interviews from top institutes, converted IIM Sirmaur, IIM Kashipur, IIM Bodhgaya and IIM Raipur but I always believed that I can do better, so I went for another attempt. This was my third attempt. Hope to sail to my dream college this year.

Q: When did you start preparing for CAT exam? What was your overall prep strategy?

A: In May 2017, when I started the preparation, I focused completely on basics. For QA, I started with Arun Sharma and watched online tutorial videos. For LRDI, time modules and for VA, I started with grammar and newspaper reading.

This year, I started in May 2018 and focused mainly on my weak topics. I picked and practiced these individual topics until I was comfortable solving questions related to them. Along with the prep, I tried to give one mock every week and thoroughly analyzed it to find my weak points.

Q: Please, share with us your section-wise strategy?

A: QA – I follow the three attempts approach. Firstly, I try to solve all the questions which can be solved within 90 seconds. Then in the second round, I attempt the questions that take 150-180 seconds and finally if time permits, I go for the questions for which I cannot figure out the method to solve.

LRDI – 30 minutes each to LR and DI. I read all the sets and write the order in which I will attempt them; starting with the easiest.

VARC – I start with RCs. I go for maximum RCs in 45-48 minutes. I devote the rest of the time to VA part. Firstly, I try to solve OSO, then a para summary and finally para jumble.

Q: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation?

A: I referred to the following books for my preparation of CAT.

QA – Arun Sharma, and TIME Modules, Previous years papers

LRDI – George Summers, Previous years papers and mocks of various coaching institute

VARC – WordPandit Daily Prep Plan, Previous years papers

Q: Did you join any coaching institute? How does coaching institute help in CAT preparation?

A: No, I have never joined any coaching institute. I self-studied for the exam. I enrolled in the test series of IMS and TIME and appeared for the mocks on the regular basis. I analyzed the mocks and improvised the weak points. I also used online preparation sources like iQuanta and WordPandit for the regular practice and keep the momentum going. 

Q: How important is a mock test series?

A: It is extremely important. Mocks are required to form a winning strategy and each candidate has to decide it according to his/her strengths and weaknesses. So, I would suggest all the students to attempt at least 25 mocks and analyze them thoroughly to maximize your performance on the D-DAY.

Q: What was your exam day strategy?

A: I had a good sleep the night before the exam as sleeping and resting your mind is equally important though, and tried to be as relaxed as possible throughout the exam.

Q: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

A: It’s very difficult to visualize 2,40,000 people preparing for the same examination. The competition is obviously at a very large scale. So, I want to say to all the aspirants that don’t lose the vision and reason you started with. The journey will be tough but eventually, the satisfaction of a good result will be worth it.

Q: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

A: I am aiming for the top 10 management colleges. So my focus will be on old IIMs, FMS-Delhi, XLRI-Jamshedpur, SPJIMR-Mumbai and MDI-Gurgaon.

Also read:

CAT 2018 Topper Profile: Rounak Majumdar

CAT 2018 Topper Interview: Swapnil Suman

CAT 2018 Topper Interview: Amar Agrhari

CAT 2018 Topper Interview: Vineet Bajaj

CAT 2018 Topper Interview: Siddhant Dhawan