CAT 2018 Topper Interview: CAT is all about consistency, says 99.53%iler Vineet Bajaj

Vineet Bajaj says secret to crack CAT exam is mock test series and advises CAT aspirant to be regular, consistent and motivated. 

CAT 2018 overall percentile: 99.53

VARC percentile: 95.57

DILR percentile: 98.99

QA percentile: 99.46

Vineet Bajaj an Engineer who scored 99.53 percentile in CAT 2018, can undoubtedly be considered as an exceptionally good score. Vineet was born and brought up in Ludhiana and currently working as Robotic Process Automation Developer at an MNC in Gurugram. Shiksha interviewed this talented student to know his secret of success in CAT exam. He told us, the only secret to crack this arduous exam is mock test series and advises CAT aspirant to be regular, consistent and motivated. Know more about his CAT prep strategy in the interview below:

Q: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?

A: Thank you. Yes, I am satisfied with my CAT result though I was expecting a bit more. My expectation was more than 99.6.

Q: Was this your first CAT attempt?

A: No, this was my second attempt. I had attempted CAT exam earlier in 2016 as well.

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

A: I started my preparation around mid of August. As I had taken CAT in 2016, so I was aware of all the strong and weak areas of mine. As Quant is my strong area, I decided to capitalize on it and revised the basics first. I am also good in LRDI, but I knew that I cannot maximize score in this section because of its level of difficulty. So I devoted the least time to this section but practiced different sets on regular basis. VARC is my weak area. I knew that I need to focus more on this section. Initially, I couldn’t because it seemed boring. Then around October mid, I realized that my scores are not increasing beyond 120 in mocks. I started to devote more time to this section. I fairly managed my studies along with my work and spent 4-6 hour daily.

Q: Please, share with us your section-wise strategy for CAT.

A: VARC- Practice is the key to success in this section. It increases your speed of reading which helps you to attempt more number of questions. One can only tell how to approach but it’s you who has to understand what is written in the RC. I solved all the RCs available on Application Builder of IMS and around 50 RCs from IMS’s RC100 book. For Verbal part, I followed the instructions of Iquanta teachers and solved as many para-jumbles, odd one out sentence and para summary questions as I could which were posted on the Iquanta Facebook group.

LRDI- I had joined Iquanta full course for my preparation. I used to solve the questions posted in the class by myself even if it takes 30-40 minutes and then watch the video of the solution posted there. This helped in improving my approach to handle different types of questions.

Quant- For Quant, I cleared my basics from IMS’s material and then I used to solve mix questions posted in Iquanta group. I attended all the quant classes of Iquanta and learned many shortcuts and tricks from my mentor. I made a habit and always try to be the first person to answer on the posted questions. This helped me in increasing my speed and then I used to attempt more questions.

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

A: I didn’t refer to any specific book but I followed IMS’s material and tried to solve each and every question I see on Iquanta FB group. I also used mocks to analyze my mistakes and to improve my approach.

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

A: Yes, I joined Iquanta’s online course and IMS’s test series. A coaching institute can guide you what to do, how to do and can show you the right path, right direction, but it is you who needs to work in that direction. Iquanta’s course helped me in learning various concepts and tricks. Coaching classes also provide you with the environment and a sense of competition. The heat of competition I experienced in Iquanta FB group motivated me to improve my concepts further. I got a chance to prepare and interact with intelligent minds across the country. This was altogether a new and a very nice learning experience.

Q: How important is mock test series?

A: Mock test series are really important from the preparation point of view. You get to know where you stand at All India level. Mocks help you in finding your weaknesses and building a strategy to tackle the unpredictable nature of the exam. You can work to overcome your weakness and perform well in actual CAT exam. Most importantly, mocks help you in developing the habit to sit for 3 hours in front of a computer screen with full concentration.

Q: What was your exam day strategy?

A: I hadn’t had any strategy for the exam day as CAT is a very unpredictable exam. One needs to attempt it with an open, focussed mind and concentration. Being relaxed is also important. I tried to stay calm throughout that day and just thought of maximizing my attempt. I could attempt 71 questions which I could never attempt in any of mocks. 

Q: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

A: I would suggest any CAT aspirant to be regular, consistent and motivated. Self-belief is a must. Take mocks at regular intervals and make sure to analyze your result before attempting next mock. Mocks are for practice, so don’t get demotivated by low scores.

Q: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

A: I am targeting some of the nation’s top institutes which includes IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore, FMS-Delhi, SPJIMR-Mumbai, IIT-Bombay, NITIE, and MDI-Gurgaon.

Also read:

CAT 2018 Topper Profile: Rounak Majumdar

CAT 2018 Topper Interview: Swapnil Suman

CAT 2018 Topper Interview: Tushar Singhal

CAT 2018 Topper Interview: Amar Agrhari

CAT 2018 Topper Interview: Siddhant Dhawan