CAT 2019 Topper Interview: 99.65 percentiler Devesh Bansal shares CAT preparation tips

Devesh Bansal, who scored 99.65 percentile shared his CAT 2019 experience with Shiksha. Read the article below to know more.

A Delhi University graduate, Devesh Bansal, scored 99.65 percentile in the CAT 2019 exam. Shiksha got to talking to Devesh and he shared about how he prepared for CAT exam with a full-time job and his success mantra. Read the article below to know more.

Overall CAT percentile: 99.65

VARC percentile: 96.25

DILR percentile: 99.6
QA percentile: 99.7

Q. Was this your first CAT attempt?

A. No, this was my second CAT attempt. I attempted CAT in 2018 in which I scored 94 percentile. This paved the way for another attempt.

Q. When did you start your preparations for CAT? What was your overall preparation strategy?

A. I started the CAT preparation approximately 6 months before, that is, June 2019. With a full-time job in hand, I had to identify my conceptual loop-holes to effectively utilize my time. Thus, I started by attempting 2-3 mock tests without preparation to know where I stood. In the next 1-2 months, everything got streamlined. The mock tests’ schedule was fixed with one mock in every three days. The gap between the mock tests was used to work upon the basics and solving random questions as they appeared in the exam. For the last two months, I only worked on the mocks and their analysis. ‘I considered them to be my textbooks’.

Q. Please share your section-wise strategy. How did you go about each section?

A. VARC: Like most of the students, this was the section I was not comfortable with. In CAT 2018, this section turned the game against me, so I knew that I had to deal with it cautiously. I made it a rule to read 3-5 articles daily, based upon diversified themes transcending politics, sociology, anthropology, economics, biology, etc. Also, I gave 15 (1-hour) section tests for VARC. I learned that patience was the key which helped in grasping what I was reading. Fortunately, the tricks worked on the D-day.

• DILR: It was one of my favorite sections. Thus, I did not do anything special for this section. I just maintained that I practiced 4 sets daily to contain my speed and thought-process. Further, solving the sets only during mock tests was enough for me.
• QA: After DILR, I was comfortable in QA the most. To strategized this section, I researched the ‘average-weight’ of different topics that appeared in CAT over past few years. This helped me gain insights about the topics for which I needed to invest more time than others. For example, I worked more by practicing daily questions on the concepts of Geometry and Arithmetic. Further, analyzing the section in mock tests proved enough.

Q. How many mock tests did you attempt?

To be honest, I attempted 65 odd mock tests to hone the technique of time management and get comfortable with the test environment. The mocks also taught me to be patient if any section does not go as expected. Many students lose the battle in between, owing to dissatisfaction due to performance in the previous section(s).

Q. Did you make any exam day strategies for CAT?

A. I appeared in Slot-2. This slot requires a greater level of patience as one has to get to the exam centre while ignoring the reviews of the slot-1 and containing the anxiety due to the long waiting time taken for the commencement of the exam. So, I got used to the mindset, starting immediately after I got to know about the exam slot.

Adding to this, as discussed above, my strategy for the D-day was to be patient. I maintained the fact that after putting enough hard-work, all that is to be done is move according to the lessons learned from the multiple mock exams. Fortunately, I came out unscathed.

Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

A. I would mention a dual-mantra:

1. Practice: Practice as many CAT mock test as you can as the key to success in CAT is directly related to the number of mock exams, notwithstanding, the outliers that may happen owing to exogenous factors during the D-day.
2. Consistency and Strictness: Follow the plan in a strict manner. Plans, too require improvisation, as and when you attempt multiple mocks, you would encounter new challenges. All in all, I would say: ‘Be harsh with yourself during the day but humble at the night’.

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