CAT 2019 Topper Interview: How Kislay Jha Scored 99.96 Percentile With a Full-Time Job

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

A: VARC - I have always loved reading novels and articles. This reading habit helped me a lot in tackling RC questions. But, it took me a lot of practice to get even moderately good in the VA section. I took my accuracy in that section from 3-4 questions to 6-7 questions out of 10. I always attempted 30+ questions in this section and usually got 22-26 correct depending on the difficulty level of that mock.

DILR - This is the section purely based on practice. There is no particular set of concepts you have to know before attempting DILR questions. I gave a lot of mocks and sectionals and tried to solve various type of DILR questions to get used to them. For most people, it is tough to attempt a lot of questions in this set, so it is important to keep the accuracy level as high as possible. In the mocks, I usually solved 3-5 sets in this section.

QA – This section was not my strong point when I started my preparation. It took a lot of sectionals, online practice sessions, revision notes and mocks before I started scoring well in this section. I always used to make three-four silly mistakes in nearly every mock I took. My performance in this section varied a lot over time. On an average, I usually attempted 20-22 questions in this section with moderate accuracy. Over time, I was able to increase my accuracy to more than 90% in QA and was able to attempt up to 25 questions in mocks.

Q: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation? Did you join any coaching institute? How does coaching institute help in CAT preparation?         

A: I didn’t refer to any books for my CAT preparation. I took mocks of TIME, IMS and Testfunda to help in my preparation. Also, I found a couple of revision notes online which contained the formulae list which were enough for me. Towards the end of preparation, I joined iQuanta Crash Course which helped me a great deal in the revision process with its online practice sessions and doubt clearing.

The maximum part any coaching institute can play in your preparation is getting you acquainted with the basics and keep giving you questions for practice. The more important role is for the aspirants to keep practicing on their own, analyzing all the mistakes and keep learning throughout the prep journey. 

Q: How many mock tests did you attempt and how important is a mock test series?

A: In preparation of CAT 2019, I attempted 50 mocks. I set this aim of 50 for myself right in the beginning of my preparation and was able to see it through. Taking mocks is the most important part of CAT preparation in my opinion. After every mock, you need to do a thorough analysis of it so that you don’t repeat the same mistakes and learn to solve some new questions every time.

Q: What was your CAT exam day strategy?

A: On the final day before CAT, I didn’t take any mock. I basically tried to chill out and only looked a bit at my revision notes and solved a couple of questions online. My exam was in the Slot-2, so I woke up late. The center was around 10 kilometres away from my home, so I had a brunch before leaving for the exam. I didn’t want to know about the Slot-1 paper before I gave my exam as I wanted to go in with zero biases. In the exam, my only aim was to attempt as many questions as possible and avoid committing silly mistakes.

Q: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

A: Start your CAT preparation by clearing your basics first. Take as many mocks as possible and keep working hard. Don’t delay taking mocks by thinking that you first need to complete the CAT syllabus and then take the mocks. These mocks will help you in every step of your prep. Also, take mocks on two-three platforms so that you don’t get used to any particular type of mocks only. Many people either stop preparing in between or start late, which doesn’t help the cause. So, don’t get disheartened when you get low scores in these tests. Keep preparing and hopefully you’ll perform amazingly on the exam day.

Q: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

A: I’m targeting IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, FMS Delhi and SPJIMR Mumbai.

Also Read: IIM Admission 2020: Kislay Jha recalls WAT-PI experience at IIM Ahmedabad

Read interviews of other CAT 2019 toppers, below