CAT 2020 Topper Interview: Swarnadeep Ghosh Who Scored 99.92 Percentile in CAT Shares His Success Mantra
Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Admit Card - 5 Nov '25 - 30 Nov '25
Swarnadeep Ghosh scored 99.92 percentile in CAT 2020 exam. Know what he has to say about his preparation strategy for CAT 2020 exam and his success mantra in the article below.
CAT 2020 Overall Percentile: 99.92
VARC percentile: 98.24
DILR percentile: 99.721
QA percentile: 99.77
Swarnadeep Ghosh is a final year engineering student from Bandel, West Bengal who loves playing cricket. He began his CAT preparation approximately a year before the exam. Swarnadeep made it into the 99 percentilers club in his first CAT attempt. Shiksha spoke to Swarnadeep about his preparation strategy and his success mantra for CAT 2020 exam. Read the article below to know more.
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Q. Was this your first CAT attempt? Were you expecting this score?
A. Yes, this was my first CAT attempt. I was not accepting this score. I expected a score somewhere near the 99.2 percentile.
Q. What was your preparation strategy?
A. I started my preparations during the lockdown period. I had approximately ten months to prepare. I distributed those ten months in three phases. In the first phase, I began with solving problems without setting a time limit. It was all about being familiar with and understanding the concepts. In the second phase, I focused on attempting sectional tests. I had put on a time frame that I need to solve a certain number of questions in a certain time limit. This helped me in coping up with the time stance of the exam. I devoted the last two minutes to attempting the mock tests. I attempted more than 60 CAT mock tests. I also made an excel sheet to analyse my performance and tried to understand my stronger and weaker areas. This helped me improve with every mock test that I solved.
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Q. What was your weak area(s) and what did you do to improve the same?
A. The VARC section was not particularly my strong suit. Being from an engineering background, I am good with numbers, so I was naturally good at QA and DILR, but the VARC section was a bit of a snag. To improve that, I followed a lot of editorials and blogs. I was intro reading into whatever I could get my hands on. This helped me improve my reading speed. This majorly helped in the VARC section.
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Q. Did you get any calls from any IIMs? What are the IIMs/MBA institutes that you are targeting and why?
A. None yet, but I am targeting IIM Calcutta because I want to study finance. The finance department in IIM Calcutta is really good. Apart from that, I am also looking for FMS Delhi. I am looking forward to FMS because of two reasons, one of them being experimental learning which will give me practical experience. Secondly, I can pursue my ambitions with the ROI that the institute offers.
Q. Any specific strategy for WAT-PI?
A. As of now, there is no specific strategy. I am keeping a check on the current affairs and looking to improve my GK.
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Q. How did you deal with the stress of CAT prep and exam?
A. To deal with the stress it is important to have a backup plan. You cannot put all your hope in the CAT exam. You must know what you would do next if you do not score well in this exam. A backup plan will give you freedom on the D-day to express yourself.
Q. What are your plans after completing MBA?
A. Since I want to study MBA in Finance, I would definitely want to work with some financial institution as an investment banker or a financial analyst.
Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
A. Well, I think the most important thing before appearing for the CAT exam is practicing mock tests. Attempt a lot of mock tests. Attempting mock tests is the only way which will make you comfortable. Attempt all kinds of mock tests, difficult and easy. Maximize your strengths and do not stress about the weaker areas. I believe in equity in preparation, not equality.
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FAQs For CAT Toppers
Q: Who scored the highest i n CAT 2020?
Q: How can I cope up with the stress of CAT preparation?
Q: Can I crack the CAT exam in first attempt?
Q: I got 90 percentile in CAT. Will I get a call from IIM-A?
Q: How much time should I give to prepare for CAT in a week?
Q: Can I score well while working full-time?
Q: I am from a non-engineering background. Can I get into top IIMs?
Q: I am from Arts background. Which books are the best to begin preparation for Quants?
A: NCERT Maths books of Class 9 and Class 10 are good resource to begin with understanding fundamental concepts of Quantitative Aptitude topics included in CAT syllabus. Once your concepts are clear, you can refer to other preparation books for CAT exam.
Q: Is practicing CAT mock tests enough for CAT preparation?
Q: How many mock tests should I practice to score at least 90 percentile in CAT?
Q: What are the important topics for DILR section in CAT?
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