CAT 2020 Topper Interview: Focus on Fundamentals, Speed and Accuracy, says 99.99 Percentiler Kshitiz Singhal

Q. Tell us something about yourself.

A: I am a final year Mechanical Engineering student at IIT Bombay. I hail from Ahmedabad. I have an academically oriented family and I have always had a leadership potential within me. I am currently the head of the Student Consulting group of my college.

Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy.
A: I started preparing in July. Being from an engineering background helped me in my preparation as I am good in Quants. I started my preparation by knowing about the CAT exam pattern and syllabus. Once I completed the syllabus, I started taking mock tests. Although I did not enrol into any coaching institute, I bought study materials and took a mock test series from noted institutes for practice purpose.

Q. What were your strong and weak areas and what did you do to improve the same?

A: Quant was my strong area and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) was my weak area. I think this scenario is common for all Engineers! To improve the VARC section, I took the help of my seniors who are currently pursuing MBA. They told me to work on fundamentals. I reworked on my approach to solving the question. I also analysed my mock tests in detail and identified the areas where I needed to improve. After following this method, my mock test scores started improving.

Q: What was your exam day strategy and test-taking experience?

A: Since my exam was scheduled in the third slot, I already came across the first slot analysis and reports and knew what to expect. There was much lesser time for each question as the overall duration was reduced to two hours instead of three hours. But the changed pattern did not bother me much since speed and accuracy were my strengths. Since CAT requires these factors, so I made the most of it to steer the exam in my favour.

As far as test-taking experience is concerned, it was indeed difficult to sit through the test wearing mask and gloves. Since I had anticipated that and practised taking the test with my mask and gloves on, I got a bit habituated. I made it a point to not let such issues hamper my concentration.

Q. How did you deal with the stress of CAT prep and exam?

A: The pandemic situation was really uncertain and scary which affected everyone. I made a time-table wherein along with the study schedule, I kept time for refreshments as well. I used to make targets, such as completing a topic within one or two hours, which used to follow with a 10-15 minutes break. Within this break, I used to listen to music or go for a stroll. This was a really calming exercise and helped break the monotony of continuous preparation.

Q. What are your hobbies? Did you follow these hobbies during the preparation phase as well?

A: My hobby is stand-up comedy and I have performed in college and being appreciated as well. Unfortunately, during the preparation phase, I could not practice much. Apart from CAT, I was also preparing for my end-semester exams and placements. Although I occasionally watched few videos on stand-up comedy but could not indulge much.

Q. What is your dream B-School and why?

A: My dream B-School is IIM Ahmedabad. I have always kept my targets high to be motivated enough to achieve it. Being a topper throughout I have always been in the best of the institutes. Since IIM Ahmedabad is the top B-School in India, it is my dream destination for MBA. Moreover, my family is based in Ahmedabad and that is another reason why I want to get into IIM A, as it would be closer home.

Q. What is your plan after completing MBA?

A: I plan to build my career in the Consulting domain as it aligns with my personality and strength. I think as a Consultant, I would be able to utilise my analytical mind and conversationalist nature.

Q. What are your suggestions for future CAT aspirants?

A: My suggestion for the aspirants is to work on your fundamentals, speed and accuracy. CAT is a fairly easy exam and if you devote enough time for preparation and study systematically, you will be able to crack it. It is possible to solve all the questions in Quant and DILR. It would be possible with constant practice. You need not study for 10 hours in a day but if you start early, say in January and February, and study for two to three hours in a day working on our fundamentals and solve a variety of questions, it would do the trick. Other aspects of CAT preparation is identifying your weak areas and working on them, and taking regular mock tests and analysing them thoroughly.

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