CAT 2020 Topper Interview: Mock Tests and Analysis are Equally Important, says Dipanshu Arora, 99.49 Percentiler

Q. Tell us about your background.

A: I have done my schooling from Alwar and completed my graduation in Physics Honours from Kirorimal College. At present, I am a Deputy Manager at the State Bank of India in Goa. Along with my job, I and a friend of mine have started a group that provides consultation to people on Share Market.

Q. When and how did you decide to pursue an MBA?

A: During my college, I participated in an international competition and went to the USA to represent my college, vis-a-vis my country. Some of my teammates in the competition were preparing for CAT which got me interested in the exam and MBA for higher studies. I also realised the importance of management and leadership qualities during that competition. With this thought process, I started reading about Economics and Finance and developed an interest in these areas. Hence decided to pursue an MBA after my graduation.

Q: Was this your first attempt in CAT? Were you expecting this result?

A: This was my fifth attempt in taking CAT. Although I have been securing over 90 percentile, I was determined to secure above 99 percentile and devised my preparation strategy accordingly. After the release of the CAT 2020 answer keys, I was sure that I would get above 99 percentile.

Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy.

A: I had taken coaching during my first attempt and for the next years, I had enrolled for test series. Since I have already completed the CAT syllabus and my concepts were cleared, I focused on revision, taking mock tests and devised a test-taking strategy.

Q. What were your strong and weak areas. How did you tackle those?

A: Quantitative Ability (QA) was my strong area. My strategy for this section was to be familiar with as many types of questions as possible. Just knowing the formula or shortcut tricks will not be helpful unless you have conceptual clarity as in CAT, hardly any question is formula-based.

I was average in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section. I focused more on VA rather than RC and it turned out to be a more scoring for me. I used to take topic-wise tests to get a strong grip on this area. This strategy bore fruit for me as the RC passages were tough and it would have been time-consuming had I attempted more questions from RC.

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) was my weak area. Taking mock tests is the only way to improve this section as there is no scope of theoretical or conceptual learning. Taking mocks will familiarise you with various sets and you will know which type of sets are easy and less time-consuming.

Q. How was your exam day experience?

A: My exam was scheduled in the second slot. I was aware of the new exam pattern and was prepared accordingly. There were 40 minutes allotted to each section. My strategy was to select the easier questions and solve those without spending much time on one question. Unfortunately, this strategy could not work in the DILR section as it was the toughest section and identifying easier sets turned out to be a time-consuming affair.

Q. What is your take on the new exam pattern?

A: The new exam pattern is good for candidates with a short attention span. For them, it is more convenient to solve questions of a section within 40 minutes instead of an hour as the lack of time makes it difficult to waste time or get diverted. The concentration level is more within the lesser duration.

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

A: This year was indeed stressful for everyone. While others could work from home and get much more time to prepare, since I was working in the essential services sector, I had to go to the bank every day. My strategy was to prepare VARC section and alternatively DILR or QA in the morning before leaving for office and in the evening, after coming back from work, I prepared for the DILR and QA sections. I took full-length mock tests and analysed those during weekends. I maintained a positive outlook and did not get panicked due to the pandemic situation.

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

A: I have a keen interest in the Share Market and as a hobby, I follow the market trends and analyse the movements. I also spent time on the group which I formed with my friend to provide guidance and consultation to people interested in investing in Shares. I also read various articles on Finance and Economics. Apart from this, I have picked up cycling to keep myself fit and healthy.

Q. What is your strategy for the GD/WAT-PI rounds?

A: To clear the GD/WAT-PI rounds, I am focusing on current affairs and the Share Market knowledge and trends. Apart from that, I am also brushing up my knowledge of Physics and other subjects pursued during graduation as over the years, I have lost touch on these areas.

Q. Which colleges are you aspiring to take admission in?

A: My dream colleges are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta since these are the oldest IIMs and best management institutes not just in the Indian education scenario but in the global education map as well.

Q. What is your plan after completing MBA?

A: I would like to pursue my career either as an Investment Banker or as a Business Analyst. After gaining a few years of work experience, I will pursue on giving shape to my Market Analysis and Consulting group. This would depend on how much knowledge I can imbibe and experience I can gather.

Q. What are your suggestions for future CAT aspirants?

A: Take as many mock tests as possible and analyse your performance. This would improve your exposure to the various question types one can expect in CAT. The analysis is very important and takes as much time required to identify the weak areas, the nature of mistakes and how to improve and correct those respectively.

Read More:

CAT 2020 Toppers, Scores and their Percentiles

IIM Shortlist 2020: Check Dates and Process

How to Crack GD-PI/WAT Rounds of Top B-schools