CAT 2021 Topper Interview: Know How Aakash Chaudhary Secured 99.68 Percentile

Shiksha got in touch with Aakash Chaudhary, a CAT 2021 topper, who scored 99.68 percentile. Check here his CAT section-wise preparation strategy and future aspirations.

CAT 2021 score

Overall Percentile: 99.68

Sectional:

• VARC - 92.93 percentile
• DILR - 99.72 percentile
• QA - 99.68 percentile

Aakash Chaudhary topped CAT 2021 with 99.68 percentile. He belongs to a small town in Rajasthan, Bhiwadi. He passed BTech Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai. CAT 2021 was his second attempt at the competitive management entrance exam. Entering into 99 percentilers club, Aakash gave seven months to CAT preparation. Cutting off the distractions, and being consistent with the CAT preparation is his advice to future aspirants. Read further to get a detailed interview with CAT 2021 topper, Aakash Chaudhary; here he shares his exam day strategy and preparation plan he followed.

Q: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?

A: Yes, I am satisfied with my score and percentile. Though it always comes to mind after taking the exam, that I should have attempted a particular question in a different way, but after I saw the CAT result I was happy with my performance. I don't keep expectations and think about results, as they create unnecessary pressure. I was confident with my preparation and was targeting a 100 percentile.

Q: Was this your first CAT attempt?

A: No, I gave CAT last year also, but I wasn’t prepared much. I can say that it was my first mock test.

Q: When did you start preparing for the CAT exam? What was your overall prep strategy?

A: I started preparing for CAT 2021 in May’21. My strategy was to devote maximum time to my studies, as currently I am unemployed. I took care of the distractions including social media; I deleted all social media apps from my smartphone except Telegram. I used Telegram to interact with my peers for doubt-solving sessions. Firstly, I went to complete Quants syllabus, so that I can build confidence while taking mocks. In between, I used to practice reading comprehension and LRDI sets regularly.

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

A: VARC: My strategy was simple, to read about a variety of topics. Reading increases your speed and also helps in your Vocabulary. Then the next part of VARC was to give the passage a quick look while noting down important points. After that I improved my critical reasoning skills to attempt questions of RC’s as the pattern of VARC in CAT is slowly changing from fact-based questions to inference based questions.

LRDI: As there is no definite syllabus for LRDI, I preferred solving at least 3-4 sets of different types of questions every day. Once I started to develop the problem-solving skills and understood how to approach a set, LRDI became much more interesting. I solved about 700-800 sets from different sources. I gave one sectional per day from October to prepare myself for new types of puzzles.

Quant: I focused more on Arithmetic and Algebra as they constitute about 60-65 per cent of the questions in the exam. I completed the quant syllabus by the end of July, post which I only practised Arithmetic and Algebra for one month. Geometry was my weakness, and I was afraid of it till October, but I studied it for a week again from the basic concepts. This helped me solve two out of three geometry questions in the exam. For the other two chapters, which were Numbers and Modern Maths, I practised questions from mocks and sectionals.

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Q: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation?

A: Honestly, I don't think there is any book for CAT preparation. I didn't follow any book and completely relied on my coaching and mocks for my preparation.

Also Read: Best Books to Prepare for CAT

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

A: I gave my first mock test in September after I was confident that a large part of my CAT syllabus was over. I gave around 25-30 mocks. I think the only purpose of mocks is that you can try out different strategies in those mock tests and see which suits you better. Other than that, mocks provide you with new questions especially for LRDI and Quants. There’s no reason to get demotivated if you score low in your mocks, as they are only meant for your strategy and practice.

Q: Did you join any coaching institute? How does the coaching institute help in CAT preparation?

A: Yes, I joined a coaching institute in October. Until then, I focused on self-study from YouTube and other sources. I think if you’re not able to arrange study material or if you think your preparation is not moving forward systematically you should join coaching. Coaching will make your timetable as well as your preparation in a processed way. You don't need to scroll and search for hours just to get knowledge of a single topic. Moreover, it ensures that you don't miss out on any concept. If you’re able to do all these things on your own, then you’re good to go and don't need any coaching institute.

Q: What was your exam day strategy?

A: My exam day strategy started a few days before the actual exam day. I started preparing myself mentally about all the situations that could occur in the exam hall. In the evening before exam day, I did not talk to anyone ensured there’s no distraction. I kept my calm throughout the exam and applied the same strategy which I prepared while giving mocks on how to approach each section.

Q: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

A: Primary advice is to prepare for CAT consistently. Additionally, one must remove any source of distractions. Don’t leave any topic if you’re starting your preparation early. Don't listen to anyone’s comments about yourself or about what happened with last year's students or which section will be tougher. You’ll get lots of such unwanted and unnecessary information during your preparation phase. Just stay focused and follow all the things that your educator asks you to do.

Q: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

A: My goal is to convert admission in any top B schools of India. We will start getting calls next week. I will spare no effort to convert the best call.

Q: Tell us something about your educational background, family, hobbies, profession.

A: I come from the small town of Bhiwadi in Rajasthan. After Class 12, I went for my graduation from VIT. I chose B.tech (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) and completed the degree course in 2021. Currently, I am unemployed. My family consists of me and my Mother. My hobbies include trekking and playing badminton. I started reading novels during my CAT preparation phase but now I have developed it as one of my hobbies.

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