Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Exam On - 30 Nov '25
Read the CAT 2021 topper interview of Bir Anmol Singh who scored 99.94 percentile. Read here about preparation and exam day strategy to ace the CAT exam.
Name: Bir Anmol Singh
CAT Score: 128.61
Overall CAT Percentile: 99.94
Sectional Percentiles:
Bir Anmol Singh, CAT 2021 topper, is pursuing BE in Computer Science from BITS Pilani. Along with the Bachelor of Engineering degree, he also completed a short-term course in Finance. Bir Anmol had been working with JPMorgan Chase, an investment banking company, as a Quantitative Research intern. His hobbies include playing lawn tennis, gaming and aspires for a role in the Fintech industry. Shiksha was able to speak with the CAT 2021 topper, know what he has to say about CAT 2021 score, his preparation strategy and more in the article below.
Q: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? What was the expected score?
A: Yes, I am satisfied with the CAT results but there has been heavy normalisation for slot 2. I was expecting a score of around 132.
Sectional cut-off in the CAT exam refers to the section-wise percentiles required by the candidate to make it to the Personal Interview round of the IIMs or other top MBA colleges. The sectional cut-offs are lower than the overall cut-offs of any institute. To understand better, check the table below for sectional CAT cut-offs for IIM Ahmedabad:
Category | VARC percentile | DILR percentile | QA percentile | Overall percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
General | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
NC-OBC-Transgender | 65 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
SC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
PwD (General, NC-OBC-cum-transgender, SC) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
PwD (ST) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
For sectional cut-offs of all IIMs, check this article – IIM shortlist and selection criteria
No, one can't join IIM without CAT. Candidates seeking admission to the IIM Ahmedabad MBA course must appear for CAT and secure 90 percentile. The Institute considers Writing Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds for final admission to IIM Ahmedabad along with CAT results. Students must meet both, the overall CAT cutoff percentile and the sectional cutoffs.The Institute does not release CAT cutoffs in the public domain and are exclusively accessible only via account login to candidates who have appeared for the exam.
Q: Was this your first CAT attempt?
A: Yes. I am in the last semester of BE Computer Science degree. After passing out the bachelor’s degree, I will be eligible to pursue an MBA degree.
Q: When did you start preparing for the CAT exam? What was your overall prep strategy?
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A: I started preparing in April 2021. I solved Arun Sharma sir's CAT books for VARC, LR, DI and Quant. I attempted as many past year CAT questions papers (timed attempt) that I could attempt, on weekends. I used to analyse my shortcomings to improve further.
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Q: Please share with us your section-wise preparation strategy for CAT.
A: For Quant and DILR, my academic background helped me a lot. I just practised and solved many questions without relying on a calculator. For VARC, I read editorials from The Hindu and Mint. Vocabulary was improved after reading "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis. My VARC strategy was to read more and to improve more. Para jumbles and summary based questions need a lot of practice and critical analysis for understanding the gist of solving such problems.
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Q: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation?
A: Arun Sharma sir's books for CAT preparation - VARC, LR, DI, Quant. Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis.
Also Read: Best Books to Prepare for CAT
Q: Did you join any coaching institute? How does the coaching institute help in CAT preparation?
A: No, I had my internship commitments so did not get time to join a coaching institute. I achieved this score by self-study.
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Q: How many mock tests did you attempt and how important is a mock test series?
A: Personally none due to time crunch, though I feel CAT mock tests play an important role as they help you build an exam temperament.
Q: What was your exam day strategy?
A: Just stay calm and don't worry about the result. Keep exam day jitters at bay and give your best shot.
Q: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
A: Study and do focused preparation. Determination, perseverance and hard work is the key to success. All the best to everyone!
Q: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?
A: IIM Ahmedabad is my dream college. Besides IIM-A, I am targeting the following colleges:
Q: Tell us something about your educational background, family, hobbies, profession.
A: I am only child to my parents, both of them are Doctors by profession. I completed Class 10 and 12 (Non-medical) from CBSE board. Currently, I am in the final year of my BE Computer Science from BITS Pilani. I also completed a short course in finance from BITS Pilani alongside my major in Computer Science. During the CAT preparation phase, I was interning with JP Morgan Chase as a Quantitative Research intern (FinTech role). Previously, I have interned with Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR, Mumbai as a Software Intern for 5 months. My hobbies include playing Lawn Tennis and gaming. I also love listening to music.
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