CAT 2021 Topper Interview: Know How Chetan Bhatt Scored 99.77 Percentile
Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Admit Card - 12 Nov '25
Shiksha got in touch with a CAT 2021 topper, Chetan Bhatt who scored 99.77 percentile. Check here his CAT section-wise preparation strategy and future aspirations.
CAT 2021 score
Overall Percentile: 99.77
Sectional:
- VARC - 99.2 percentile
- DILR - 99.07 percentile
- QA - 98.78 percentile
Chetan Bhatt topped CAT 2021 with 99.77 percentile. He resides in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He passed BTech Electrical Engineering from IIT Jammu. CAT 2021 was his first attempt which led him into the 99 percentilers club. During the preparation phase, he got employed as a management trainee in Punjab National Bank. Chetan started the CAT preparation in the month of April to appear for the exam in November. Read further to get a detailed interview with CAT 2021 topper, Chetan Bhatt; here he shares his section-wise preparation strategy and his future aspirations.
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Q: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?
A: Thanks! When I started out on my preparation I had this figure of 99.9+ in my head, I fell a couple of questions short of that mark but nevertheless, it is a very satisfactory score.
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, this was my first attempt at the CAT exam.
Q: When did you start preparing for the CAT exam? What was your overall prep strategy?
A: I started preparing for CAT around late April. Before starting out on the prep, I spent my time researching how previous year’s toppers prepared for each section. A common thing to note was each one of them had attempted a good number of mocks before the exam, so I made mocks the focal point of my preparation too, everything else was structured around it.
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Q: Please share with us your section-wise strategy.
A: My section-wise preparation for CAT went as follows:
VARC: I think this section is the trickiest of all, as at no point you can be sure of your hold over VARC. But one thing you cannot ignore is the importance of reading. I used to read a lot on diverse topics, be it psychology, science, philosophy, business, social sciences, basically anything I could get my hands on. And it's important to not just skim but to critically think about what you just read.
DILR: This perhaps is the most fun section among the three. Needless to say, it requires a lot of practice and the more sets you solve the better you get at it. During the mock analysis, I paid close attention to alternate methods that I could have used to arrive at the solution quickly.
QA: The lengthiest among the three in terms of syllabus, especially if you're from a non-engineering background. Try to work on the concepts rather than just arriving at the solution. Also, sometimes you need to unlearn the conventional methods you used during schooldays and take some creative approaches to arrive at the solution, like eliminating obvious options, substituting values etc.
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Q: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation?
A: Before starting out the CAT preparation, I gave a couple of cold mocks to see where I stand and what my strengths and weaknesses are, I used previous year actual CAT papers for that. I felt my basics were in place and all I needed was consistent practice, for which mocks were just sufficient, other than that there was no specific book that I used.
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 attempted around 40 odd mocks. I think mocks are the most important part of the preparation because nothing simulates the actual exam better than a mock. Also, it's very important to analyse every mock thoroughly after the attempt, that's where the improvement comes from.
Q: Did you join any coaching institute? How does the coaching institute help in CAT preparation?
A: No, I did not join any coaching institute. My focus was on self-study and taking mocks.
Also Read:
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| CAT preparation: Your love for reading can get you the desired result |
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| CAT Preparation plan for data interpretation & logical reasoning | |
Q: What was your exam day strategy?
A: I just wanted to treat it as just another mock, that way I could keep my cool and perform up to my potential.
Q: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
A: Most important thing during the prep is to actually enjoy the process, that way you could be really intense about it and yet not feel overwhelmed by stress. Try to gamify the process of improvement and not just think of CAT as some examination, it's a process where you actually indirectly work on a lot of skills such as logical thinking, dealing with numbers, critical reading skills, and more.
Q: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?
A: I am aiming for one of the following top MBA colleges in India, and I'm optimistic about my chances to convert a couple of them:
| What After CAT Result? | |
Q: Tell us something about your educational background, family, hobbies, profession.
A: I did BTech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Jammu. My father recently retired from the service sector and my mother is a housewife, they had a crucial role in my preparation and supported me throughout my journey, when I was attempting a mock they would ask the neighbours to not be noisy. In my free time, I love to read and play games. My favourite games include Counter-Strike and Chess.
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