Shiksha had an exclusive interview with Ved Vineet, CAT 2021 topper. Read the interview to know how he scored 99.4 percentile in CAT 2021.
Name: Ved Vineet
Overall CAT Percentile: 99.4
Sectional Percentiles:
- VARC: 98.11
- DILR: 97.03
- Quant: 98.9
Ved Vineet, a graduate of IIT BHU has been able to fetch the 99.4 percentile in CAT 2021. He holds a BTech in Metallurgical Engineering degree. After passing out in 2020, he has been working as an Operations Manager in Tata Steels. While preparing for the CAT exam, he found his weak spot in the DILR, yet has scored 97.03 percentile in the section. 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.
Explore colleges based on CAT
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
Q. Was this your first CAT attempt? Were you expecting to score so well?
A. This was my second CAT attempt. I scored 99.33 in my last attempt. I was expecting to do better than that this time.
Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy?
Commonly asked questions
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
Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of Iims for Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI are listed below. Candidates who MET the qualifying CAT cut off, were eligible for What-PI round. These qualifying CAT cut offs are for General Category. The cut offs for Reserved category students are lower:
- IIM Ahmedabad: 95 percentile
- IIM Bangalore: 85 percentile
- IIM Calcutta: 85 percentile
- IIM Lucknow: 90 percentile
- IIM Kozhikode: 85 percentile
- IIM Indore: 90 percentile
- IIM Udaipur: 93 percentile
- IIM Shillong: 75 percentile
- IIM Trichy: 93 percentile
- IIM Visakhapatnam: 80 percentile
- IIM Rohtak: 95 percentile
- 1IIM Nagpur: 85 percentile
- IIM Jammu: 93 percentile
- IIM Ranchi: 90 percentile
- IIM Sirmaur: 92 percentile
- IIM Bodhgaya: 93 percentile
- IIM Sambalpur: 93 percentile
- IIM Kashipur: 94 percentile
- IIM Raipur: 93 percentile
- IIM Amritsar: 90 percentile
For complete details of IIM selection and admission process read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-shortlist-selection-admission-criteria-blogId-18787.
CAT cutoffs are usually not announced with the CAT result. The CAT cutoffs are also not released to the public.
They are published after a few days of the result announcement when the IIMs and other colleges start their shortlisting process. The IIMs opens their shortlisting window based on the CAT cut-offs two to three days after the result announcement. The CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) can be considered the cut-off for that IIM. For example, if a candidate with a CAT percentile of 99 belonging to the General category is selected for the WAT/GD-PI of IIM Calcutta, then the CAT cut-off for IIM Calcutta is 99 percentile. Only those candidates who make it to the WAT/GD-PI round of IIMs will get to know the cut-offs.
A. The key thing required for solid preparation while working is regularity and perseverance. You need to be very regular with your practice and take mocks periodically. Assessing your strengths and weaknesses through a thorough analysis of the mock tests is very important.
Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates
1 Dec '25 - 30 Jun '26
7 May '26 - 30 Jun '26
30 Aug '26
1 Nov '25 - 31 Aug '26
2 Jan '26 - 30 Jun '26
14 Feb '26 - 30 Jun '26
2 Apr '26 - 30 Jun '26
4 Jun '26 - 30 Jun '26
30 Jun '26
20 Aug '26
Q. What was your exam day strategy?
A. You need to stop yourself from thinking about the CAT results and believe in the hard work you've put in.
Q. What was your weak area(s) and what did you do to improve the same?
A. My weakest area while preparation was Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. I made it a habit to solve at least 2 DILR sets in the last three months before the exam.
Also Read:
Q. Is it important to join a coaching institute for CAT preparation?
A. No, it is not at all important to join a coaching institute for CAT preparation. You just need to prepare in a disciplined manner.
Q. Which books did you study for CAT preparation?
A. For Quantitative Ability, I studied from Arun Sharma's Quant book. While, the preparation for DILR, I referred to Nishit Sinha's DILR book.
Also Read: Best Books to Prepare for CAT
Q. Did COVID-19 affect your preparation/performance?
A. With the second wave stabilised during the preparation phase, COVID-19 did not seem threat while preparing.
Also Read:
| Articles for CAT Preparation |
|
|---|---|
| CAT preparation: Your love for reading can get you the desired result |
|
| CAT Preparation plan for data interpretation & logical reasoning |
|
Q. How much time did you devote to CAT preparation?
A. Along with the CAT preparation, I have limited time on weekdays. I devoted two hours on all the weekdays. However, had to stretch during the weekends; thus, 4-5 hours of preparation on the weekends helped me score well. With this schedule, I was able to prepare in four months
Also Read:
Q. What is your plan after completing your MBA?
A. I'm already working in the lower level of management and therefore know the associated limitations. My plan is to hone my management knowledge and skills through a formal degree and elevate myself to the upper echelons of management.
Also Read:
Q. From which MBA colleges are you expecting admission calls?
A: With a 99.4 percentile, I am expecting admission calls from the following colleges:
- IIM Bangalore
- IIM Lucknow
- IIM Ahmedabad
- IIM Calcutta
- IIM Kozhikode
- IIM Indore
- FMS Delhi
- SP Jain Institute of Management and Research
Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
A. Just believe in yourself and keep the flame within you alive. Only you know how much effort you have to put in to crack the exam. Just be true to yourself and work hard.
Read More:
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Jul '26 | XAT 2027 registration dates |
Sep '26 | XAT 2027 mock test |
Aug '26 | SNAP 2026 Registration Process |
Nov '26 | SNAP 2026 admit card session 1... |
Aug '26 | NMAT 2026 Registration Window |
Aug '26 | NMAT 2026 Scheduling Window |
17 Oct '24 - 5 Dec '24 | IIFT 2025 registration and app... |
22 Jun '26 - 7 Sep '26 | MAT September 2026 Registratio... |
22 Jun '26 - 14 Sep '26 | MAT September 2026 Registratio... |
Dec '26 | IBSAT 2026 Exam Date |
18 Jun '26 | IBSAT 2026 Registration Start |
Oct '26 | CMAT 2027 registration and app... |
Jan '27 | CMAT 2027 exam |
12 Jun '26 | MAH MBA CET 2026 Result (Secon... |
30 May '26 | MAH MBA CET 2026 Result (First... |
4 Jun '26 - 30 Jun '26 | TANCET counselling registratio... |
15 Jul '26 | Release of TANCET rank list fo... |
Mar '25 | IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno... |
Feb '25 | IRMASAT Personal Interviews |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 20 hours ago
Yes, you can get scholarship for MBA in Adamas University based on CAT score according to the following criteria:
CAT Score | Scholarship |
|---|---|
80 percentile & above | 50% of the 1st Semester Fee |
70 percentile to 79.99 percentile | 25% of the 1st Semester Fee |
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
No, CAT is not compulsory to get admission in MBA at IILM University Gurgaon. Candidates wishing to get admission in MBA should have passed Graduation with at least 50% marks. The university offer admission based on entrance exam score such as:
- CAT
- XAT
- MAT
- NMAT
- CMAT
- GMAT
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
As per my knowledge, Yes If you've worked hard for your CAT score and you're now wondering whether DBS Global University will accept it For MBA admission at DBS Global University, a valid CAT score is accepted alongside MAT, CMAT, XAT, GMAT, and the DBS Global University Entrance Examination. Regist
P
Beginner-Level 4
Answered 4 days ago
The CAT 2026 cutoff has not been released yet. However, as per the 2025 cutoff, for admission to PGDM International Business at FORE School of Management, the last round cutoff percentile stood at 75 for the General AI category.
Additionally, the XAT cutoff 2026 for the same course also stood at 75
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
No, CAT is not compulsory to get admission in Justice K S Hegde Institute of Management. The college offers admission into MBA bvased on NUCAT scores. Other entrance exams accepted by the college include: CAT, MAT, CMAT, or KMAT.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
CAT is compulsory to take admission in MBA and MBA IB courses offered by the Institute of Management Studies of BHU (formerly known as FMS BHU). Admission to these courses is based on candidates' performance in CAT, GD-PI and past academic records.
However, candidates seeking admission to the MBA cou
H
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
No, CAT is not compulsorily required to get admission in RV University. The university considers score of nationally approved admission test (such as CAT, GMAT, NMAT, XAT), with high scores in English & numerical ability for admission into MBA.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Dear reader,
Lovely Professional University (LPU) is a great substitute for Delhi University, which offers a good and prestigious platform for management education. With an industry-aligned curriculum, broad global exposure, and an exceptional track record of high-package placements with top interna
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Dear reader,
Lovely Professional University (LPU) is a great substitute for Virohan: Vivekananda Global University, which offers a good platform for specialised study. With an industry-focused curriculum, extensive international exposure, and an exceptional track record of high-package placements wi
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes. IIMB does require the CAT exam, but the rest of the top B-schools in Bangalore also take in candidates through the state-level CET, ie, the Karnataka PGCET exam, or through MAT or CMAT.
Top B-schools in Bangalore without CAT | Cutoffs Required |
|---|---|
26690 | |
29592 |
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
Read Full Bio