CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Abhishek Scored 99.68%

Abhishek Kumar Thakur got his name included in the list of CAT 2022 toppers with an overall score of 99.68 percentile. He shares his prep strategy and tips for future CAT aspirants here.

CAT 2022 Topper Interview with Abhishek Kumar Thakur

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: IIM Bangalore released CAT result 2022 on December 21. Abhishek Kumar Thakur, a final year BSc Chemistry student, scored 99.68 percentile to get his name included in the CAT 2022 toppers list. He is currently studying in CM Science College, situated in Darbhanga. He aims to convert calls from BLACKI IIMs and FMS, Delhi. He is a cricket enthusiast who likes answering questions across varied Quora topics. In an exclusive chat with Shiksha.com, Abhishek shared his CAT preparation journey with tips for future aspirants.

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Highlights

CAT 2022 Topper Interview with Abhishek Kumar Thakur

Shiksha: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? What was your expected CAT score?

Abhishek: Yes. I'm satisfied with my CAT result because I never expected more than a 99.5 percentile. Anything above 99, and I'd have been more than happy at the start of my prepration. After the response sheets were out, I was kind of disappointed with my VARC scores because I used to score good in mocks. In other two sections, especially DILR, marks were at par with my expectations.

Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?

Abhishek: Yes, I am in my final year. This was my first attempt.

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

Abhishek: I started preparing for CAT in January 2022. However, I had been planning to take CAT before the actual preparation. I researched about the exam details, including pattern, syllabus, test structure etc. before January.

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Shiksha: Please share the CAT section-wise strategy followed by you.

Abhishek: My subject-wise strategy was as follows:

In Varc, I used to read books and tried to push my reading speed a little harder in fun reading. Also, I joined classes on an edtech platform to get my RC basics clear. Post brushing up the basics, I practised the available RC material available online and took several sectional mocks. During a phase of CAT preparation, I took a sectional mock of VARC each day to decide the section strategy.

In DILR, I strated with clearing my basics and solved different kinds of sets for both DI and LR. I completed the basic sets by the end of April. Post that, I started to appear for sectional mocks and also tried to solve PYQs. Initally, i was not able to solve PYQs. However, practise made me confident in taking different kind of sets.

In QA, I was not upto the mark from in the start of my CAT preparation. I had a fear of Algebra/Geometry and I thought to ignore the topics. Arithmetic was my forte and I got majority of arithmetic questions right. On the exam day as well, I solved all Arithmetic questions.

By the end of May, i realised my mistake and started Algebra and Geometry. Although I wasn’t able to get most of the geometry questions correct, it didn't hurt too much by the end. The only key in Quant is practice and that too of different variety of questions.

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

Abhishek: I didn't rely a lot on books for CAT preparation. The only books I purchased were Arun Sharma sir's book (QA) and CAT 31 years PYQ by GP sir. 

Also Read: Best Books to Prepare for CAT

Shiksha: Did you join any coaching institute? How does a coaching institute help in CAT preparation?

Abhishek: Yes, I took the subscription of an edtech cochin platform for CAT preparation. Coaching helps a lot when it comes to clearing the basics. It also helps connecting with mentors whom you can trust.

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

Abhishek: I can't emphasize the importance of mock tests enough! Practising mocks is among the crucial things one requires to clear the CAT exam. I personally took around 90 mocks and analysed nearly all of them in detail.

Shiksha: What was your CAT exam day strategy?

Abhishek: I planned the exam day strategy for each section in advance. 

• I attempted all 24 questions in VARC with VA in first 10 minutes. 
• For DILR I took 2-3 minutes to have a glance at all the sets and then go for the easiest one. I also used to mark the sets on the basis of parameters like familiarity, type of set, conditions given (whether direct or deductive) and question type. This helped me a lot in actual exam as i chose the easiest set in my slot first.
• For QA, from the beginning, it was more of "See the ball, hit the ball" type of strategy. I tried to find easier questions that require less effort. This helped me a lot in getting a 99 in QA though I'm not very good at it.

Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Abhishek: For future cat aspirants, I'd say consistency is the key. Try to be diligent with your prep and try not to overdo. Just get the basics right, keep practicing and improving yourself and everything will eventually fall into place.

Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Abhishek: I'm targeting the following schools:

• IIM Bangalore
• IIM Lucknow
• IIM Ahmedabad
• IIM Calcutta
• IIM Kozhikode
• IIM Indore
• FMS, Delhi University

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