CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Avi Secured 99.91%

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Highlights

CAT 2022 Topper Interview with Avi Shrivastava

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

Avi: Thank you. Yes, I'm quite satisfied with my result. Post the CAT, my estimate was to get atleast 110.

DILR: I glanced through all the sets of DILR to gauge the difficulty within the first two minutes. Then I prioritised the easiest set and attempted it in the first 8-10 minutes. My goal was to attempt at least two sets with complete accuracy. Attempting the third set would get me in the top percentiles. Any more than that was the cherry on the cake. I kept a hard but achievable target of 10 minutes on four-question set and 15 minutes on six-question set.

QA: The strategy in quant was to lift the pen as little as possible and try to formulate most of the strategy for each question in my head before writing anything down. This inturn increased the speed. I did not have topic-wise preferences in QA. I only decided to leave a question after reading it and deciding whether that could be done in under two minutes. If it can be done in under two minutes with accuracy, I would attempt it. Otherwise, I would move on and come back to it if time allows.

Every 10 minutes, I'd try to attempt at least five questions on a broad spectrum.

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

Avi: I did not use any books for my CAT preparation. I relied on mocks for preparation.

Also Read: Best Books to Prepare for CAT

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

Avi: I did not join any coaching to learn any concepts. I did take mocks from a few renowned coaching institutes.

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

Avi: I attempted around 30-35 mocks. A mock test series is the single most important thing in CAT prep. The series must have a good level without being too easy or difficult. It must also have a good number of test takers (preferably 8000+) for you to gauge where you stand among the competition.

Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?

Avi: My strategy was to remain as calm as possible and remind myself, 

• If a tough situation arises, it'll arise for everyone.
• An easy question and a difficult question - both have the same marks, so egoistically sticking to a question is a bad strategy
• In the back of my mind, I knew that post the exam when I relook at the questions would all seem doable and easy. So in reality, they are easy, and I can do them with a clear head.

Also Read: CAT Exam Day Tips

Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Avi: Low scores are part of the process. Each one of those is teaching you what not to do. Your effort should be to recognise that learning. Beyond that, no point fretting over those. Additionally, one should get a real picture of where they stand, not based on hopes or best-case scenarios, but rather the reality.

Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Avi: I am yet to decide from which b-school I will be accepting the admission calls. As of now, I plan to convert all the interview calls I receive based on my profile.

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