CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Avi Secured 99.91%

Avi Shrivastava became a CAT 2022 topper with 99.91%. In an exclusive interview with Shiksha, he shares his CAT preparation strategy.

CAT 2022 Topper with Avi Shrivastava!

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: IIM Bangalore released CAT results on December 21, making Avi Shrivastava a CAT 2022 topper. Avi secured an overall 99.91%. He is working as a Strategic Alliances Manager at Turing. This was his third attempt at CAT, he was able to secure a 99.54% and 99.59% in his previous CAT attempts.

His hobbies include creating content on Linkedin explaining business decisions and international relations in simpler terms. In an interview with Shiksha.com, Avi shares his section-wise CAT preparation and exam day strategy to help future aspirants.

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.

Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?

Avi: This was my third CAT attempt.

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

Avi: I started preparing aggressively in June 2021. Before that, I had attempted CAT 2020, where I got 99.59 with a little preparation. Next year, although my preparation was on point, and with a successful mock season, during CAT 2021, I only managed to score 99.54. However, with my profile, the score was considered on the lower side for my targeted institute.

The next time (CAT 2022) my strategy was to remain calm and not let the ups and downs of mock scores trouble me beyond a point. I'd practice only through the mocks since I knew how to apply the concepts. The only thing remaining was to get into the habit of applying them in the test scenario and timeframe.

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Shiksha: Please share with us your section-wise strategy.

Avi: My section-wise preparation strategy for CAT 2022 was as follows:

VARC: I kept a hard target of attempting four RCs in 7-8 mins each. I was left with 3-4 minutes to attempt all VA questions once four RCs were completed. In VA, I figured odd man out and summary questions would give me the best return on time invested, so I attempted them first, then moved to para jumbles.

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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