CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Mihir Sharma Secured 99.34%

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Highlights

CAT 2022 Topper Interview with Mihir Sharma

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

Mihir: Thank you. Honestly, I am a bit unhappy with my QA section which should ideally have been better given my performance in mock tests. I was expecting at least 99+ percentile in quants but, nonetheless, grateful for what I’ve got.

DILR: Arguably, the most unpredictable section in the paper. I was very under-confident in this section during my first attempt and it took a lot of practice and struggle to gain confidence. Your scores will fluctuate, and there is no if and but to it; they really will. I highly recommend watching YouTube streams and recorded videos to every aspirant- it is a great value-add. My strategy was to solve the easiest set first no matter how much time it took. Once you have that one set in your bag, you automatically gain the confidence to hunt and rip apart the second one. Remember, your scores will fluctuate a lot, but make sure you keep going.

QA: This has been my strongest section right from the beginning. Even though I could not make it big on D-Day, I scored more than a 99 percentile multiple times in mock tests. From a good mentor, Quants seem so easy that you’ll automatically gain confidence. The key is to be very very strong with your basics and have a particular area which you could hit right out of the park (for me, this was Arithmetic). I was always bad at Geometry so, after a lot of mocks, I could gain enough confidence to just solve the easy questions if any. Practice is definitely the key, but also remember to brush up your basics frequently.

Also Read:

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

Mihir: I purchased the entire set of Arun Sharma’s books but apart from Maths, did not use the others much. Books are not a significant value-addition so you can afford to not buy one. If you are enrolled in coaching, you already have enough material, but if you aren’t then you can probably look at Arun Sharma’s books from a basic practice point of view.

Also Read: Best Books to Prepare for CAT

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

Mihir: No. While coaching institutes certainly do help, they are not a necessary condition to do well. If you have a decent grasp over quants and have some confidence in the other two sections as well, you can afford to skip coaching. However, do take coaching if you have the slightest doubt.

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

Mihir: I took about 50 mock tests designed by different coaching institutes. Undoubtedly, mock tests are the most crucial part of the journey and one should look at solving a minimum of 30 mocks before the exam. Take each one of them seriously, try out as many strategies as you want, analyse them properly and, most importantly, don’t be afraid to fail. The more you give, the more you learn.

Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?

Mihir: I made a section wise strategy to be followed on the exam day after taking nearly 50 mocks. Here is the section-wise exam day strategy:

• For VARC, I planned to attempt all questions with at least 75 per cent accuracy. I decided to mark a particular option in case I was confused between two options. 
• For DILR, my strategy was to get the first and the easiest set done, irrespective of the time it took. In most cases, I would complete it within 12-15 minutes, post which, I took up the second set. Here, I would try to get a strong headway in the first 5 minutes and if I could not, I would skip the set and move to the third one. In most of my mocks, I would solve at least 2 sets but there have been exceptions where I have also done all four and, sometimes, even one set.
• For QA, given that I was fairly good with numbers and arithmetic, I decided to try and attack these sections solving at least 90 per cent of the questions in these two areas. I was pretty bad at geometry; hence, even 2-3 attempts would be a bonus. Algebra and modern maths used to vary depending upon the difficulty level of the section. For an easier section, I would look at 18-19 attempts and if the section was difficult, even 14-15 attempts with good accuracy was decent. I used the rounds strategy – solving only the easiest and familiar ones in Round 1, the time consuming but familiar ones in Round 2 and the remaining in the final round.

Also Read: CAT Exam Day Tips

Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Mihir: The biggest tip I can give is to keep believing in your abilities, no matter what. The day you stop believing in yourself, half the battle is lost. Play to your strengths and learn to leave questions. CAT is more about the questions you leave than the ones you solve. Remember, at the end, only practice can improve your aptitude and nothing else.

Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Mihir: I'm targeting the following colleges:

• IIM Lucknow
• IIM Ahmedabad
• IIM Kozhikode
• IIM Indore
• FMS, Delhi University
• SPJIMR

Besides the above, I will trt to convert XLRI based on XAT.

Read More:

• CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Shauray Scored 99 Percentile
• CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Umang from Bareilly Secures 99.79%
• CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Abhishek Scored 99.68%
• CAT 2022 Topper Interview: "Consistency is the Key" Believes Vasu Reddy, 99.36%iler
• CAT 2022 Topper Interview- Mohul Kishore- 99.08 percentiler
• CAT 2022 Topper Interview- “FOMO is going to be your biggest enemy” says Mohul Kishore, 99.08 percentiler
• CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know how Parul cracked CAT with 99.93%
• IIM Admission Criteria