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

Mihir Sharma got his name included in the list of CAT 2022 toppers with an overall score of 99.34 percentile. In an exclusive interview he shares his CAT preparation strategy.

CAT 2022 Topper Interview with Mihir Sharma

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: IIM Bangalore released CAT results on December 21, making Mihir Sharma from Kolkata a CAT 2022 topper. Mihir secured an overall percentile of 99.34 and expects to convert top IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR, among other b-schools. He passed out of Xavier’s College, Kolkata, and joined ITC as a Brand Executive. 

He has a keen interest in public policy, politics, history and marketing. Mihir also enjoys watching travel blogs, cricket and stand-up comedy. In an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com, Mihir opened up on his CAT preparation strategy, with tips for future aspirants.

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.

Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?

Mihir: No, this was my second attempt. In my first attempt, I scored 92.55 percentile but could not pull off a great score in any of the three sections. Having messed up my DILR, I lost my composure and failed to leverage my strongest section Quants. Thus, I ended up performing below par in both of these sections.

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

Mihir: I started my preparation for CAT’21 back in January 2021. Since I had not taken any coaching, I started off with the YouTube videos. I did not stop preparation after getting 92.55 in CAT 2021, as I was planning to appear for CAT 2022.

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

Mihir: My overall preparation strategy for all three sections of CAT 2022 was as follows:

VARC: This section has never been my forte. I was barely hitting a 60% accuracy rate in the section and, sometimes, even scored in single digits. However, I kept at it and focused on reading and solving a lot of mocks. The trade-off between attempt and accuracy has to be optimized but, in general, do not keep your attempts low. Always try to attempt at least 80% of the total number of questions in the section. My strategy was to attempt all RCs and all VA questions but, in a case where I am stuck between 3 options, I would leave that question. I always attempted a question that I could boil down to two options. Trust your gut, attempt more, read a lot and keep calm.

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.

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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.

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