CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know How Psychologist Deepshikha Uppal Secured 98.5 Percentile

Deepshikha Uppal got her name included in the list of CAT 2022 toppers with an overall score of 98.5 percentile. She believes that consistent practice is the key to ace CAT exam. Read the article below to know her CAT preparation strategy.

CAT Topper: Deepshikha Uppal

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: IIM Bangalore released the CAT 2022 result on December 21. Deepshikha Uppal, from Walden University, scored 98.5 percentile and got her name included in the CAT 2022 toppers list. Deepshikha is a Psychologist and a soft-skills trainer by profession. She is also a writer and published her own book “Myths of the Mind” which is available on Amazon. CAT 2022 topper, Deepshikha Uppal, is targeting the top five IIMs, IIT Delhi, IIT Mumbai, FMS and MDI Gurgaon. In an exclusive interview with Shiksha, Deepshikha shares her preparation strategy and tips for future CAT aspirants. Read this complete article to know about CAT 2022 topper Deepshikha Uppal.

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CAT 2022 Score-

Overall CAT 2022 Score: 98.5

Sectional Scores:

VARC- 99.41 percentile

LRDI- 96.67 percentile

Quant- 85.97 percentile

CAT 2022 Topper Interview with Deepshikha Uppal

Shiksha: Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?

Deepshikha: Yes, I am satisfied. After the raw scores were revealed, the various coaching institutes and websites predicted something between 95-97 percentile. But when the actual results came out I was very happy to see 98.5 percentile.

Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?

Deepshikha: Yes, it was my first attempt.

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

Deepshikha: I started preparing seriously in February 2022. Since I had already finished my graduation a few years ago, I realized my Quant was rusty. I also had zero idea about how to approach the LRDI section. So, the first thing I did was join an online coaching institute. They had a good resource of concept videos for all sections where they teach you everything from the most basic level to the most advanced. Coming as a fresher, the coaching really helped me build my concepts solid and I can’t thank them enough. I also joined iQuanta which is an amazing platform for practicing questions, doubt solving and there is a continuous environment of peer learning where students learn not just from teachers but from each other too. It really helped me practice a lot of questions from all topics on a daily basis over the coming months. It is very important while preparing to recognize your strong and weak areas early on. Most people focus on investing most of their time and energy in preparing the section they are weakest in. I think it is equally important to give extra time to further strengthen and polish the one section you are best at, because even though it is important to perform well in all sections, this one section may take your overall percentile way higher. For CAT preparation I think that the only thing that works is consistent practice.

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

Deepshikha: Different strategies work for different people depending on where they come from and what are their strengths and weaknesses. This is what worked for me.

VARC: Most people find this section difficult but for me, it was always my strength. I have been good at English and very fond of reading too. However, as I started preparing I realized to score well in the exam, one needs to polish the critical reading strategy. Even though my reading speed was very good (I could finish reading all RCs and attempt all VA questions in the given 40 min), my accuracy, in the beginning, was quite low. That’s when I started focusing on understanding how our instructors read and analyze a passage, how they eliminate close options, which words and expressions to look out for that indicate that an option is wrong, etc. Soon, I was scoring 98-99 percentile in all my CAT mock tests. I think the biggest fallacy is that people believe you need to have a good vocabulary for doing well in this section. This may be true for some other exams, but not for CAT. You just need to get an accurate gist of what the passage is trying to say and the arguments being presented by the author. Anyone can become good at that with practice.

LRDI: This was the most frustrating section for me throughout my preparation journey. Coming from a medical background, I was more used to reading facts and figures and understanding processes, rather than thinking logically and solving puzzles. One mistake I did was that I started with trying to solve LRDI sets from previous years' CAT question papers in the initial days of my preparation. I was hardly able to solve any and it made me very demotivated. I then started with more basic sets given in abundance by the coaching institutes and kept practising them till I got better before moving on to more difficult sets. Training your mind to think logically takes time and it is not something you can achieve in just a few days. I consistently practiced two LRDI sets daily for months and this number increased to up to four in the last two months of my CAT preparation. It took time for me to see improvement in my LRDI scores. But if you keep practising consistently, you will see a sudden and noticeable change in your ability to solve these sets after a period of time. Practice is the key.

Quantitative Aptitude: Admittedly, I was quite scared of this section initially as there is so much hype created about the notion that CAT's QA section is too difficult for non-engineers. I agree that engineers do have some edge in this section as they have been practicing Math more than others. However, cracking this section does not require you to be a Math genius. My coaching institute helped me get a solid understanding of all concepts right from the basic level. One thing that I believe is absolutely necessary for all students is to have their own formula and shortcut copy, and even more importantly to revise that on a weekly basis.

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

Deepshikha: Personally, I did not refer to many physical books. Today, the materials provided by the coaching institutes are so comprehensive and rich and that one does not need to refer outside for any additional material. These questions are also better categorized according to the relevance of topics, difficulty levels etc. The past CAT question papers are all available for free all over the net.

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

Deepshikha: As mentioned earlier, I joined two online coaching. Coaching institutes definitely play an important role as the CAT exam is as much about strategizing as much as about the content itself. Coaching institutes help you develop your own strategies like how to select the best LR sets, time management, how to improve speed as well as balance it with accuracy, etc. It's possible yet difficult to achieve those things by yourself. Also, studying with others who share a similar goal and seeing them struggle and learn keeps you inspired and motivated.

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

Deepshikha: I gave a lot of CAT mock tests, around 40 I think. The last two months of CAT preparation was all about giving CAT mock tests. My goal was to give a mock test every two days and then analyze it. Whichever topic I was not able to perform well in, I would spend the next day solving questions from that topic. Mock tests I think are the most important component of CAT preparation and a lot of people choose to avoid that for various reasons. As I said, cracking CAT is a lot about strategizing and time management. Mocks help you understand where you are lacking, so you can work on those areas. They also give you a practice of performing under exam stress.

Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?

Deepshikha: My CAT exam day strategy was to ensure that I was not stressed. I did not study anything the previous day except revising my formula copy. I listened to some music and ensured I went to sleep early. It is important to be fresh and stress-free in order to be able to give your best on D-day.

Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Deepshikha: Start early. Be consistent with your practice. I had made a rule of practicing two RCs, two LRDI sets and 15 Quant questions daily early on during my preparation. The number, of course, increases as you move closer to the exam day. Identify your strong and weak areas. Remember to focus on both. Give as many mocks as you can.

Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Deepshikha: I am currently targeting the top five IIMs, i.e. IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow and IIM Indore. I am also targeting IIT Delhi, IIT Mumbai, Faculty of Management Studies, and MDI, Gurgaon.

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