CAT 2022 Topper Interview: “Mocks play a crucial role” says Risshi Agrawal, 99.99 percentiler
Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Exam On - 30 Nov '25
Risshi Agrawal who bagged, 99.99 percentile in CAT 2022 shares his preparation strategy and important tips for aspirants. Check complete details here.
CAT 2022 Topper Interview
CAT 2022 Topper Interview: With the announcement of CAT 2022 results on December 21, 2022, out of 22 candidates, Risshi Agrawal scored 99.99 perecentile in CAT 2022 exam. With his sheer dedication and consistency CAT 2022 topper- Risshi Agrawal aims to make his way to top IIMs- Banglore, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Kozhikode & Indore. Risshi Agrawal belongs from Mirzapur, UP and is a graduate in Prductions and Industrial Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. In his exclusive interview with Shiksha, Risshi shares his preparation strategy for CAT exam. Know more about the CAT 2022 topper Risshi Agrawal in this article.
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Name and College: Risshi Agrawal - IIT, Delhi
CAT 2022 score
Overall: 99.99%
Sectional score
DILR: 99.99%
VA: 85.65%
QA: 100%
Shiksha: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?
Risshi: Thanks, yes although I was expecting above 99%ile in the exam, the fact of getting in the top 30 odd students also surprised me.
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.Shiksha: Please tell about yourself
Risshi: I belong to Mirzapur - UP. I graduated from IITD in 2022 (Production and Industrial Engineering). I am currently working as an Associate Analyst at Putnam - A management consulting firm based out of healthcare.
Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?
Risshi: No, this was my 2nd attempt. In 2021, I gave my 1st attempt.
Shiksha: When did you start preparing for the CAT exam? What was your overall preparation strategy?
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Risshi: I started preparing in the month of July. Since I had already taken the exam last year, I was familiar with the pattern. For the first two months I focused on revising the concepts while in the later stages I devoted my time towards solving mocks (average of 1 per day).
Shiksha: Please share with us your section-wise strategy.
Risshi: VARC: I read newspapers on a daily basis. I preferred reading topics which were of interest to me like sports and politics.
DILR: I tried to solve a variety of DILR puzzles. My focus was largely towards the LR section since I messed it up the last time.
Yes, IIM Bangalore is one of the toughest business schools to get admission to, and every year, even CAT 99+ percentilers miss out on a call from the institute. IIM Bangalore uses multiple parameters, namely academic performance as well as candidates' scores in CAT/GMAT to select candidates for the PGP programme. IIMB adopts a two-phase selection process and accordingly, these selection criteria are applied in two phases. The first phase of the process is applied to all eligible candidates who appear for CAT to determine candidates to be called for a personal interview (PI). Candidates selected for the PI process will be additionally required to take a Writing Ability Test (WAT).
Sectional cut-off in the CAT exam refers to the section-wise percentiles required by the candidate to make it to the Personal Interview round of the IIMs or other top MBA colleges. The sectional cut-offs are lower than the overall cut-offs of any institute. To understand better, check the table below for sectional CAT cut-offs for IIM Ahmedabad:
Category | VARC percentile | DILR percentile | QA percentile | Overall percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
General | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
NC-OBC-Transgender | 65 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
SC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
PwD (General, NC-OBC-cum-transgender, SC) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
PwD (ST) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
For sectional cut-offs of all IIMs, check this article – IIM shortlist and selection criteria
No, one can't join IIM without CAT. Candidates seeking admission to the IIM Ahmedabad MBA course must appear for CAT and secure 90 percentile. The Institute considers Writing Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds for final admission to IIM Ahmedabad along with CAT results. Students must meet both, the overall CAT cutoff percentile and the sectional cutoffs.The Institute does not release CAT cutoffs in the public domain and are exclusively accessible only via account login to candidates who have appeared for the exam.
The table given below mentions IIM Calcutta sectional and overall cutoff 2024 across all sections and categories:
| Category | Section - 1 (VARC) | Section – II (DILR) | Section – III (QA) | Overall Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPEN | ≥80 | ≥80 | ≥75 | ≥85 |
| EWS | ≥70 | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥75 |
| NC-OBC | ≥70 | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥75 |
| SC | ≥65 | ≥60 | ≥60 | ≥70 |
| ST | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥65 |
| PwD | ≥45 | ≥45 | ≥45 | ≥55 |
QA: I didn't devote additional time towards it since I was pretty confident in this subject.
Shiksha: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation? Did you join any coaching institute? How does a coaching institute help in CAT preparation?
Risshi: I referred to TIME coaching materials and CL mock test series. I found CL mock to be very close to what was asked in the exam
Shiksha: How many mock tests did you attempt and how important is a mock test series?
Risshi: Mocks play a crucial role while preparing for CAT. It helps you determine the strategy which suits you the best.
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Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?
Risshi: Start VARC subject by identifying 2 out of 4 RCs which are easiest to solve (24 min to solve). Rest focus on the VA aspect. In DILR, start by doing the DI question (often easiest of all) and then focus on 2 of the remaining 3 puzzles. In QA, start filtering the questions as per your strength and attempt them first.
Shiksha: Who is your role model?
Risshi: I looked up to my maternal uncle an IIT ISB graduate while my preparation
Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
Risshi: Keep yourself updated with the latest pattern and solve as many mocks as possible.
Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?
Risshi: I am targeting all of the BLACKI colleges:
Read More Topper Interview:
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Shruti is a graduate in Education and Literature. She is a passionate writer. As her name suggests she is a good listener, a binge-watcher, and a great foodie. She loves playing badminton and doing meditation in her... Read Full Bio
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The CAT (Common Admission Test) is a highly competitive entrance exam for admission to various management programs offered by top business schools in India. The percentile score in CAT exam is based on the relative performance of the test taker compared to all the other test takers.
The cutoff percentile for admission to top business schools varies from year to year and also depends on factors such as the number of candidates, difficulty level of the exam, and the number of available seats. In general, a percentile score of 90 or above is considered a good score and can help you secure admission to some of the top business schools in India. However, to increase your chances of admission to the top-tier business schools, a percentile score of 95 or above is preferred.