CAT 2022 Topper: Sharad Dubey, 99.29 percentiler says, “Mocks are the most critical part of the preparation”

CAT 2022 topper, Sharad Dubey, in his exclusive interview with shiksha.com shares his CAT preparation and exam taking strategies. Sharad lays emphasis on the importance of mock tests and how it helped him overcome his weak points. Read this complete interview to know the section-wise strategy, preparation tips, and books for CAT preparation.

CAT 2022 Topper Interview- Sharad Dubey

CAT 2022 topper interview: Sharad Dubey who scored 99.29 percentile in CAT 2022 exam, shares his preparation and exam taking strategy to score 99 percentile and above. Born and brought in Gwalior, did his graduation in B.tech. in IT from Cluster Innovation Centre, University of Delhi. To crack the CAT exam, Sharad kept his preparation focused around mocks and sectional preparations to score desired percentile. Read this complete interview of CAT 2022 topper, Sharad Dubey to know his section-wise preparation strategy, books referred for preparation and other tips and tricks to bell the CAT.

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About CAT 2022 Topper, Sharad Dubey

• Name and College: Sharad Dubey, CIC(University of Delhi)
• CAT 2022 score- 99.29%ile
• Overall: 99.29%ile
• Sectional score
  • DILR: 98.78 %ile
  • VA: 97.05 %ile
  • QA: 97.72 %ile

CAT 2022 Topper: Sharad Dubey Interview

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

Sharad: Thank you very much. I am happy but I’m not very satisfied with my result. I was expecting a slightly higher percentile (Around 99.29). Nevertheless, I’ll be getting some good calls at this score.

Shiksha: Please tell about yourself

Sharad: My name is Sharad Dubey, I was born and brought up in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. I pursued my schooling from there only. After my school, I cracked some engineering examinations with a good rank and decided to pursue engineering from the prestigious Delhi University.

During my graduation, while working in an internship I decided to pursue MBA programme. I felt that technical solutions often fail to assume the complexity and dynamics of the real world. Thus, I decided to pursue formal education in the management domain. After my graduation, I wanted to have some industry exposure so I started a startup as a software developer and then took the CAT while working. Unfortunately, I could not score well that time. Though I had calls from some good colleges, I decided for one more attempt at CAT. This time, I kept my preparation focused around mocks and sectionals and luckily, I got a decent score this time. My elder sister and brother supported me throughout my preparation.

Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?

Sharad: This was my second attempt at CAT. I scored around 94%ile in my previous attempt.

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

Sharad: I started my preparation in mid of May. I wanted to start a bit early but could not do so due to some personal reasons. My preparation strategy was quite simple, I just worked on filling the gaps which I identified after attempting a few mocks. The primary area of my focus this time was on mocks and their analysis. This, in my opinion, is the best way to increase your score.

Regarding the overall preparation, I want to burst some of the myths which are floating on several social media platforms:

1: Vocabulary is a must: While a good vocabulary helps you to read and comprehend a paragraph, it is not the necessary condition to score good. You’ll always be getting the idea of the paragraph by the context. Rather than putting your time in mugging up words, it is better to do some reading/or attempt a sectional test.

2: DILR is just basic stuff: Trust me, this is the biggest myth in which engineers often fall into since they are assumed to be good with logical skills. In recent years, DILR has been the pain point for both engineers and non-engineers. I myself ignored this point and scored horrible in DILR, due to which my overall percentile went down. It requires a lot of practice. You need to attempt a lot of mocks or sectionals before going to the exam. I would suggest that you start attempting DILR sectionals as soon as you start your preparation.

3: Mental math is a necessity: I have seen people spending two to three months getting their calculations fast. While it is good to have skill, it does not make sense that you spend a lot of time on it. There are several other skills that are important to crack CAT QA like question selection, which requires less time and benefits you more in the long run. Just, do not waste a lot of time on this.

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

Sharad: My section wise strategy was quite simple. For VA, I focused mainly on reading. This is not like I am reading any random articles or something but a very well prepared list of articles which is available at some YouTube channels I think. Selective reading is very important while preparing for CAT because there is a lot of material which is available to read but which you will not get equal benefits out of these. It is extremely important to read relevant stuff.

Second important thing with respect to VARC is mock/sectional analysis. I spent a lot of time analyzing CAT mock tests. Initially, I used to spend around 3-4 hours analyzing the VA section which I attempted in 40 minutes. I used to deep dive into every questions’ explanation and find out what it is that I could not crack. Gradually, this time got reduced and I was getting a decent score by that time.

Similarly, For LRDI My focus was completely on solving as many sets as possible. I started attempting DILR sectionals as soon as I started my preparation. Though I was getting a really low score initially, I kept analyzing these mocks. I worked on my problem solving approach along with set selection through mock analysis. Finally, I finalised my CAT exam taking strategy so that I can utilize the most of my potential.

For QA, I do not think there is much except practice. If you know a question, look if there are any better ways to do it, if you don’t just practice more.

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

Sharad: I didn’t follow any books, I just followed the material that my institute provided

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

Sharad: Yes, I took an online coaching for CAT. Since I was working, managing my time between work and studies was a hassle. I decided to join an online coaching that provided me with the material, schedule and everything that was needed so that I don’t waste my time finding resources and planning.

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

Sharad: I attempted close to 45 mock tests this year. Apart from this, I also attempted many sectionals for each of the three subjects. I think that mocks are the most important part of the preparation and it is not about the quantity but the quality. It does not matter if you have attempted 50 mocks if you have not analyzed them thoroughly. The difficulty level of mock tests you are getting should be close to that of CAT otherwise, there won’t be enough benefit. Mocks help you to build your strategy, Identify your strengths and weaknesses and loopholes. For these reasons this is the most critical part of the preparation which you cannot risk at all.

Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?

Sharad: My exam was in the second slot; I have already finalized my strategy which is mentioned below in a section wise manner:

1. VARC: I was prepared that I’ll be starting out with RC and then will move to VA. Since, RCs on the CAT day seemed a bit heavy to me, I attempted two of these and then moved to VA, where I attempted all while taking sufficient time for the questions. As the result, my accuracy was great and I got a decent score.
2. LRDI: Set selection in LRDI makes or breaks this section. I spent around 3-4 mins going through all the sets and decided the two in a particular order which I was going to attempt. Then I picked the one which seemed easiest to me. I spent another 14-15 minutes getting all the questions in that particular set. Later, I picked up the set which was familiar to me and solved it.
3. QA: In QA, I followed ABC or Round wise strategy. First, I picked up some easiest questions and solved them. I was worried about my VA section while solving the questions, that’s why I think that I could have scored more.

Shiksha: Who is your role model?

Sharad: My Role model is ‘Karna” from the Mahabharata. He symbolizes something which is the motto of my life, which goes like “It’s not from where you come, but how you do it”. Karna, being from a lower caste family was not allowed to participate in war but he tried his best and learned archery. By his dedication and hard work, He managed to participate in the war. Apart from that, He is also a symbol of loyalty and friendship.

Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Sharad: Apart from the thing that I have mentioned above I want to suggest some points to the future aspirants:

1: Do not waste a lot of time searching for motivation (Through YouTube videos or otherwise). Many YouTube channels are doing that just to keep you engaged, refrain from that.

2: Do not watch a lot of videos on strategy and planning. First, build your basics, attempt some mocks and then go into these.

3: Do not delay mocks. Start attempting mocks as early as possible. This is probably the most important tip. If you cannot attempt full length mocks, attempt sectionals.

4: Be consistent. This seems easy but it is the most difficult part. There will always be times when your mock scores will go down for sure. The point is to keep going. Just do not give up.

5: Keep an eye on ADMAT preparation too. If god forbid, your CAT does not go your way, you should have some backup. Start preparing for ADMAT topics which are not in the CAT syllabus in advance.

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Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Sharad: I didn’t receive calls from Old IIMs. So, the next best choice for me is SPJIMR, MDI and SJMSOM(IIT-B) and NITIE. I’ll try and convert all of my calls and then I’ll make a decision later.

Shiksha: Tell us something about your educational background, family, hobbies, profession.

Sharad: I pursued B.tech. in IT. During my graduation, I maintained a balance between my academics and extracurricular activities. I was a part of the Robotics society and Industry outreach cell for our college. Apart from this, I also used to take part in standup comedy competitions and shows. I’ve also performed at Canvas laugh club and Mood Indigo-Delhi chapter (Both of these have 200 audience) I participated in a couple of hackathons as a team leader, and reached the final five in one of these. I have also worked on some of the projects/internships during my graduation of which election data analysis and fundus image segmentation were the major projects.

I have also worked as a software developer for around 2 years now. It is through this experience that I'm now more open to take constructive criticism. I'm now more confident about commercial awareness with respect to organization. Moreover, software development enhanced my logical thinking ability. I see myself as more competent in the corporate world as compared to earlier.

Moreover, I have loved watching and playing cricket since childhood. In today’s time, I just follow cricket. Apart from these, I also love Reading mythological texts, especially the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

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