CAT 2023 Topper Interview: Anirudh Shares Secret to Score 99.82 Percentile in less than 90 Days

Anirudh Das got himself included in the CAT 2023 toppers list with 99.82 percentile. In an exclusive chat with Shiksha, Anirudh shares how he got himself included in the CAT toppers list.

CAT topper interview 2023 with Anirudh Das

CAT 2023 Topper Interview: IIM Lucknow released CAT 2023 results on December 21. With the release of results, Anirudh Das, got himself in the CAT toppers list after scoring 99.82 percentile. He is a final-year law student at Damodaram Sanjivaya National Law University. Anirudh aims to convert admissions calls from IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, FMS Delhi, among other b-schools.

Besides interest in law, Anirudh has been an active member of the debate community in college. With self-study, and a preparation plan of less than three months, he cracked the most difficult MBA entrance exam of India. Scroll down for more insights shared by Anirudh Das in regard with his CAT preparation strategy.

CAT 2023 Topper Interview: Highlights

CAT 2023 Topper Interview with Anirudh Das

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

Anirudh: I guess satisfied is an understatement. I am ecstatic with the results. It is much better than I expected, although the DILR score puts me at a disadvantage for certain B-schools but on the whole it is much better than expected, especially because I didn’t get that much time to prepare for CAT.

I think the verbal section changed the game for me, and I was expecting a scaled score around 40, nearly 20 marks boost gave me the much-needed relief in the Quant and DILR sections, both of which went bad for me. The problem arose because I started to panic after I struggled to solve the first set in DILR, which set a bad tone for the rest of the paper. 

Shiksha: Was this your first attempt at the CAT exam?

Anirudh: Yes, this was my first attempt at CAT exam.

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

Anirudh: I don’t think anyone should emulate the strategy I used. I was in a unique position where I am still studying. Therefore, I had a lot of time at my disposal to prepare for CAT, hence I was able to make up for starting late by studying exceptionally long hours, something I wouldn’t suggest anyone to do.

I would say I started serious preparation after finishing my GMAT and IELTS in August and Mid-Semester exams in the first week of September. I essentially started close to the 100-day finish line without any coaching, mentors or paid resources. In retrospective it was a very risky way to go about things, at some level I though CAT as a backup option. I think that also helped me because psychologically I tend to stress out and underperform if there is everything on stake on a particular event.

After September, between college, exams and the sad realisation that this was the last year of my UG degree, I was pulling 18-hour work days almost every day. I got burnt out several times and gave up several times, but I just picked myself back up.

I guess it was that line from Suits where Harvey goes, “I quit every goddamn day. I just never said it out loud. Because no way was I gonna give them the satisfaction of breaking me” 

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Shiksha: What was your CAT section-wise preparation strategy?

Anirudh: I didn’t really have a specific section wise strategy. Since I prepared and wrote GMAT, my verbal was strong, I had a feeling that it would fetch me about 40-50 marks solid. I would suggest people to try LSAT reading material and GMAT passages for reading, and GMAT Grammar (especially if you have 6 Months + time for giving the exam).

Coming to DILR and Quant, I had an aim to cross these sections with a 90%ile score. I remember a prep video that indicated a minimum of two month preparation for DILR. I sticked with the section even if I was unable to crack the questions at first. After a month of practice, questions felt more doable. I used an app to solve simple puzzles.

With reference to QA, I was trying to ensure that I could solve all of Level 1 and Level 2 questions from Arun Sharma and few level 3’s. On the whole I think I benefitted from the fact that I could not join a coaching institute, I didn’t have the time to go through a generic course, much of what I was doing was addressing my own weakness and tailoring my preparation to my conditions.

Another thing to keep in mind that CAT at the end of the day is a stamina exam, I don’t think much people would have a problem in solving the entire paper if they gave it without the time pressure, hence try to get accustomed to the mental pressure and build up mental stamina as much as you can. It generally is a process to build the stamina, hence the earlier you start the better. 

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Shiksha: Did you join any coaching institute?

Anirudh: No, I did not join any coaching institute for CAT preparation.

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

Anirudh: I didn’t count the number of mocks, but my preparation using mocks relied on keeping a track of the scores that I got in each of the tests and check on the topics I wasn’t able to score. I think more than just the sheer number it is important that one learns from each mock as much they can. I used the tracker sheet to analyse my mock test scores. I think it helps you accelerate your progress, so a definite must have. In line with my zero expense preparation method I used free mock tests available online.

It is honestly a rather bleak observation to me that some of the free resources were better than any paid resource that any of my friends used.

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Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Anirudh: If anyone is just starting out, I would recommend them to go through the videos that are available on Youtube for free. Much of the online and free resources are more than sufficient to prepare. Arun Sharma Books are definitely a must-have, although I would recommend the verbal aspect especially if they have a few months to prepare to use the GMAT official guide and LSAT Reading Bible for Reading Comprehension. The only real paid resource useful is mock tests, which probably come in the last leg of the CAT preparation journey. 

I wouldn’t personally recommend any paid resources or coaching; I can’t imagine too many teachers teaching better than those on YouTube, but then again, your personal situation might be different.

Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Anirudh: I am targeting some of the top b-schools, including:

• IIM Ahmedabad
• IIM Calcutta
• IIM Kozhikode
• IIM Indore 
• FMS, Delhi

I already hold an offer from London Business School for their Masters in Management program.

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