CAT 2023 Topper Interview: Jayant Kochhar 99.62%iler says, Consistency is the key to crack CAT
Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )
CAT 2026 exam
29 Nov '26
In his exclusive interview with Shiksha, CAT 2023 topper Jayant Kochhar, 99.62 percentiler of CAT 2023 shares his CAT preparation journey with some important tips and tricks that helped him crack India’s largest management entrance exam, CAT. Read further to know how CAT topper 2023 Jayant Kochhar aced CAT 2023.
CAT Topper 2023 Interview: Jayant Kochhar 99.62%iler
CAT Topper 2023 Interview: Jayant Kochhar, a 99.62 percentile says, " Identify your weaker sections and work on them" to score phenomenally in CAT exam. Kochhar commenced his CAT 2023 preparation in May. As a tip to score well in CAT exam, he advises aspirants to maintain consistency in their preparation. Jayant is aiming for all the three top IIMs in India. After cracking CAT 2023, Jayant wants to pave his way in the management field by targeting IIM BLACKI, i.e. top b-schools in India.
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In his exclusive interview with Shiksha, CAT 2023 topper Jayant Kocchar, one of the 99.62 percentilers of CAT 2023 shares his CAT preparation journey with some important tips and tricks that helped him crack India’s largest management entrance exam, CAT. Read further to know how CAT topper 2023 Jayant Kochhar aced CAT 2023 with 99.62 percentile. CAT result was declared on December 21, 2023. CAT exam was held on November 26, 2023.
Commonly asked questions
In CAT 2025, the following changes were seen:
- The fee amount increased from INR 2,500 to INR 2,600 for General category candidates and from INR 1,250 to INR 1300 for Reserved category candidates.
- In DILR section, number of questions increased from 20 to 22.
- Total marks of CAT DILR section increased from 60 to 66.
- Total marks of CAT exam increased from 198 to 204.
- Candidates can select five cities instead of six.
In CAT exam, each candidate gets 120 minutes to solve the paper. There are three sections in CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. For each section 40 minutes are allotted as sectional time limit. For PwD candidates, the sectional time limit is 53.20 minutes per section. Candidates have to complete each section within the given time limit. Since the CAT is an online mode exam, the test screen will move from first section to the next section automatically as soon as the time limit gets over. Thus candidates have to be mindful of the on-screen timer and pre-decide the number of questions to solve in each section. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT has 24 questions, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section has 22 questions and Quantitative Aptitude section has 22 questions. It is not mandatory to solve all the questions in CAT so candidates can devise a strategy to use 40 minutes per section as per their strength and weakness.
CAT has 68 questions. Each question carries three marks. There is negative marking of minus one for incorrect attempts. There is no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Total marks in 204.
In CAT exam, there are 20 questions in the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section and the total sectional marks is 60 out of 198. In CAT 2020, there were 24 question on DILR and the sectional marks were 72. In CAT 2021 and CAT 2022, there were 20 questions and the sectional marks were 60. The 20 questions are equally divided into both Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. That means, Both Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning have 10 questions each. The questions are mostly in sets. There’s rarely any standalone question in DILR.
Some of the top MBA entrance exams carrying a high weightage of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning questions are MAH CET, ATMA, CAT, CMAT, XAT IIFT, to name a few.
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CAT 2023 Topper Jayant Kochhar: Interview Highlights
Check out the table below to get an overview of the Jayant Kochhar CAT percentile 2023:
| CAT Sections |
CAT Percentile |
|---|---|
| Overall |
99.62 |
| 90.81 |
|
| 99.99 |
|
| 94.48 |
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Shiksha: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?
Jayant: I am happy with the score, as I have improved on my previous attempt. But I am not satisfied with it, as I had targeted a 100 +score. For a fresher GEM candidate as, with this score the chances of getting a call from IIM A/B/C are extremely low. Nevertheless, I am hoping for some good calls.
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Shiksha: Was this your first attempt at CAT?
Jayant: This was my second attempt. I had given my first attempt last year
Shiksha: When did you start preparing for the CAT exam? What was your overall prep strategy?
Jayant: I started my prep in May 2023. Try and keep the prep strategy as simple as possible. Firstly, I made sure that I covered all the topics which form part of the syllabus. Secondly, identify weaker sections (for me it was Reading Comprehension from the VARC section) and devote more time on these topics. Attempting sectionals helped me gauge my preparation for that topic. Thirdly, make sure to solve any sectional that you solve. This will help you move ahead systematically.
Commonly asked questions
Shiksha: Please share with us your section-wise strategy.
Jayant: VARC: In this section, it is very easy to feel intimidated trying to understand the passage. It is really important that you also focus on answering the questions. Skimming through the questions before going through the entire passage, subconsciously helps you with the areas that you need to focus on while reading.
DILR: Practice as much variety as possible. Always go all-in at every set. If you can’t figure out anything within first 5-6 mins. Just drop that set and move on.
Quant: Again practice as much as you can. Keep revising the formulas. You can also prepare a formula book if that can be kept handy. Conceptual clarity for all the topics is extremely critical.
Also Read: CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Mock Tests are game changers, says Dixit Bhageria, 99.55%iler
Shiksha: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation?
Jayant: I mostly followed the modules and test series provided by my coaching institute. It was sufficient for me.
Shiksha: How many mock tests did you attempt and how important is a mock test series?
Jayant: I had attempted about 30 mocks. Attempting a healthy number of CAT Mocks tests and previous years is extremely important. Attempting mocks gives you a very good idea of the kind of questions which come in the exam. Based on your weak areas, you can then focus on taking section-wise mocks.
Shiksha: Did you join any coaching institute? How does the coaching institute help in CAT preparation?
Jayant: Yes I was a regular student at a coaching institute throughout my preparation. Solving the study material and the mock series regularly helped me identify my weak areas and work on them.
Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?
Jayant: Relax a day before the test. Don’t attempt any mocks on the last day. As I approached the exam day, I reduced the number of mock attempts and focused more on revising what I had covered already. I was confident with my preparation, hence on the exam day I tried to stay as calm as possible.
Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?
Jayant: According to the score I am hopeful to get calls from the BLACKI IIMs. These include ( IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore). Looking forward to converting the best call possible.
Shiksha: Tell us something about your educational background, family and hobbies.
Jayant: I have completed my BTech in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Surat (IIIT Surat). I have done most of my education staying in Rajkot, Gujarat. I always liked to participate in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities like recitations, singing, and painting. I take pride in being part of the Gujarat cadre in the Republic Day Camp, 2016 as a junior cadet. I love playing lawn-tennis and cricket. Long distance running is also something close to my heart.
Also Read: CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Know how Parul Garg cracked CAT with 99.93%
Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
Jayant: Always believe in yourself. Identify your weaker sections and work on them. Be consistent with the number of hours that you put into your preparation, that is what will keep you going. All the best for CAT 2024!!
CAT Topper 2023 Jayant Kochhar Scorecard
CAT Topper 2023 Jayant Kochhar 99.62%iler Scorecard
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
Yes, COEP, Pune does accept CAT score to admit candidates for MBA admissions. During CAP rounds, if candidates have a valid score in CAT, they will be chosen based on those scores only. Thus, such candidates are not required to reappear for MAH-CET.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, to gain admission to the MBA course at this university, candidates have to either attempt the CAT or other accepted exams (MAT, SUAT, etc.) and then appear in the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds.
Students are shortlisted for the GD and PI rounds based on their performa
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
IIT Madras CAT cutoff 2025 is generally not released to the public and is instead only visible to students with login credentials.
Based on the previous year's estimated CAT cutoff for the General AI category, the overall CAT percentile was 85.11.
Note: The cutoff data provided is not official. It i
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
No, you cannot get direct admission to the MBA course based on the CAT score. A valid CAT score only gets you eligible to apply for the management course.
To secure your spot for the course, you have to first attain the accepted CAT cutoff and get shortlisted for the multi-stage selection process, wh
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
No, CAT is not a mandatory entrance exam for MBA admissions at Pratibha Institute of Business Management. Candidates who want to apply for MBA courses cal also appear for MH -CET, XAT, MAT, GMAT and CMAT. However, appearing in any one of these exams is a mandatory requirement for MBA at Pratibha Ins
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
To get admission at IIT Kanpur for the MBA/PGDM course, candidates have to secure a CAT percentile of at least 90 if they belong to the General AI category.
Candidates who clear the exam cutoff are then eligible to take part in the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). Students who pass
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
IIT Kanpur provides the MBA course based on the student's performance in the CAT exam. In 2025, the overall CAT percentile was 90 for the General AI category candidates. For more information, refer to the table below. The cutoff provided below is for the General AI category.
| Section | IIT Kanpur MBA cutoff 2025 |
|---|---|
| Overall | 90 |
| Quants | 50 |
| VA-RC | 50 |
| DI-LR | 50 |
Note: The cutoff provid
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, to get admission at IIT Roorkee for the MBA/PGDM course, students have to first attempt the CAT entrance examination and attain a valid percentile. Those students who clear the cutoff are then eligible to move to the second round of admission, which involves PI (Personal Interview).
Students who
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Aspirants must have more than 70 percentile in CAT for admission in MBA programme of Department of Management Studies, NALSAR University. Such aspirants do not have to appear for NMET (PG) conducted by DoMS for admission.
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Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
The actual required CAT percentile is only visible for candidates with login access. But, based on previous years' estimated CAT cutoff for the General AI category, 90 percentile would be required overall and 50 percentile sectionally for the previously-mentioned category.
Note: The actual cutoff da
N
Contributor-Level 10