CAT 2024 Topper Interview: Shouvik Chatterjee Scores 99.43 Percentile in First Attempt

CAT 2024 Overall Percentile: 99.43

VARC Percentile: 99.32 

DILR Percentile: 93.84

QA Percentile: 99.21

CAT 2024 Topper Interview with Shouvik Chatterjee

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

VARC: I was always decent at reading English. But in CAT, the level of English is as such that you don't only have to read it but also comprehend it really well. So I was not very good at English comprehension which included a lot of critical reasoning. I used to read for pleasure. Since in CAT, I had to do critical reasoning, I started reading every day. I used to get up every morning and the first thing I used to do was read from a website called Aeon Essays. Over time, across three months of my preparation, I started understanding difficult parts of the English language and that is how I prepared for the VARC section of CAT.

QA: To score well in the Quantitative Aptitude section I focused only on practice. I used to practice a lot of questions which I got from my coaching institute. 

DILR: For the DILR section as well, I practiced a lot of sample questions. One thing that I figured out for the DILR section, 15 days before the exam was that I need to understand each part of the question which can be done if I read the question slowly. When I used to read the question and get on with the answer, I would get it all wrong. But from the time I started focusing on understanding the question by reading it slowly, that is when my DILR scores improved. 

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Shiksha: Were there any specific books which you referred to for CAT preparation?

Shouvik: I joined a coaching institute for CAT which provided CAT preparation books. I majorly studied from those. Other than that, I bought Oswal Books CAT 25 Years Solved Questions. In the last month of my CAT preparation, I only referred to this book and solved as many questions.

Also Read: Best books for CAT Preparation

Shiksha: Did you join any coaching institute? If yes, how helpful were they?

Shouvik: Yes, I joined the CAT 2024 batch of iQuanta. I think there was no way I would have secured this percentile only with self-preparation. I think if I would have self-prepared then it would have taken me a lot of time to grab various strategies, small tips and tricks which I got from the coaching institute. 

Shiksha: How many mock tests did you attempt during your preparation? How important are the CAT mock tests?

Shouvik: I started taking the mock tests in the second month of my preparation. In the first month, I completed the CAT syllabus. I just skimmed through the syllabus and understood every chapter and topic. That gave me the confidence that I could start taking the mock tests. In the second month every two days, I was taking one mock test. In the third month, I was taking one CAT mock test every day. I attempted about 45-50 full-length CAT mock tests and about 25-30 sectional mock tests. I took mocks from different institutes. 

Shiksha: What was your CAT exam day strategy?

Shouvik: This time, in the CAT 2024 exam, the CAT convenor changed the pattern in the VARC section. They restructured the sections. In general, in the VARC section, they give the RCs first and there are other questions. But this time, RCs were mentioned at the end of the question paper. I had seen some YouTube videos where this has happened in the previous CAT exams. Which is how I was able to attempt it with ease. 

Since every CAT aspirant has their strategy, I would not like to talk about the usual ones. But one thing which helped me was that I looked at the images of the CAT exam centre, and I manifested and imagined myself sitting there for the exam. Therefore, when I went for the exam it did not seem new to me and I was able to handle the exam day jitters. 

Also Read: CAT Exam Day Tips

Shiksha: Do you have any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Shouvik: One major tip would be that if you are starting for the CAT exam, then you need to know exactly why are you taking the CAT exam. I have known many CAT candidates who have taken the exam but they were not focused or dedicated to their goal. Hence, they prepared for the exam but not with as much intensity and dedication as the exam requires to score a 99 percentile or more. So, if someone is appearing for CAT and is aiming for the premier B-schools of India, then they should have a clear 'why'. 

Also, when I was taking regular mock tests my average score was around 50-60 marks. But just two day before the exam, they jumped to 80-90 marks. So, if you are preparing for the CAT exam and the mock scores are not good. Do not fret and give up hope. So my suggestion is keep preparing till the last day. You may find good strategies two or three days before the exam which would help you score well in the exam. 

Shiksha: Which IIMs/Institutes are you targeting?

Shouvik: I already got a call from the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research. The other institutes that I am targeting are IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, FMS and ISB. 

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