Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Exam On - 30 Nov '25
CAT 2024 Topper, Shouvik Chatterjee scored a wonderful score of 99.43 percentile in the CAT exam. In this interview, Shouvik shared his CAT preparation strategy and some useful tips for future CAT aspirants. Read the article below to know more.
CAT 2024 topper, Shouvik Chatterjee scored a wonderful score of 99.43 percentile in the CAT exam 2024. A BTech graduate from Bennette University, Shouvik, achieved an impressive score in his first CAT attempt. Residing in Pune, Shouvik has earned a spot in the CAT 2024 toppers list. He is passionate about art, sketching, singing and reading. After completing his graduation, he launched his own startup and which later inspired him to pursue MBA and CAT.
CAT result 2024 was announced on December 19, 2024, and it marked a turning point in Shouvik's CAT journey. From his startup to making his way into the 99-percentile club, Shouvik's stellar score has already fetched him a call from one of the premier institutes, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research. Now, he is eyeing other institutes such as IIM Lucknow, IIM Mumbai, IIM Kozhikode, MDI Gurgaon, etc. In an exclusive interview with Shiksha, Shouvik shared a walkthrough of his CAT success journey and shared his CAT preparation strategy and some valuable tips for future CAT aspirants. Read the article for insights into his success story and valuable preparation tips.
Yes, it is possible to score 99.99 percentile in CAT in first attempt. Many toppers of previous years' are such candidates. One must study in a focussed manner and do a lot of mock test practice. Exam day strategy is also crucial for better performance.
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
CAT 2024 Overall Percentile: 99.43
VARC Percentile: 99.32
DILR Percentile: 93.84
QA Percentile: 99.21
Shiksha: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT score? How much score were you expecting?
17 Oct '25 - 18 Nov '25
1 Aug '25 - 20 Nov '25
30 Sep '25 - 20 Nov '25
19 Nov '25 - 20 Nov '25
23 Oct '25 - 7 Dec '25
30 Sep '25 - 10 Dec '25
1 Aug '25 - 16 Dec '25
1 Jul '25 - 19 Dec '25
21 Dec '25
31 Dec '25
Shouvik: Yes, I am very much satisfied with my CAT score. It is more than I was expecting as I started my CAT preparation really late. I started preparing for CAT just three months before the exam. So, three months of prep and a score of 99.43 percentile looks like a dream to me. So I am very happy with the score.
Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?
Shouvik: Yes, this was my first attempt.
Also Read:
Shiksha: Can you tell us about your CAT section-wise preparation strategy?
Shouvik:
CAT cut-offs are not announced along with the CAT result. The cut-offs are also not released publicly. They are known after a few days of the result announcement when the IIMs and other colleges start their shortlisting process. The IIMs will open the shortlist window based on the CAT cut-offs two to three days after the result announcement. The CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) can be considered the cut-off for that IIM. For example, if a candidate with a CAT percentile of 99 belonging to the General category is selected for the WAT/GD-PI of IIM Calcutta, then the CAT cut-off for IIM Calcutta is 99 percentile. Only those candidates who make it to the WAT/GD-PI round of IIMs will get to know the cut-offs.
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.
Also Read:
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.
Read More:
10 Jul '25 - 5 Dec '25 | XAT 2026 Exam registration |
19 Nov '25 - 20 Nov '25 | XAT 2026 mock test 3 |
1 Aug '25 - 20 Nov '25 | SNAP 2025 Registration Process |
28 Nov '25 - 6 Dec '25 | SNAP 2025 admit card session 1... |
28 Oct '25 - 16 Dec '25 | NMAT 2025 Admit Card Issuance |
1 Aug '25 - 16 Dec '25 | NMAT 2025 Rescheduling Window |
17 Oct '24 - 5 Dec '24 | IIFT 2025 registration and app... |
23 Oct '25 - 7 Dec '25 | MAT PBT Registration 2025 (Dec... |
23 Oct '25 - 15 Dec '25 | MAT CBT Registration 2025 (Dec... |
1 Jul '25 - 19 Dec '25 | IBSAT 2025 Registration |
5 Nov '25 - 27 Dec '25 | IBSAT Slot Booking 2025 |
17 Oct '25 - 18 Nov '25 | CMAT 2026 registration and app... |
Dec '25 | MAH MBA CET 2026 registration ... |
2 Sep '25 - 4 Sep '25 | MAH MBA CAP 2025: Reporting to... |
Jan '26 | Publication of TANCET notifica... |
Jan '26 | TANCET registration window |
Mar '25 | IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno... |
Feb '25 | IRMASAT Personal Interviews |
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
At GIBS, they keep the entrance exam part really simple. For PGDM or MBA, they accept almost all the common exams like CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, and GMAT. Even state-level or institute-level scores are considered.
Honestly, GIBS doesn't stress too much about “only one specific exam.” As long as you
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
At GIBS, the faculty-to-student ratio is around 1:15, which honestly makes learning a lot easier. Since the classes aren't overcrowded, the faculty actually get time to focus on each student.
You can easily ask your doubts, get personal guidance, and have open discussions. It feels more like a mentor
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
The online application for GIBS Business School is very well-organized and student-friendly for its MBA, PGDM, and BBA programs.
Application Procedure Step 1: Access the Admissions Portal
Go to the official website of GIBS Business School, and click on "Apply Online", which can be found under the sect
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 5 days ago
GIBS Business School considers the overall CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, and GMAT scores for the admission of candidates in the PGDM and MBA programs. Rather than using solely high cut-offs, the entrance test scores are used to judge the aptitude of a candidate in terms of analysis, quant, and verbal f
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
GIBS Business School, Bangalore, has a strong and dynamic Placement Cell that helps in securing excellent career opportunities for the students. Every year, more than 260 reputed companies have visited the campus for recruitment, offering versatile jobs in sectors like BFSI, IT, consulting, manufact
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 weeks ago
Getting into the MBA programme of NIT Trichy with a 300 SC CAT rank is somewhat uncertain. As the recent data sets suggest, NIT Trichy's CAT cutoff for SC category admission stands around 65th percentile. A 300 SC rank could be borderline depending on how many SC candidates apply and the quality of
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a month ago
Candidates who did not appear for the CAT entrance exam can apply St. Xavier's College, Kolkata admissions as it is not a mandatory entrance exam. The candidates who wish to gain admissions into the MBA course of the institute have to appear for the Kolkata University entrance test for St. Xavier's
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
PGCET and CAT serve distinct purposes. The PGCET is primarily conducted for MBA admissions in colleges in the state of Karnataka, specifically for government colleges and private universities with lower fees. CAT is a national level exam for top-ranking B-schools and colleges such as the IIMs that h
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
That's a wonderful goal to push your son toward right at the start. To obtain previous CAT model papers, you can check many available popular exam preparation books in any bookstore or online store. Coaching interest such as TIME, IMS, Career Launcher, etc., usually have mock tests and sample papers
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, you can get admission to Jaypee Business School (JBS), Noida for MBA even if you don't have CAT. JBS accepts scores from several other exams such as MAT, CMAT, XAT, GMAT, ATMA, and also CUET-PG. Just make sure you have a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks, then apply with any of those va
Contributor-Level 9
14 candidates have scored 100 percentile in CAT 2024, out of a total of 2.93 Lacs candidates. Out of 14 toppers, 1 is a woman candidate. Check below CAT 2024 result data:
Check the below table for data and statistics of CAT 2024 test takers and toppers.
Discipline
percentiles 14 - Nos
Male - 13
Engg – 13
Non-Engg – 1
Delhi 2
Haryana 1
Kerala 1
Maharashtra 5
Odisha 1
Rajasthan 1
Telangana 2
percentiles 29 -Nos.
Male - 27
Engg – 25
Non-Engg - 4
Delhi 4
Gujarat 2
Haryana 1
Karnataka 3
Kerala 1
Madhya Pradesh 1
Maharashtra 5
Odisha 1
Punjab 1
Rajasthan 3
Tamil Nadu 1
Telangana 1
Uttar Pradesh1
Uttarakhand 1
West Bengal 2
percentiles 30-Nos
Male - 29
Engg – 20
Non-Engg -10
Delhi 2
Gujarat 2
Haryana 4
Karnataka 4
Madhya Pradesh 3
Maharashtra 3
Tamil Nadu 2
Telangana 3
Uttar Pradesh 2
West Bengal 4