CAT Topper Interview 2022: Know how Akshit Agrawal cracked CAT with 99.91%ile without coaching

In an exclusive interview with Shiksha, Akshit Agrawal shares his preparation strategy and tips for future CAT aspirants. Read further to know more about CAT 2022 topper Akshit Agrawal.

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Akshit Agrawal, a final year B Com Honours student from Ramjas College, DU, cracked India’s biggest MBA entrance exam, CAT 2022 with a 99.91 percentile. Akshit is aiming for the top IIMs such as IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore along with FMS Delhi. In an exclusive interview with Shiksha, Akshit Agrawal shares his preparation strategy and tips for future CAT aspirants. Read further to know more about CAT 2022 topper Akshit Agrawal.

IIM Bangalore declared CAT 2022 result two weeks earlier than usual, i.e. on December 21. CAT 2022 exam was held on November 27. 

CAT 2022 score

Overall Percentile: 111.36 (99.91 percentile)

Sectional:

• VARC – 42.49 (99.48 percentile)
• DILR – 35.04 (99.74 percentile)
• QA – 33.83 (99.11 percentile)

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

Akshit: Thanks a lot and yes, I am very content and happy with my score. My target percentile from the day I got to know about CAT was 99.5 because it sort of guarantees calls from all the top colleges. Any score above that would have made me very happy.

Shiksha: Was this your first attempt at CAT?

Akshit: Yes, it was my first attempt since I am in the final year of my graduation.

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

Akshit: I started a bit late which was February 2022, this was because I had already done a lot of my preliminary preparation during other competitive exams such as IPMAT. I feel that this previous experience and preparation really aided me in my CAT prep. Throughout my prep, I focused on the quality of my study time over its quantity.

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

Akshit: DILR and VARC have always been my strong suits, so a bit of further prep for CAT level questions was all that I needed in this year. I covered this through sectional tests and Arun Sharma LOD 2. Aeon essays made sure that I had something to read on a daily basis.

Quants was where I struggled a bit. These questions weren’t merely about the underlying mathematical concepts but about the ability to think through them in a short span of time. A few YouTube channels turned out to be the holy grail for me when it came to QA.

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

Akshit: I referred to Arun Sharma LOD 1 and 2 for both QA and DILR.

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

Akshit: I sat for a mock test at the start of my preparation to understand where I stood. That one paper really helped me understand what my strengths and weaknesses were and what areas I needed to focus on. Apart from that, I appeared for 4-5 more mocks in the remaining months. I felt that the papers weren’t helping me the way I needed them to and therefore I kept the number of mocks to a minimum.

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

Akshit: No, I did not join a coaching institute. I felt that the key contribution of such institutes is that they ensure consistency, if I could ensure that for myself on my own, an institute wasn’t needed.

Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?

Akshit: My exam day strategy started with reaching the center well before time to ensure I got comfortable in the environment. Once the test started, I focused on maximizing my attempts in the first 2 sections and then going for the Arithmetic and Algebra questions in QA as those were my stronger suits.

Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Akshit: I am aiming for IIM BLACK (IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore) and Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi.

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

Akshit: I have been born and brought up in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and did my entire schooling from DPS Varanasi. Right now I am in the last semester of my BCom Honours from Ramjas College, DU. My dad is a business owner and my mother is a homemaker. In my free time, I like engaging with puzzles whether it be Rubik’s cubes, crosswords or Sudoku.

Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Akshit: One thing that I felt was crucial was the first mock I gave, it really helped me gauge my standing and plan my strategy moving forward. I feel that the way one analyses that first mock test can be the make-or-break step in their preparation.

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