CMAT topper emphasises on the importance of mock tests

Delhi-based Gaurav Kataria has managed to score 99.75 percentile in CMAT 2016 exam. His CMAT 2016 scorecard reads:

CMAT 2016 results have been declared!

Gaurav Kataria

Kataria, a B Tech graduate from College of Engineering, Roorkee, has worked with HCL Technologies. He is currently pursuing PG Diploma in Conflict Transformation and Peace Building from Delhi University. He was also selected as one of the delegate for Good Governance yatra 2015 by Vision India Foundation.  

Question: What is your educational / academic background? Do you have any work experience?

Answer: I completed my Class 10 and 12 Indiara Ideal Senior Secondary School, Delhi and pursued graduation from College of Engineering Roorkee, 2008-2012. Thereafter, I worked as Software Engineer in HCL Technologies for two years. Presently I am pursuing PG diploma course from Delhi University.

Question: What other MBA entrance exams did you take? How much have you scored in those exams?

Answer: Apart from CMAT, I also appeared for NMAT and IIFT Exam. I have got calls from NMIMS Mumbai as well as IIFT. I also appeared for SNAP 2016 however didn't get me a call from SIBM Pune. I got 97.3 percentile in NMAT and 97.81 percentile in IIFT. I got 99.75 percentile in CMAT with 100 percentile in English section and 99.45 percentile in Quants.

Question: Is this your first CMAT attempt?

Answer: Yes, this is my first CMAT attempt.

Question: What is the minimum time-frame needed to prepare well for CMAT?

Answer: In my opinion, three-four hour of daily study can fetch you a good percentile in CMAT. However, for working professionals two-three hours would be enough, provided they spend some time on weekends too. I started my preparation in September. I kept in mind other entrance tests. For GK, it’s advisable to study static GK and keep yourself abreast with the current affairs. That was my learning while taking CMAT exam, as I faltered GK section this year.

Question: Which is your dream college?

Answer: My dream college is IIFT Delhi. However, I am also keen on JBIMS and NMIMS Mumbai, if I get a chance. Although these are my dream colleges, I would like to keep my options open and take any decision after the entire process of GD/PI gets over.

Question: Which colleges are you targeting based on your CMAT scores?

Answer: Based on my CMAT score I am targeting JBIMS, SIMSREE and KJ Somaiya and also GIM Goa. Great Lakes’ one-year management course is also another programme where I would like to apply.

Question: Is it necessary to join a coaching institute? Or is self-study good enough?

Answer: I would say, it depends upon person to person. But I believe it is good if you join some coaching institute as it would equip you with the necessary weapons (books and material etc.) to handle an entrance exam. I took a short term course two years back from an institute while I was in college and really helped in giving me a direction. After all, whether you join an institute or not it’s your self-study that matters the most.

Question: What study plan did you follow for MBA prep?

Answer: I used to give mocks each week and then identifying the weakness such as time mismanagement or silly mistakes or lack of knowledge. I was mainly focused on two aspects:

- Reading a lot daily and setting weekly targets for reading material and solving sectional problems in online material.

- Improving vocabulary by reading newspaper editorials, word lists etc and giving equal time to Quants and DI/LR on daily basis.

I also attempted previous year CMAT and IIFT exams to get a good hold over the exam pattern and then made adequate strategies for individual exams.

Question: How did you divide time during preparation for each section? Any useful study material that you'll like to recommend?

Answer: My motto was not to focus on a single or be biased about any section. I always focused on all the sections equally and devoted sufficient time to all the sections while studying.

I would suggest your weekly schedule should be:

1.  Everyday practice on online topic tests and your preparation strategy should include thorough analysis of all tests.

2.  Keep a dedicated whole day for revision of your notes or mocks that you have attempted in previous weeks.

3.  Do keep in mind to practice at least one RC passages, DI & LR sets daily.

Also keep in mind that that some of the exams would judge your strength in all the sections and not just any single one. Spend 1-2 hours on Quants and equal time on LR-DI as these sections would develop your logical thinking. If you are spending 1-1.5 hours daily on English then that would be sufficient. Mocks would also give you an edge during your preparation. I would recommend Newspaper like Hindu, Economics times. And for Quants or other sections it is better if you give mocks and study the material that coaching institutes provide.

Question: How did you prepare for GK section?

Answer: Although GK has always been a section that bugged me a lot during preparation. I scored well in GK section in IIFT however not so well in CMAT. I prepared mainly current GK and looked at events that occurred in last 5-6 months. Preparation for GK would be easier if you read any newspaper daily as well as buy GK magazines which can provide you some static knowledge.

Question: How did you work on improving your weak areas?

Answer: I would again and again emphasise on mock tests if you need to improve upon your weak areas. My strategy has always been of giving a mock and analysing it to the fullest. I used to give mocks each week and then identifying the weakness that i encountered regarding time mismanagement or silly mistakes or lack of knowledge. It is always beneficial to improve your weak areas when you have sufficient time. It would be difficult to improve upon your weaker section when exams are just around the corner.

Question: How much time did you spend on revision?

Answer: I used to spend more time on revision of content then going for a new topic altogether. I started my revision one month prior to the Entrance exam season that basically starts from November. Spending 2-3 hours on you revision would be sufficient enough to get you good percentile in Entrances.

Question: Suggest some tips for CMAT aspirants.

Answer: My friends, I would suggest that during your preparation time there is no need to lose hope if you aren't scoring well in the mocks because mocks are usually tougher than real entrance exams. There are certain things that you should keep in mind such as "Read questions carefully" because it is the most basic and I would say haunting mistake done by most of us.

Always start with your comfortable section so that it can boost you up for handling further sections. And most importantly, whenever you are in doubt about any question in exam, just leave it out, because it the relative performance that matters in these exams not just the performance of an individual.

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