Know how Shubham Goswami cracked CAT with 99.94%ile

Shubham Goswami

Cracking the CAT with a decent percentile is no child’s play. It takes months of hard work and dedication to get your desired result. Shubham Goswami appeared for CAT 2016 and scored a whopping 99.94%ile. He believes that the CAT is as much a game of nerves as a game of skill – perhaps more so. Aspirants must not stress themselves, instead, must enjoy the journey. 

Shubham’s hobbies include theatre, reading and blogging. On speaking to Shiksha, he shared the ideal approach to crack the toughest management exam.

CAT tests you on only one thing – your ability to think rationally. It does not require you to master arcane concepts. Hence the role of coaching is limited. However a good coaching centre may benefit you in one or both of the following ways: a) by providing you a set of relevant and comprehensive materials for preparation and b) by introducing you to mentors whom you can approach when in doubt. So coaching, if utilised correctly, can aid your preparation. But it is certainly not an imperative.

The significance of self-study cannot be emphasised enough. Whether you choose to avail coaching or not, you must spend enough time practicing and learning by yourself on a regular basis.

This might sound like a clichéd response. But there really is no RIGHT time. It depends on your comfort level. It also depends on your background, other commitments and goals. Working candidates should start preparing early (say a year in advance) and so should candidates who come from non-mathematical backgrounds. It takes time to get used to the pattern of the exam. 

CAT requires you to demonstrate proficiency in all the three sections. So, one should not neglect any. Also, a close look at the marks distribution of the exam in the previous two years will reveal that LR, DI and RC comprised 56% of the total marks. Paying extra attention to these three areas will certainly boost your score. The daily routine I followed was this:

a) Devote one hour each to VARC, LRDI and QA

b) Practise at least two problem sets each of LR, DI and RC

This is by no means the best strategy to follow. It is what worked for me.

There is no dearth of books/materials in the market. You may follow the materials provided by your coaching centre. If you are on your own, you may subscribe for materials from any reputed coaching institute or enrol with online preparation platforms. There are several free forums from where you may practise and get your doubts cleared. There is also a very popular group on Facebook with 1.5 Lakh members meant exclusively for CAT aspirants.

Once you are acquainted with all the topics, enrol for a decent mock test series. TIME, CL and IMS are credible institutes for conducting nation-wide mock CATs. I would argue that the major part of your learning will happen through mock tests. Take as many tests as possible. More importantly analyse each and every test you take with sincerity. Do not move on to the next mock before you analyse your last one.

Typically, you are inherently strong in one section and inherently weak in another. The onus is on you to identify your weaknesses and convert them into strengths. QA was my strength and LRDI was my Achilles’ heel. From being terrible at LRDI, I ended up scoring 99.70 percentile in that section in CAT 2016. So don’t be daunted by your weakness. Here are a few general tips on each section.

a) VARC- This section is all about accuracy. Speed is usually not a problem. Since RC comprises almost 75% of this section, being good at it will help you to score high. Parajumbles and summary questions are also score boosters.

b) LRDI- Make sure you get exposure to as many kinds of LR and DI sets as you can. Over the years, CAT has moved over from calculation intensive DI sets to more logically demanding ones. So it is a good idea to practise a large number of logical DI sets. This is also the only section where your selection of questions can potentially make or break your chances.

c) QA- This section will test both your speed and accuracy. Try to be fast in solving quants problems. They are potentially far less formidable than LRDI.

Also to improve speed, it makes sense to time all your practice sessions at home.

Through enough practice you will know exactly what kinds of questions trouble you. This will help you decide which questions to leave in the exam. There will be a thing or two which you will never master in spite of the hours put in. For example, I never got the hang of paragraph completion questions in VARC. Leaving a question is not bad. Knowing which ones to leave is important. Remember that even in cricket, one of the most underrated yet important shots is the ‘leave’.

The ideal approach would be to solve each section in two or three rounds. In the first round one should attempt the questions one is comfortable with or can solve easily. The lengthy or difficult problems should be left for subsequent rounds. This is the mantra suggested by pundits. However, it is the mock tests that will help you to come up with the time management strategy that suits you best.

You will find out through meticulous practice. Only when you solve enough problems and sit for enough mock tests do you identify the chinks in your armory. For example I knew I was weak in LR. A scrutiny of my mock test performances revealed that I was particularly weak in those problem sets which required me to play with numbers.

Careful analysis of your mock performances will reveal certain patterns. Make sense of those patterns, take necessary action and keep moving forward.

One of the things that contribute to the notoriety of the CAT is its uncertainty. A CAT aspirant should always have a plan B, even if it’s not another management exam. I had taken the GRE and applied to foreign MSc programs as a backup. If that didn’t work out, I had my job to fall back on. I did not take any other management exam. But several CAT candidates do appear for exams like XAT, IIFT, NMAT, SNAP etc. to improve their odds.

Dos:

a) Time all your practice sessions.

b) Take as many mock tests as you can.

c) Learn to leave the right questions.

Don’ts:

a) Do not be irregular in your practice.

b) Do not neglect any section.

c) Do not take a new mock test without analysing your last one.

CAT scores are used for admission to 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and various other top B-Schools. Are you eligible for the IIMs? To know more, click on the image beside.