MAH-CET AIR 3, Vaishnavi Chandarana reveals her exam prep strategy

Vaishnavi Chandarana

The result of MAH-CET 2018 was announced on March 19, 2018. Where more than 98,000 candidates appeared for the exam, Vaishnavi Chandarana secured AIR 3. Her CET score is 158, and her percentile is 99.99. 

Shiksha got in touch with her, and on being asked about her exam preparation strategy, she emphasised on focusing on both high speed and accuracy. Also, she highlighted the importance of not only attempting mocks, but also analysing them to get a real picture of one’s strengths and weaknesses. Read her full interview below:

It feels amazing! While I expected that I would score well, scoring 99.99 and being AIR 3 was a pleasant surprise. I was elated and celebrated the moment with my parents and friends.

 Yes, this was my first attempt.

I'm leaning towards Finance, but I want to learn about all the fields in the first year, and then decide on the specialisation.

I started preparation in January. Since I had studied for other exams, my concepts were in place. I practiced Visual Reasoning from the IMS visual reasoning book because it was a new section for me. In my opinion, the most important aspect of CET preparation are the mock tests. I analysed mocks thoroughly and practiced the questions for which I took more time than needed. CET is an exam which requires both high speed and accuracy. Along with regular practice, one also needs to be calm during the exam.

My sequence was:

1)      Verbal Ability

2)      Abstract  Reasoning

3)      Logical Reasoning

4)      Quantitative Ability

I had allotted 30 minutes to Verbal Ability, 20 minutes to Abstract Reasoning, 60 minutes to Logical Reasoning and 40 minutes to Quantitative Ability. First I attempted all the easy questions in a particular section, and then solved the time-consuming ones. I think one should recognise his/her strengths and weaknesses and allot time for each section accordingly. Mock tests are useful for deciding the ideal order.

In the beginning, I took more time for Visual Reasoning than required. Because of this, I was left with less than ideal time for other sections.  But after enough practice, I could finish solving the entire section within 20 minutes.  Practice is the key to score well in the exam.  One should analyse mocks to recognize weak areas and focus of improving the same.

I don’t think it is important to join a coaching institute, but having a mentor will certainly help.

JBIMS has always been my dream B-school because it has an incredible alumni base and is located in the financial hub- Mumbai.

• Practice is the key
• Take several mocks and analyse them
• Know your own strengths and weaknesses in every section.
• Don’t spend too much time on any question and learn to leave time-consuming questions.
• Try to find better ways of solving questions- mainly in Quantitative Ability
• If you don’t score well in a mock, analyse it thoroughly so that you don’t repeat those mistakes in the CET exam
• Most importantly, believe in yourself.  If you believe you can do it, half the battle is won. If you don’t believe you can do it, no amount of practice will help you.

I wish the future aspirants good luck!