Told not to appear for exam, Jivtesh emerges as CMAT 2016 topper

CMAT 2016 topper Jivtesh Singh

Management exams are the talk of the season, and along with exams it is time for results too. CAT 2015 results have already been declared and CMAT 2016 results were declared on January 21. 2016. 

In the race of being number one, many MBA aspirants work hard – some excel, while some lose hope. Jivtesh Singh, this year’s CMAT exam topper worked extremely hard to get to the top, but there were several obstacles in his path to success. While preparing for management exams, he initially could not score well in the mock tests. People started discouraging him and even asked him to not appear for the exams. But he did not give up, and stuck to his motto. ‘Anybody can crack the exam, and even I can do the same.’ 

The father of this Mechanical engineering student is a Senior Branch Manager, and his mother is a homemaker. Shiksha got in touch with Jivtesh to know his success story. This is what he had to say: 

“From the very beginning, I always believed that anybody could crack management exams, be it CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT or CMAT. I appeared for all these exams, and scored a decent score of 96 percentile in CAT 2015, 93% in SNAP and 200 marks in NMAT. I remember, when I started with my preparations, I could not score a good percentile in the mock tests. But instead of losing hope, I took it as a challenge and worked even harder. I know many people who got disheartened on seeing their initial mock test marks, and eventually gave up on the thought of appearing for the exam. By attempting mock tests and practicing regularly, anyone can do it.” 

On being asked about the minimum time frame one needs to prepare for CMAT, he said, “If a person has prepared for CAT, I think that preparation is enough. There is nothing more required, but for candidates who are giving CMAT as their first management exam, should put in around three hours daily for about 2-3 months. This time should be utilized in preparing for the exam, and attempting mock tests.” 

When asked about his dream college, he wants to get enrolled to any of the older IIMs. Though he hasn’t decided which specialisation he would be opting for, he is inclined towards Marketing, Consultancy, and Operations (in order of his preference). 

We wanted to know from him whether joining a coaching institute was important or self-study was sufficient. To this question he promptly replied, “If you are diligent enough, there is no need of joining a coaching institute. I joined IMS Institute, Ludhiana. The only benefit of joining an institute is that you get proper guidance and mentorship. These institutes know how the preparations should be done, and they streamline the entire preparation process for the aspirants. So there is nothing that a candidate needs to worry about – going with the flow is what is required. Also, another benefit of a coaching institute is the competitive environment that is offered to the aspirants. 

Talking about his CMAT study plan he said, “Last year, when I was in my final year of graduation I appeared for CAT without preparing for it, and I scored 80 percentile. Then I thought of putting in my 100% efforts into the exam preparations. I dedicatedly attended my coaching classes, came back and studied on my own for about an hour, took mock tests, and assessed myself. Gradually, I saw myself improving in the mock tests, and I gained confidence.” 

Tips for future aspirants

When we asked Jivtesh to provide some tips to future aspirants, he came up with some interesting things. This is what he had to say:

• Make sure you practice for each section, because each of them hold equal importance during the exam. While preparing, focus a little more on your weak areas, but in the meantime do not move away from the sections that you are good at. Regularly practicing is the key to success.
• Pay more attention to General Knowledge. Brush up your current affairs and focus on static GK.
• The questions that come in the exam can be solved by all – time management plays an important role here. If you know how to manage your time, nothing can stop you from excelling in the exam.
• When attempting the paper, finish off the questions that are easy. Utilise the remaining time to attempt difficult questions.
• Revise your mock tests. Before attempting a fresh mock test, make a note of the mistakes that you made in the previous mock test – this will be of great help.
• Do not worry about the remaining exams; focus on the exam for which you are appearing. For example, when giving CAT, just focus on the same – do not think of CMAT at that point of time.
• Lastly, never lose hope. Luck and opportunity can knock at your door anytime!

Know about top MBA colleges accepting MAT scores.