revision day once in a week where you go through all the notes again.” Satya wants to pursue the flagship PGP program IIM Ahmedabad or FMS. Read the full CAT 2021 topper interview by Careers360 to know all the aspects of his CAT preparation journey.
Careers360- What was your reaction? Were you expecting this?
Satya- I was anxious about when will the CAT result get declared. Kept checking the site again and again.
After checking the answer key, I knew that it will be around 99 percentiles going by last year’s score vs percentile chart. To be honest I was more stressed when I got to know that the answer key has been released on December 8. I couldn’t sleep the previous night. My hands were shaking when I opened the official site. I just wanted the whole thing to skip because it was getting tough to keep myself calm that day. After I saw my score, I was exhilarated. I felt like recreating the railway station scene from jersey.
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Careers360- What are your overall and sectional percentile and scaled scores?
Satya- My overall percentile is 99.51. I secured 99.33 percentile in VARC, 99.29 in DILR and 95.22 in quantitative ability. My scaled scores were 47.73 in VARC, 35.15 in DILR and 24.04 in quantitative ability. The overall scaled score was 106.92.
Careers360- Tell us something about your background.
Satya- I completed my BBA from NMIMS Navi Mumbai in 2021. My elective in the third year was marketing. I am a fresher and don’t have any work experience.
Careers360- How was your exam day experience?
Satya- I started getting stressed the night before. I had a panic attack when I was given CAT 2020 and I wasn’t able to read anything on the screen, so I got 55 percentile in VARC. I had prepared myself mentally so that it doesn’t get repeated but I started feeling low the night before. So, while I was traveling to the CAT exam centre, I wanted to keep myself distracted from the exam so I was listening to music and out of nowhere tears started rolling down because all my life I always felt I had the potential but I didn’t give my 100% and from that pain of not being able to justify and satisfy myself I told myself I won’t panic this time because if I did then the same thing will repeat. It doesn’t matter how many hours I have put in for this if I am not able to perform to the best of my abilities on that day. I sat before the screen and kept repeating to myself that this is like an iquanta mock. This is not CAT exam. And only I am going to give this exam. I usually underestimate myself and get bogged down by the competition so I had to repeat to myself that only I am giving this paper. even during the paper, there were moments when I panicked like I completed only 1 set in LRDI in 18 mins, I wasn’t able to select the RC passage due to pressure early on but I kept telling myself that this is just an Iquanta mock and the paper is very easy. I kept taking deep breathes to calm myself. and when the paper got submitted, I was very happy and satisfied. I came out of the centre and told my dad I have done the best I could have. Maybe this was the first time I was so confident about the paper.
Careers360- What was your preparation strategy for CAT?
Satya- I divided the CAT exam into 4 sections – VARC, DILR, Quants, and Mental prep
To prepare for the first 3 sections I enrolled myself in Iquanta. In the beginning, I was a bit apprehensive about their teaching pattern because they used to teach in FB groups. But as time progressed, I realized that it was a very effective method of teaching.
I decided that I would start slow and gradually make progress because I didn’t want to feel drained out towards the end. To prepare me for VARC I used to read one article every morning from the website. Although I wasn’t able to finish the article because of its length and found it tough to understand I used to read so that I inculcate the habit of reading. I went back to the 2020 cat question paper and tried to solve it without a timer and surprisingly I did well. So then I realized that I was putting myself under unnecessary pressure. I attended VARC classes regularly. I was a slow reader so I made a strategy of attempting 2 RCs with 100% accuracy in 25 mins and the last 15 mins for the VA part where I can attempt 8 questions. I wanted to get 10-13 questions right in varc since I thought it was my weak subject and maximize in the other two.
For LRDI it was a regular practice, iquanta classes, and past questions. I tried revisiting the questions again and again so that I remember them.
In Quantitative Aptitude, I did selective studying and focussed more on arithmetic and geometry. I solved the daily practice question posted on Iquanta.
I started attempting mocks in June. But I wasn’t regular. I started giving mocks regularly from September which is actually late in my opinion but I covered it up by analyzing my mock meticulously. I kept revisiting specific questions and noted down tricks used. I maintained a notebook for all formulas.
During the last month, I just solved iquanta250, LRDI70, and RCs by Indra and past question papers. I spent more time analyzing my mistakes and how to improve my score. Didn’t refer to multiple sources because it gets overwhelming seeing so much content and having limited time.
For the mental prep, I focused on keeping myself in present only and not thinking too ahead in the future. And tried reaffirming that I can do this. I used to think that 99 percentilers are born geniuses and there is no chance for me to be there. But now I feel anybody who puts inconsistent efforts and keeps themselves calm and absorbs the pressure will be able to do well in CAT. Also do not focus on percentile while giving mock. Look at the score. The score vs percentile chart helped me because after I understood that I realized that I need 90 marks to get a percentile around 98. This means getting 10 questions right in every section which means I have almost 4 mins for 1 question assuming that I have 100% accuracy.
Also, keep yourself physically fit because this is a long journey and a healthy mind resides in a healthy body.
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Careers360- What according to you were the toughest and easiest sections?
Satya- According to me the easiest section was LRDI. I always felt it is my strong zone. The toughest section is VARC. Multiple reasons. It is the starting section of exam so the first few mins are tricky and also because of my last time’s experience I was a bit nervous regarding this section. Also, quants is moderately difficult for me. I could solve the questions but the time taken was more and if I focused on speed my accuracy used to come down.
Careers360- How did you tackle your strong and weak areas?
Satya- My strong zone was DILR. I focused on attempting a variety of questions. I made a notebook to write down all the important questions and revised them. I wanted to maximise my score over here. I went through the past question papers and tried to understand the different methods and tricks. In Iquanta class I used to be more interested in understanding the approach of the teacher and if I felt it was better, I would adopt that method.
My weak zone was VARC. I always performed moderately in quantitative ability but my VARC was really poor. So trusted the faculty of Iquanta on this completely. Solved the RCs posted in class. And went through the solutions. Went through past papers which helped to understand the level of questions I will be facing in CAT. The Iquanta mock VARC sectional was on par with the CAT exam so that helped me prepare myself better.
Careers360- What was your time management strategy for preparation and exam day?
Satya- During the initial days of preparation, I kept it simple. 10 Q from quant or just formula revision and 1RC and 1 set of LRDI question per day. I didn’t concentrate on the time. My aim was to understand the questions properly and the solution. I kept increasing the number of questions I was doing. This was in addition to attending classes regularly and the practice sessions. Even if I missed the sessions, I would try to complete them later. Maintaining a formula notebook and revisiting it on a regular basis. From September I tried allocating 3 hrs in the morning and 2 hours in evening for the preparation. Used to give mock or analyse mock in the first half of day and revise in the second half or attend classes which I missed.
For the exam, my strategy was simple in VARC and LRDI I would allocate the first 5 mins to go through the entire paper. In VARC the next 20 mins I would do the RC and the last 10-15 mins were given to VA. In quants my aim was to solve as many as possible so I used to look for the easy-moderate questions in first round and if I had time in my hand used to go for second round.
Careers360- Did you take coaching? How helpful was your coaching institute for you? Is it possible to succeed through self-study?
Satya- Yes, I took coaching. I enrolled myself in Iquanta in February 2021. For me it was very helpful. I really liked their classes as they were different from others. I felt they were more interactive. The classes used to be fun and informative at the same time. To me it didn’t really feel like a coaching institute, it felt more like a community. You can post question in the middle of the night and you would get reply within a few minutes. Also, the 250 quant questions we did towards the end and LRDI70 was the difference.
It is possible to succeed through self-study as many have done it before. But the thing is sometimes you need someone to guide, someone to show you the right path. Now I had to concentrate on doing what was being provide to me. I didn’t have to go through different sources to collect information and all since the teachers did it for me. Teachers guide you, but I have to put in consistent efforts. Self-study is possible but you might need to put in more efforts and the preparation might be haphazard because you are constantly bombarded with information.
Careers360- What are the factors behind your success?
Satya- If I look at the difference between the results of both attempts, I think believing in myself and mentally preparing for the exam made the difference.
At the same time my family and friends kept boosting me and telling me that I will be able to clear helped me. My family and friends had more trust in my abilities than I had.
Indrajeet Sir and Iquanta team kept making it easier for students by exposing us to different patterns of questions and methods to solve them.
Careers360- Have you started preparing for GD/PI/WAT?
Satya- Yeah, like I am connecting with seniors and reading about people’s experience. Also trying to brush up my GK and subjects from BBA.
Careers360- Which other MBA entrance exam have you appeared/appearing for?
Satya- I have appeared for XAT, MICAT, IIFT, SNAP.
Careers360- Which is your dream B-School? From which ones are you expecting a call?
Satya- My dream B-School is IIM Ahmedabad and FMS. I am expecting calls from IIM A, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta & FMS.
Careers360- Where do you see yourself in another 5 years?
Satya- Honestly with the way things have changed over the past two years, I think 5 years is too far ahead. I do have plans for the future but the pandemic has taught me that while we must have a vision but the focus must be on this moment. I believe if I give my 100% today, it will sum up to something better than today. My immediate focus is on the GD/PI/WAT.
Careers360- What are your hobbies?
Satya- I love cooking and writing stories. I am an occasional singer and a huge movie buff.
Careers360- What were the relaxation and recreation methods you followed amidst CAT preparation?
Satya- I used to exercise or go running to relax. Once in a week used to meet friends or talk to them over phone. Used to watch an episode of the big bang theory at the end of the day to have a hearty laugh.
Careers360- What is your message for next year's CAT takers?
Satya- Focus on basics. Revise what you have studied in the day before going to sleep and have a revision day once in a week where you go through all the notes again. Note down important questions or tricks in a different notebook. Give mocks regularly and analyse them properly. Revisit the same mock a second time after a couple of weeks. You need to go through the syllabus and past papers and build your own strategy to counter the exam.
Take rests in between. Do not over hype the exam. Make it a part of your life and enjoy the process of preparation. Don’t think about the results. Don’t look at the mock exam percentiles. I didn’t get above 95 in any mock but was still able to do well because I didn’t put myself under pressure. So have self believe and go for the exam with a clear mind.
Do a little each day. Don’t try to do everything at the same time. It might seem insignificant but believe me if you do insignificant things a significant number of times it brings in a significant amount of change in your lives.
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