CAT 2023 Topper Interview: “Utmost dedication in my preparation led me to success,” says Rounak Tikmani, 99.90

Meet Rounak Tikmani, the CAT 2023 topper, who defied odds and secured a remarkable 99.90 percentile. Hailing from the quaint village of Teghra in Bihar, Rounak's academic journey began as a chemical engineer at IIT Delhi. He stumbled in CAT 2022 due to inadequate preparation, but that didn't deter his spirit; it ignited a fire within him to redefine success. Embracing online CAT coaching and immersing himself in various CAT mock test programs, he sharpened his skills, transforming setbacks into stepping stones.

Know Raunak's CAT exam preparation journey from being a repeater to a winner in this exclusive CAT 2023 topper interview with Careers360.

Careers360 - Congratulations on being one of the CAT 2023 toppers! What was your reaction? Were you expecting this?

Rounak Tikmani - Thanks. It was certainly one of the happiest moments to have the result flash before your eyes and the screen shows a 99.90 percentile. For a moment, I was speechless and sat there in my chair, staring at my results. It took some time for me to get up and share the results with my parents.

Honestly, I was expecting something of this sort after the response sheet was released. Most of the percentile predictors were predicting a 99.9+ percentile for me. CrackU's prediction came closest. But still, there was a hint of uncertainty and a lot of restlessness before the response sheets were released.

Careers360 - Tell us something about your background.

Rounak Tikmani - I come from a small village in Bihar; it's in Begusarai District and is called Teghra. Most of my schooling was done in Muzaffarpur. For my undergrad, I went to IIT Delhi and graduated in 2021. Since then, I have worked at Zomato and am currently working at a startup remotely. Being a GEM, I needed to make sure I scored a very high percentile to be able to get calls from the top IIMs.

Careers360 - How was your exam day experience? Which slot did you appear in?

Rounak Tikmani - So it was slot 1 and honestly, I dreaded getting the first slot because it was difficult to wake up early. However, after admit cards were released, I developed the habit of waking up at 6:00 AM and giving mock exams at the exact time I was supposed to give the real exam.

On the exam day, I woke up at 5:00 AM and was anxious and excited at the same time. I reached the centre at 7:00 AM, and then it was a very long one-and-a-half hour wait for the exam to start.

I did not face any specific technical issues at the centre. However, when the CAT VARC section started and I started reading, the first RC announcements were being made on the mic and it was really disturbing and cost me getting all my questions wrong in the first RC. So I would say one should be prepared for such situations.

Anyway, I was luckily able to manage time and attempt the whole VARC section. Now came the DILR section, the nightmare of every candidate. This time I was fortunate enough to have identified the most difficult set and left it for good. But the first set I chose was the second most difficult one; it was the housing set.

I took 15 minutes to solve the set, and then I solved the professor voting set completely. I came to the easiest set, which was the mean, median mode set. I could have completed the set if I had 2 more minutes but with limited time, I went with intelligent guesses in the TITA questions.

Overall, I attempted 16/20 questions. My strongest section, Quant, came. However, something was weird because no question felt straightforward and I was wasting one minute and skipping the question. I was fairly disappointed with my quant attempt because I could only attempt some 12 questions.

It was my luck that I got 11 correct out of 12 attempts and the quant was the most difficult section this year. That wraps up my exam experience for the day.

Careers360 - What was your last-minute preparation strategy for CAT?

Rounak Tikmani - For the last-minute preparation, that is, in the last 2 weeks, I only attempted the CAT previous year's papers as mocks and then last week I stopped taking mocks and did not pick anything new. I just revised the formulas and revisited the concepts I was prone to forgetting. I kept it very light in the end so that I had a clear mind before the examination.

Careers360 - What according to you were the toughest and easiest sections?

Rounak Tikmani - I felt the toughest section this year was Quants and the easiest section, in my opinion, would be VARC. Though I did not do very well in VARC, it was relatively easier. LRDI felt on a similar level as CAT 22.

Check out Careers360’s CAT percentile predictor

Careers360 - How did you tackle your strong and weak areas?

Rounak Tikmani - In my strong areas, I made sure I wouldn't make silly mistakes and kept a record of the mistakes I committed. I made sure I attempted my strong areas first in any mock and didn't make mistakes in those attempts. For my weaker areas, I made sure I started with basic preparation and focused on conceptual clarity in this area.

Then it was all about practicing well from ample sources. VARC was one section that bothered me quite a lot during my initial phase of preparation. I started by developing a reading habit through newspapers and then I enrolled in VARC1000 by GEJO. It was very helpful to get into the game.

Careers360 - What was your time management strategy for preparation and exam day?

Rounak Tikmani - Since I took a break and did full-time CAT preparation, I had ample time. My daily routine, primarily in the last phase, looked like this. Starting the day by reading the newspaper and the Aeon essay. Then take a mock test and analyse the previous mock properly (most importantly), then practice doing daily targets by CrackU and CL.

I also had a study buddy, my old friend. We would sit every day and discuss our VARC section of the mocks. It was really helpful. For exam day, I simply thought to give my best. For VARC, I had two philosophies, first, to follow your first instinct and not overanalyze; second, to try maximising your attempt; and third, to follow the BEAST method to eliminate options.

For DILR, set selection was the key and then it was attempting easier questions for each set. For Quant, I followed the idea of analysing the question in the first minute and then either skipping or doing the question in the next minute.

Careers360 - Did you take coaching? How helpful was your coaching institute for you? Is it possible to succeed through self-study?

Rounak Tikmani - Yes, I did take CAT online coaching. However, in my opinion, coaching is only helpful if you want some guidance to build your foundations. It is just helpful in the initial phase of your preparations to get you started. After that, the most important thing, according to me, is to appear in as many mocks as possible and analyse them well. Anyone with good foundations can ace this exam with self-study mock-taking and analysis.

Careers360 - What are the factors behind your success?

Rounak Tikmani - The major factor behind my success is the utmost dedication and consistency in my preparation. The most important thing, according to me, is discipline, not to mention that support from family and friends is always a crucial factor.

Careers360 - Have you started preparing for GD/PI/WAT?

Rounak Tikmani - Yes, I have started preparing for GD/PI/WAT. Currently, my preparation involves revising my undergraduate subjects, identifying myself, and working on HR questions. Then, it's about preparing for the world around me, which includes current affairs and general knowledge. One of the best mentors available for interview preparation is Malay Ray, so I intend to accept his offer.

Careers360 - Which other MBA entrance exam have you appeared/appearing for?

Rounak Tikmani - I was always clear about my goal to do an MBA from the best of college. So I only appeared for CAT and will appear for XAT. I have not taken any other MBA exams.

Careers360 - Which is your dream B-School? From which colleges are you expecting a call?

Rounak Tikmani - The dream B school for me, like every other aspirant, is IIM Ahmedabad. I am expecting calls from almost all the IIMs; let's hope for the best.

Careers360 - What are your hobbies?

Rounak Tikmani - I love following cricket, watching sci-fi, fantasy, and thriller shows and movies, and playing video games. I am a big Potterhead and a GOT fan.

Careers360 - What were the relaxation and recreation methods you followed during CAT preparation?

Rounak Tikmani - I feel it's important to stay connected with your surroundings. I used to go on walks in the neighbourhood and just observe the world around me. I loved spending time with family and friends and also keeping some time free for my other interests. I also made sure I had a healthy lifestyle so I recently added morning exercise and a gym to my schedule.

Careers360 - What is your message for next year's CAT takers?

Rounak Tikmani - First of all, congratulations on deciding you want to take the CAT and pursue an MBA. Very few people in this world know what they want It is great that you have identified what you want to do. Now, coming to your journey, I would say it is very important to stay motivated throughout, no matter how many ups and downs you experience. Maintain a regular and consistent preparation journey, don't ever lose hope, and in front of your study table, write down a commitment to score a 100 percentile in the next CAT exam.

Also, paste a picture of your dream B school and manifest being there every day. From a preparation point of view, I would suggest developing fundamentals, starting to give mocks, and making sure you analyse each mock very well. Having given you some 100 mocks, I can say they are very integral to your preparation. All the best!