Amity University Noida MBA Admissions 2025
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CAT 2024 Topper Interview: Aniruddh Singh has etched his name among the elite performers of CAT 2024, achieving an impressive 99.89 percentile. His success story is a testament to determination, strategic preparation, and unwavering focus. In an exclusive interview, Aniruddh shares his CAT preparation journey, shedding light on his challenges, the strategies that worked, and the mindset that kept him motivated throughout the rigorous process. His insights offer invaluable inspiration for aspiring CAT candidates aiming for excellence.
Careers360 - Congratulations on being one of the CAT 2024 toppers! What was your reaction? Were you expecting this?
Aniruddh - Thank you! After the exam, I knew it had gone well. I remember coming out of the exam center with my fist up and telling my brother it went well. Once the marks were released, I realized I had scored high enough to secure a great percentile. That being said when the results came, I screamed “YES” at the top of my lungs, got teary-eyed, and immediately hugged my parents. Moments like these are unforgettable and truly overwhelming.
Careers360 - Tell us something about your background.
Aniruddh - My family hails from Lucknow, but I was born and brought up in Mathura. Later, I moved to Gandhinagar for higher schooling. I pursued Mechanical Engineering from BIT Mesra and graduated in 2023. I interned with PwC in 2022 and secured a PPO during my college years.
In 2023, I interned with Flipkart before joining PwC in August. However, I took a risk and left my job two months before the CAT exam to focus on preparation. By God’s grace, everything turned out well in the end.
Careers360 - How was your exam day experience? Which slot did you appear in?
Aniruddh - I appeared in Slot 3. The night before the exam, I couldn’t sleep much and felt anxious. My parents and brother helped calm me down. On the morning of the exam, I took a cold shower to feel focused and refreshed. Despite all the preparation and strategies, the key on exam day is to stay confident in yourself.
Careers360 - What was your last-minute preparation strategy for CAT?
Aniruddh - A tip I’d highly recommend is creating visual aids. I had almost the entire Quant syllabus written out on chart paper and stuck them on my room walls, which made revision very efficient. At the last minute, it’s essential to trust your preparation, stay motivated, and avoid overthinking. I also listened to anime music on the way to the exam center to hype myself up.
Careers360 - What, according to you, were the toughest and easiest sections?
Aniruddh - I was quite nervous about LRDI since I had messed up a few mocks toward the end of my preparation. However, with the pattern change, I focused on the four-question sets, which I found relatively easier, and attempted all three. VARC, on the other hand, has always been my strength, and I managed to attempt 23 questions in that section.
Careers360 - How did you tackle your strong and weak areas?
Aniruddh - When I started, my biggest challenges were improving my reading speed in VARC and avoiding getting stuck on individual questions in QA. Around mid-August, I began solving 3- 4 RCs daily while timing my speed. A special shoutout to iQuanta’s material—it mirrored the actual CAT exam and was incredibly helpful. For QA, I started giving sectional tests as soon as I finished the syllabus around June. This helped me develop the instinct to decide which questions to attempt and which to leave.
I was particularly strong in Arithmetic and DI sets, but I didn’t neglect them. I made sure to give equal importance to my strong areas and kept practicing consistently.
Careers360 - What was your time management strategy for preparation and exam day? There are countless strategies available on YouTube, but you must experiment during mocks and find what suits you best. Here was my strategy:
VARC: Spend 8 minutes on VA, attempting as many questions as possible except Para jumbles. Use 25-30 minutes for RCs and attempt Parajumbles if time permits. ∙
LRDI: I prioritized table-filling and DI sets as I was particularly good at them. I spent the first 5 minutes scanning all the sets to decide on my priorities. If I got stuck on a set for over 3-5 minutes, I moved to the next.
QA: Instead of the two-wave strategy many recommend, I solved questions as they came if I found them doable. However, I avoided spending too much time on any single question.
Careers360 - Did you take coaching? How helpful was your coaching institute for you? Is it possible to succeed through self-study?
Aniruddh - I am incredibly grateful to the iQuanta team. I was enrolled in their full-time 2024 batch. Their dual-pedagogy approach, where theory classes are immediately followed by practice sessions, really helped solidify my concepts, especially in Quant. Their material and iCAT mock series were very close to the actual CAT exam. I’d recommend their iCAT series to anyone preparing, even if they’re enrolled elsewhere.
Self-study is certainly possible, but if finances permit, I’d recommend joining a coaching institute like Qantas. Even for self-study aspirants, taking mock tests and analyzing them is essential. I relied heavily on Career Launcher mocks and iCAT mocks for this.
Careers360 - What are the factors behind your success?
Aniruddh - My parents and elder brother have been my pillars of support throughout this journey. My coaching institute, iQuanta, also played a significant role in my success. Hard work, consistent practice, and believing in yourself are the ultimate keys to achieving your goals.
Careers360 - Have you started preparing for GD/PI/WAT?
Aniruddh - Yes, I started preparing immediately after the results. Currently, I’m focusing on HR questions to build a strong foundation for the GDPI-WAT cycle.
Careers360 - Which other MBA entrance exams have you appeared in or are planning to?
Aniruddh - I appeared for NMAT and scored 264. I attempted all three SNAP exams, with attempting 55 questions in my best attempt in SNAP 3. I’ll also be appearing for XAT soon. Best of luck to everyone preparing for XAT!
Careers360 - Which is your dream B-School? From which colleges are you expecting a call?
Aniruddh - India has so many legendary B-Schools—old IIMs (A, B, C, M, L, K, I, S), FMS, SP Jain, XLRI, MDI, IIFT, IITs, NMIMS, SIBM Pune, and others. I’d consider myself fortunate to receive a call from any of them. Based on my performance, I’m expecting calls from most of these colleges, except perhaps some old IIMs.
Careers360 - What are your hobbies?
Aniruddh - I’m a huge FC Barcelona fan, and Lionel Messi has been my idol since childhood. I also love anime, particularly Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece.
Careers360 - What were your relaxation and recreation methods during CAT preparation?
Aniruddh - Spending time with my parents, especially my mom, always recharged me. I also had a group of engineering friends preparing alongside me, and talking to them was a great stress reliever.
Special shoutout to Samay Raina—watching “India’s Got Latent” episodes felt like pressing a reset button and instantly lifted my mood!
Careers360 - What is your message for next year’s CAT takers?
Aniruddh - Finish the syllabus as early as possible and start taking mocks and sectionals, even if you haven’t completed the syllabus. Don’t fear low scores in mocks—analyze them thoroughly and refine your strategy. Above all, believe in yourself. If I could do it, so can you!
Browse Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score: Location-Wise
With a 65 percentile in CAT, getting admission to USMS (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University) may be difficult, as its cutoff is usually 75-85 percentile or higher for the general category.
However, you can consider other good MBA colleges that accept 60-70 percentile in CAT, such as:
Christ University, Bangalore
Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad
Amrita School of Business, Kochi
PES University, Bangalore
KIIT School of Management, Bhubaneswar
Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies, Kochi
Army Institute of Management, Kolkata
Research their admission criteria, placements, and faculty to choose the best fit.
Hello
With a 65 percentile in CAT , USMS (GGSIPU) admission is difficult as its cutoffs are usually higher. However, you can explore private and tier-2/tier-3 MBA colleges that accept lower CAT scores.
Options to Consider:
1. Private MBA Colleges :
Amity University, Noida
LPU (Lovely Professional University)
Alliance University, Bangalore
Christ University, Bangalore
Apeejay School of Management, Delhi
2. B-Schools Accepting Lower CAT Percentile :
BIMTECH (PGDM-Retail/IB/Insurance)
XIME Bangalore
ITM Navi Mumbai
IPE Hyderabad
Jaipuria Institute of Management
3. Other Entrance Exams :
Appear for MAT, CMAT, XAT (low percentile accepted by some colleges)
Consider state-level exams like MAH CET, KMAT or TANCET .
Hope this gives you the clarity you need.
Hello there,
With your
academic profile (General, Male, Non-Engineer)
, you should
target MBA colleges that focus more on CAT percentile than past academics.
Target Colleges & Minimum CAT Percentile:
You
can
get a good MBA college with
strategic applications
and
high CAT/XAT percentile.
I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries then feel free to share your questions with us we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you and wishing you all the best for your bright future.
Hi,
As per your given JEE Main percentile which is 88.34 in the SC Category, Your Predicted JEE MAINS 2025 rank may range between 147086 - 170102.
Based on the previous year analysis, According to your JEE MAINS percentile and category you have less possibility of getting a seat for admission in NIT Surathkal.
Some of the other colleges in which you have chances to get admission includes:
You can predict more colleges using the JEE MAINS 2025 college predictor tool.
Hope this information will help you
With your academic background, you have a good chance of getting into some of the top IIMs. Here's a breakdown of your profile:
- Class 10:91.6% - Excellent!
- Class 12:66% - Average, but not a deal-breaker
- B.Tech Computer Science: 8.4 CGPA - Very good!
Assuming you score well in CAT , here are some IIMs you might have a good chance of getting into:
- IIM Ahmedabad: Although the qualifying CAT cut off is 85 percentile, the final cut off typically goes up to 99-100 percentile.With a good CAT score, you might be considered.
- IIM Kozhikode: The CAT cut off for IIM Kozhikode is typically around 95-98 percentile. Your academic profile and a good CAT score might make you a competitive candidate.
- IIM Indore:The CAT cut off for IIM Indore is typically around 90-95 percentile. With a good CAT score and your academic background, you might have a chance.
Keep in mind that CAT cut offs can vary from year to year, and other factors like work experience, extracurricular activities, and personal interviews also play a significant role in the admission process.
To increase your chances, focus on scoring well in CAT, and make sure you have a strong overall profile.
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