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CAT 2024 Topper Interview - In a remarkable first attempt, Sanjiv Kumar, a final-year dual-degree student (BTech + MTech) at IIT Madras, has emerged as one of the toppers of CAT 2024, securing an impressive 99.99 percentile. His stellar performance in all three sections speaks volumes about his aptitude and preparation, with sectional percentiles of 99.94 in Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), 99.91 in Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation (LRDI), and 99.79 in Quantitative Ability (QA). Sanjiv’s journey to this outstanding achievement reflects his dedication and academic excellence, setting a benchmark for future CAT aspirants.
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Careers360: Congratulations on being one of the CAT 2024 toppers! What was your reaction? Were you expecting this?
Sanjiv: I am happy with my performance. But I was expecting it as I was able to consistently get a score that would’ve put me in the 99.90+ percentile range when I had given the previous year papers for mocks. But to replicate the same in the actual test was indeed special.
Careers360: Tell us something about your background.
Sanjiv: I am from Chennai and was born and raised here. I studied in a CBSE school and eventually cracked the JEE and got into IIT Madras. I have had an informal experience with trading and finance, which I did almost exclusively during my first 2 years of college. Eventually I engaged in biotech research for a while before stepping into the venture capital space.
Careers360: How was your exam day experience? Which slot did you appear in?
Sanjiv: I took up the exam in Slot 1. Initially I thought I got a bad deal with the earliest slot as I work mostly during the nights. But I also felt that the “surprise factor”, which is usually a feature of Slot 1, can play into my hands if I kept my composure and executed my strategy perfectly. The jumbled up VARC questions caught me off-guard, and I wasted a good 3-4 minutes there and almost panicked. But then I quickly adapted my strategy to the new pattern and ended up attending all of questions in the section. LRDI in my slot was quant-heavy and relatively easy compared to other slots. Since all the sets were solvable, I didn’t have an issue with set selection and solved the four sets to which I could easily figure out a structure. QA was straightforward given my engineering background. It was moderately difficult, but much easier compared to CAT 2023.
Careers360: What was your last-minute preparation strategy for CAT?
Sanjiv: I tried to expose myself to as many question types as possible. I gave mocks almost every day. I put myself through multiple stress tests by doing 200-300 QA questions or 30-40 LRDI sets a day in this phase. Occasionally I gave 2-3 mocks a day to improve my mental stamina.
Careers360: What according to you were the toughest and easiest sections?
Sanjiv: In slot 1, VARC was the toughest as I felt that for many questions, there were atleast two options which could have been the right answer and eliminating one amongst them was very difficult. LRDI was the easiest section. Most of the questions were straightforward and needed minimal structuring to arrive at the solutions.
Careers360: How did you tackle your strong and weak areas?
Sanjiv: I adopted a phase-wise preparation strategy. In Phase 1, I established my baseline score and identified my weaker sections through mocks. I worked on mastering my strengths to increase my exposure to different question types and minimize mistakes. I did so by solving a few hundred questions on every topic. In Phase 2, I focussed on LRDI since I found it quite challenging in my mocks. I worked on it by solving Arun Sharma’s LR book completely and also gave more than 50 sectional tests for LRDI. In Phase 3, I worked on my VARC strategy. I don’t have a reading habit, so I focused on purely on strategy. I experimented with various strategies to attempt the section and eventually decided to attend every question.
Careers360: What was your time management strategy for preparation and exam day?
Sanjiv: Since I was working on my research project alongside, I could never have a fixed schedule and hence I kept my prep timings as dynamic. I set targets to complete the syllabus in parts which spanned over multiple days to account for any time-sensitive work that can come up without notice. But I always pushed myself to hit my targets as soon as possible.
I had a different strategy for each section.
VARC: If any VA question took more than 1.5m, I’d use 10-15s to identify the best option and mark it for review. I set a hard limit of 7.5m per RC regardless of the difficulty. I was ok with not comprehending a few elements if I could find a decent response.
LRDI: I’d skip any set to which I can't figure a structure to attempt in less than 3mins. I chose sets with minimal data points and skipped questions with extensive data (10+ data points) like many Games and Tournament sets, and Routes and Network sets.
QA: I’d have a glance at all the questions and solve the easy ones in the first pass, whilst marking the medium ones for review and solve them in the end. I never solved the harder questions and rather spent the time verifying my answers if I had more than 15 attempts in the section.
Careers360: Did you take coaching? How helpful was your coaching institute for you? Is it possible to succeed through self-study?
Sanjiv: I did enrol for coaching, but I never really had the time to watch the video lectures. I mostly studied by myself. I did take the mocks and sectional tests of multiple coaching institutions, which were immensely helpful as each one of them had different styles of framing a test. Trying multiple test series ensured that I was not accustomed to one particular style.
Careers360: What are the factors behind your success?
Sanjiv: I focused on perfecting my strategy as I was limited by time and couldn’t practice extensively with my other commitments. I believe in a test like CAT, having the right strategy is extremely important. I see many having no structure to their prep and test strategy, which is where I found my edge. The JEE preparation I did in high school also helped me extensively, especially in the QA section. Being limited by prep time actually helped me keep my motivation levels intact and build momentum gradually throughout the preparation.
Careers360: Have you started preparing for GD/PI/WAT?
Sanjiv: Yes. I have taken up personalized coaching from reputed institutions and I am following their prep strategy now.
Careers360: Which other MBA entrance exam have you appeared/appearing for?
Sanjiv: I am appearing only for the XAT.
Careers360: Which is your dream B-School? From which colleges are you expecting a call?
Sanjiv: I look forward to joining IIM A or C as I look forward to pursuing a career in finance. I am expecting a call from all the IIMs.
Careers360: What are your hobbies?
Sanjiv: I go out for racing. I watch F1 and listen to old-school English hip-hop/rap music for entertainment. I also hit the gym regularly.
Careers360: What were the relaxation and recreation methods you followed amidst CAT preparation?
Sanjiv: I like myself a good resistance-training workout as it gets me energized and keeps me fit. I also go on long drives with my favourite music on.
Careers360: What is your message for next year's CAT takers?
Sanjiv: CAT is a test to identify the best managers. You must work on managing your resources in the most effective way possible.
Greetings! Here's a detailed response to your query:-
Determination of the best time to start the journey of CAT examination is based on individual factors like your current skill level, knowledge ,potential, learning pace and availability. To give yourself the best chance of success on the CAT exam, which usually takes place in November, it's advisable to begin studying between January and March of that same year. This 8 to 12-month preparation window is widely recommended by experts. But if you're managing your college along with the CAT preparations make sure you start from 2nd year onwards. It will hep you manage stress and you'll have ample amount of time to get along with the syllabus , pattern and various practice and mocks .
You'll be able to build a strong foundation in each sections and be able to know your strengths and weaknesses in different topics. The CAT syllabus is extensive, and early preparation allows for thorough coverage. Assess your learning speed and adjust your preparation timeline accordingly.
Essentially, while the ideal start time is subjective, beginning your CAT preparation well in advance is generally considered the most effective strategy for achieving optimal results.
The CUSAT CAT previous year question papers are available on the Careers360 website. You can find question papers from 2012 to 2023, which can be downloaded in PDF format HERE
Additionally, the official website of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) also provides previous year question papers. To access them, you can follow these steps:
- Visit the CUSAT official website - admissions.cusat.ac.in.
- Click on the resources tab from the homepage.
- Select the previous year's question papers from the drop-down menu.
- Select the Common Admission Test (CAT) question papers link.
- Now click on the B.Tech course.
By practicing with these previous year question papers, you can get familiar with the exam pattern, identify important topics, and improve your time management skills.
Hey Shathvika,
Let's dive deep into MBA Entrance Exams (Other than CAT)
1. XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)
Conducted by: XLRI, Jamshedpur
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge.
- Duration: 3 hours.
- Marks: No negative marking for General Knowledge.
Key Highlights:
- The Decision-Making section tests analytical and situational judgment skills.
- General Knowledge is evaluated during interviews, not for percentile calculation.
Official Website: https://xatonline.in
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2. SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test)
Conducted by: Symbiosis International (Deemed) University
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree with 50% marks (45% for reserved categories).
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: General English, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency, and Analytical & Logical Reasoning.
- Duration: 1 hour.
- Marks: Total 60 marks (MCQs).
Key Highlights:
- Specifically for admission to Symbiosis institutes like SIBM Pune and SCMHRD.
- Easy-to-moderate difficulty level.
Official Website: https://snaptest.org
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3. CMAT (Common Management Admission Test)
Conducted by: National Testing Agency (NTA)
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
- Duration: 3 hours.
- Marks: 400 marks.
Key Highlights:
- Accepted by over 1,000 AICTE-approved institutes.
- Includes an optional Innovation & Entrepreneurship section.
Official Website: https://cmat.nta.nic.in
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4. MAT (Management Aptitude Test)
Conducted by: All India Management Association (AIMA)
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis & Sufficiency, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, and Indian & Global Environment.
- Duration: 2.5 hours.
- Marks: 200 marks.
Key Highlights:
- Held multiple times a year in PBT, CBT, and IBT modes.
- Accepted by more than 600 MBA colleges in India.
Official Website: https://mat.aima.in
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5. NMAT (NMIMS Management Aptitude Test)
Conducted by: Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree with 50% marks.
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, and Logical Reasoning.
- Duration: 2 hours.
- Marks: 360 marks.
Key Highlights:
- Allows three attempts, with the best score considered.
- Accepted by NMIMS and partner universities worldwide.
Official Website: https://www.mba.com/exams/nmat
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6. IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade)
Conducted by: National Testing Agency (NTA)
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree (final-year students can also apply).
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: Quantitative Analysis, Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability, Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge.
- Duration: 2 hours.
- Marks: 300 marks.
Key Highlights:
- Specifically for IIFT’s flagship MBA in International Business.
- General Knowledge plays a significant role in shortlisting.
Official Website: https://iift.nta.nic.in
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7. TISSNET (Tata Institute of Social Sciences National Entrance Test)
Conducted by: Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree.
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: English Proficiency, Mathematics & Logical Reasoning, and General Awareness.
- Duration: 100 minutes.
- Marks: 100 marks.
Key Highlights:
- Focused on social sciences, HRM, and public policy programs.
- General Awareness is crucial (with emphasis on current affairs).
Official Website: https://admissions.tiss.edu
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8. MICAT (MICA Aptitude Test)
Conducted by: MICA, Ahmedabad
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree and a valid CAT/XAT/GMAT score.
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: Psychometric Test, Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability, General Awareness, Divergent-Convergent Thinking, and Descriptive Test.
- Duration: 2.5 hours.
Key Highlights:
- Psychometric Test is a qualifying section.
- Specifically for MICA’s flagship PGDM-C program in Strategic Marketing and Communications.
Official Website: https://www.mica.ac.in
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9. GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)
Conducted by: Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)
Eligibility: No specific eligibility; bachelor’s degree recommended.
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: Analytical Writing, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning.
- Duration: 3 hours 7 minutes.
- Marks: 800 (scaled score).
Key Highlights:
- Globally recognized for MBA programs.
- Popular for Indian B-schools like ISB, SPJIMR, and Great Lakes.
Official Website: https://www.mba.com
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10. MAH-CET (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test)
Conducted by: Maharashtra State CET Cell
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for reserved categories).
Exam Pattern:
- Sections: Logical Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension.
- Duration: 2.5 hours.
- Marks: 200 marks (MCQs).
Key Highlights:
- Accepted by top Maharashtra B-schools like JBIMS, SIMSREE, and PUMBA.
- Known for its speed-intensive nature with 200 questions in 150 minutes.
Official Website: https://cetcell.mahacet.org
Let me know if you have any doubts regarding a specific exam or any other query.
Have a nice day !!
Hello Ayush,
K.R. Mangalam University utilizes a blend of MCQs, descriptive formats, and practical assessments to evaluate student performance. The continuous evaluation system ensures that students are assessed regularly throughout the semester, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of their academic progress.
Hello,
Here are some simple tips to prepare for the CUSAT CAT exam:
1. Focus on Physics, Chemistry, and Maths (PCM).
2. Give equal time to all subjects.
3. Use NCERT Books as they are best for basics.
You can refer to following study materials for better practice :-
Hope it helps !
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