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CAT 2024 Topper Interview Sanjiv Kumar: IIT Madras Student Tops CAT With 99.99 Percentile in First Attempt
Edited By Himanshu Shekhar | Updated on Dec 26, 2024 02:14 PM IST | #CAT
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.
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.
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Questions related to CAT
Have a question related to CAT ?
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.
Poral Siddartha (siddu) 02 March,2025
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.
Mitali Sharma 02 March,2025
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:
- Top IIMs (A, B, C, L, K, I, FMS, XLRI, SPJIMR, MDI, etc.) – 90-99+ percentile (Tough due to low 12th marks)
- New & Baby IIMs (IIM Trichy, Udaipur, Rohtak, etc.) – 85+ percentile
- Tier-2 Colleges (IMT, TAPMI, GIM, KJ Somaiya, etc.) – 75-85 percentile
-
Tier-3 Colleges (BIMTECH, NDIM, ITM, etc.) – 60-75 percentile
What to Focus On?
- Score high in CAT (85+ percentile recommended)
- Apply to non-CAT colleges (XAT, NMAT, SNAP, CMAT)
- Strengthen profile with work experience or certifications
- Perform well in GD-PI rounds
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.
kumardurgesh1802 27 February,2025
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:
- Harcourt Butler Technological University
- G.L Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management
- Galgotais college of engineering and Technology
- Institute of engineering and Technology, Lucknow
- Kamla Nehru Institute of Technology
- Bundelkhand Institute of engineering and Technology
You can predict more colleges using the JEE MAINS 2025 college predictor tool.
Hope this information will help you
Devraj 26 February,2025
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.
sadafreen356 24 February,2025
Popular CAT Questions
Directions for question :
M/s Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, one of the top four audit and accounting firms in the world with headquarters at London, UK, and with an operational presence in 153 countries, hires Management Trainees (MT) from all the premier management institutes of India thrice every year, in the months of January, May and September.
Each new group of Management Trainees (MT) have to go through a four month rigorous training schedule, after which they have to pass through a test consisting of a written assessment and a case-analysis. The top hundred ranked Management Trainees (MT) based on the performance in the test are confirmed as Management Executives (ME). The rest are given the opportunity of undergoing the training for four months one more time along with the next batch of Management Trainees (MT) and then passing through the subsequent test consisting of the written assessment and case-analysis. The Management Trainee (MT) who fails to get confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) the second time is fired.
The scatter-graph below depicts the number of Management Trainees (MT) at Deloitte taking the tests from January 2020 till May 2022, and the vis-à-vis hired Management Trainees (MT) at Deloitte who were fired :
It is also known that for the month of September 2019 at Deloitte, 96 hired Management Trainees (MT) failed to be confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) the first time, and that 36 hired Management Trainees (MT) were fired.
Question :
In which test did the minimum number of Management Trainees (MT) get confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) in the second attempt ?
Option: 1
September 2020
Option: 2
May 2021
Option: 3
January 2021
Option: 4
January 2022
Directions for question:
The bar-graph given below shows the foreign exchange reserves of Nepal (in million Rupees) from 2014 to 2021. Answer the following questions based on the graph :
Question:
What was the percentage increase (rounded to the nearest integer, if deemed necessary) in the foreign exchange reserves in 2020 over 2016 ?
Option: 1 None
Option: 2 None
Option: 3 None
Option: 4 None
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