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CAT 2025 Topper Interview: Scoring a 99.82 percentile in CAT 2025 on the very first attempt is an exceptional achievement, more so when the preparation window is less than six months. Prateek Pradhan, an Integrated B.E. Mechanical and M.Sc. Physics graduate from BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, turned his interest in product management into a clear MBA goal and executed a sharply focused CAT strategy to emerge among the top scorers of the exam.
Appearing in Slot 1, Prateek secured 104.7 scaled marks despite a physically exhausting exam day and minimal sleep. With a strong academic background, selective preparation, and a calm, confidence-driven exam mindset, he navigated CAT 2025 successfully. In this interview, Prateek shares his preparation journey, section-wise strategy, exam-day experience, and advice for future CAT aspirants.
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Careers360: Congratulations on being one of the CAT 2025 toppers! What was your reaction? Were you expecting this?
Prateek: Thank you! I was elated to see my result. I was certainly expecting around the 99-99.5+ percentile, but after the response sheet was out, seeing last year's cutoff, I was a bit scared how much the scores needed for high percentiles would be lower. My actual result was on the higher end of what I was expecting.
Careers360: Can you tell us a little about your educational and personal background?
Prateek: My name is Prateek Pradhan, I'm from Odisha but born and brought up in Delhi. My Father, Paresh Pradhan, is a Mathematics and Electronics Engineering graduate who is a founding member of SAR group built brands like Luminous, Livpure, Livguard and Lectrix etc. my mother, Kavita Pradhan, has a Masters in economics and a Master Spirit Life Coach and my sister, Pratichi Pradhan, 4 years elder to me, who's an Electronics Engineering graduate and Master in Management from IE Business School Madrid, currently working in Deloitte. I did my schooling from Indraprastha International School, Dwarka, and scored 93% in 10th (2018) and 95.2%(2020) in PCM in 12th. I then did an integrated degree from BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus in B.E. Mechanical and M.Sc. Physics, a 5-year course from 2020-2025. I started preparing for the CAT in July of this year. I chose not to take up a job but started preparing for CAT as less than half a year was left till the CAT examination. I scored 104.7 scaled marks in slot 1 of the exam and scored a percentile of 99.82.
Careers360: What got you interested in the management domain and this examination?
Prateek: Being a Mechanical Engineering and Physics student from BITS Pilani Hyderabad, I’ve always been inclined to core Mechanical work. I did an internship at Ergon Mobility that shifted my interest toward product management. In a small team, I got to learn a lot and learnt the importance of good product management skills. This encouraged me to give the CAT and join a B-school to do my MBA. I didn’t take a job after I graduated in July of this year to focus full-time on CAT.
Careers360: How long have you been preparing for the CAT 2025? Was it your first attempt?
Prateek: It was my first attempt. I have been prepping full-time for the CAT exam since July 2025
How was your exam day experience? Which slot did you appear in?
Prateek: I had slot 1, and my centre was really far away from my home, so I had to leave my house at 5:00 a.m. I couldn’t really sleep or rest much the night before, so I showed up to the exam really tired. I chose not to have a heavy breakfast. I ate some fruit on the way to the centre. The centre was really up to the mark with the system and facilities provided.
What was your last-minute preparation strategy for CAT?
Prateek: I mostly went through my notes of important formulas and went through the DILR sections of every mock I gave.
Find more interviews on CAT 2025 Toppers:
What, according to you, were the toughest and easiest sections?
Prateek: For me, Quants was the toughest section, and VARC was the easiest.
How did you approach your strong and weak areas during preparation?
Prateek: I focused on attempting as many as possible in VARC, and I focused on fast and accurate answering in Quants.
What was your time management strategy for preparation and exam day?
Prateek: For VARC, I decided to do all the RCs at the end, and I was able to attempt more questions this way. For DILR, I decided to focus on the least time-consuming sets first. When I had extra time, I chose to do TITA answers because I wasn’t sure about the answers. For Quants, I decided to read every question before attempting any, then pick the easiest/fastest to do first.
Did you take coaching? How helpful was your coaching institute for you? Is it possible to succeed through self-study?
Prateek: I chose to enrol in T.I.M.E.’s online classroom, and I used their study material and mocks to study at my own pace. Enrolling in this program was really helpful, but I believe my education and background helped me a lot. Yes, it is possible to succeed through self-study, but it depends on the student and how well their education sets them up for CAT.
What are the factors behind your success?
Prateek: A lot of focused preparation (I didn’t join an offline classroom because I did not want to spend extra time on sections that I don’t need to) and my math-heavy background in engineering and physics.
Have you started preparing for GD/PI/WAT?
Prateek: Yes, I’ve enrolled in GD/PI/WAT preparation for multiple organisations like Career Launcher and Supergrads by Toprankers.
Which other MBA entrance exam have you appeared/appearing for?
Prateek: I’ve appeared for NMAT (Scored 268), GMAT (Scored 685) and SNAP (Result awaited) and will be giving XAT.
Which is your dream B-School? From which colleges are you expecting a call?
Prateek: ISB is my dream B-School. I’m expecting a call from a few of the top IIMs, FMS, ISB and many more.
What are your hobbies? Did they play any part in your CAT preparations? What were the relaxation and recreation methods you followed amidst CAT preparation?
Prateek: I love to play the piano. I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old. I would play my piano to unwind from preparing. My family also helped a lot by always being up to discuss CAT questions or B-schools. My friends also helped lighten the load by joining calls and playing games together. I even took a trip to Germany and Italy start of October with my family. Time away from CAT prep made me want to spend more time doing questions and focus harder.
What is your message for next year's CAT takers?
Prateek: CAT is a lot about confidence and mentality. It shows in your speed and accuracy way more than someone might think. It’s important to understand the tricks and trials of the exam, but it’s also important to take the exam as it comes and have faith in your preparation.
On Question asked by student community
Hi there,
The minimum eligibility criteria for a general candidate to receive a call from IIM Sambalpur are as follows:
VARC: 65%ile
QUANTS: 65%ile
LRDI: 65%ile
Overall: 90%tile
Keep practising and aim to improve your score. You can also focus on other management exams where you may secure a strong
Hi there,
With a B.tech in industrial engineering from IIT Roorkee and a CAT 2025 score of 98.89 percentile and strong sectionals your profile is solid for top B-schools. For the top IIMs like Ahmedabad and Bangalore, calls for engineers usually go to candidates with near perfect percentiles. Your score
Hello,
The IIT Guwahati cutoff for SC and EWS categories depends on the branch, year, and JoSAA counselling round, but you can get a general idea from recent trends.
For the SC category, closing ranks usually range from 4,000 to 9,000 for popular branches like CSE, ECE, and Mechanical, while
with this percentile, you can get into tier 2 or tier 3 college, the list of the few notable college is given below-
1) FLAME university, Pune
2) AIMS institute, Bangalore
3) Doon business school, Dehradun
4) Christ university, Bangalore
5) NIT Trichy
6) KIIT school of management, Bhuvneshwar
A CAT percentile of 99.64 is an excellent score and definitely places you in a strong position for top IIM calls, including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta. However, admission to these institutes is not based on CAT score alone. Each of these IIMs follows a holistic selection process
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