From BITS Pilani to CAT 99.82 Percentile: Prateek Pradhan’s First-Attempt Success

Quick Facts: CAT 2025 Topper – Prateek Pradhan

• CAT 2025 Percentile: 99.82

• Scaled Score: 104.7

• Slot: Slot 1

• Attempt: First

• Preparation Duration: ~6 months (July 2025 onwards)

• Strong Section: VARC

• Toughest Section: Quantitative Ability

• Other Exam Scores: NMAT, GMAT, SNAP, XAT

• Dream B-School: ISB, Hyderabad

• Expected Calls: Top IIMs, FMS Delhi, ISB

Early Reaction on CAT 2025 Result

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.

Academic & Personal Background

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.

Exam Day Experience & Slot Strategy

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.

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Section-wise Difficulty & Performance

What, according to you, were the toughest and easiest sections?

Prateek: For me, Quants was the toughest section, and VARC was the easiest.

Handling Strengths & Weaknesses

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.

Time Management & Mock Strategy

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.

Key Factors Behind CAT 99+ Success

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.

GD/PI/WAT & MBA Entrance Exams Ahead

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.

Dream B-School & Expected Calls

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.

Life Beyond CAT: Hobbies & Stress Management

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.

Final Advice for CAT 2026 Aspirants

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.