CAT 2025 100 Percentiler Interview: How a 7-7-7 Profile IIT Bombay Graduate Made It to IIM Bangalore

Becoming a CAT 100 percentiler is a dream that only a handful of MBA aspirants achieve every year. But for Pratham Patel, an IIT Bombay graduate and an aerospace engineer, IIM Bangalore admission was far from straightforward. Despite securing an impressive 99.95 percentile in CAT 2023, he failed to receive calls from some of the top IIMs, including IIM Ahmedabad. Instead of giving up, he analysed his CAT preparation mistakes, refined his CAT preparation strategy, and returned stronger to become one of the CAT 2025 toppers with 100 percentile in CAT 2025, earning admission to IIM Bangalore.

In this exclusive interview with Careers360, Pratham shared his CAT preparation strategy, time management while working full-time, IIM interview preparation, and the lessons that helped him transform disappointment into success. If you're preparing for CAT 2026 or aiming for admission to the top MBA colleges in India, his journey offers practical insights and motivation that every MBA aspirant can learn from.
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Pratham, since you are an Aerospace Engineer from IIT Bombay. So what motivated you to pursue an MBA?
Answer: During my time at IIT Bombay, I was actively involved in various Positions of Responsibility, where I started getting interested in the management side of things even though the academics were more quantitative. Later, as I worked in the intersection of tech and management as a Product Manager, I realised that an MBA can give a qualitative learning experience that will be beneficial towards my career in Product Management.

How did you prepare for the CAT? Please give details on sectional preparation, including difficult topics and weightage if possible.
Answer: Given that I had already prepared for similar exams before in my life, my major goal this time for CAT was to revise and familiarise myself with the types of questions. Hence, my CAT preparation strategy focused heavily on giving mock tests, practising questions, and trying to improve accuracy and speed. Section-wise, the first thing one should focus on is to find weak points, whether it be an entire section or particular topics within a section. Detailed topic-wise weightages can be found here. It is important to know the weightage of CAT topics and devote your time accordingly after identifying your weak points.

What were your strong areas and in which section you dedicated more time to prepare?
Answer: I focused more on VARC preparation and LRDI, which is what most engineers should also focus on. English-based questions are often tricky for someone from an engineering background, and LRDI requires intense focus and speed, skills which get rusty after some work experience. In the end, LRDI preparation became my strongest section after practice as I was more focused towards improving that, as I believed it can be the highest-scoring section for me. Some might find QA (quant) easier, but I found that it is difficult to score during the exam. The reason being, is that QA is the section you attempt at the end, after spending a lot of energy on LRDI, hence I found it difficult to score consistently, and focused my time on LRDI instead.

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You were also working full time. So, what did your typical study schedule look like?
Answer: I would often practice CAT mocks or questions during the night after dinner, as I could relax and focus at that time after work hours. However, once the CAT exam timings are declared, it is better to focus at least on some more CAT mocks to prepare your biological clock for the exam.

Did you take any coaching during your CAT preparation? What were the study materials you used during the preparation which you think might help others?
Answer: No, I had not taken any coaching for CAT preparation . For me, there were no specific materials, but various sources from where I could find mocks or practice questions for free. In general, you can find these from a simple google search, and for theory learning, you can find free youtube videos as well that cover all CAT topics.

Which section did you find challenging? How did you approach your strengths and weaknesses during preparation?
Answer: Before the exam, I found VARC the most challenging, as it required practice to become consistently good, as well as to understand the types of questions asked in CAT. I did not focus much on QA preparation apart from what revision I got through mock tests as it was my strongest section. LRDI was also my weaker section before the exam, however I realised it can be my strongest section, and hence spent a lot of time on strategising how to solve the questions quickly.

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How important were mock tests for your preparation, and how did you analyse them?

Answer: Mock tests were largely my only and most important source of preparation as they gave me direct insights into what I have forgotten/need to work on and what I already remember. But more importantly, it helped me to learn how to strategise and attempt questions with speed as CAT is not an exam where you can attempt all the CAT questions. You must focus on maximising the number of questions you can accurately solve.

What should candidates focus on in the last weeks before the entrance exams?
Answer:
1. Set your biological clock according to your CAT exam time.
2. Revise what you know, give mocks, set a final strategy according to what is working for you. A stressful CAT preparation strategy can increase your mental fatigue which can also hamper your final score.
3. Eat and sleep well, keep yourself refreshed and ready for the exam, try not to stress at the last moments.

Were there any low phases of this MBA journey in these three years, and how did you overcome them?
Answer: After the CAT 2023 results, I did not receive any calls from BLACKI, even after a 99.95%ile. Even though I did not plan to pursue an MBA at that time, it had severely demotivated me as it raised questions on if the possibility will come around in the future or not due to my lower scores in HSC and SSC in state board.

However, this year, I saw the qualifying criteria in detail, and realised that with a 100%ile, I can get into IIM Bangalore as it has a special criteria that gives interview calls to top 10 CAT scorers irrespective of 10th and 12th marks. This is what I targeted and achieved as it gave me hope that drove me.

You are one of the 12 CAT toppers with 100 percentile. What was your reaction? Did you see that coming?
Answer: Just after giving the exam, I was confident enough that I would atleast be getting a 99.99%ile. However, there is a thin line between that and 100%ile, even one question can be the difference. But after the release of the official CAT answer key I was getting a score of 150, which guaranteed my 100%ile. Hence, when the result arrived, I was not surprised to become one of the CAT 2025 toppers, but immensely happy, and so were my parents.

What are the learnings you carried from your CAT 2023 to gain 100 percentile in CAT 2025.
Answer: I did not have an exam strategy in CAT 2023, which restricted me to reach my potential score. However, this year I realised what mistakes I make and when, and I set up a CAT strategy that helped me reach my potential.

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Despite getting 100 percentile how did you cope with the fact that you didn't receive a call from IIM A?
Answer: My home is 10 minutes away from the IIMA campus; I have seen it from outside for years. This was even a topic of discussion for my IIM Lucknow interview. However, with time and the final offer letter from IIMB did help me cope, and at the end of the day, all I can do now is be my best, which can make the lack of a call irrelevant in the long run.

Among the IIM Calls you received, which were the most prestigious or exciting interview calls you received, and why did they stand out?
Answer: I had received calls from all IIMs except IIM Ahmedabad . The most prestigious and exciting of which were IIMB and IIMC as they are widely considered to have India’s 2nd and 3rd best MBA programs.

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Having appeared for interviews at multiple top B-schools, what were the key differences you noticed in their interview processes?
Answer: IIM Bangalore has an online WAT round, which many do not know about, as others have an offline round on the day of the interview. In terms of interviews, there are multiple panels of interviewers formed by professors and alumni, and there is not much difference in general, as the experience can vary a lot from panel to panel. One thing to note is that your interview cities are allotted to you, and it can be cumbersome to travel there for your interview. Such was my case as well. Alternatively, candidates can email the respective admissions offices to request a change in their interview city by providing a valid justification. Fortunately, I succeeded in rescheduling almost all of my interviews, with the exception of IIM Calcutta, which I unfortunately had to miss.

Among IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Lucknow, which interview did you find the most challenging and why? Which one was the most memorable and why?
Answer: I found IIM Lucknow the most challenging, as the panel was trying to grill my weaknesses and stress test me. However, the most memorable was IIM Bangalore’s, as it felt like a fast-paced table tennis match of questions and answers. It took me some time to process and remember all the things that happened during that ~25 mins and it was definitely my most enjoyable one!

How was your IIM Bangalore interview experience compared to other top B-school interviews? Could you walk us through your IIM Bangalore interview? What kind of questions were asked?
Answer: It was intense and very thought-provoking compared to other IIM interviews. It started with some questions related to my UG background(Aerospace) like how do planes fly, how does the density of air change with height, how do rockets move in space etc. Then it focused on why I want to do an MBA instead of pursuing a career in Aerospace Engineering. After a discussion on that, it moved towards the E-commerce industry, Flipkart and its growth, growth numbers and their definitions. Lastly it ended with some general and other background-related questions.

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What do you think helped you convert interviews at top B-schools?
Answer: Consistent preparation; that is the key for IIM interviews. From your UG background courses and projects, to your school achievements, your work experience, general knowledge, everything can be asked during the interviews. Hence preparation is needed across everything as you never know what kind of questions might be asked.

How did you prepare for the interview rounds after the entrance exams? What are some common mistakes candidates make during MBA interviews?
Answer: I used AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc. a lot to quickly revise and learn things about Aerospace engineering, aviation and related topics, general knowledge, and work experience-related questions. I even used to practice questions and answers on AI tools that would rate them. Some common mistakes candidates make is not practising speaking, practising hard questions, and learning all about their UG/work-ex industry as all these can make you clueless during your interview, which will harm your interview score.

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Many aspirants worry that their profile isn't "good enough" for top B-schools. How would you define a strong MBA profile?
Answer: I can give my example to show that even a 7-7-7 profile with 2 years of work experience can get into IIM Bangalore. However, if your end goal with an MBA is to get into Consult or Finance domains, having 9-9-9 or 9-9-8 is something that is considered a strong profile.

Once you had admits from IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow what factors did you consider while comparing different B-schools?
Answer: IIM Placement statistics, IIM batch profiles, IIM college rankings, reputation, and the city itself are the factors I compared to decide between the schools.

What has been the biggest surprise or reality check about MBA life that aspirants may not expect?
Answer: The biggest surprise about MBA life is that your profile does not become irrelevant the day you get the offer letter. Your previous work experience, your school marks, and even your undergraduate degree can still impact your future pathways more than you might think.

MBA programs at top institutes require a significant financial investment. How did you plan your MBA funding? Did you opt for an education loan, self-fund, or use a combination of both?
Answer: Students in MBA programs at top institutes get nominal interest rates for an education loan from many major banks in India, which can cover almost all your costs. This is what I have opted for as well, and I think it gives me the best finances in the long run.

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If a student starting CAT 2026 preparation today could follow only three pieces of advice from your journey, what would they be?
Answer:
1. Practice, practice, practice; don’t leave it for the last moment.
2. Give as many mocks as possible, experiment and figure out a strategy that maximises your score
3. If you have a bad profile, do not give up. A good enough score in CAT can still open doors for you.

What is one thing you wish someone had told you before beginning your CAT and MBA journey?
Answer: Do the best that you can; do not focus on what you can not change. Even though at the end I did get a 100%ile, I spent a lot of time coping and feeling lost about my profile, previous rejections, and uncertainty about calls this time. What you can not change should not stop you from doing your best.