Cracking CAT 2024: Vitrag Kothari’s CAT Preparation Strategy for 99.35 Percentile Success

CAT Preparation Resources I Used

Selecting the Right Resources and the Power of PYQs. In a world overflowing with preparation material, choosing wisely became essential. I consciously limited my resource stack to maintain focus: the coaching institute's modules for systematic structure, two specific reference books for supplementary QA practice, and specific online lectures for concept revision (especially for advanced Algebra and Number Systems).

The single most helpful resource, though, was previous years' CAT papers (PYQs). They taught me to respect the exam's subtlety—its emphasis on reasoning and logical application over rote memory. Working through those papers clarified what the examiners actually value: clarity of thought, not mechanical speed. After each paper, I noted recurring question types and adapted my preparation accordingly, recognising that the CAT is self-referential; its past papers are the best predictor of its future structure.

CAT Exam Preparation Daily Routine

Building a Routine and The Accountability Journal, Consistency soon became my strongest ally. I treated CAT preparation like a long-term project rather than a series of short sprints. Weekdays were packed with college work, so I carved out two focused hours daily (usually 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM) for CAT, tackling the most difficult section first to ensure full mental capacity. Weekends were my heavy-duty sessions, dedicated primarily to mock tests and in-depth revision.

To monitor and internalise my progress, I maintained a simple, powerful preparation journal—the Error Log. Each day, I recorded the topics covered, the mistakes made, and my accuracy percentages.

The Error Log Protocol:

For every incorrect or unattempted question in a test, I logged the following mandatory columns:

Date & Mock ID: For reference.

Section & Topic: (e.g., QA, Time & Work; VARC, Inference Q in Philosophy passage).

Time Spent: (Crucial for identifying time sinkholes).

Type of Error (Categorisation):

Conceptual: I didn't know the formula/method. (Requires re-learning the Topic).

Calculation: Silly arithmetic mistake. (Requires slowing down slightly).

Reading/Interpretation: Misread the question or the passage. (Requires focused re-reading).

Strategy: Got stuck, didn't use the elimination method, or chose the wrong set. (Requires changing mock strategy).

The Fix/Takeaway: A concise, single-sentence rule to prevent the mistake from happening again (e.g., "Always check for all 6 cases in this type of Venn Diagram set.").

Reviewing the log every Sunday showed me undeniable trends—which areas improved, which stagnated, and where I was slipping. This log served not only as a study guide but as a powerful motivation, reminding me how far I had come since the beginning.

Early Setbacks, Anxiety, and Emotional Resilience. The first few months were profoundly humbling. My initial full-length mock-test percentiles hovered around 60 to 70. It was tempting to panic, but thanks to my guiding principle, I treated each test purely as a diagnostic tool. The error logging habit started here, systematically documenting every type of Error and revisiting them.

Another recurring obstacle in CAT preparation was crippling exam anxiety. During timed tests, particularly DILR and Quant, my mind would occasionally blank after encountering a series of tough, unfamiliar questions. To counter that, I incorporated a small but enormous habit into my morning routine: ten minutes of controlled breathing and short meditation sessions.

The Box Breathing Technique: I focused on a simple technique (inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four).

The Result: This practice allowed me to stay composed, even when a mock went poorly. This acquired composure later proved absolutely critical on the actual exam day.

Turning QA Weakness into Stability: Quantitative Aptitude remained my weakest area for a long time. I realised that my problem wasn't understanding concepts, but recalling and executing them swiftly under pressure. My redesigned approach focused on consistency, not brilliance:

Weekly Topic Deep Dive: Each week, I focused on only one specific Topic—for example, Time and Work. I drilled 50-70 problems over three days until I could solve questions almost instinctively.

Alternative Method Comparison: I actively compared my solutions with alternative, often shorter methods found on discussion forums or in my mock solutions. I experimented with these cleaner approaches until I internalised them.

By mid-year, CAT QA section for me had transformed from a liability to a stable, manageable section. I didn't aim to top it; I aimed for consistency and clearing the sectional cutoff, which in CAT matters far more than brilliance in a single area.

Role of CAT Mock Tests in My CAT Preparation

CAT Mock Tests: The Backbone of Progress (Analysis Protocol). Mocks were the absolute backbone of my progress. Initially, they were terrifying—each test exposing a new weakness. But I quickly recognised their real purpose: training, not evaluation.

I scheduled one full-length mock every weekend and two or three sectional tests during the week. After every 2-hour test, I devoted double the time (4 hours minimum) to analysis.

My Deep Analysis Protocol:

Immediate Emotional Detachment: First, I would take a 30-minute break to clear my head.

Re-attempt Unattempted: I would re-attempt all the questions I skipped during the mock, but with unlimited time. This told me if the Error was conceptual or time-management related. If I could solve it now, the problem was with speed or selection.

Review Incorrect Answers: I reviewed my wrong answers, checked the provided solution, and noted in my Error Log whether the Error was due to misunderstanding the concept or simply haste (calculation/reading error).

Strategic Review: I reviewed the entire test's timing, segment by segment. Did I spend 10 minutes looking for an answerable DILR set, or 15? Did my QA accuracy drop in the last 15 minutes due to fatigue? This deep, strategic analysis turned my mocks into personalised study material and revealed behavioural patterns. I noticed that when I began a section too aggressively, my accuracy dropped significantly. Starting calmly led to better, more consistent outcomes.

In my CAT preparation By the twentieth mock, my results stabilised. I knew which sections to attempt first, how to pace myself, and, most crucially, when to skip. Mocks taught me that success in CAT isn't about answering every question; it's about answering the right ones efficiently and accurately.

How I Dealt with CAT Exam Prep Burnout

Dealing with Burnout and The Strategic Rest Midway through the year, fatigue became inevitable. Balancing college, assignments, and 6-8 hours a day of CAT preparation drained my physical and mental energy. There were evenings when I stared at notes or numbers without comprehension. Initially, I forced myself to continue, fearing that rest meant wasted time. Eventually, I learned a crucial managerial lesson: exhaustion breeds diminishing returns.

I began scheduling deliberate, guilt-free breaks. These were not simply procrastination; they were strategic recovery sessions:

Short Walks: A 30-minute walk at sunset to clear my head.

Light, Unrelated Reading: Reading a classic novel or a historical biography completely unrelated to CAT.

Social Catch-Up: A scheduled hour once a week with friends who were not preparing for CAT.

These pauses re-energised me. I learned that productivity is not about continuous effort but about sustained effort. Rest, when taken strategically, became part of my routine rather than a guilt-inducing indulgence, keeping me consistent through the final, long months.

The Final Stretch and the Biggest Setback. As the exam approached, my strategy shifted from learning new concepts to refining execution. I reduced total study hours slightly to preserve mental freshness but increased the number of mock simulations. Each mock replicated the real environment—same time slot (my slot was 2:30 PM), same seating posture, same restrictions. The goal was to train the mind to perform predictably under identical conditions.

I also stopped comparing my progress with anyone else's. By this stage, comparison added stress without benefit. Instead, I reviewed only my own data—accuracy charts, topic performance, and consistency curves. The sense of control that came from self-tracking was empowering.

The final few weeks taught me one of the most important lessons of all: no candidate ever feels completely ready for CAT. The exam rewards calmness more than completion. Preparation ends not when every Topic is mastered but when one learns to trust one's refined process.

The Low Point That Taught Me Resilience. The journey hadn't been smooth throughout. Just a week before the exam, I had scored around the 50th percentile in one of my most respected mock series—the lowest I had seen in months. It shook me for about an hour; I genuinely wondered if all my effort had been wasted.

In that low moment, I decided to turn that setback into a radical lesson. I told myself that it was better for something to go spectacularly wrong before the real test than on the actual day. To rebuild confidence and prove that the score was an anomaly, I took another full-length mock just two days later.

That follow-up mock became my personal turning point: I scored in the 99.8th percentile. The dramatic contrast between the two results reminded me that one bad day doesn't define an entire year of work. It taught me the critical skill of emotional detachment—to treat both temporary success and temporary failure as feedback, not identity.

The VARC Incident: Strength Needs Maintenance. Even though VARC was my strongest section while I was preparing for CAT , there was a point when it completely broke my confidence. In an earlier mock, I ended up with a negative raw score. Seeing that minus sign on the screen was a painful wake-up call. I realised that strength without maintenance fades quickly.

After that incident, I analysed where I had gone wrong—it was mostly careless reading and overconfidence while eliminating options. I was choosing the "partially correct" answer over the "best fit." I immediately re-committed to daily, slow, critical RC practice and adopted the rule: read slowly once, rather than skimming twice. That single correction helped me recover both accuracy and confidence for my anchor section.

Vitrag Kothari: My CAT Exam Day Strategy

CAT Exam Day: On the CAT exam day, focus Over Fear When the CAT 2024 morning finally arrived, I felt an almost surreal calm. I had promised myself that whatever happened inside that exam hall, I would stay composed. For the last seventy days, I had actively worked on maintaining a positive frame of mind, refusing to let past mock-test scores or lingering doubts dictate my mood. I reminded myself of the thousands of hours already invested and of my one simple rule: trust the process.

Once the timer began, the anxiety vanished, replaced by trained focus:

VARC (40 Minutes): My routine of doing four RC sets every single day paid off. I approached each passage methodically, applying the same critical-thinking elimination I had practised for months. I stuck to a 4+4 strategy: 4 minutes to read and structure, 4 minutes to solve the four questions.

LRDI (40 Minutes): This section was tough but predictable. Because I had built the habit of solving at least four CAT LRDI sets daily, I spent the first 8-10 minutes on set selection, correctly identifying the two most doable sets and one potentially solvable set, and ignored the rest entirely.

QA (40 Minutes): My final section felt like the real test of nerves. Some questions looked unfamiliar, but I stuck to the plan: focus on my strong areas (Arithmetic and Algebra) first, ensuring I spent less than two minutes on any question I was not 70% sure of solving. By doing that, I ensured steady, confident progress instead of chasing ego-driven questions that could derail my attempts.

When the session ended, I walked out quietly satisfied. I didn't know what percentile I would get, but I knew I had delivered my best, most composed performance possible.

The Results: Relief Before Elation When the raw scores were released, I knew instantly that I had crossed the 99-percentile mark. The percentile calculation came later, but the moment I saw my raw total, tears welled up. I rarely cry, but that day I couldn't hold back. It wasn't just happiness—it was an overwhelming relief. Months of routines, rigorous mock analyses, and internal battles with self-doubt had finally converged into something tangible.

More than joy, I felt intense gratitude: gratitude for the bad mocks that built resilience, for the mentors who insisted on balance, and for the sheer, unyielding discipline that carried me through countless six-to-eight-hour days of study.

Key Takeaways From My Preparation: Show up every day: Consistency is the real Differentiator. Six steady hours daily yield more than fifteen erratic ones once a week.

Play to your strengths: Mastering your comfort zones builds a foundation of confidence that steadies you during uncertainty.

Don't fear bad mocks: A poor score is data, not destiny. Treat every test as feedback for the next round of analysis and refinement.

Analyse everything: From wrong answers to time consumption to emotional triggers—self-awareness converts mistakes into tangible progress.

Consistency is the ultimate competitive advantage: Talent sets the direction, but discipline covers the distance.

CAT 2024 gave me more than a B-school admit ticket; it gave me a new relationship with discipline and pressure. Balancing three distinct sections honed my prioritisation skills, and handling a disastrous mock taught me crisis recovery. These are invaluable managerial lessons that will serve me well in the competitive world of investment banking, allowing me to stay calm, analyse data, and act decisively under pressure.

That, more than any percentile, is my biggest takeaway from this entire journey.