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CAT Topper Interview: Many students choose to pursue an MBA from IITs as they offer great ROI due to their moderate fees and high placements. Pursuing an MBA from IITs not only adds the prestigious IIT tag to your CV but also offers a great campus life and networking opportunity. Here is another exclusive interview with a CAT topper who did his MBA from SJMSOM IIT Bombay. Ananda Roy scored 98.53 percentile in CAT 2020. In this interview, he talks about how the admission process at IIT Bombay is different than other colleges, his CAT preparation journey, mock strategy, and profile building. This article offers excerpts from the interview. Watch the complete conversation by clicking the YouTube link given below.
Careers360 - Tell us a little bit about yourself and your profile.
Ananda - I was born and brought up in Kolkata. After that, I did my B-Tech in Mechanical Engineering from SRM University, Chennai. During my undergraduate days, a lecturer came from Mahindra who was an R&D engineer. He gave us a lecture on how an engine is developed, and how platforms of vehicles are developed. I understood that as an engineer, I can only make the vehicle efficient or I can reduce cost. Ultimately, the decisions of when to launch the vehicle, at what price the vehicle will be launched, and other important decisions are taken by managers and executives. And that is what really drew me to pursue an MBA.
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Careers360 - Which MBA entrance exams did you get?
Ananda - Initially I started preparing for the GRE and one of my friends who was preparing for the CAT Exam suggested me to give CAT as well. So I gave CAT and GRE.
Careers360 - How much time did you devote to CAT preparation daily?
Ananda - I devoted almost six to eight hours per day. I did not have a formal job when I was preparing for CAT.So, for CV building I volunteered at an NGO, I did courses on machine learning, economics, and accounting. CV building is very important because you will be asked in interviews about what you did during this time.
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Careers360 - Would you recommend any books for CAT Preparation?
Ananda - I bought a book called Sarvesh K. Verma and I finished that book three times for Quant and For LRDI, I started with solving the previous year's question papers and also I took an LRDI booster course from a coaching institution which really helped. As far as VARC is concerned you
can read essays from Aeon, Medium, Ken, The Economist, The New Yorker magazine, editorials, and some book reviews.
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Best books for CAT preparation | Free VARC Study material Free CAT mock tests for CAT 24 |
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Careers360 - What other interview calls did you get apart from SJMSOM IIT Bombay?
Ananda - I had calls from MDI Gurgaon and SPJMR. Apart from these, I had IIM CAP calls from all the new IIMs and baby IIMs.I converted MDI Gurgaon and IIT Bombay.
Careers360 - Why did you choose IIT Bombay over other B-Schools?
Ananda - Number one would be the batch strength. In IIT Bombay, the batch strength usually hovers around 120 odd people. So during placements, the competing pool of people is really small. The companies offer great roles and salaries. IIT Bombay happens to be one of those B schools that has the philosophy of a tech school offering an MBA. The campus life is very vibrant. There would be some music competitions, some theatres, some art exhibitions, and some workshops happening all the time.
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Careers360 - So tell us about the admission process at IIT Bombay. What was the procedure like?
Ananda - The admission process is really simple. You apply for admission based on your CAT scores and then you get called for a personal interview, which is taken by a panel. So here is the difference between our college and other colleges. The panel is composed of three people. One
would be an MBA professor, One would be a B.Tech or an M.Tech professor from IIT And the third panelist would be an alum from SJMSOM who has a background similar to the student.
Careers360 - How is the Academic curriculum at IIT Bombay?
Ananda - We have case study-based pedagogy. It's no different from any other B school. The academic focus is more on the quantitative analysis of different subjects. So even if it's marketing and it would be more around the analytical aspects of marketing.
Careers360 - What advice would you give to students who would be giving CAT24?
Ananda - I will say it's never too late.CAT is very much a crackable exam. I have known people who have leaped by bounds and scored stellar percentiles. Even if multiple attempts are needed, it would still be worth it. I know CAT is becoming harder year by year which is why cracking it is possible only through sheer discipline.
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Must Watch for CAT24
How to convert IIM Calcutta
KL-MAT exam syllabus usually covers Quantitative Ability, Logical Reasoning, English or Verbal Ability, and General Knowledge or Current Affairs. It is designed similar to other MBA entrance exams but at a moderate level. Yes, KL University accepts CAT scores for admission into MBA along with MAT, XAT, CMAT and its own KL MAT. If you already have a valid CAT score, you don’t need to appear for KL MAT separately. The difference between CAT and other management entrance exams is mainly in difficulty level and competition. CAT is the toughest and is accepted by IIMs and top B schools across India.
Hello Aspirant,
I saw a cat. The cat found an old map inside a drawer of the king's palace.
Here's why:
"a cat": It's the first time we mention the cat, so it's indefinite.
"The cat": Now we're talking about that specific cat we just mentioned, so it's definite.
"an old map": It's the first time we mention a map, and "old" starts with a vowel sound, so "an."
"a drawer": It's one of possibly many drawers, not a specific one known to us yet.
"the king's palace": This is a specific, unique place, so "the."
Hello Kapish
You can find the last 5 year questions of DILR for CAT at Careers360 website. Moreover, you can find the previous year papers of all the subjects i.e. DILR, Quants and VARC. I am attaching the link through which you would be able to access the same.
Here's the link:
CAT Previous Year Papers by CAREERS360
Sample paper of DILR:
CAT Sample Paper (DILR) by CAREERS360
Thank You!!!
Hello Divya,
Yes, candidates with an online BBA can sit for both CAT and GMAT provided that the degree is from a recognized (UGC approved in India or accredited abroad) institution. The leading B-schools in both India and abroad do not look down upon online degrees as long as the degree is from a recognized body, they will mostly be looking at your test scores, academic performance, work experience, and profile holistically. What matters is the legitimacy of the institution and how you showcase your abilities, not whether your degree was obtained online or in-person.
Yes, someone with an online BBA can sit for both CAT and GMAT, provided the degree is from a UGC recognized university. Top B-schools in India (like IIMs) and abroad generally accept online degrees if they are valid, and you won’t be marked down just because it’s online. What matters more is your entrance exam score, academic record, work experience, and overall profile.
A career as Marketing Director is also known as a marketing expert who is responsible for the overall marketing aspect of the company. He or she oversees plans and develops the company's budget. The marketing Director collaborates with the business team to plan and develop the marketing and branding strategies for the company's products or services.
A Business Development Executive identifies and pursues new business opportunities to drive company growth. They generate leads, build client relationships, develop sales strategies, and analyse market trends. Collaborating with internal teams, they aim to meet sales targets. With experience, they can advance to managerial roles, playing a key role in expanding the company’s market presence and revenue.
Content Marketing Specialists are also known as Content Specialists. They are responsible for crafting content, editing and developing it to meet the requirements of digital marketing campaigns. To ensure that the material created is consistent with the overall aims of a digital marketing campaign, content marketing specialists work closely with SEO and digital marketing professionals.
A Sales Manager leads a sales team to meet targets, formulates strategies, analyses performance, and monitors market trends. They typically hold a degree in management or related fields, with an MBA offering added value. The role often demands over 40 hours a week. Strong leadership, planning, and analytical skills are essential for success in this career.
A marketing manager is a person who oversees a company or product marketing. He or she can be in charge of multiple programmes or goods or can be in charge of one product. He or she is enthusiastic, organised, and very diligent in meeting financial constraints. He or she works with other team members to produce advertising campaigns and decides if a new product or service is marketable.
A Marketing manager plans and executes marketing initiatives to create demand for goods and services and increase consumer awareness of them. A marketing manager prevents unauthorised statements and informs the public that the business is doing everything to investigate and fix the line of products. Students can pursue an MBA in Marketing Management courses to become marketing managers.
An SEO Analyst is a web professional who is proficient in the implementation of SEO strategies to target more keywords to improve the reach of the content on search engines. He or she provides support to acquire the goals and success of the client’s campaigns.
Digital marketing is growing, diverse, and is covering a wide variety of career paths. Each job function aids in the development of effective digital marketing strategies and techniques. The aims and objectives of the individuals who opt for a career as a digital marketing executive are similar to those of a marketing professional: to build brand awareness, promote company services or products, and increase conversions. Individuals who opt for a career as Digital Marketing Executives, unlike traditional marketing companies, communicate effectively through suitable technology platforms.
Individuals who opt for a career as a business analyst look at how a company operates. He or she conducts research and analyses data to improve his or her knowledge about the company. This is required so that an individual can suggest the company strategies for improving their operations and processes.
In a business analyst job role a lot of analysis is done, things are learned from past mistakes and the successful strategies are enhanced further. A business analyst goes through real-world data in order to provide the most feasible solutions to an organisation. Students can pursue Business Analytics to become Business Analysts.
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