CMAT 2021 Topper Injimamul says, “One can outshine in CMAT with self-study”

CMAT 2021 Topper Interview - Every year more than one lakh candidates appear for the CMAT exam but only quite a few succeed in achieving a pinnacle. This year CMAT 2021 was on the top list of controversy, firstly because of multiple postponement and second, when a number of students took it to twitter regarding wrong questions in the paper. As it is rightly said, “ “When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.” Validating this example, Careers360 brings to you an exclusive interview with CMAT 2021 Topper, Injimamul Islam who scored 99.18 percentile and did not even challenge the CMAT answer key. Infact postponement of the CMAT exam secured him enough time for preparation. Let us see what Injimamul has to say about his success.

Careers360: Tell us something about yourself.

Injimamul: I am from Mangaldai, a small but beautiful city in Assam. I have graduated with a degree in B. Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Tezpur Central University. After graduation, I was inclined towards pursuing an MBA and appeared for different MBA entrance exams.

Careers360: Was this your first attempt for CMAT? Were you expecting to score so well?

Injimamul: Yeah, it was my first CMAT attempt. After exiting the exam hall, I felt quite low as the General awareness section did not go well for me. Although after validating the responses and different analyses given by experts on various portals, I was anticipating above 97 percentiles.

Careers360: What are your sectional and overall scores and percentiles in CMAT 2021?

Injimamul: CMAT score/ Percentile: 99.18

Sectional score/percentiles:

• Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation: 99.56

• Logical Reasoning: 93.32

• Language Comprehension: 96.87

• General Awareness: 62.34

Careers360: Which books did you study for CMAT preparation?

Injimamul: For all the basic concepts of Quants and Logical reasoning, I would recommend MBA entrance guide books by Arun Sharma. For language Comprehension, I would suggest 'Word power made easy' by Norman Lewis.

Careers360: Which other MBA entrance exams did you appear for and what are your scores and percentiles in the respective exams?

Injimamul: I had taken CAT and XAT. I got 77 and 72 percentiles in these exams respectively.

Careers360: Which B-schools are you targeting through the exam?

Injimamul: I am targeting Goa Institute of Management (GIM) through CMAT.

Careers360: Did the sudden announcement for the conduct of CMAT affect you in terms of preparation/ travelling?

Injimamul: In terms of travelling, it didn’t have any effects as the exam center was within 70 km range from my house. In terms of preparation, at first, I got exasperated on the delayed notification, but later, it helped me prepare well for the general awareness section and I had enough time to give several mocks which in turn helped me to stimulate my performance.

Careers360: When did you start preparing for CMAT and what was your strategy?

Injimamul: I sat for CAT and XAT, but the scores were inadequate for clearing the cut-offs of top B-Schools. Then I started preparing for CMAT from February focusing more on the general awareness section as it has equal weightage as that of the other sections. Apart from it, I polished the other sections too by giving a lot of mocks, analyzed them and tried not to repeat the same mistakes.

Careers360: Did you opt for coaching? Do you think coaching is important to crack a competitive exam like CMAT?

Injimamul: No, I don't think so that joining a coaching institute is necessary for CMAT preparation. One can outshine in CMAT with self-study.

Careers360: What were your strongest and weakest sections in CMAT?

Injimamul: My strongest area was Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation. On the other hand, I was very weak in the GA section as I hadn’t prepared for the section in any other competitive exam. Moreover, the questions are mercurial in the General Awareness section, so one needs to have a better grasp of it to perform well.

Careers360: How many mock tests did you take for CMAT?

Injimamul: I had taken 15 mocks for CMAT.

Careers360: What was your exam day strategy and experience?

Injimamul: As the paper covers all the basic concepts of Quants and Logical Reasoning, I revised all the important concepts and formulae, memorized some important static and current GK for General Awareness section and went through the notes of Language Comprehension that I prepared beforehand. On the Exam day, I started with Logical Reasoning, then moved to Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation section, after which I attempted Language Comprehension and General Awareness sections respectively.

Careers360: Did you challenge the CMAT answer key?

Injimamul: No, as I didn’t find any objectionable question/answer on the paper.

Careers360: How are you preparing for the next rounds, such as GD, Essay Writing and PI?

Injimamul: For the next rounds, I am preparing through YouTube videos and taking guidance from some of my seniors.

Careers360: Which B-schools have you been shortlisted by on the basis of other entrance examinations (if any) ?

Injimamul: I converted IMT Hyderabad through CAT.

Careers360: What is your dream career which you would like to pursue after completing an MBA?

Injimamul: After finishing my MBA in marketing, I want to enter into the FMCG sector with a remunerative job.

Careers360: What is your message for the next year's CMAT aspirants?

Injimamul: The first and the foremost thing to crack any competitive exam is to believe in yourself. Based on your strengths, boost up your confidence levels. The only success to achieve the exam is practicing a lot. Try to cover each and every topic from elementary level and give mocks to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. To score well in the general awareness section, you have to spend at least 2-3 hours reading current affairs regularly. And last but not the least, try to maximize your correct attempts and minimize the wrong attempts. Best of Luck