Aditya Shukla has completed B.Tech. in Manufacturing from BITS Pilani, Hyderabad. He has topped the CAT exam with 99.5 Percentile. He is a brilliant student with relevant 1 year work experience in Nomura and shared his experience of his preparations of CAT exam and his strategies with Collegedunia.
CAT Exam result
CAT Percentile : 99.5
VA Score : 97.9
DI LR Score : 99.7
QA Score : 97.7
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Did you avail of the benefit of any reservation?
Aditya: General (No reservation)
When and why did you think of appearing for CAT ?
Aditya: Being an Engineer, I have been already working for an Investment Bank. It was only that time when I thought an MBA would be of utmost importance from a long term career growth perspective. Hence I thought of appearing in CAT 2021 and started preparing from June '21.
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Did you join any coaching institute ? If yes, which one and why ? If not - Why did you go for self preparation ?
Aditya: No, I did not join any coaching institution for my preparation. I felt The syllabus for CAT consists of basic English, Maths and Logical Reasoning could be covered on my own with little effort on the weekends by restricting some outdoor weekend schedule and focussing more on studies.
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What was your preparation strategy for Verbal Ability ?
Aditya: For Verbal Ability, I went through the editorial section of The Hindu daily. I started reading the newspaper thoroughly everyday. I also thought that it was a good time to read the books to strengthen the verbal part. These things were the mainstream for the preparation I did for VARC.
What was your preparation strategy for DI and LR ?
Aditya: I have always enjoyed solving puzzles, so I used to pick random LR sets as a challenge every once in a while. There is nothing specific I did for DI and I solved Arun Sharma's book on LR which helped me a lot. I also solved the entire book in 20 days during my Engineering 3rd year. While attempting mocks, I would first go through all the sets and find out which one to target first, in which order, how much time to spend on those sets, etc.
What was your preparation strategy for Quantitative Techniques ?
Aditya: Timed practice is necessary for QA. Mock tests were the only practice I did for Quant portion, picking the right questions to attempt, knowing and backing your strong areas is important which I came to realize with practice.
How were the last few days before the exam ?
Aditya: I was on a 9 days holiday before CAT, visiting Banaras, Lucknow and Kanpur with friends. I came back home 1 day before CAT, had a good night's sleep, and went for the exam with a relaxed mind.
Which mocks helped you crack CAT ?
Aditya: After brushing up with the basics, Mocks are the only preparation you need for CAT shortlist as skills such as time management, section wise strategy, performance tracking etc. can only be acquired from mocks. I randomly solved the mocks available with T.I.M.E., Gradeup etc. After every result, I used to open my performance sheet and analyze why I fell short of my individual sectional targets and just made up my mind about those mistakes to avoid proceeding further.
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Can you quote any one mistake which you think you should not have made (During the exam or during the preparation phase)
Aditya: I was able to attempt just enough questions in QA to put up a decent score. However I was left wishing for a 100% accuracy after the test, which turned out to be the case. Had I made a mistake in even 1-2 questions, which might happen on the very day of the exam, things could have been difficult for me. Quant is the area where I feel people can visibly improve most during practice, hence it is always a good idea to put in ample amount of practice with the section.
Please recreate the moment for us when you first saw your result.
Aditya: I checked the result in the middle of my Webex office meeting. I was expecting a decent result but it still came as a pleasant surprise. I told my sister and called my parents after my meeting got over, all of them were very proud.
What next? Which colleges are you targeting based on your profile and percentile ? And how do you plan to clear the GD PI ?
Aditya: I would be targeting the Top 6 IIMs (ABC-LKI) based on my profile. Having lived all my life in Ahmedabad and studying in a school right across the road from IIM-A, the college would be a dream come true for me. As for clearing WAT-PI rounds, I'd be revisiting my Engineering basics and preparing the basic questions that I am expecting to come across regarding my current job.There is no hard and fast syllabus for a b-school interview, anything on your profile and resume can become paramount. Hence, knowing yourself well is important. I planned on keeping my head clear and giving each answer precisely. Know More: CAT Toppers Score & Percentile 2021
What are your long term goals and how do you think getting into your dream college will help you achieve that ?
Aditya: My long term goals are to pursue my career in an Investment Bank, and it goes without saying that an MBA in Finance from a premier b-school will act as a catalyst in the process.
What should be an ideal 6 months strategy to prepare for CAT ?
Aditya: No matter when you're starting your CAT preparation, it is important to start giving mock tests right from the beginning. People keep delaying giving mock tests citing that they're yet to cover the "entire syllabus", I feel both the things can go hand in hand. Mocks are for your personal evaluation and especially in your initial days, it shouldn't matter how much you are scoring in them. Start off your preparation with a mock test on day 0 and you will know how much you need to stretch your preparation. If you plan on a 6 months long preparation, for the first 4 months, make sure you write at least 1 test every single week without fail. Even with festivals, birthdays, marriages, work and all other engagements, it is always possible to find 2 hours in a 168 hours long week. These methodologies will keep you in touch with what to expect on the day of the exam.
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