XAT 2017: Success mantra by XAT Topper Siddharth - "Keep track of time and keep a level head"

Add Review

MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
December 29, 2016
XAT 2017 aspirants may get preparation tips from success story of Siddharth R. who cracked XAT with 98.76 percentile alongwith high scores in CAT, IIFT and SNAP
I kept track of time and kept a level head while solving the paper Siddharth R, XAT topper

MBA aspirants preparing for XAT 2017 need to keep track of time and should keep a level head during the preparation and while solving the test is the key advice from XAT 2016 topper Siddharth R  who scored 98.76 percentile in XAT; 99.61 in CAT 2015; 99.72 in SNAP 2015 and 98.17 in IIFT 2015.

Even after converting call to many top B-schools, Siddharth R. preferred to join IIM Indore. In his view XAT 2017 aspirants must develop multiple strategies of test taking.

For the benefit of XAT 2017 aspirants, MBAUniverse.com has brought a round of XAT toppers’ success stories alongwith their success mantra that led them to crack XAT with high percentile. In the series we present the success story and XAT 2017 preparation tips shared by Siddharth R, presently the student of IIM Indore.
 
Siddharth hails from Chennai and is a graduate in Industrial Engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University. Siddharth has keen interest in long driving, analyzing the automobiles and is a car racer. According to him “I’m a petrolhead who loves going on long drives and analysing the automobile market in India. I have built my own buggy powered by a nitro engine and I’m a national level RC Car racer. I play online strategy games and I love solving puzzles.” His source of inspiration is his father, says Siddharth. 

MBAUniverse.com:What was your preparation strategy for XAT 2016?

Siddharth R (XAT topper): I started early, took my time and made sure I was well prepared before the exam. This included taking lot of mock tests to understand my strengths and weaknesses and prepare accordingly.

MBAUniverse.com: How did you prepare for each section QADI, VALA & DM? What study materials and books did you use?

Siddharth R (XAT topper): I focussed most of my preparation on QUANT. I made notes on all the concepts and practiced daily. DILR, DM were my strong points naturally but I made sure I solved enough questions to cover all variants. I didn’t find it productive to go through a lot of theory for VARC so I focussed more on solving a variety of questions.
 
MBAUniverse.com: Was there any particular section that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge?

Siddharth R (XAT topper): I initially wasn’t very good at VARC so I analysed where I was going wrong. I solved many different types of questions and tried to understand solutions to each and every one. Once I got a hang of how the solution is arrived, I started improving.

MBAUniverse.com: How can candidates use Mock tests better? What is your advice?

Siddharth R (XAT topper): Mock tests are the most important aspects of one’s preparation. It is imperative to get accustomed to the test taking mind-set. A candidate must develop multiple strategies of test taking to account for all scenarios that could occur during an examination. This is the most important aspect because a lot of well-prepared candidates lose out due to stress during the exam. Taking multiple mock tests can help avoid this. Apart from that, mock tests help one to identify their strengths and weaknesses and give the candidates an idea of where to dedicate their time and effort.

MBAUniverse.com: Did you go to offline coaching centre? What role does a coaching centre play?

Siddharth R (XAT topper):  I attended classes at VistaMind, Chennai. A coaching centre helps a candidate to interact with fellow aspirants. Coaching centres also provide learned mentors who can be very helpful for clueless aspirants.

MBAUniverse.com: Other than XAT, which exam did you appear?

Siddharth R (XAT topper): I appeared for CAT, IIFT, SNAP and NMAT.
 
MBAUniverse.com:  Which institutes did you apply for admission?  

Siddharth R (XAT topper): I had applied to all the top B-schools.

MBAUniverse.com: Please share your strategy for the XAT Day. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your XAT test taking?

Siddharth R (XAT topper): Over the course of my preparation, I kept making notes of all the concepts, in order to have something that I could refer to in the end. On the last day I opened this note and took one last glance at everything.

On the test day I was calm and made sure I didn’t get stressed at all. I reached the test centre ahead of time. I had taken enough mock tests in advance so I knew that almost nothing could surprise me. I kept track of time and kept a level head while solving the paper.
 
MBAUniverse.com: Which B-school you decided upon and why? 

Siddharth R (XAT topper): I was offered admission by many top B-schools but I decided to join IIM Indore since it brings with it the IIM brand value. It also has excellent teaching faculty and I knew I would have a good experience doing my MBA from here.

MBAUniverse.com: Any message you would like to share with the candidates preparing for XAT 2017.

Siddharth R (XAT topper): Have a structured approach for your XAT preparation. Make sure you are equally prepared for all sections and have a level head during the exam.

Related Article

XAT 2017: Exam pattern revealed by convener; to remain paper based with 4 sections

XAT 2017 Admit card enabled; download and take prints; use your DoB as password

XAT 2017: 78 questions with low LoD to determine fate; Check details and prepare accordingly

XAT 2017: Crack XAT with high score - 25 days strategy by Expert

XAT 2017: Registration ends Dec 11; Last chance for admission to XLRI, SPJIMR, XIMB, IMT, GIM, Great Lakes

XAT 2017: 'Last date to apply will not extend from Dec 11' - confirms XLRI; know the eligibility, XAT exam pattern, fee

XAT 2017: Need to prepare with CAT 2016; close gap not suffice to prepare separately

XAT 2017: Registration No cut off in bachelor's degree; eligible to apply with less than 50% marks

XAT 2017: Registration opens; application fee increased - apply before Nov 30

 Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more success mantra stories and XAT 2017 preparation tips from toppers