CAT 2014: Success Mantra Start early & choose correct ; CAT Topper Anwesha Bhowmik

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
October 15, 2014
We bring a round of CAT 2013 preparation journey experience shared by CAT topper Anwesha Bhowmik presently studying in PGDM batch of 2014-16 at IIMK
"Start early, ideally you should start preparing from the month of Feb- March and try and complete the syllabus by June end" Anwesha Bhowmik CAT 2013 topper

MBAUniverse.com brings an exclusive opportunity for all the CAT 2014 aspirants to extract the benefit from the success stories of past CAT toppers and their preparation strategy for CAT.

In the series we present the experience of  CAT 2013 topper Anwesha Bhowmik  who not only scored high percentile but also was able to covert the call to one of the IIMs.

Anwesha is presently studying in PGDM batch of 2014-16 at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode. She is aB.Tech in Electronics & Communication engineering and has a work experience of 20 months with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

Anwesha scored a 99.24 percentile in CAT 2013 and 94.6 percentile in XAT 2014. She received admission offers from  IIM C,L,K,S, SPJAIN, SJMSOM, XLRI-HR, XIMB and the new IIMs  but preferred PGDM at IIMK. Anwesha is a quiz enthusiast and analyzing handwriting is her hobby.

In response to the MBAUniverse.com questionnaire pertaining to her experience during CAT 2013 preparation and testing journey that could inspire the CAT 2014 aspirants, Anwesha warmly responds and shares tips to guide them

MBAUniverse.com: What was your prep strategy?

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): As I was working in a job that was quite demanding,  studying everyday with equal concentration and time was not quite possible for me.

Nevertheless, I made sure that whenever I got time I used it to the fullest. There was no fix amount of time that I devoted every day. Instead I set a target for myself in the beginning of the week and managed time throughout the week to meet the target.

Thanks to the smartphone era, I did make it a point to carry quick study materials in my phone like formulae book, vocabulary list, idioms list etc. I would utilize my 1 hour journey to office to the fullest by going through the materials on my phone. It actually helped a lot. I also made sure that I solved as many mock papers as possible in the last two months.
 

MBAUniverse.com:  What was the strategy in testing room to attempt the questions from different sections: Quantitative Ability & DI, Verbal Ability & LR?

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): Quantitative ability and DI – In quants I focussed more on accuracy. Even if I attempted 12, I made sure 12 were correct. It is also imperative to manage time well and not spend more than 3 minutes on any sum. Since DI was time consuming I always did it at the end. I put a lot of stress on chapters like permutations combinations,geometry, TSD and numbers . I collected mock test papers of more than one coaching centres and solved those papers.

For DI- I learnt all the shortcut techniques way in advance and it did prove really handy while solving those questions in CAT.

Verbal Ability and LR- LR I practiced entirely from previous years’ mock papers. I believe that gives one the best practice.

VA was my strength; I didn’t really have to prepare much for it. But yes I did make note of the phrasal verbs, homophones in my copy and revised those from time to time. I usually attempted all the grammar questions and left some RC questions because at times they get dicey. It is always better to be sure of what you are answering. I always answered LR first and then VA questions.

MBAUniverse.com:  Which exams did you appear? How did you prepare for them ? What score did you get?
 

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): I appeared for CAT 2013 in which I scored 99.24 percentile. I also appeared for XAT scored 94.62 percentile.

MBAUniverse.com:   How many GDPI did you take part in? What were your GD topics?

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): I was a part of GDs for IIMK, IIML, XLRI, IIMS, IIT B,XIMB. I was quite sure that I would be pursuing my MBA from an IIM and hence did not apply to other colleges. 

GD topics - FDI in education, Should Adhar card be made mandatory.

MBAUniverse.com:  The institutes that offered you admissions?

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): I was a offered admission by SPJAIN, SJMSOM (IIT B),  XIMB, all the new IIMs and IIM K.

MBAUniverse.com:  Few questions that were asked to you during PI round?

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper):  In IIM S interview I was asked a lot of questions from Software engineering since I have IT background. They also asked a lot of questions from my graduation subjects. It was entirely acads driven.

In IIT B as well I was questioned a lot on advanced communication techniques and modulations.

In XLRI interview I was questioned on HR policies of my company and the various laws passed to safeguard the interests of women in India. I was quizzed on the latest laws passed.

XIMB interview was also acads driven. They had also asked me about the different heads found on a salary sheet.

IIMK interview was longest for me. It went on for around 35 minutes. I was questioned on current affairs(telengana, RIL oil collusion case), how oil is made available to the petrol pumps, why we see more of BP petrol pumps, authors of famous books, why IIMK, meaning of my name, why are we asked to switch off cell phones while on plane, different modulation techniques, capitals of country, union territories of our country, GDP, GNP, CPI, WPI, difference between Bengal and Kerala, Monetary policies, union territories. Almost everything under the sun.

MBAUniverse.com:  Which is the institute that you have decided to take admission and why? 

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): I have joined IIM Kozhikode as there is much more to IIMK than just the IIM brand. It adopts a structured curriculum, organized pedagogy, has great faculty and  to top it all the one of the best campuses in the country. All of these provide the most conducive environment for studying. Besides, it has consistently found itself among the top 7 colleges in India which again speaks volumes of what it has to offer. I have never been more sure of my choice until I came here.

MBAUniverse.com:   What advice and tips you would like to share with the candidates preparing for CAT 2014?

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): Start early, ideally you should start preparing from the month of Feb- March and try and complete the syllabus by June end. Aug-sep should be invested in doing mocks extensively. Focus on your weak areas and put in extra effort. Learn approaches first instead of jumping to answers. Work out on variety of problems. Practice DI and LR alternatively. One should not focus so much on quants and VA that DI/LR gets neglected. DI/LR questions are the most scoring questions. So start preparing in advance so that DI/LR is well practiced.

For people weak in VA, first  read the basic grammar book. Read,read,read. It is only through reading that you will develop the skill to identify the grammatically incorrect statement. It is also very important to know a large number of words in order to be able to decipher the RCs. Hence start learning words early and see that you learn 5 words a day daily.

You will get plethora of words in mbauniverse.com itself with meanings, synonyms and usage and this actually helped me a lot.

Do take mocks seriously from time to time as they will help you gauge your preparation.

MBAUniverse.com:   Your message to future MBA aspirants.

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): Your preparation should not be one dimensional. Don’t just limit yourself to studies, follow news regularly that will help you a lot during GD/PIs. Read about different companies, the market, mergers and acquisitions, top deals and try to form your own opinion about such topics. Discuss with people who are well read about current affairs. You just can’t do without current affairs. Do take part in various competitions don’t just focus only on CAT. Extracurricular and co-curricular activities are also as much important as your subject knowledge. Be sure of which vertical you want to choose and try and work hard to align your CV according to that vertical. For instance if you want your career in consulting, focus on PORs and take part in case study competitions. It always gives you an edge over others. But do find out time for yourself and people around you. That will give you the necessary break and motivation to perform better.

Most importantly believe in yourself. Whenever you feel ensnared and bogged down by all these, remember that it’s just few months of hard work and you will bear its fruit all your life.

MBAUniverse.com:  Why did you want to do MBA?

Anwesha Bhowmik(CAT 2013 topper): I wanted to do MBA because I wanted to move into roles that were more strategic and challenging. I always wanted to join strategic consulting department and an mba degree would equip me with the required skills. My technical background has given me the base from where I can go into more responsible and demanding roles.

 

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Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more preparation tips from CAT toppers