CAT 2015: 'Work on your weak zones while keeping your strong zone intact' Success Mantra by CAT Topper Saransh Shah

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
August 12, 2015
Inspiration to CAT 2015 Aspirants, Saransh Shah scored 98.9 percentile in CAT and has taken admission at one of the top rated B schools in India
Work on your weak zones while keeping your strong zone intact and try to balance all the sections Saransh Shah, CAT topper

Success stories of CAT/XAT toppers have always inspired the aspirants going to appear in these most reputed MBA/PGDM entrance exams paving the way to IIMs, XLRI, SPJIMR, FMS and other top B-schools.

In the series MBAUniverse.com brings a round of preparation journey and key success Mantra of CAT toppers for the benefit of CAT 2015 aspirants. One of such toppers Saransh Shah scored 98.9 percentile in CAT 2014 and 99.45 percentile in XAT 2015 and has taken admission at one of the top rated B-schools in India SPJIMR Mumbai.

Currently enrolled in the PGDM (Finance) 2015-17 batch at S.P.Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai Saransh has always displayed a great deal of intellectual curiosity and flexibility in adapting to new and challenging roles. The interdisciplinary focus in his education and work experiences has helped him develop extensive leadership qualities, communication and analytical skills.

Saransh has a Bachelor’s Degree in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) from DA-IICT. He has experience in working on different kinds of projects and has previously interned with a reputed Consulting firm on a government project. Also, he has experience of working in a reputed InfoTech firm as a Software Development Engineer to develop in-house web-based software.

Saransh did his schooling in Surat Gujarat from CBSE Board. He scored 91.6% in class 10 and 89.4% in class 12.

Saransh scored a whopping 98.9 percentile in CAT 2014 and 99.45 percentile in XAT 2015. Sharing with MBAUniverse.com an inspirational ‘success mantra’ to the CAT / XAT aspirants Saransh highlights his experiences in preparation for CAT 2014 which can be the motivation to any aspirant

MBAUniverse.com: What was your preparation strategy? Share some key do’s and don’ts
Saransh (CAT topper):  The journey of preparation of CAT/XAT is one of introspection. You are not competing against others, you should compete with yourself. It is about knowing your strengths, weaknesses. Also remember work smart, not only hard. A few pointers which are very important to keep in mind and the important piece of advice and do’s and don’ts that CAT 2015 aspirants might find useful are:

Do’s for CAT 2015 Aspirants
Make a plan and break it, only to make another plan, but stick to something that suits you (based on your job/college). Prioritize your tasks and make sure study isn't lagging much being but it also important once in a while to break away from studies and just relax and rejuvenate Give Mocks and analyze them thoroughly. I cannot stress how much you learn when you analyze a mock. Gain from it.

Dont’s for CAT 2015 Aspirants
Don't let success and failures get to your head, if you let it, it'll destroy you. There will be times when you'll just maul the Mocks and there may be times when it's just not your days. Take both in the right spirit.
Peak at the correct time; don't burn out just before the CAT 2015, the time before the CAT should be the time when you are at your best, physically and mentally.

MBAUniverse.com: What was your strategy in testing room to attempt the questions from different sections: Quantitative Ability & DI, Verbal Ability & LR?
Saransh (CAT topper): The strategy for the D-Day was planned well in advance and tried and tested during mocks to find the one that suited me the best. However, I also had a Plan B for worst case scenarios.
My slot was 22nd November, Morning session and I attempted the paper in the same order as asked. QA followed by DI and  then VA LR and RC. Luckily, my paper was in the exact same order. The QA+DI section being a tad easier and my strong zone, saved me some time to concentrate on VA part.

MBAUniverse.com: Which all exams did you write? How did you prepare for them? What score did you get?
Saransh (CAT topper): I appeared for CAT 2014 and XAT 2015. The score in CAT was 98.88 and in XAT it was 99.41percentile CAT is pretty much known. For XAT, it is more or less like CAT apart from Decision Making and GK. For DM, the best preparation strategy is previous year papers. Solve all the DM questions and you should be good.

MBAUniverse.com: How many GDPI did you take part in? What were your GD/WAT topics?
Saransh (CAT topper):  I participated at XLRI and converted to XL-HR/BM programme.
I participated in PI process for IIM Indore, Kozhikode and Shillong as well as all the new IIMs. I also participated in the GDPI of MDI Gurgaon. I converted SPJIMR as Final selection.My GD/WAT topics were: Discussion on the labor laws in the country; Effects of globalization on the labor class; Reservation-Merits and De-merits; Retail vs. ecommerce; Delhi election; Make in India.

MBAUniverse.com: Few questions that were asked to you during PI round?
Saransh (CAT topper): Questions on the current affairs (markets, sensex, world economy), How MBA would help you? The clinchéd Why MBA questions;  Books read, hobbies etc. Some of the interviews were stress interviews that were a test of holding your nerves.

MBAUniverse.com: Which is the institute that you have decided to take admission and why?
Saransh (CAT topper): I decided in favour of SPJIMR, Mumbai. There are three reasons for my decision:-

  1. The Institute is on a Growth Trajectory, it is always beneficial in the long run.
  2. The pedagogy of the course curriculum, offering Global Fast Track (International Exposure), Rural Internship and Corporate Internship thus helping in overall growth and development.
  3. The unique selection process that considers the overall profile and not just the test scores, thus, the peers are ones with exemplary profile.

MBAUniverse.com: What advice and tips you would like to share with the candidates preparing for CAT 2015?
Saransh (CAT topper): Start early, solve more mocks and go with an open mind for the examination. Also, don't forget this is not the end. If you make it through or not is no indicator of your caliber. 
Work on your weak zones while keeping your strong zone intact and try to balance all the sections. You will later realize the wonders it can do.

MBAUniverse.com: Your message to future MBA aspirants.
Saransh (CAT topper): Best of Luck !!! for the future aspirants.
A simple advice. Make sure the journey of CAT 2015 preparation and interviews is enjoy-able. It'll be something that'll stay with you forever and do make some good memories along the road.

-- There will be times when you will think that CAT is tough.
-- There will be times when you will think CAT is not worth it.
-- There will be times when you will think that your life depends on CAT.
-- There will be times when you will completely drop the plan of ever getting an MBA.
-- But keep calm, and carry on. There will be unforeseen roadblocks but carry on. You'll get through. In the end, it'll all make sense. Looking backwards, the dots will always connect.

MBAUniverse.com: Why did you want to do MBA?
Saransh (CAT topper): I wanted to do an MBA so that I could have a holistic view of the business environment and also increase spectrum of job opportunities. After a short stint in the corporate world, I realized that an MBA would be able to bridge the gap between current position and management roles. The sheer amount of learning that you get from peers and the networks you make stay with you even after you pass out of college.

MBAUniverse.com: Thanks Saransh for sharing such a valuable guidance for CAT 2015 aspirants 
Saransh (CAT topper): Thanks for bearing with me.

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Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more success mantra stories and CAT 2015 preparation tips from toppers