For the benefit of CAT 2016 aspirants, MBAUniverse.com has brought a round of CAT toppers’ success stories alongwith their success mantra that led them to crack CAT with high percentile. In the series we present the success story and CAT 2016 preparation tips shared by Disha Gupta, student of IIM Ranchi and CAT topper.
IIM Ranchi student and CAT topper of last year with 98.83 percentile Disha Gupta believes that you need more practice to succeed in CAT 2016 than getting glued to reading theory only since high score in all the 3 sections is equally important.
Disha Gupta hails from the small town Obra, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh. She has good academic record to her credit with 84.43% marks in class 10; 80.40% in class 12 and 73.32% in her graduation in Mechanical Engineering.
Disha has a keen interest in calligraphy, reading novels, watching cricket and playing badminton. Her source of inspiration that led to her success is her father and Chanda Kochhar , MD & CEO, ICICI Bank.
Apart from CAT 2015, Disha appeared in XAT 2016, IIFT 2015 and NMAT by GMAC and attended the PI round for IIMs, IIFT and NMIMS. She scored 98.83 percentile in CAT; 97.26 in XAT and 210 in NMAT. Despite being offered admission by other top rated B-schools, Disha opted for IIM Ranchi as she considers the B-school the best among new IIMs.
MBAUniverse.com:What was your preparation strategy for CAT 2015?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): I devoted sufficient time to prepare for all the 3 sections of CAT and did not just focus on one, and to achieve this goal I solved lots of questions daily because to crack CAT you need to practise more and not just read the theory.
MBAUniverse.com:How did you prepare for each section QA, VARC & DILR? What study materials and books did you use?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): I was good at QA section, and didn't have to work that hard for it but VA was always my focus because to excel in English one needs a lot of practice and reading. As English was my weak point, I worked harder to improve it reading a lot, and finally was able to bring it at par with my QA scores. For practicing DI and LR section I solved many DI and LR sets and puzzles
MBAUniverse.com:Was there any particular section that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): Yes, I was weak in VA section as compared to QA, DI and LR. I improved my VA scores by reading. I used to read a lot, as was suggested by my teachers.
MBAUniverse.com: How can candidates use Mock tests better? What is your advice?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): Mock tests are the way to crack CAT. Before sitting for actual CAT exam, I feel one should have attempted at least 15-20 full length Mock tests. By taking full length tests, one gets to know one’s strengths and weaknesses. And by analysing the attempted mocks, the student gets better idea as to which question he/she should attempt first, so that the score could be maximized by maximizing the attempts.
MBAUniverse.com: Did you go to offline coaching centre? What role does a coaching centre play?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): Yes, I went to IMS, Lucknow. A coaching centre plays an important part as there are experienced people who could help us in analysing our mock tests, and tell us better approach to solve a question. Also coaching centres play a great role after our IIM calls, as we have a group of students who can meet and prepare for group discussions and PIs.
MBAUniverse.com: Other than CAT, which exam did you appear?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): I appeared for CAT, XAT, NMAT and IIFT
MBAUniverse.com: Which institutes did you apply for admission?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): I applied for IIFT Delhi, IIM A, IIM B, IIM C, IIM L, IIM I, IIM K, IIM Ranchi, IIM Raipur, IIM Trichy, IIM Rohtak.
MBAUniverse.com: Please share your strategy for the CAT Day. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your CAT test taking?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): My strategy was not to panic. I was determined that even if I was not able to do a single question in first 10 minutes, I should not panic and try to maximize my attempts in next 50 minutes. But just by saying that I should not panic, it would not happen, for you not to panic and remain calm at that point of time, you should have a previous experience. That means, attempt as many mocks as you can, and in some of them you will definitely come across such situations and that will be the times when you will learn how not to panic even in that situation.
My other strategy was to attempt the questions which are easy( again it comes with practice) first so that the situation to panic doesn't come.
MBAUniverse.com: Please share your GD/WAT topics & PI questions at different institutes and the ones who offered you admission?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): I attended PI rounds for following institutes and the recalled topics and questions are also shared below-
IIFT
GD topic: Smart cities in India: Reality or Dream
WAT: Is Drop in prices of oil, good for world economy?
PI questions: Tell us something about yourself.
Some questions about Badminton and Cricket.
Why IIFT.
New IIMs interview
WAT: Socialism or Capitalism
PI Questions: Mainly questions about mechanical engineering as I am a mechanical engineer.
Which IIM would I chose if I get selected?
What do I like to do in spare time?
What all activities have I done in my college?
NMIMS
GD: A case based GD on inclusion of Tribals in our system.
PI: In which field would I like to specialize?
What is my dream company?
What is my short term and long term goal?
Questions about my hobbies
MBAUniverse.com: Which B-school you decided upon and why?
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): I decided upon IIM Ranchi because it's the best performing college among the new IIMs.
MBAUniverse.com: Any message you would like to share with the candidates preparing for CAT 2016.
Disha Gupta (CAT topper): Work honestly, and you will definitely succeed
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