CAT 2016 aspirants who are also working professionals and are preparing for the exam also need to balance CAT preparation with professional responsibilities and they can do it without going for any long leave is proved by CAT 2015 topper Shubham Bhowmick who scored 99.46 percentile in CAT and chose to accept admission offer from NITIE Mumbai.
Sharing the success mantra for CAT 2016 aspirants Shubham is of firm view that you must gauge your preparation level periodically with your peers to keep you motivated and move into right direction.
Shubham, being a working professional had to balance his CAT preparation with his professional responsibilities and he did it very well. Shubham Belongs to Dhanbad in the Jharkhand State which is a developing state in terms of education.
With his hard work he scored 92.2% in Class 10; 86% in class 12 and 66.78% in his B.Tech. Shubham also has a working experience for 46 months with NKG Infrastructure Ltd. He decided to crack CAT while continuing working. He loves reading novels, learning new softwares and his source of inspiration also includes historical characters like Alexander, Chandragupta Maurya, Napoleon among others.
Apart from CAT, Shubham also appeared in IIFT and XAT wherein he scored 99.69 percentile.
MBAUniverse.com has brought a round of CAT toppers’ success stories for the benefit of CAT 2016 aspirants. Sharing his success mantra Shubham highlights his experience in preparation journey to CAT and modestly attempts to give the guidance to CAT 2016 aspirants
MBAUniverse.com: What was your preparation strategy for CAT?
Shubham (CAT topper): Due to my work duties, I knew I had to start well in advance so as to be able to complete the syllabus and revise well, and to balance work and study smoothly.
I started my preparations during mid-April, with a view to complete the syllabus by August-early September. From then on I had a plan to focus on my weak areas especially, and to give as many mock tests and sectional tests as possible, in order to keep a constant check on those areas, and my overall speed.
It is important to start with mock tests as early as possible, just to gauge one’s preparation level vis-vis other competing candidates, and also to recognise one’s weak areas. That gives ample time to brush up on those areas.
MBAUniverse.com: How did you prepare for each section QA, VARC & DILR? What study materials and books did you use?
Shubham (CAT topper): I mostly depended on course materials and online sectional and mock tests. Apart from that, I also prepared from Arun Sharma’s ‘Quantitative Aptitude for CAT’, and ‘Word Power made easy’ by Norman Lewis for increasing my vocabulary. I also made it a point to regularly read the newspaper, as it helps in improving focus and reading speed, and is important from the point of view of GD/WAT rounds.
MBAUniverse.com: Was there any particular section that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge?
Shubham (CAT topper): The verbal section presented some challenges initially. Due to the change in format last year, it became essential to be able to solve multiple RC’s at a stretch without losing focus. And developing one’s verbal ability is an area where no amount of reading can be enough. I had inconsistent scores in verbal during tests for quite a while, but I kept on practising incessantly on RC’s/ para-completions /para-jumbles, and my scores picked up towards the end.
MBAUniverse.com: How can candidates use Mock tests better? What is your advice?
Shubham (CAT topper): It is better to start with mocks as early as possible. It gives the candidate a reality check, and also provides an indication as to which areas he/she is uncomfortable with when put under the clock.
I personally believe in prioritising completion of the syllabus as early as possible, with weekly/bi-weekly mocks in between. After that, it’s all about improving one’s speed and efficiency, and that is when one should go full-steam -ahead on mocks.
Mocks also help in getting a candidate acclimatised with exam timings and conditions. So I would advise to go really heavy on mocks during the last month or two, so as to feel comfortable sitting for 3 hours at a stretch, without getting tired.
MBAUniverse.com: Did you go to offline coaching centre? What role does a coaching centre play?
Shubham (CAT topper): I enrolled with TIME (Jalandhar Centre) for a classroom program, starting from June. Sitting in a classroom with peers certainly helps in getting into the mood better. Apart from that, regular interactions with the faculty certainly helped me to work on my weak areas, as well as keeping me motivated.
The Director of the coaching centre provided a lot of insight on ideal preparation strategies for CAT and other exams, as well as guidance about life in an MBA school and careers post-MBA. Such interactions are an extremely valuable part of deciding on a B-School, and something that self-coaching misses out on.
MBAUniverse.com: Other than CAT, which exam did you appear?
Shubham (CAT topper): I also appeared for XAT and IIFT.
MBAUniverse.com: Which institutes did you apply for admission?
Shubham (CAT topper): Apart from the IIMs, XLRI and IIFT, I also applied for admissions to NITIE, MDI and SJMSOM.
MBAUniverse.com: Please share your strategy for the CAT Day. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your CAT test taking?
Shubham (CAT topper):
- No mock on the pre-CAT day
- Went through the important formulae and basic strategies
- Remained stress free
- Paid a visit to the CAT centre, to get an idea about the traffic and the time it takes to reach the centre.
- Since the changed format last year designated 1 hour each for the 3 sections, we needed to balance the time spent per question accurately, so as to not leave questions unattended at the end time slot for each section. This was the most important aspect that I decided to keep track of, during the exam.
MBAUniverse.com: Please share your GD/WAT topics & PI questions at different institutes and the ones who offered you admission?
Shubham (CAT topper):
MDI Gurgaon:-
GDPI Topic : Should hiring and firing policy be followed in selecting a cricket team.
Interview : Introducing myself, why MBA and why MDI. Technical questions regarding my work-ex and Civil Engg topics. Questions on start-ups and entrepreneurship.
IIM Lucknow:
WAT Topic : Relevance of morality and moral values in today’s world.
Interview : Generic questions on introduction and background. Some probing questions on my weak college grades. Questions related to Work-ex.
SJMSOM :
WAT Topic : Swachh Bharat/Make-in-India. Which should be priorised.
Interview : Introduction and background. Contemporary news on the construction sector in India, questions on my own company, turnover, projects that we are involved in, other competitors. Some practical questions on Civil Engg. Why MBA.
NITIE :
GD Topic: Whistleblowers. Are they good or bad for the society?
Interview : Introduction. Technical question on load distributions in bridges, questions on environmental engineering and pollution management, why MBA among others
MBAUniverse.com: Which B-school you decided upon and why?
Shubham (CAT topper): Due to my work experience in the core sector and my predisposition, I decided I would best fit at NITIE, which is one of the leading B-Schools in India in the Operations and Consulting profiles. Given its rich heritage and wide Alumni Network, and the good feedback I received, it was an easy decision.
MBAUniverse.com: Any message you would like to share with the candidates preparing for CAT 2016.
Shubham (CAT topper): Recognise and work hard on weak areas. Complete syllabus as soon as possible, if not completed already. Also work on your GK, in case appearing for NMAT, IIFT. All non-CAT papers have GK sections as well.
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