CAT 2016: A really crackable exam 'Prepare with past CAT papers'; success mantra by Abhirup, CAT topper

Add Review

MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
September 28, 2016
CAT 2016 aspirants are advised by Abhirup, CAT topper to continue practicing, have patience & follow utmost dedication to achieve their dream
Practice previous years CAT questions as these are the only material which can give you the exact feel of what CAT actually is Abhirup Mukherjee CAT topper and DMS IIT Delhi student

CAT 2016 aspirants must know that CAT is really a crackable exam but they have to make their way to achieve their goal as against those who are born intelligent, suggests Abhirup Mukherjee CAT 2015 topper with 99.11 percentile who preferred to take admission in Department of management Studies (DMS)-IIT Delhi.

Sharing his preparation experience and strategy to take CAT, Abhirup is of the view that nothing is impossible and CAT is a crackable exam so aspirants should not worry about all the fuss in the air.

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 Abhirup Mukherjee, student of DMS-IIT Delhi and CAT topper.

Abhirup belongs to Kolkata and is a B.E. (Civil Engineering) from IIEST, Shibpur. He had gained a work experience of 29 Months in Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Pvt. Ltd before joining MBA at DMS-IIT Delhi.

Apart from 99.11 percentile in CAT 2015, Abhirup also scored 99.71 in XAT 2016; 94.65 in SNAP 2015 and 94.39 in IIFT entrance exams.

Abhirup has lot of interest in Short Film Making; Watching Inter National Art House Movies; Reading Philosophy; Writing abstract thoughts; philosophical articles & social commentary and Surreal Painting. Abhirup believes that the circumstances in your life inspire you most to achieve something higher.

MBAUniverse.com: What was your preparation strategy for CAT 2015?
Abhirup (CAT topper): Let me quote Clint Eastwood regarding this, “There are two kinds of people in this world” - one who are inborn talented who can crack anything & the others who achieve their dreams.  I, as majority of the aspirants, was the second type. My strategy was simple – score as much as possible and achieve your dream by continuous practice, patience & utmost dedication.

People talk too much about difficulty level of papers, but one thing each aspirant should remember that if a paper is difficult, it is difficult for everybody. So having a clear cut knowledge of basics, their applications and taking & analysing mock tests utmost seriously were the most important parts of my preparation.

MBAUniverse.com: How did you prepare for each section QA, VARC & DILR?
Abhirup (CAT topper): There are 3 simple steps to prepare on any topic/sections:

  1. Grasp the basic knowledge of each topic & take topic tests. Evaluate yourself. Find the errors, loop holes & improve.
  2. Go to advance level topics & standards. Take sectional mock tests. Analyse what went right & what went wrong. Improve.
  3. Once knowledge assimilation is over. Take full mock tests. The basic aim should be to score as much as possible in each section in the stipulated time frame.

MBAUniverse.com: What study materials and books did you use?
Abhirup (CAT topper): Regarding Study Materials & Books, I can actually list down all the resources that I think would be pretty useful for CAT 2016 aspirants:

  1. Consult the entire printed package of study materials of any of the top 3 institutes
  2. I took CL Test gym which consists of plethora of practice questions and suggest the same
  3. Quantitative Aptitude by Arun Sharma would be good enough to gain knowledge of Quants.
  4. Read various types of magazines like The Economist, Business Standard etc. and regularly read The Hindu editorials. All of these will increase your general knowledge & most importantly acumen in reading comprehension. Try also online reading materials on philosophy, medicine, art, business & others.
  5. Most importantly, practice previous year’s CAT questions as these are the only material which can give you the exact feel of what CAT actually is. Start from 1990’s CAT paper (earliest available).

MBAUniverse.com: Was there any particular section that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge?
Abhirup (CAT topper): It may seem paradoxical, but still being an Engineer, I was weak at Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation. Verbal section was never a problem or pain for me. I practised a lot with specified time frame.

I continuously brushed up my basics, took topic tests & sectional tests. One should create a unique vision regarding how to solve a problem uniquely (rather than the traditional way) – this would increase the interest & passion in the topic and increase time management skills. Mock Tests are the best tool available to any aspirant if he/she wants to improve in any topic. Just make good use of those.

MBAUniverse.com: How can candidates use Mock tests better? What is your advice?
Abhirup (CAT topper): I would advise all the CAT 2016 aspirants that ‘Take your mock tests pretty seriously in the utmost manner’ such as every mock test is an actual CAT test.

Next, the most important part is to analyse mocks. You have to find the specific areas which you are lacking in. Take topic tests again, go through the basics if required. Your target should be to excel in those areas in the next mock. Also, find the areas of strength & make those stronger by continuous practice.

Make your own strategies regarding how to attempt mocks. Analyse which ones are suiting you, finalize & go with that specific strategy in the last month of preparation.

MBAUniverse.com: Did you go to offline coaching centre? What role does a coaching centre play?
Abhirup (CAT topper):  No, practically I did not attend any offline classroom coaching for CAT Preparation. I took just mock tests from two famous CAT coaching centres. Mock tests actually provide you with the simulated exam taking experience. Based upon the results of mocks, you can gauge your preparation level simultaneously. Mock tests provide you with insights upon utilizing which , you would become to improve yourself continuously.

MBAUniverse.com: Other than CAT, which exam did you appear?
Abhirup (CAT topper):  I appeared for IIFT, XAT and SNAP.

MBAUniverse.com:  Please share your strategy for the CAT Day. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your CAT test taking?
Abhirup (CAT topper): On the D-day, you have to remain chilled, calm & confident. Do not study anything on that day. Just believe in yourself. If one has to achieve something, he/she has to reflect the intent, the knowledge in the exams. That should be driving force. Be yourself & give your 100%. Even the day before the D-day one should remain relaxed & do whatever he/she likes to do in order to excel in the next day.

For each section we had one hour of time. I divided this time frame in 3 sub phases- 1st one of 20 minutes; 2nd one of 30 minutes & the final one of 10 minutes. In the 1st phase, I would solve all the easy problems & the problems which were from the area of my strength. Next phase would be dedicated to solve the questions of medium difficulty and the final phase for really difficult questions.

MBAUniverse.com:  Which institutes did you apply for admission?
Abhirup (CAT topper): I applied to all the IIMs, MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, SJMSOM-IIT Bombay, DMS-IIT Delhi, VGSOM-IIT KGP, XLRI, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI New Delhi and XIMB.

MBAUniverse.com: Please share your GD/WAT topics & PI questions at different institutes and the ones who offered you admission?
Abhirup (CAT topper): GD/WAT topics mostly concentrated on current affair topics ranging from business to politics to economy etc. For successfully cracking PI, one should know about himself entirely. Do proper self-retrospection and find out the aims/goals you want to achieve in your life.

Along with some current affairs, Why MBA? Why this specific college? How this course will help you in achieving your dreams? – these are the questions one should be fully prepared with.

MBAUniverse.com:  Which B-school you decided upon and why?
Abhirup (CAT topper): I decided to join Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi. IITs are known for their academia in Operations; I was also aligned to specialize my MBA in that profile. So, Simply, DMS IIT Delhi was the best option available to me (out of all the conversions). Other attractive criteria were – Excellent ROI, the IIT tag, Locational advantage (after all, it’s Delhi), small batch size w.r.t other colleges, the world class faculty and frankly speaking, the excellent placements.

MBAUniverse.com:  Any message you would like to share with the candidates preparing for CAT 2016.
Abhirup (CAT topper): CAT is really a crackable exam, so don’t worry about the fuss that is in the air. Just groom yourselves for any kind of difficult situations. Practice a lot. Read various kind of articles online wherever you can; focus on the diversity of the topics so you become accustomed to comprehend any kind of passage (from philosophy to science to business-economy etc.) in the same amount of time.

Take your mock very seriously. Make strategies, apply those in mocks, and find out which one suits you the best. All in all, enjoy every moment of your CAT Preparation. Most importantly, keep calm & believe in yourself.

For successfully cracking CAT 2016, you have to continuously maintain the tenacity starting from the preparation period to the D-day. Continuously aim for higher even if you are getting 99.99 percentile in mocks. 

Related Article

CAT 2016: Highest registration count in last 6 years; Analysis with Insight on MBA popularity in India

CAT 2016: Registrations record 6% increases; closes with 2, 32,434 applicants

CAT 2016: Topper Mantra 'Make a list of topics you need to improve & work on it' IIM Ranchi student Sambangi

CAT 2016: 5 reasons to complete registration before 3PM today; deadline to end at 5PM

CAT 2016: IIM Indore CAT topper Siddharth Success Mantra "Develop multiple strategies of test taking"

CAT 2016: 2.50 lakh candidates Vs 10000 seats in IIMs; Are you ready? Know the implications

CAT 2016: Low percentile in mock must wake you up; IMT CAT topper Manu

CAT 2016: More competitive than CAT 2015; number may cross 2.50 lakhs

CAT 2016: Registration extended to Sep 27 till 5PM; technical glitches compel for the action

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more success mantra stories and CAT 2016 preparation tips from toppers