MBAUniverse.com has published a series of videos & articles on CAT preparation plan & strategy adopted by CAT Toppers to help the aspirants preparing for CAT exam. Next in the series, is an Interview and Video with CAT Topper Radhika Nema who is an IIM Kozhikode student of MBA 2020-22 batch.
A Traveller and Trekker, Radhika is a BBA Graduate from Devi Ahilya University, Indore. She is a fresher without work experience and cracked CAT 2019 with 99.5 percentile in her first attempt. Radhika converted IIM Kozhikode, all baby and new IIMs, MDI, IIT Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, SIBM Pune, SCMHRD Pune. However, she opted for IIM Kozhikode to pursue MBA 2020-22. Remaining consistent in her CAT preparation, Radhika adopted the strategy of keeping a balanced combination of hard-work and smart-work and divided her preparation strategy in phases. Her average study hours for CAT preparations were 6 to 7 every day, seven days a week with one-year of consistent preparation.
With a firm confidence and planned preparation strategy, Radhika was confident to crack CAT 2019 with high score and get into his dream IIM. He focused on managing the time during the exam to bell the CAT. MBAUniverse.com invited Radhika to share her preparation and exam taking strategy, GD-PI experience. Watch the Video and also read the text Interview. Remember, contents of Video and Interview are different. So check out both the Video and the interview!
CAT Topper Mantra Video Series – Watch Radhika Nema on ‘My CAT Strategy & Road to IIM Kozhikode’
CAT Toppers Interview Series – Read Interview with Radhika Nema on 'Preparation strategy for CAT & GD/PI/WAT'
Q: How did you perform in CAT 2019?
A: As per the IIM Kozhikode policy, I am not supposed to share my overall CAT 2019 percentile. However, I scored 99.08 in Quantitative Ability (QA); 96.84 in Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR); and 98.98 percentile in Verbal Ability (VA)
Q: Apart from CAT 2019, which other exams did you appear?
A: Although CAT was the only exam I was focused on clearing, I also gave Snap and NMAT. I secured 98.95 percentile in SNAP and was able to convert top symbiosis colleges like SIBM and SCMHRD. In NMAT I got a score of 219 marks which is rounded off to 99 percentile.
Q: Which top B-schools have offered you admission and which one you have finally chosen?
A: Apart from getting final admission offer from IIM Kozhikode for PGP 2020-22 batch, I converted MDI Gurgaon, 14 baby and new IIMs, IIT Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, SIBM Pune, IMT Ghaziabad, SCMHRD
Q: What have been your academics? Do you have some work experience as well?
A: I scored 85.5 percent in class X; 80.2 in class XII. I graduated from International Institute of Professional Studies as a BBA graduate in Management Science. I am a fresher. I belong to a service class family. Both my parents are working in insurance sector. My elder sister is an MBA and works as a product manager in Stanley Black & Decker. I have great interest in Trekking, Travelling and Reading.
Q: What was your overall preparation strategy for CAT?
A: I believe that to be in the top 1 percentile of the aspirants, one has to do the things that a lot of people will shy away from. For me, CAT was all about a balanced combination of hard-work and smart-work. I will divide my preparation strategy in phases for some clarity. The first two months were about getting my concepts clear about every single topic that appears in competitive exams. A strong foundation takes you a long way. Next 3 months were about below cat level questions for all three sections. I would spend 45 minutes on vocabulary every day, followed by reading newspaper for an hour. I never shied from bombarding my teachers with queries and doubts. This is the phase where I discovered my strengths and weaknesses. The next phase continued till CAT wherein I solved high level questions, past year papers, and began giving mocks. The last two months were all about mocks and its analysis where I followed a 3-6 strategy. I gave three-hour mocks, and for the next six hours, I solved the entire paper again without a timer and spent a lot of time analysing it and finding better ways to solve a question.
Q: Please share your sectional preparation strategy for VARC in CAT
A: For Verbal and RC, which is the most unpredictable section of CAT, I used to read articles online from various fields to get a hold of difficulty. Reading articles from newspapers and business magazines not only helped in VA and RC but also made a solid base to ace the current affairs during the interview and GD rounds. I gave a lot of sectional tests for VARC to get a good practise. Question types like “Central idea” and “Context of a particular para” can only be mastered through practise. Also, I tried to maximize attempts in this section. Vocabulary is something that people generally do not pay a lot of attention to. But in CAT, every second matters and a strong vocabulary not only increases the reading speed but also the paragraph comprehension, which is crucial for this section.
Q: Please share your preparation strategy for DILR Section
A: Choosing the right set is the key in this section. Remember that the process of rejecting is as good as selecting so during exam scan all the questions in the first five minutes and outrightly reject two that you find most difficult. As far as preparation is concerned, I focused mostly on LR and LR based DI sets, as for the past few years you rarely get to see a pure DI set in the actual exam and pure DI sets were one of my weaknesses. I followed a strategy to solve and analyze each and every set I face either during mocks or during practice from books. There are plenty of DILR sets to solve online. This section will test your time management skills. I made sure that I completed all the easy sets and grabbed the marks which boosted my confidence while doing the tougher ones. I never aimed at solving all sets. Remember not to miss out any easy sets. It can make or break your score.
Q: Please share your preparation strategy for Quant Section
A: Practice! Practice! Practice! Memorise squares, cubes, tables, formulae. Since time is of vital importance, I used to revise tables on my way to my coaching. Just like humming a song while driving, I would recite a table. Even if there is a calculator given in exam, you will not have time to use it. I thoroughly practised books by Arun Sharma and solved the entire book twice before CAT. I also referred to multiple books for topics that I was weak in. Work a lot on basics and foundation because CAT doesn’t give extremely tough questions, it just checks the conceptual clarity and its application.
Q: Was there any particular section/area that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge?
A: I was not very comfortable with DILR Section. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a very strong foundation and clear basics. When I started doing higher level question, I had no clue how to choose sets or what I would be comfortable in. I decided to go back to basics and for two weeks I only solved topic-wise questions. In DILR you will not be able to do everything. Hence make sure you do basics to the level that in any set, with 45 seconds reading, you should know if this has to be attempted or not.
Q: What role did Mocks play in your success? How many mocks did you attempt before the exam?
A: Mocks are the key to better preparation as well as time management skills. I solved about 20 mocks before the actual CAT. But giving mocks alone would just get you a feel of the exam. It is the mock analysis where the real growth happens. Spend around twice the time you spend while giving a mock to analyse it. Try to find out multiple ways to approach a question.
Q: Did you self-prepare or attend a coaching centre and why?
A: I attended a coaching for my competitive exam preparation as I wanted to study everything from scratch. Coaching greatly facilitated my preparation as I had different teachers throughout the period of my preparation to seek help from. One of the biggest advantages was that even after I had solved a question, we would find out two or three more ways to solve it and that is something that increased my speed exponentially. I also enrolled for the test series and GDPI sessions at Career Launcher.
Q: Please share your strategy for the CAT Day. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your CAT test taking?
A: My CAT day strategy was staying as calm as possible. Your CAT scores will be directly proportional to how clear and composed you are during those 5-6 hours. Never get stuck on a question. Even if you think that you did not perform well in a particular section, feel bad about it, after the exam is over.Once the CAT admit cards were out and I realised that I had an afternoon slot. I started aligning my studies to fit the D-Day routine. I started walking up early morning and took all the mock tests in the assignedafternoon slots and stuck to this schedule till the last day. This will really ease you come the CAT exam day.
My last week preparation was only about revising the formulas for an hour a day. I would not recommend studying or giving mocks in the last one week because in case you do not perform well in one of those it will seriously mess up your confidence.
On the day of the exam, drink fluids and have a heavy breakfast before you leave for your exam centreand include fruits and nuts in it because they release energy for a longer period in your body. Probably watch movies or binge watch tv series one day before. Do anything that keeps your mind calm. Remember that you have worked very hard for this for xyz duration and one day will not make any difference.
Q: How did you prepare for GD/PI/WAT. Please share your GD/WAT topics & PI questions?
A: Since I was a fresher, I mostly focused on my academics. In fact, I had two or three interviews that solely were about academics.
- I revised my favourite high school subjects.
- I also started referring to two newspapers for GD PI prep and focused a lot on current affairs.
- I was thorough with my city and its history, your family background, and staple questions like why MBA etc.
- It’s not just what you are saying in an interview, but how you are saying it.
- Writing Mock WATs and giving mock PIs is really important as an interview includes so many hidden nuances that a candidate is unaware of; from your body language to your communication skills
- Ask your mentors about trivial mistakes that she/he thinks that you should correct.
Q: How has been the experience of online classes at IIM Kozhikode?
A: IIM Kozhikode has done a fantabulous job of making our MBA experience enriching. MBA is rigorous and we all have been able to feel the thrill even while sitting at home. The quizzes, group assignments,
To know more about their CAT 2020 Online Preparation & Test Series, and to get extra 10% MBAUniverse.com Reader Discount at IMS, check details here.
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