How Jay Bosamia, A Chartered Accountant with Work Experience at PwC & Reliance overcame his weakness to crack CAT 2022 with 98.79%ile, and got into IIM Kozhikode

MBAUniverse.com presents inspiring success stories of CAT toppers who triumphed in securing admissions to top IIMs, XLRI, and esteemed institutions. Gain motivation from their well-planned preparation strategies, valuable insights on MBA entrance exam readiness, Personal Interviews, and MBA college selection.

Today, we present the motivational interview with Jay Bosamia Rajendra from Mumbai who cracked CAT 2022 with 98.79%ile and is currently pursuing MBA from IIM Kozhikode. Jay is a Chartered Accountant which he completed in first attempt while pursuing his B.Com from NMIMS Mumbai. Jay has gained work experience of 28 months with PwC and Reliance Nippon Life Insurance before joining IIM Kozhikode 2023-25 batch.

Jay Bosamia’s CAT preparation journey has a lot of lessons. For instance, how did he overcome his weakness in VARC section, and how did he maximize on her strengths. A firm believer of hardwork, perfection, dedication, commitment and integrity, Jay is a Tennis Player and loves reading books. Jay also loves solving puzzles and is likes Sudoku and Rubiks cube. With this introduction, let’s read Jay Bosamia’s responses to MBAUniverse.com questions.

Q: How did you perform in CAT 2022?
A: I scored 98.79 overall percentile in CAT 2022. Coming to sectional scores, I scored 93.96%ile in VARC, 99.37%ile in DILR and 95.24%ile in QA.

Q: Did you take any other exam apart from CAT?
A: Apart from CAT, I did not appear in any other exam.

Q: What was your overall preparation strategy for CAT?
A: I started my CAT preparation relatively late in July first week. My mentor from my CAT classes had given me a daily target for each section during the weekdays. My strategy was to analyze my strengths and weaknesses, form a technique of question selection and time management. Giving a lot of mocks gave me a confidence as well as ground to test my strategies & choose the best one during the D-Day.

Q: What was your strategy to prepare for VARC?
A: The only thing that matters in VARC is the ability to connect the author’s concept and eliminate the wrong options. It is only possible by reading fiction books, opinion articles from newspapers, etc. I used to read fiction books and also tried to solve atleast 2 sets daily because practice is important. 

Q: How did you prepare for DILR?
A: Out of all the 3 sections, I was most comfortable with DILR. My mentor had given me a target to solve atleast 2-3 sets daily as practice is the only way to become better but if done consistently will give Top notch confidence. I used to solve 10-15 games of sudoku everyday while travelling to and from office. I can’t emphasize how helpful it was since a lot of questions are 2x2,3x3,4x4, etc matrix based.

Q: How did you prepare for QA?
A: Practice is the only key to solve QA. I used to practice a given number of questions daily. My major focus was on Arithmetic, Numbers and a few easy topics.

Q: Was there any particular section/area that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge?
A: VARC was the weakest section for me and I overcome this by practicing mocks & sectional tests. I tried various strategies to crack the VARC section like focusing only on attempts or only on accuracy but the one that’s works best is to strike a balance between both.

Q: What role did Mocks play in your success? How many mocks did you attempt before the exam?
A: Mocks was the key to my success. I had given more than 40 mocks. I spent more time on analysing mocks rather than solving mocks. It provides more insights on the “Why” aspect of solving or not solving a question. As CAT is a game of correct selection it becomes very important to master the art of selecting correct question.

Q: Did you self-prepare for CAT Exam or did you attend a Coaching Centre and why?
A: I had taken online classes from IMS as it is very popular. Their mocks are one of the best. It was not possible for me to attend all the lectures due to work commitments but I tried to attend majority Quants lectures.

Q: Which books did you refer during your preparation and how effective were they?
A: I had bought Oswal past papers book for more practice.

Q: Please share your strategy for the CAT Day. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your CAT test taking?
A: The most important strategy was not to panic during the D Day. So, I had started taking a light approach for last 2-3 days. Before every section I used to visualize how I’m going to approach the section. No matter how bad any section went it should not hamper my other sections.

Q: Which Top B-schools shortlisted you for personal interview round?
A: I was shortlisted by IIM Kozhikode, SPJIMR Mumbai, SJMSoM IIT Bombay, IIM Shillong and for IIM CAP

Q: How did you prepare for GD/PI/WAT Rounds?
A: I used to read newspapers everyday. I also had to revisit all my academic concepts & gave 7-8 mock interviews in classes.

Q: Which B-schools you finally converted?
A: I converted IIM Kozhikode, IIM Shillong and the CAP IIMs

Q: What are your top three criteria for deciding which B-school to apply or take final admission?
A: My top three criteria to decide on a B-school admission are i) Good brand image across globe & alumni network; ii) Placements and iii) Past batch profile

Q: According to you, overall, how can B-schools make their MBA admission process less cumbersome for MBA applicants. 
A: I believe that although the process feels like cumbersome but it gives taste of the real world. It is also true that it is difficult to judge a candidate’s potential within a few minutes. But it’s “Been there, done that” by a lot of students every year.

Q: Finally, your message and tips for candidates preparing for CAT 2023
A: I believe the process of preparing for CAT is quite enjoyable. I definitely agree that its full of ups & downs, sometimes our confidence takes a hit, but its totally okay. The idea is to go on what is to be done rather than overthink on the result. CAT is more of a mental game rather than game of skill since a lot of candidates would lose the fight even before the real fight begins. D Day is going to be full of pressure but the one with a calm mind & open attitude wins the game. Ultimately, it's important to remember that CAT is merely an exam and it does not define your true potential. So, make the most of the journey and enjoy every step along the way.

Team MBAUniverse.com hopes that this interview was truly inspiring for you! Don't miss out on the opportunity to explore more motivational stories from students who have made their mark at IIMs, IIFT, MDI, XLRI, and beyond. Let their journeys ignite the fire within you…Success awaits you!