Amaan Hussain

Amaan: Yes, I am very happy with my CAT score. I worked really hard for this exam, and I was expecting somewhere around 99.2 percentile. I am happy to score 99.47 percentile.

Amaan: Yes, I am very happy with my CAT score. I worked really hard for this exam, and I was expecting somewhere around 99.2 percentile. I am happy to score 99.47 percentile.

Amaan: I prepared for CAT for about 1.5 years. My strategy was clear from the start. I was weak in Quants, having scored only 71 percentile in that section in CAT 2024, so I dedicated about 80% of my preparation time to Quants. VARC came naturally to me, so it needed less time. For DILR, I practised consistently throughout my preparation. I strongly believe that consistency is what takes you far in life, even more than hard work or smart work.

Amaan: For VARC, I prepared only through the sectional tests of IMS and Career Launcher. Regular sectional mocks helped me improve my speed and get into the right mindset for the section. For DILR, I practised hundreds of sets from sectional tests and YouTube. My advice is to never look at the solution before trying the set on your own, no matter how long it takes. This habit sharpens your problem-solving skills, especially for DILR. For Quants, practice is the only thing that helps. I focused only on Arithmetic and Algebra, as they carry the maximum weightage. This strategy worked for me, but it may not work for everyone. Every aspirant should build their own strategy while taking mocks. Whatever the section, the most important thing is to prepare with CAT mock tests and then analyse each mock carefully.

Amaan: No, I did not use any books. My CAT preparation was built around free CAT Youtube video lectures.

Amaan: I did not join a regular coaching programme. I only took a mock test series from a coaching institute, and for everything else I relied on self-study using free YouTube lectures.

Amaan: I attempted 35–40 mocks. For me, taking mocks and then analysing them properly made up about 75% of my entire preparation. Mocks show you exactly where you stand and what you need to fix before the exam.

Amaan: I went into the exam with a clear plan. In VARC, I would attempt all the questions. In DILR, I aimed to solve at least two sets fully. In Quants, I would attempt every question I was confident of solving. Every aspirant should have their own exam-day strategy based on their strengths. VARC was my strongest section, so I made the most of it, and you should do the same with your strongest section.

Amaan: I have just one message for all future CAT aspirants: do not miss a single day of preparation. You may put in all your effort for three months, but someone who has been preparing steadily for a whole year will still be ahead of you. Consistency is the key to success. I am not saying this because it is a popular saying, but because I have experienced it myself.