Q: What was your overall preparation strategy for CAT?
A: My overall preparation strategy was dependent a lot on Mocks and practice. I give an equal emphasis on all the three sections and make sure I study all the topics and not limit myself to only important ones.
Q: How did you manage your CAT preparation along with your college studies or work commitments?
A: I was having a full time office job – 6 days a week with travelling involved. At times, I have utilised my morning metro journeys to read articles and post office, after getting back I made sure that I will be sitting for preparation. I reserved Sundays for mocks and made sure every Sunday I am giving 1 mock initially. Once the exam came closer, I increased my frequency for the mocks.
Q: Please share your sectional preparation strategy. How did you prepare for VARC?
A: VARC has been my weakest section since day 1. I make sure to read a lot which really helps in this section. I used to read 3-4 Aeon Essays on a daily basis as it really helps to stay focused while reading articles. Plus I solved all the RCs that came in CAT since 1990 which made me familiar with the type of questions and passages that have come over the years. And giving a lot of mocks and analysing your mistakes really helped me to improve this section.
Q: How did you prepare for DILR?
DILR has always been my favourite section and I was quite naturally good at solving puzzles. I have loved puzzle solving since childhood and I also like solving Sudoku. So, yes, a natural inclination towards the pattern of the section was a key strength that I carried forward. Apart from this, I solved a lot of mocks, sectionals and PYQs and whenever I am unable to sit, I make sure to practice it after the exam. Being my strongest section, my eyes were set on getting a 100%ile in this section, which I eventually achieved
Q: How did you prepare for QA?
For QA, my preparation was again through mocks and PYQs only. I was quite familiar with almost all the topics so I just required practice. However, certain concepts and formulas were kind of alien to me so, I made a separate formula book for this section, which I revised in the last couple of days of CAT, and I used to practice more questions from PYQs for the topics like Geometry in which I was comparatively weaker at. I also have developed a few of my own methods to solve the questions quickly which were quite different from the regular approach.
Q: Was there any section or area you initially found challenging? How did you overcome it?
A: I was quite weak with the VARC section. I overcame it by doing a lot of dense reading and solving more and more RCs. Also, I had a group of CAT mock toppers, where we used to discuss our mock scores, and help each other out with the sections the other person is weaker at. I used to ask the strategies of my peers in the VARC section and eventually this competitive learning environment really helped us to sail through this journey.
Q: What role did mock tests play in your preparation? How many mocks did you attempt?
A: Mocks have helped me the most in my preparation. My entire preparation was based on solving more and more mocks. Mocks have helped me to discover my weaker areas and to devise a paper attempt strategy that really worked out for me in the actual exam. I have made a mock tracker sheet, which I used to keep a track of my scores, mistakes, weak and strong areas. I attempted around 60-70 full length mocks and 25-30 sectionals inclusive of all the 3 sections.
Q: Did you prepare on your own or join a coaching institute? What influenced your choice?
A: I prepared on my own. I always have had a good aptitude so, I know I could do it without much external help. Also, there were multiple top B-school alums which I personally know, and all of them advised me to just focus on mocks and coaching wasn’t a requirement for me. However, if someone is a complete beginner, I will recommend them to take coaching.
Q: Which books or study materials did you refer to? How effective were they?
A: I refer to multiple mock series. I have had 2 mock test series and solved PYQs only. They were really effective and I highly recommend this strategy for someone who already has a decent aptitude.
Q: What was your approach and mindset on the CAT exam day? How did you plan your test-taking strategy?
A: I have developed my CAT taking strategy while taking mocks and my approach and mindset on the CAT exam day was just to follow the strategy that I have developed.
Q: Looking back, what was the most important learning from your CAT preparation journey?
A: The most important learning was to believe in yourself as there were days I was completely lost and felt that things weren’t working out for me but I have had a belief that I will do something good and eventually things did work out.
Q: How did you manage stress and stay motivated throughout your preparation journey?
A: On stressful days, I used to take a break. I talk to my close ones, and sometimes I just go out for parties to get together with my friends. Also, I write poetries so, there are days I just write it out and mostly relaxing and not worrying about studying at all.
Q: If you could change one thing about your CAT preparation, what would it be and why?
A: I would probably change the amount of stress that I have taken. Sometimes, I used to take a lot of stress and having less or no stress is always better.
Q: How did you prepare for the GD/PI/WAT rounds?
A: I enrolled myself into a GD/PI/WAT coaching and have attended many mock PIs and GDs. I also have also given my mock PIs to multiple top B-school alums and have always worked on the feedback that was provided to me.
Q: If you have work experience, how do you think it will help during your MBA?
A: Work experience really helps you to know where you want to move ahead in your life and having work experience also kind of prepares you for term 1 at MBA as you have to manage a lot of things together. So, if someone is able to manage their preparation along with work, it would be comparatively easier for them to manage term 1.
Q: SPJIMR requires applicants to choose their preferred specialization while filling the application form. Which specialization did you choose and why? What advice would you give aspirants on deciding their specialization?
A: I choose marketing because I always have had an inclination towards the field. I also have had my work experience in the same field so, it kind of helped me in making the decision. The aspirants should have a thorough understanding of all the specializations and what the respective specialization has to offer. Even though they might have an inclination towards a certain field, yet research about all the fields, which I also did. Also, see the career outcomes and long term career trajectory for the chosen field. Also, look at the entry level jobs post program completion and what are their day to day responsibilities.
Q: What motivated you to choose SPJIMR? What were your top three selection criteria?
A: I have had a preference order in mind. SPJIMR was amongst my top 5 preferred colleges. The top three selection criteria were – My own research, Feedback from multiple top B-school alums, College performance in the last 2-3 years compared to other colleges.
Q: How has your experience at SPJIMR been so far? Please share some highlights.
A: The experience at SPJIMR has really been fun. There was a lot of classroom as well as non-classroom learning.
Q: Whom would you like to credit for your success? What role did your family and friends play?
A: I would like to credit my parents for my success. They have also motivated me and believed in me that I will do something good. My parents make sure that I get the best study environment and resources available since my childhood. My younger brother and my friends have also believed in me and they constantly used to push me to work hard and at times they have said that you will get better results than what you are expecting.
Q: What were some key challenges you faced during your academic journey or CAT preparation, and how did you overcome them?
A: There were no significant challenges as such in my academic journey. Thanks to my parents for that, I have had ample resources to pursue my academic journey. A key challenge I would say was to manage my job along with CAT preparation. In the initial few days, I used to get quite drained after office, but eventually, I developed a study habit by forcing myself to sit every day and that is what worked out for me.
Q: In your view, how can B-schools make the MBA admission process more applicant-friendly?
A: I feel the current MBA admission process is applicant friendly only, however, one thing which could be done is to introduce online interviews, because some participants find it difficult to travel for each and every interview. Like I lived in a metro city, so, it was easy for me to travel but I have met a lot of people in my MBA interviews who had to travel to multiple cities for each interview which used to place a lot of mental and financial stress on them.
Q: Finally, what message or tips would you like to share with CAT 2026 aspirants?
A: Just believe in yourself and stay focused on your journey. You’ve got this.
