Q: What was your overall preparation strategy for CAT?
A: I joined TIME for coaching, but a large part of my preparation was self-study. I tried to study for around six hours on most days and focused on being consistent rather than studying for very long hours on a few days. I started giving mocks quite early, even before completing the entire syllabus. This helped me understand where I stood and which areas I needed to work on. Over the course of my preparation, I gave more than 70 full-length mocks and over 400 sectional tests. I also used mocks from different platforms such as TIME, IMS, Career Launcher, iQuanta and Cracku. I found this useful because every platform had a slightly different level and style of questions. For me, the most important part was analysing the mocks. I would look at the questions I got wrong, the questions I could have solved but did not attempt, and the questions where I spent too much time. Over time, this helped me improve both my preparation and my exam strategy.
Q: How did you manage your CAT preparation along with your college studies or work commitments?
A: I was preparing for CAT alongside my final year of college, so managing both was definitely important. I tried to have a fixed routine and give around six hours to CAT preparation on most days. There were obviously days when college work, events or other commitments took up more time. On those days, I did not try to compensate by studying for extremely long hours the next day. I just tried to get back to my routine. I think consistency helped me much more than trying to study 10 or 12 hours occasionally. Since CAT preparation goes on for several months, I wanted a routine that I could actually maintain.
Q: Please share your sectional preparation strategy. How did you prepare for VARC?
A: VARC was initially my weaker section, so I had to put in a lot of effort there.I spent a lot of time practising RCs and also made regular reading a part of my preparation. I wanted to become comfortable reading passages on topics that I might not necessarily know much about. After solving an RC, I would not just check whether my answer was right or wrong. I would also look at why I had selected a particular option and why the correct option was better. This helped me understand my mistakes better. Over time, I became better at identifying the main point of a passage and eliminating options that were not properly supported by the passage.
Q: How did you prepare for DILR?
A: For DILR, I mainly focused on solving a lot of different types of sets. I did not try to memorise a fixed method for every type of question because the sets in CAT can be very different from one another. If I could not solve a set, I would usually spend some time trying to figure it out myself before looking at the solution. I found that the sets where I struggled the most often taught me the most. Mocks were also very important for DILR because I realised that choosing the right set is almost as important as being able to solve it. I practised quickly looking through the sets and deciding which ones were worth attempting.
Q: How did you prepare for QA?
A: For QA, I focused mainly on Arithmetic and Algebra because these were the areas I was most comfortable with. I first made sure that my concepts were clear and then did a lot of practice. For most topics, I tried to solve around 100 good questions rather than just solving questions for the sake of increasing the number of questions I had attempted. Whenever I made a mistake, I tried to understand what exactly went wrong. Sometimes it was a concept that I had not understood properly, sometimes it was a calculation mistake, and sometimes it was simply choosing the wrong approach. As I got closer to CAT, I focused more on mixed practice and mocks because the actual exam obviously does not tell you which chapter a question belongs to.
Q: Was there any section or area you initially found challenging? How did you overcome it?
A: VARC was the section I found most challenging initially. I was comfortable with English, but I found it difficult to consistently choose between two options that both looked correct in an RC. I realised that I was sometimes choosing an option based on what I thought sounded right rather than what was actually supported by the passage. So I started spending more time analysing my RC mistakes. I would go back to the passage and understand why my interpretation was wrong. I also increased my reading and RC practice. It took time, but gradually I became better at looking at the passage objectively instead of going with my first instinct.
Q: What role did mock tests play in your preparation? How many mocks did you attempt?
A: Mocks played a very big role in my preparation. I gave more than 70 full-length mocks and over 400 sectional tests.I started giving mocks quite early, even before completing the syllabus. Initially, I was not too concerned about the score. I mainly wanted to understand the exam and see where I stood.The important part for me was analysing every mock. I looked at questions I got wrong, questions I left despite being able to solve them, and questions where I spent too much time.I also tried mocks from different platforms such as TIME, IMS, Career Launcher, iQuanta and Cracku. This gave me exposure to different kinds of questions and different levels of difficulty.
Q: Did you prepare on your own or join a coaching institute? What influenced your choice?
A: I joined TIME for offline coaching. I felt that having a structured course would help me cover the syllabus properly, especially in the beginning. At the same time, I did not want to depend completely on coaching. A lot of my preparation was self-study. Once I understood the concepts, I spent a lot of time practising questions, giving sectionals and analysing mocks. So for me, coaching gave me the structure, but most of the improvement came from my own practice and analysis.
Q: Which books or study materials did you refer to? How effective were they?
A: My main study material was from TIME, along with the mock and sectional test material from different platforms. I used TIME for the main preparation and also used tests from IMS, Career Launcher, iQuanta and Cracku. I found the different test series useful because the questions were not always the same in terms of difficulty or style. I did not try to use too many books or collect a huge amount of material. I preferred taking the material I had and practising it properly. For me, solving fewer questions carefully and understanding my mistakes was more useful than just trying to finish as much material as possible.
Q: What was your approach and mindset on the CAT exam day? How did you plan your test-taking strategy?
A: I had a clear strategy for each section because I had already tested it in my mocks. So on the exam day, I did not want to change anything at the last moment.In VARC, I usually tried to attempt all the questions. I would start with the RCs and generally finish all four passages in around 30 to 32 minutes. After that, I would move to the VA questions. For DILR, I would first quickly look at all the sets and try to identify if there was anything familiar. If I found a set I was comfortable with, I would start with that. Otherwise, I usually looked for the smaller sets or sets with more questions, because if I was able to crack the set, I could get multiple questions from it. For QA, I had mainly prepared Arithmetic and Algebra. So I would first solve the questions from these two areas and then move to the other topics. Overall, I was quite calm on the exam day because I had taken a lot of mocks and had already faced different kinds of papers. I just wanted to stick to what I had practised and not overthink things during the exam.
Q: Looking back, what was the most important learning from your CAT preparation journey?
A: The biggest thing I learnt was that consistency is much more important than studying for very long hours once in a while. I also learnt how important it is to understand your mistakes. Just giving a mock and looking at the score does not really help. The real improvement comes from understanding why you made those mistakes and making sure you do not repeat them. Another important learning was that you need to have a strategy that works for you. There is no single strategy that everyone has to follow. I eventually developed my own approach for each section based on what I was comfortable with.
Q: How did you manage stress and stay motivated throughout your preparation journey?
A: I tried not to make CAT preparation the only thing in my life. I continued doing things I enjoyed, such as reading, gaming and playing chess. Taking breaks helped me come back to studying with a fresh mind. I also tried not to get too affected by individual mock scores. There were definitely mocks where I performed much worse than I expected. Instead of thinking too much about the score, I tried to understand what went wrong and move on. Since CAT preparation goes on for several months, I think it is important to accept that not every day is going to be perfect. The important thing is to keep going.
Q: If you could change one thing about your CAT preparation, what would it be and why?
A: If I could change one thing, I would probably start working on VARC more seriously from the beginning. It took me some time to understand what exactly I was doing wrong in RCs. Since reading and comprehension improve gradually, starting that process earlier would probably have helped me. Apart from that, I am happy that I started giving mocks early. They helped me understand my preparation much better and gave me enough time to work on my weaker areas.
Q: How did you prepare for the GD/PI/WAT rounds?
A: For the interview preparation, I joined programs by TIME and IMS. I also gave multiple mock interviews with my friends. These were quite helpful because my friends would ask me questions that I was not expecting and would point out where my answers could be better. For current affairs, I used to read The Economic Times every day and watch Vantage with Palki Sharma regularly. That was my main way of keeping up with what was happening in the economy, business and the world. I also spent a lot of time preparing finance-related questions because I knew that Finance was a big part of my profile. I revised my academic concepts and prepared questions around finance, markets, companies and my previous experiences. Apart from this, I spent time understanding my own profile properly. I went through my internships, college experiences, achievements and the decisions I had made so that I could answer questions about them comfortably.
Q: If you have work experience, how do you think it will help during your MBA?
A: I did not have full-time work experience before joining SPJIMR. However, I did have internship experience and was involved in several activities during college. My internships gave me some experience of working in a professional environment, while my college activities and leadership roles taught me how to work with different people and take responsibility. I think these experiences have helped me during my MBA, especially when working on group projects and interacting with people from different backgrounds. At the same time, being a fresher also means that there is a lot I can learn from classmates who have already worked for a few years.
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 chose Finance because I have been interested in the field for quite some time. My interest became stronger through my CFA journey, internships and the finance-related projects I worked on during college. What I like about Finance is that it requires you to keep learning and think through different problems. I also enjoy working with numbers and understanding how businesses work. For someone choosing a specialization, I would suggest thinking about what they genuinely enjoy rather than just looking at which specialization is popular. They should think about the kind of work they want to do after the MBA and whether they can see themselves studying and working in that field for several years.
Q: What motivated you to choose SPJIMR? What were your top three selection criteria?
A: There were three main things I looked at when deciding on SPJIMR. The first was the strength of the Finance program and the opportunities available to students interested in Finance. The second was the kind of people I would get to meet and learn from. I wanted a college with a strong peer group where I could interact with people from different backgrounds. The third was the location. Being in Mumbai was important to me because it is such an important centre for Finance and business in India. These were the main things I considered when making my decision.
Q: How has your experience at SPJIMR been so far? Please share some highlights.
A: I absolutely love my experience at SPJIMR so far. One thing that has surprised me in a very good way is how supportive everyone is. You hear a lot of things about B-school life before joining, especially about seniors and the pressure of the environment, but my experience at SPJIMR has been very different. The faculty and seniors have both been very supportive, and that made the transition into B-school much easier. There is obviously a lot of learning inside the classroom, but I think I have learnt a lot outside the classroom as well. Interacting with my batchmates, working on group projects, participating in activities and just talking to people from very different backgrounds has taught me a lot. The peer group has probably been one of my favourite parts of the experience. Everyone comes from a different background and has something different to bring to the table. And of course, SPJIMR has very strong placement outcomes, which was an important factor for me when I chose the college. But after joining, I have realised that there is a lot more to the experience than just placements. The people, the environment and the learning have been the biggest highlights for me so far.
Q: Whom would you like to credit for your success? What role did your family and friends play?
A: I would definitely give a lot of credit to my family. They have always supported me in the decisions I have made and given me the freedom to pursue what I wanted. My friends also played an important role, especially during CAT preparation. Having people around who were going through the same process made the preparation much easier. We could discuss questions, talk about mocks and sometimes just take a break from studying. I think doing well in an exam like CAT is not just about one person. Having a good support system makes the entire process much easier.
Q: What were some key challenges you faced during your academic journey or CAT preparation, and how did you overcome them?
A: One of the main challenges was managing CAT preparation along with my final year of college and everything else I was involved in. Another challenge was dealing with bad mocks. When you are preparing for an exam like CAT, your scores can go up and down quite a bit. Earlier, a bad score would affect my confidence, but over time I started looking at mocks more as a way to understand what I needed to improve. VARC was another challenge for me in the beginning. I worked on it consistently and spent more time understanding my mistakes instead of simply solving more questions. Overall, I think the biggest thing that helped was sticking to the preparation even when the results were not immediately visible.
Q: In your view, how can B-schools make the MBA admission process more applicant-friendly?
A: I think the biggest improvement would be making the process more transparent. There are a lot of different stages in the MBA admission process, and students often have to depend on coaching institutes, seniors and online forums to understand what different colleges are looking for. It would be helpful if colleges clearly communicated their timelines, different stages of the selection process and what they broadly consider while evaluating candidates. Since most students apply to several colleges at the same time, having clearer timelines and communication would also make the entire process much less stressful.
Q: Finally, what message or tips would you like to share with CAT 2026 aspirants?
A: My biggest advice would be to start early and be consistent. You do not need to study for 10 or 12 hours every day. I think it is much more important to have a routine that you can follow for several months. I would also strongly recommend starting mocks early. You do not have to wait until you finish the entire syllabus. Mocks will tell you where you actually stand and what you need to improve. Most importantly, analyse your mocks properly. Don't just look at the percentile and move on. Look at the questions you got wrong, the questions you could have attempted and the questions where you spent too much time. And finally, don't get too worried about one bad mock or one bad week. Your performance will not be perfect throughout the preparation. Keep working on your weak areas, trust the process and build a strategy that works for you.
