CAT 2025 Topper Interview: How Harsh Khudania Went from 98.83 to 99.93 Percentile with Consistent Practice

Last Updated on: September 30, 2026 by MBAUniverse.com News Desk

Harsh Khudania

CAT 2025 Topper 99.93 %

My strategy was simple: practice, and nothing more. I kept practising until I started getting the scores.

Harsh Khudania, an electrical engineering graduate from NIT Surat, scored 99.93 percentile in CAT 2025, up from 98.83 percentile in CAT 2024. His sectional percentiles were 99.93 in Quantitative Aptitude, 99.86 in DILR and 96.82 in VARC.
Hailing from Rajasthan, Harsh has worked with Deloitte Consulting as a Software Developer and wants to work with top consulting firms such as McKinsey, BCG and Bain after his MBA. He is a big Virat Kohli fan, loves watching and playing cricket, and has completed a few Himalayan treks. In this interview, Harsh explains how regular practice, careful error analysis and last-minute revision helped him join the CAT toppers list.

CAT 2025 Topper Profile: Harsh Khudania

Detail	Harsh Khudania
College	NIT Surat (BTech, Electrical Engineering)
Work experience	Software Developer, Deloitte Consulting
CAT attempts	2 (CAT 2024 and CAT 2025)
CAT 2024 percentile	98.83
CAT 2025 overall percentile	99.93
VARC	96.82
DILR	99.86
Quantitative Aptitude	99.93
Full-fledged preparation started	Mid-August
Mocks attempted	Around 40 full-length mocks
Coaching and books	iQuanta ABC batch; mocks from iQuanta and Cracku; Arun Sharma books for QA and DILR
Target institutes	IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, FMS Delhi

Q: Congratulations on your CAT score. How much were you expecting?

Harsh: Yes, I am happy with this score. Before appearing for CAT, I was targeting 99.9+ percentile, as that was what I needed to get calls from the top IIMs and other B-schools. Still, I feel I left 10 to 12 marks on the table, which could have taken me to 99.96 percentile or above.

Q: Was this your first attempt?

Harsh: No, this was my second attempt. I also appeared for CAT 2024, where I scored 98.83 percentile.

Q: When did you start preparing for CAT?

Harsh: I started my full-fledged CAT preparation in mid-August.

Q: What was your CAT preparation strategy?

Harsh: My strategy was simple: practice, and nothing more. I kept practising until I started getting the scores I wanted. I also analysed the topics where I was making mistakes and gave extra hours to those topics to remove the errors. When it comes to handling different difficulty levels, the only way to score well is through practice. It is not that complicated. One more thing I would add is last-minute revision, which is very important.

Q: Did you refer to any specific books for CAT preparation?

Harsh: Yes, I used Arun Sharma's books for the Quantitative Aptitude and DILR sections.

Q: Did you join any coaching institute?

Harsh: Yes, I attended iQuanta and Cracku classes.

Q: How many mock tests did you attempt? How important do you think they are

Harsh: I took around 40 full-length CAT mock tests, and 20 mock tests in the last month of my preparation. Mock tests are the most important part of preparation if you want to score well in the exam.

Q: Please share your tips for CAT aspirants?

Harsh: Try to complete the CAT syllabus two months before the exam date, and keep the last two months for mocks and revision. Keep taking mock tests regularly and practise consistently. Focus on one goal and trust the process. You may get low scores sometimes, which can be demotivating, but keep your focus intact. Analyse your weaknesses and work on them, and your marks will eventually start improving.

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