The CAT result has brought cheers for many aspirants and the list of CAT 2018 toppers is not over yet! Candidates who have scored really well are sure an inspiration for the ones who are aspiring to pursue managerial career.
Meet another CAT 2018 achiever, Devesh Dhaka from Bhagpat, U.P. who has scored 99.83 percentile in the CAT 2018 exam. Read his exclusive interview with MBA section of Jagrajosh.com and find out what helped him achieve this feat.
Q1. Congratulations on scoring...99.83! What are your overall and sectional scores in CAT 2018?
1. Thank you! My overall score is 183.3 and sectional scores are 77.58, 64.4 and 41.32 in VARC, DILR and QA respectively whereas my raw scores were 79, 66, 41 in VARC, DILR and QA respectively.
Q2. When did you start your CAT 2018 Preparation? What is the ideal time required to complete the CAT syllabus before the exam?
2. I started my preparations in the month of August. Ideal time for preparation is 4-5 months according to me but it may differ person to person depending on their previous knowledge as well as capability to grasp the concepts.
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Q3. What was your overall preparation strategy for CAT 2018?
3. I first revised the basics and then started giving mocks. Mocks are the most important because they helped me understand the areas on which I need to focus more and improve. I attempted a mock every week and analysed them and then analysed them. Overall my strategy was to practice regularly and focus on the areas which need improvement and then work on those areas.
Q4. Was there any particular section/area that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge? What strategies did you adopt to master that section?
4. There was not any weak section in particular but VARC was the section in which I felt less comfortable as compared to the other two sections. I developed a reading habit, I used to read about various topics because reading and making yourself comfortable with diverse topics helped me gain the confidence to do well in this section.
Q5. Please share your section-wise preparation strategy for QA, DILR and VARC.
5. Firstly I am gonna talk about DILR section as it is my favourite section, in this section most import thing is to select the right sets and for that you need to practice so that you are in position to choose those sets with which are comfortable and also one or two easy sets are also there in the exam, so its important to first find attempt those sets. For VARC you need to have a reading habit and be comfortable with all the topics like sports, technology, sociology, physiology etc. RCs are the most important for this section.
For QA you need to practice as much as possible, get yourselves familiar with as wide range of questions as possible.
Q6. Were you a part of any coaching institute? Do you think coaching is necessary to ace CAT?
6. No, I wasn't part of any coaching institute. I don't think coaching is necessary to ace CAT, it depends on the self motivation and will power of the individual because you have to consistent and practice regularly. If one can do that then there is no need for any coaching.
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Q7. Any particular book or study material that helped you gain an edge over other candidates?
7. Nothing in particular, as the main thing is to practice and lot of materials are available on the internet. For concepts books on QA and DILR by Arun Sharma were quite helpful.
Q8. What role did Mocks play in your success? How many mocks did you attempt before the exam?
8. Mocks played the most important role because only with the help of mocks you can check your progress as well as work on your speed. Analysis of those mocks helped to identify the areas of improvement. Also develop a strategy regarding your approach to the different questions. Apart from past 5 years CAT papers, i attempted 15 mocks. One should attempt atleast 10 mocks before the CAT exam.
Q9. Please share your exam-day strategy for the CAT 2018. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your CAT test taking?
9. The most important thing is to have a proper 6-8 hour sleep on the night before the exam. Then in the morning I had a look on some basic formulas which I had studied in past months. During the exam your mind should be fully focused on the exam only, you should not have any other thoughts in the back of your mind. Then proceed according to the strategy which you developed during the mocks. Keep calm and look for the easy questions in each section because each section have some questions which are easy or with which you are more comfortable.
Q10. Do you think academic background plays an important role in CAT Prep and Why?
10. Yes, I believe so because those who belongs to engineering or any other mathematics related background have basic idea of the concepts of QA section and do not need to start from scratch as compared to other background aspirants.
Q11. Which institutes have you applied to admission and why did you opt for them particularly?
11. I have applied for IIMs A,B,C,L,K,I, fms and MDI gurgaon. I have applied to those colleges because according to me they are the best colleges in the country.
Q12. How are you preparing for GD – PI and WAT rounds of the selection process?
12. I have started revising my undergraduate subjects as well as keeping myself updated with current affairs. For WAT and GD I have started to read about the general topics and also try to write about them.
Q13. What is your message for CAT aspirants? One crucial piece of advice that you would like them to follow and wish you had known.
13. Start early and be clear about your choices. Be sure that you want to do this and believe in yourself, starting early means you will have ample time for completing the syllabus and will feel more confident on the exam day.
Q14. What is your dream career choice after completing your MBA?
14. I plan to work in the field of finance.
This was all about the insights which we received from Devesh, for reading about more CAT Toppers and their strategies to crack CAT, stay tuned with MBA section of Jagranjosh,com
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