CMAT Topper 2015 Shubhadeep Basak`s Interview: A hard worker getting an AIR 6 Part 2

CMAT Second test was conducted in February 2015. Results were declared soon after. Here in this interview, An interview with All India Rank-6 Shubhadeep Basa. This is part 2 of the interview.

Jagranjosh.com: Please share specific section wise preparation strategy?

Shubhadeep Basak: I have used material of T.I.M.E. for every section. In addition to it, I have also used the following mentioned books and websites.

Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation:  For Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, I have used ‘Quantum CAT’ by Sarvesh Verma. This book is written in simple language and has adequate number of solved examples.

Logical Reasoning: I used ‘The Pearson Guide to Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT and other MBA Entrance Examinations’ by Nishit K. Sinha. It starts from the fundamentals and then moves on to advanced levels. Logical Reasoning involves various cases to be considered and this book clearly explains all the cases involved in a particular question.

Language Comprehension: For vocabulary, I used ‘Six weeks to words of power’ by Wilfred Funk. If followed religiously, it can expand your vocabulary in about 2 months. Though I have not followed ‘Word Power Made Easy’ by Norman Lewis, I recommend that too. For Reading Comprehension, I used to solve 1-2 RC passages online on a daily basis. Websites like www.lofoya.com and cat.wordpandit.com give you ample practice for the same. Also, I made it a habit to read articles related to various topics such as philosophy, sociology, history, art, literature etc. from www.aldaily.com. This improves our familiarity with various topics, thus increasing our speed of solving RCs.

General Awareness: For General Awareness, reading newspapers is a must. I had also subscribed to the GK programme of www.careeranna.com. It helped me a lot because a good amount of information was available in a condensed format. A very good site for GA preparation is www.gkedge.com. I just made sure to spend only 10-15 minutes on GA during CMAT. Guesswork doesn’t work here. We either know the answer or don’t.

Jagranjosh.com: Do you think taking coaching classes is necessary to crack CMAT exam?

Shubhadeep Basak: The main advantage of a coaching class is that it gives you classroom teaching, enough study material for practice and some guidance. Also, if you can get in touch with some good faculty members in the coaching class, it helps you a lot in the long run. I took coaching in T.I.M.E. Hyderabad. I used this opportunity to clear my doubts. In total, I think coaching class is not ‘necessary’ to crack CMAT exam, but it definitely helps to speed up your preparation.

Jagranjosh.com: Which college you want to choose for final admission?

Shubhadeep Basak: I have converted SCMHRD’s MBA core, FORE’s PGDM(IB), NMIMS Mumbai’s MBA-HR, SIBM Pune’s MBA(I&E) and BIMTECH Noida. I am also waitlisted for NMIMS Mumbai’s MBA core. Right now, my focus is on SCMHRD.

Jagranjosh.com: What is your advice to the CMAT aspirants?

Shubhadeep Basak:

         i)Please don’t give too many mock tests. Analyzing them is more important. While giving
            mocks, try to maintain your concentration for 3 hours at a stretch.
         ii) You will have people advising you not to pay attention to CMAT. But trust me, a good
             score in a national-level entrance test like CMAT will be an achievement for you.
         iii) Please do not make a very rigid timetable. Have flexibility in your study plan.
              Please avoid studying a subject for more than 1-1.5 hours.
              The concentration level goes down by studying the same subject for a longer duration.
              Try to mix up the subjects. It will be fun and won’t be boring.
         iv) Using social networking sites for preparation is good but please make sure you don’t
              spend a huge amount of time for it.
         v) Never ever leave your doubts as they are !! Try to get them clarified by a faculty soon.
         vi)Trust yourself.

Jagranjosh.com: If you have given other MBA Entrance exams as well, then kindly share the same with us.

Shubhadeep Basak: I have appeared for CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, IIFT and MH MBA CET. I have excelled in SNAP, NMAT and MH MBA CET. For SNAP, mock tests from www.careeranna.com and T.I.M.E. are helpful for preparation. It is advisable to attend the seminars organized by the admissions committees of various Symbiosis Institutions. They give you valuable inputs for cracking SNAP. For NMAT, I suggest you to go for online mocks. ‘Analytical Reasoning’ by M.K. Pandey is a must for NMAT, SNAP and MH MBA CET. Shortcuts are very important for the above mentioned exams. ‘Magical Book on Quicker Maths’ by M.Tyra is a great book for shortcuts.

Click here for Part 1 of the Interview