CAT 2021 was conducted on Nov 28 and the result was declared on Jan 3. Aditya Shukla has become one of the top scorers with an overall score of 99.56 percentile. With the help of a focused preparation plan, he has scored 97+ percentile in each section. While sharing the success story, Aditya said that he had focused on solving the practice papers and mock tests which had held him in analyzing the level of preparation. He had also suggested self preparation is the best way to prepare for the exam.

For the preparation of CAT VARC, he used to read the editorial section of the newspapers and had also started reading the novels. For QA and DILR, he had solved mock tests and multiple puzzles daily for around 2 hours. For candidates preparing for CAT 2022, he has suggested that do not look at any upcoming exam analysis and focus on their preparation to score high in the exam.

Interview with Aditya Shukla Scored 99.56 Percentile in CAT 2021 Exam

Ques: What was your CAT overall and section wise score in the exam?

Ans: My CAT 2021 overall score was 99.56 percentile and the sectional score was:

• VARC - 97.9 percentile
• DILR - 99.7 percentile
• QA - 97.7 percentile

CAT 2021 Scorecard of Aditya Shukla

Ques: Since you are a working professional then how difficult it was for you to prepare for CAT exam?

Ans: The syllabus for CAT is not very wide so to prepare for VARC, I just developed a habit of reading the newspaper daily.

• Other than that, for the preparation of DILR and QA, I focused on solving practice papers on weekends which helped me develop a section-wise strategy.
• Keeping your head calm and executing your strategy while preparing for competitive exam like CAT is of utmost importance so I focused on preparing myself mentally more than anything else.

Ques: When and why did you think of appearing for CAT?

Ans: I am an engineer and already working for an Investment Bank. An MBA would better for long term growth, hence I thought of giving CAT this year and started my preparation in the month of June.

Ques: Did you join any coaching institute? If yes then please tell us which one and why? If not - Why did you go for self-preparation?

Ans: I did not join any coaching institution. CAT syllabus consists of basic English, Maths, and Logical Reasoning which can be covered by self-preparation with little effort on the weekends and sitting for a couple of hours with focus.

Ques: What was your preparation strategy for Verbal?

Ans: Editorial section of The Hindu is amazing. I started reading newspapers every day. Also, I am a big Harry Potter fan so I decided that it was a good time to re-read the books. That's all the preparation I did for VARC.

Ques: What was your preparation strategy for DI and LR?

Ans: I have always enjoyed solving puzzles, so I used to pick random LR sets as a challenge every once in a while.

• There is nothing specific I did for DILR but Arun Sharma's book on LR is amazing, I had solved the entire book for fun in 20 days during my Engineering 3rd year.
• Solving previous year’s question papers had also helped me a lot.

Ques: What was your preparation strategy for Quantitative Aptitude?

Ans: Timely practice is necessary for QA.

• Solving Mock tests was one of the strategies that I had opted for Quantitative Aptitude preparation.
• Picking the right questions to attempt, knowing and backing your strong areas is important which I came to realize with practice.

Ques: How were the last few days before the exam?

Ans: I was on a 9 days holiday before CAT and was visiting Banaras, Lucknow, and Kanpur with friends. I came back home 1 day before CAT, had a good night's sleep, went for the exam with a relaxed mind.

Ques: Which mocks helped you crack CAT ?

Ans: Mocks tests are helpful in time management, preparing section-wise strategy, performance tracking, etc. After every result, I used to check my performance sheet, try and look at why have I fallen short of my personal sectional targets and just make mental notes of those mistakes to be avoided going further.

Ques: One mistake which you think you should not have made either during the exam or during the preparation phase.

Ans: I was able to attempt just enough questions in QA to put up a decent score. Quant is the area where I feel people can visibly improve the most during practice, hence it is always a good idea to put in an ample amount of practice with the section.

Ques: Please recreate the moment for us when you first saw your result.

Ans: I checked the result in the middle of the office meeting. I was expecting a good result but it still came as a pleasant surprise. I told my sister and called my parents after my meeting got over, all of them were very proud.

Ques: What next? Which colleges are you targeting based on your profile and percentile? And how do you plan to clear the GD-PI?

Ans: I would be targetting the Top 6 IIMs (ABC-LKI) based on my profile. Having lived all my life in Ahmedabad and studying in a school right across the road from IIM-A, the college would be a dream come true for me.

• As for clearing WAT-PI rounds, I'd be revisiting my Engineering basics and preparing the basic questions that I am expecting to come across regarding my current job.
• There is no hard and fast syllabus for a b-school interview, anything on your profile and whatever you tell about yourself can become a talking point, so knowing yourself well is important.
• I plan on keeping my head clear and giving each interview my best shot.

Ques: Which other exams did you appear for?

Ans: No, I did not appear for any other management exam.

Ques: What are your long-term goals and how do you think getting into your dream college will help you achieve that?

Ans: My long-term goals are to continue in an Investment Bank, goes without saying that an MBA in Finance from a premier b-school will act as a catalyst in the process.

Ques: What should be an ideal 6 months strategy to prepare for CAT?

Ans: No matter when you're starting your CAT preparation, it is important to start giving mock tests right off the bat. People keep delaying giving mock tests citing that they're yet to cover the "entire syllabus", I feel both things can go hand in hand.

• Mocks are for your personal evaluation and especially in your initial days, it shouldn't matter how much you are scoring in them.
• Start off your preparation with a mock test on day 0 and you will know how big a hill you need to climb.
• If you plan on a 6-month long preparation, for the first 4 months, make sure you write at least 1 test every single week without fail. Even with festivals, birthdays, marriages, work, and all other engagements, it is always possible to find 2 hours in a 168-hour long week.
• They will keep you in touch with what to expect on the day of the exam, it will gradually improve your concentration and time management, you will feel good when you see your performances go up in mocks as you keep practicing along the way.
• Giving mocks along with practice will also give you a perspective on how to prepare.
• Ideally, you should be done with the syllabus within the first 1-1.5 months of starting preparation, however, I leave it to the better judgment of the person preparing, as this time frame may vary from person to person.
• During the second last month leading up to CAT, stop all other preparation, push your strengths, and give as many mocks as possible. When November arrives, leave everything else and just give a few previous year papers with a fresh mind during the first 15 days.
• The next one week should be given to revising your formula sheet and the pointers you would've picked along the way.
• During the final week leading up to the exam, just relax, do nothing, talk to friends and family. A relaxed mind on the day of the exam will take you much farther than the 2 formulas you might miss to cram up during the final week.

CAT is a 2 hours long test of your mental strength, be clear with your personal goals and focus on giving your best shot instead of worrying about superficial benchmarks set by others. Work hard and you will see your dreams come true.

Quick Links:

• CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile
• CAT 2021 Cut off & Selection Process for IITs
• CAT 2021 IIMs Selection Process 2021