The CAT exam is a tough nut to crack, and it takes a well-organised strategy and a bucket load of determination to crack the exam. So what kind of strategy would a CAT topper recommend that can help aspirants get a ninety-nine percentile score? In this video, we speak with a CAT 2018 topper who scored well over 99 percentile in the exam and got into one of India's elite business schools. If you're looking for tips from a CAT topper to crack the DI-LR section and improve your mock test scores, then you don't want to miss this video!
When Himanish Sinhababu took his first mock test, it was a disaster - he managed only an 80 percentile score, but he instantly knew where he stood in terms of his preparation. He attempted CAT 2016 and did well, but decided to re-take the exam after gaining a certain amount of work experience. He then took CAT 2018 and scored a whopping 99.55th percentile score which got him calls from the top IIMs and other elite B-schools! Even though he had been preparing hard, this was an unexpected result for Himanish, and he was beside himself. So how did he do it?
In this video, Himanish shares some crucial tips that range from a detailed account of how he managed to strengthen his weak area - the DI LR section, to how he spent hours together analysing mock tests and extracting a tonne of value from each mock he took. He shares excellent in-depth mock test analysis tips and shares with us how he kept himself motivated throughout his CAT journey.
These 15 minutes are packed with a tonne of insights from someone who scored 99.5+ percentile in CAT 2018, and if you're preparing for the CAT exam, then these tips are bound to help you improve your preparation and test-taking strategy. Don't miss this!
Key Takeaways From This Video
An essential piece of advice that Himanish shares with all CAT aspirants is - don't overhype CAT. The exam is not worth stressing-out about, and though you must prepare for the exam with high intensity, CAT is not the end of the world. When you sit for the test, relax, and do your best!
Here's what else he had to share:
- Before starting your CAT preparation, take a mock test. This will help you understand exactly where you stand in terms of your preparation. It is also an indication of the lowest percentile score you are likely to get in the real test! Here are all your mock test FAQs answered by a four-time CAT 100%iler!
- Don't trade-off accuracy for the number of attempts. Even if your number of attempts is low, maintain at least 85-100% accuracy, and you will see a significant improvement in your scores.
- If you're struggling with the DI-LR section, spend the first 7-8 minutes of the section to select the sets that you are sure you will solve. This will help you maximise your score in the section! Just solving 3-4 sets completely or 16 questions overall in this section can easily fetch you a 99+ percentile score. Here's a detailed guide on cracking the DI-LR section of CAT.
- If you're struggling with the VA-RC section, spend a lot of time reading from a variety of sources. This will help you comprehend passages better, and will also help you increase your reading speed! Here are the best resources you can start using today to prepare for the VA-RC section.
- The number of mock tests you take and analyse is directly proportional to how confident you are during the actual exam. Analyse each mock test by comparing the time spent per question by you with that of the topper(s), as well as by solving the unattempted and incorrectly answered questions - first, without a timer, and then with one.
Himanish's Academic Profile & CAT 2018 Performance
Himanish is an Engineer from Jadavpur University. The following is his academic profile:
10th/12th/Graduation - 91.60/93.40/8.12
Himanish scored 99.55 percentile in CAT 2018. The following is his overall CAT 2018 performance:
OA/VA-RC/DI-LR/QA - 99.55/98.13/96.96/99.50
Himanish is currently pursuing his dream of a Supply Chain Management career and is a student at NITIE Mumbai - one of India's top management institutes and a gem for GEMs.
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IIM Ahmedabad. Here, she shares her journey to a 99+ percentile score, the challenges along the way, and her learnings from it. She discusses in depth how one can improve their weak areas in CAT and how effective mock test analyses can go a long way in achieving this.
How do CAT 99 percentilers gear-up for the exam? What is the number of hours they spend studying? How do they improve their weak areas, and how do they extract maximum value from mock tests? To find out, we spoke with someone who was in the top 0.08% of all CAT 2018 test-takers and made it to one of India’s top business schools – IIM Indore. In this video interview, he reveals how he prepared for CAT and lays out some un-missable tips for all CAT aspirants.
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