Competitions

CAT Prep

Upskill

Placements

MBA Co'26

RTI Response

Rankings

Score Vs. %ile

Salaries

Campus Tour

Completing The CAT Syllabus Is A Myth | Tips By Mansi, IIM Lucknow

Jun 27, 2020 | 5 minutes |

Join InsideIIM GOLD

Webinars & Workshops

Compare B-Schools

Free CAT Course

Take Free Mock Tests

Upskill With AltUni

CAT Study Planner

Final 2 Days to CAT 2024 Test-44

Participants: 129

Final 3 Days to CAT 2024 Test-43

Participants: 218

Final 4 Days to CAT 2024 Test-42

Participants: 306

Final 5 Days to CAT 2024 Test-41

Participants: 341

Final 6 Days to CAT 2024 Test-40

Participants: 332

Final 7 Days to CAT 2024 Test-39

Participants: 330

Final 8 Days to CAT 2024 Test-38

Participants: 302

Final 9 Days to CAT 2024 Test-37

Participants: 318

Final 10 Days to CAT 2024 Test-36

Participants: 282

Final 11 Days to CAT 2024 Test-35

Participants: 462

Final 12 Days to CAT 2024 Test-34

Participants: 328

Final 13 Days to CAT 2024 Test-33

Participants: 292

Final 14 Days to CAT 2024 Test-32

Participants: 274

Final 15 Days to CAT 2024 Test-31

Participants: 350

Final 16 Days to CAT 2024 Test-30

Participants: 287

Final 17 Days to CAT 2024 Test-29

Participants: 309

Final 18 Days to CAT 2024 Test-28

Participants: 339

Final 19 Days to CAT 2024 Test-26

Participants: 337

Final 20 Days to CAT 2024 Test-26

Participants: 306

Final 21 Days to CAT 2024 Test-25

Participants: 249

Final 22 Days to CAT 2024 Test-24

Participants: 265

Final 23 Days to CAT 2024 Test-23

Participants: 177

Final 24 Days to CAT 2024 Test-22

Participants: 223

Final 25 Days to CAT 2024 Test-21

Participants: 223

Final 26 Days to CAT 2024 Test-20

Participants: 275

Final 27 Days to CAT 2024 Test-19

Participants: 227

Final 28 Days to CAT 2024 Test-18

Participants: 229

Final 29 Days to CAT 2024 Test-17

Participants: 242

Final 30 Days to CAT 2024 Test-16

Participants: 274

Final 31 Days to CAT 2024 Test-15

Participants: 262

Sometimes things come to you at moments, when you expect them the least.
I started preparing for CAT’19 in June 2018. I was a third-year computer science student at Delhi Technological University and was still a little torn between going for a job or MBA after college. I joined TIME classes at Jhandewala and my only commitment to CAT was ensuring that I attended each and every TIME class. My attitude towards CAT and MBA changed when I faced multiple rejections in securing a summer internship at college. Interestingly, my mind figured that CAT was the easier path (This is so not true btw) and each time I returned home from a failed coding test, my resolve to crack CAT grew stronger. I started paying more attention to TIME modules. I had always heard people say that CAT Quant is a child's play for engineers. My experience was on the contrary. I struggled with being able to solve Quant and DI-LR questions and found VA-RC to be easy. I decided to solve TIME Quant booklets back to back. In the midst of it, I realised it was taking too long, and I was going to run out of time. So, I did fifty questions of each chapter and then moved on to the next. The major part of my preparation was mock tests. I gave 40+ mocks. Each mock was given as if it were the final exam and analysed as if the exact same questions will come in the final paper. This is where I learnt the most. If I was unable to solve questions belonging to a particular topic, I’d sit and solve another fifty questions from that topic. The aim was to improve in the next mock test. However, the results did not grow linearly with the effort. For the first four-five months of giving regular mocks, my percentile more or less remained stagnant (in the 90 to 95 range). The real change came later on when I was able to score 97+ percentile consistently and finally 99+ percentile in the last three mocks I gave. I was pretty confident on the day of the exam and went with a positive mind. But I was very disappointed with the results and had scored less than what I had anticipated. I had always wanted to get into some of the top B-schools and when CAT results were declared, I was sure I had lost my chance. I had scored 98.98& However,  interview calls from some of the good colleges gave me another opportunity. Owing to my decent academic background (95/95/89)  and gender diversity, I received calls from IIM C, L, K, I and FMS. Interviews in itself were a very interesting experience. Preparing for them involved reading the newspaper for 2-3 hours each day, followed by revision of academic subjects and GK.  I  prepared for  WAT  from  Drishti articles,  they give an in-depth analysis of current events for UPSC aspirants. I found interviews to be highly variable and unexpected. There were times when I had prepared very rigorously for academics, GK and current affairs but the interviews felt more like a fun conversation with family relatives. There were also times when I came out of the interview room crying (almost), but converted in the first list itself. As I write this I realise that in retrospect things might look like a straight path, but they were anything but. There were many times I oscillated between coding and CAT. I interned with Expedia Group, Gurgaon in June-July’2019 and secured placement at SAP Labs in August. My elder sister got married exactly a week after CAT, and I had my college exams the day after CAT. My mom was battling cancer in 2018  and  COVID-19  made interviews and admissions very unpredictable. But through it all, I had the support of my friends and my family. I had the constant guidance of my sister and brother in law who had cracked CAT a few years back.
The key takeaways from my CAT experience:
  1. Mocks are the key to cracking CAT: The more mocks you give and analyse, the more you’ll be able to understand the exam pattern and how to ace it.
  2. Completing the syllabus is a myth: There can be an infinite number of questions on each topic, and thinking that you should complete them before giving mocks is risky. Give mocks alongside your preparation and improve as you move along.
  3. Consistency is important.
  4. Don’t put your life on hold just to crack CAT: CAT is just one part of the admission process,  the real deal breakers are  Personal Interviews. Leaving your job/extracurriculars/college courses/daily activities and focusing solely on CAT could make it harder for you to sell yourself in the interview.
In the end, I learned that the most important thing is to believe in yourself and give your best. Sometimes we underestimate ourselves and run from the battlefield because of fear of failure. Give yourself the chance to succeed. Everybody goes through tough times and CAT is a journey that teaches you how to do it with a smile on your face.

***

You May Also Be Interested In Reading -
  1. How Urvi Mehta Cracked IIM Ahmedabad As A Fresher? Tips For CAT 2020 From A 99 Percentiler!
  2. How I Scored 99.46%ile In CAT 2019 In 40 Days | Suhani Singhal, IIM Bangalore '22
  3. How I Made It To IIM Calcutta | Palash Godbole, CAT 2019 99.35%ile
  4. How I Overcame My Obstacles And Made It To XLRI Jamshedpur | Saloni Malhotra