We bring to you an interview with Yash Jain, pursuing MBA from K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research. This interview will be helpful especially for the CET Aspirants appearing for the Exam in March 2016.
1.Tell us about your educational background. Why did you decide of pursuing MBA? Also please tell us your CET score.
I have done my Bachelors in Management Studies (B.M.S) from Lala Lajpat Rai College, my junior college from H.R.College and my schooling from Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai. Since childhood, I have always been inclined to do an MBA. I always felt and now experiencing that the best way to improve your skills, is through an MBA. It is a perfect mixture of theoretical and practical exposure and it even teaches you how to use that theory in a practical situation.
I gave my CET in 2015 and scored a 99.1 percentile
2. Did you expect to do so well in MH-CET?
I believe hard work really pays off. I used to love solving CET questions and I had given a lot of mock tests as practice. After giving the mocks, I used to always analyse them and see where I went wrong and how I could improve in the next one. Always learn from your mistakes.
3. When and how did you start planning your time and strategies for the exam on the whole?
Since I was working in an organization when I was preparing for CET, I knew I had to start well in advance. I would study while travelling, get up in the morning and study and give mock tests after office.You should be willing to give CET and not doing it forcefully, only then will you succeed. You should know your strengths and weaknesses and try improving the time spent on each question, as at the end of the day CET is all about speed.
4. Did you follow any particular method of learning for individual areas? Was it always about working on the strengths more than focussing on the weakness or vice-versa?
I was very good at English and logical reasoning. So I used to concentrate on quants in the beginning. I used to go through the theory and try understanding the concept first before diving into solved examples and practice exercises. Once I got the concept, I would start concentrating on solving questions faster to improve my speed. I think its utmost important to work on your weaknesses as every mark counts in CET.
5. Which section, according to you, is a decider in the CET?
I feel visual reasoning is of most importance. It depends on a candidate to be able to find the logic behind the question and solve it. It can be very time consuming for some whereas some can solve it very quickly and CET being an exam about speed, this will play a deciding factor.
6. Did your previous educational background aid you in any section of the test-prep?
Having studied from one of the top schools in the country, my English skills were very good which definitely did help me during the CET.
7. Do you think MOCKs or Test Series are a reflection of your future performance? From when should a student start concentrating on these aspects of test prep?
No, I don’t think mocks or test series are a reflection of your future performance, but I feel they are very important to find your strengths and weaknesses and where you are going wrong. Analysing your mocks, and learning from your mistakes in them is the main purpose of giving mock tests. Mocks are most effective only once you complete the portion. Ideally, a person should start giving mocks around 2 months before the exam and analyse each mock as to where improvement can happen. Mocks are the best way to know which strategy works best for you.
8. Finally, last minute tips that you wish to share with the aspirants?
My advice would be to believe in yourself and stay calm during the exam. Do not get stuck on any question, and always answer those questions you are good at first. A few days before the exam , only concentrate on your strengths and improving the speed of solving each question. Wish you all the very best.