"What new thing did you do today?" this little question by the founder and innovator, Mr Naval Godrej, was all over my workplace at Godrej & Boyce. I joined Godrej post completing my Chartered Accountancy in March 2021, thinking that is where my corporate journey starts, and the academic journey ends. My educational journey was filled with accolades, with 95.50% in the 10th ICSE, 96.80% in the 12th ISC, and an AIR 29 in the Chartered Accountancy exams. I carried forward the same rigour, passion and dedication to my workplace. All was routine until I first encountered a wall with this question painted on it! Suddenly I had a reflective tinkling and pondered how powerful this question was. Post that day, I started noting down one such small learning (no matter how small) in my diary.
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As a finance professional, most of my accumulated daily learnings revolved around finance and accounting. However, one day, while interacting with my leader, I saw him discussing a financial scenario in the context of how the workers operating the machines would be impacted. I was inspired by how comprehensive the perspective of decision-makers is. I realized that CA is only part of the complete end of my academic journey. To fulfil my aspiration as a problem solver, I need to widen my perspective horizons, which is when MBA came into the picture.
Now, the next big question was how am I supposed to crack one of the most dreaded examinations in the country with full-time employment. I remember spending an entire week understanding the MBA space, the CAT exam, the B-school applications and the interview processes. Guidance was necessary, and I enrolled in Career Launcher online classes. After a week of classes, I prepared a written vision, mission and planner. Formally doing things helps a lot. Make yourself accountable, and you will always follow your plans.
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My preparation strategy was straightforward. My day was usually divided into 2 portions – "The Regulars" (which were to be done in the morning before office) & "The Variables" (which were to be done at night post office hours). I planned these two portions for each of the sections of the CAT exam.
For VARC, my 'Regulars' were to read an article daily from Aeon essays or Jstor daily (I made it a point to time myself while reading) and solve 10 verbal ability questions daily. The 'Variables' involved alternating among various genres of reading comprehension and one topic of grammar/vocabulary. Try and be intuitive in answering the VARC section; in most probabilities, first intuitions tend to be correct.
For LRDI, my 'Regulars' were to solve 3 sets of past CAT papers daily. I used to do 'Variables' thrice a week, covering one topic extensively. I plotted subject-wise mind maps for quick revision.
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For Quants, my 'Regulars' were 10 minutes of daily mental math using the mental math website, 20 questions in 25 minutes and revision of multiplication tables. I habitually used a calculator, and avoiding it took some time, so I made it a point to keep all calculators out of sight during Quants practice. For 'Variables', I took one topic per week, made formulas, and analyzed various questions.
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In October 2022, I took one month's leave from my office to dedicate more time to CAT. I solved and analyzed 1 mock every alternate day. I took test series from Career Launcher, IMS, and their daily test packages. For marathon revisions, I used Byjus and Unacademy videos on Youtube.
The test results were out on 21st December 2022. My reaction was neutral. I was happy that I scored above 90 on my maiden attempt; however keeping in mind the competition, I knew it was not the best score.
My father kept up my hopes and explained how things are not just about a single CAT percentile. Most of the B-schools have multi-faceted criteria while selecting candidates. Stage 2 of my preparation began a tough one indeed. The GDPI WAT process is a test of patience and presence. It is not about whether you know the answer to every tricky question thrown your way; it is all about how you handle pressure.
My interview preparation was very interactive. I had a half-hour reflection session with my father from 1 week past the result day to my last interview. We discussed multiple questions from past interviews, trending topics, business scenarios, etc. I also started watching daily videos of Parcham classes for news, Cut the Clutter series of The Print for analysis and Think School for deep-diving into cases. I used to only listen to these videos with my mobile upside down to practice active listening. Using the Anki Flashcard app, I diligently prepared current affairs and general knowledge notes.
I received calls from SPJIMR, IIM Shillong, IIM Indore, IMT, All 9 CAP IIMs, IIT Bombay SJMSOM, and IIT Madras DOMS. The interview processes were mixed. At some interviews like IIM Shillong, I was grilled on my academics and technical, whereas at IIM Indore, all that was tested was my street-smartness. The 2 rounds at SPJIMR were extensive. While the first focused on my technical, the second was full of off-beat questions.
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With God's grace and the blessings of my parents, I converted all my calls and will be joining SPJIMR for their flagship PGDM Finance program.
My advice to CAT aspirants would be – Plan before you act and be intuitive in exams as well as interviews. Nothing in this entire world is impossible. Trust yourself and the process. It might tire you, but it will definitely reward you. My best wishes to everyone!! Keep learning & Growing.
