What happens when three CAT legends sit at one table and dissect every mark‑winning move? You get a masterclass that turns guesswork into a step‑by‑step playbook. Watch Khushal Agarwal (CAT 2024, IIM Bangalore ’27), Divyansh Gupta (CAT 2019, FMS Delhi ’22) and Rishi Mittal (CAT 2019, IIM Bangalore ’22) reveal the rituals, mindset flips and mock‑analysis hacks that pushed their scores to a flawless 100 percentile. From stamina drills that silence exam‑hall anxiety to ruthless accuracy tactics for Quant, DILR and VARC, this video distils years of trial‑and‑error into two electrifying hours. Hit play, take notes and start scripting your own IIM acceptance story today right now.
1 | Mock Analysis: The 100 %ile Moat
The Problem: Most aspirants “review” one mock, glance at solutions, and jump to the next. Zero patterns, zero insight.
What the Toppers Do
| Step | Action | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Batch 3 mocks in 7 days | Gives ~60 questions/section—enough data to spot real patterns. | |
| Error Log → Concept Gap, Speed, Silly, Guess | Tags root cause so you address the right problem first. | |
| 48‑hour Concept Fix | Re‑solve only the Concept Gap bucket before it fossilises. | |
| Slot Simulation | Take half your mocks in your likely test‑centre time: morning slots dominate Mumbai & NCR; afternoon common in Kolkata & Chennai. (Geo‑nudge) |
2 | Stamina: The Hidden 25 % Weightage
“CAT is 120 minutes of non‑stop reading—TikTok brains hate that.” —Divyansh Gupta
| Week | Daily Task | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 30 min front‑page reading (The Hindu, Mint, Aeon) | Eye‑flight speed & RC comprehension |
| 3–4 | Sectional mock after a 5 km jog/HIIT | Trains cognitive endurance under fatigue |
| 5 | Blank‑Screen Drill: Sit 45 min with no phone before every mock | Replicates CAT hall boredom; calms nerves |
| 6 | Full mock in exact slot; zero water breaks | Locks bladder control & mental focus |
(Khushal credits the blank‑screen drill; Divyansh doubles down on endurance running; Rishi swears by “no‑break” final mocks—the ritual you pick is less important than sticking to one.)
The trio insist that stamina is as measurable as geometry or reading comprehension. For the first fortnight they scheduled thirty minutes of dense reading—think The Hindu editorial or a 3,000‑word Aeon essay—to strengthen eye‑flight speed. Weeks three and four layered physical fatigue into the mix: a sectional mock immediately after a five‑kilometre jog so the brain learns to compute when the body is tired. Week five introduced Divyansh’s signature “blank‑screen drill,” a full hour of enforced silence before every mock, mirroring the CAT hall’s phone‑free boredom. In the final week they simulated the D‑Day slot down to the minute, complete with Rishi’s “no‑water rule,” training both bladder and mind to stay laser‑focused for the entire paper.
3 | Accuracy > Attempt Count—New‑Pattern Reality
-
Paper shrank from 180 to 120 mins; question counts fell, but negative marking stayed.
-
Economics: A wrong answer costs –1 plus the +3 you could have scored elsewhere → –4 net swing.
-
Rule: Cap yourself at ≤3 errors/section in every mock. If you hit 4, drop attempts by 2 in the next test—forces discipline.
Khushal loves to remind students that Quant is “the easiest section—provided you give the examiner nothing to penalise.” With fewer questions and the same negative marking, every wrong answer now equals a net loss of four marks: the minus‑one penalty plus the three you might have scored on a different question. The trio therefore cap themselves at three errors per section, period. In DILR they run a seventy‑five‑second sniff test on each set and walk away if progress is below fifty per‑cent after six minutes—better to salvage accuracy than bleed marks on stubborn puzzles.
4 | Section‑Wise Sprint Framework
Quant (Khushal’s Two‑Lap Sprint)
-
Lap 1 (0‑12 min): Skim 22 Qs → star 8–10 freebies.
-
Solve Batch 1 (12‑32 min).
-
Lap 2 (32‑37 min): Re‑scan, pick 3–4 medium.
-
Wrap & review (37‑40 min).
DILR (Divyansh’s Set‑Sniper)
-
75 s “sniff test” per set.
-
Hard‑stop at 6 min if <50 % progress.
-
Target: 3 clean sets = 99 + percentile.
VARC (Rishi’s Order‑of‑Attack)
| Clock | Task |
|---|---|
| 0‑24 min | 4 RCs (easiest → hardest) |
| 24‑32 min | Parajumbles, General Inference |
| 32‑40 min | Sentence Elimination & Odd‑One‑Out |
5 | Mindset & Rituals the Brochures Won’t Teach You
| Topper | Underrated Habit | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Khushal | One‑line mantra: “No next time.” | Switches brain to do‑or‑die focus, kills complacency. |
| Divyansh | 60‑min silent sit before mocks. | Desensitises nerves; builds pre‑exam composure. |
| Rishi | Zero‑ego, all‑data approach—“Marks are marks, topic labels don’t matter.” | Avoids sunk‑cost traps on pet chapters. |
6 | Mentorship: DIY vs Personal Coach
| Criteria | Self‑Study | Personal Mentor (as these 3 had) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low upfront; may need repeat attempt | Higher upfront; aim for first‑time convert |
| Mock Feedback | Generic percentile | Tailored sheet with action items |
| 95 → 99 jump | Possible | Easier, faster |
| 99 → 100 jump | Rare | Where mentors earn their fee |
7 | Beat the August–September Slump
-
Micro Goals: 2 mocks + 20 QA drills + 1 DILR set/day.
-
Vision Board: Print IIM‑B stone wall / FMS red facade; pin above desk.
-
Accountability Tribe: Telegram or WhatsApp group limited to ≤5 serious peers—score screenshots only, no meme spam.
8 | Rapid‑Fire FAQ for CAT 2025 (India)
| Q | A |
|---|---|
| How many mocks? | 25 full + 10 sectional minimum. |
| Best cities for offline coaching? | Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad. |
| Start month? | June for working pros, July‑Aug for college final‑years if studying full‑time. |
| Is coaching mandatory? | Up to 97 %ile, no; 99 + typically yes for structured feedback. |
