"As A CA AIR, Failing In CAT 2020 Was Difficult To Process" - Harshit Paresh Shah, CAT 98.85%ile, IIM Lucknow

Most Important QA Topics - Analyzing Past Years’ CAT Papers | Quantitative Aptitude

Q) Shed light on why and how did you decide to take the exam in 2021?

2021 was my 2nd attempt at CAT. I had failed miserably in the first attempt. Coming into CAT with the tag of a CA All India Ranker and performing so poorly was a dent in my confidence and self-esteem. I lost faith in my abilities and started doubting myself. It was the first time I was witnessing such a failure. To be at the highest of highs with an All India Rank in CA exams in 2019 and reaching rock bottom with failing at an aptitude exam in 2020 all within a year was difficult to process.

I somehow convinced myself that maybe I was not as good as I thought I was and CAT was not my cup of tea. However, during my prep, I had subscribed to quite a few channels on youtube which posted CAT content, and as the Youtube algorithm goes, it kept suggesting those videos on my feed. Fortunately, I came across a few videos of Inside IIM where people who managed to crack CAT after multiple attempts had shared their stories. It was the absolute perfect motivation that was needed at that point. Those videos led me to a point where I stopped considering myself incapable and started to introspect the reasons for my failure and decided that I will reappear for CAT in 2021.

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Q) How did you prepare? self-study, self-paced courses, or coaching?

I had prepared for the exams all by myself. It was a conscious decision to not go for coaching.

2021 was my second attempt at CAT, I had already introspected and figured out the reasons for my poor performance in the first attempt, so going for coaching did not make sense. What I first did was to try and go through the solutions to the 2020 CAT questions, the ones which I had miserably failed at. After going through a few solutions I realized that I knew the answers and I could have solved them easily. I also managed to crack quite a few questions myself now which back then in the exam hall I wasn't able to. This was an eye-opener and realization of a few facts - I did not fail because I had not studied enough I did not fail because I did not possess the aptitude required I did not fail because I had opted out of joining any coaching class in 2020 I failed because I had not mentally prepared myself enough for the exam.

If I could solve the same exam questions at home then I should have been able to solve them on the D-day at the exam center as well. But panic was the reason that did not allow me to do that. Recovering from a question that you are not able to crack, leaving a question at the right time realizing that it is a difficult one and might take more time than you should be giving to a single question, identifying the right set of questions to solve, having the ability to handle intense stress and pressure for 2 continuous hours and the most important thing is to constantly be aware that you'll be given. So for me, CAT 2021 preparation was more about practicing than conceptual understanding and hence the decision not to opt for any coaching.

Q) While preparing, what were some regular hurdles in the way and how did you overcome them?

For me, it was maintaining consistency and studying on a regular basis was the major hurdle. I was working full time while I was preparing for CAT. So there used to be days where I'd be up until midnight just working and then not get time to study. I was also mentoring CA students at Unacademy. So taking out time consistently was the major hurdle. But I made a point to if not more, just study for 15-20 minutes on bad days. It ensured that I do not go out of rhythm and kept my interest going.

Q) What is the most important aspect of preparing?

Practising solving questions in an actual CAT-like simulated scenario is very important. You might be able to solve a question when you are studying, but solving it under time pressure and for 2 hours at a stretch is what requires immense practice.

Q) Talk about your personal struggles, if any.

There would be times when I'd feel why am I even appearing for CAT. I already have a great job, I like what I do and I am making a good amount of money. Is there really a need to do an MBA. And when people around you say the same it, the feeling gets magnified. So convincing myself to not start becoming too comfortable and stop upskilling myself is something that I had to do on a regular basis.

Q) Tell us about your D-Day experience and how you felt about your months of preparation after the exam?

Well, I'd call myself lucky that I got the same center in 2021 as I had in 2020. So I was familiar with the place and how the whole process works. I had the first-morning slot which is a time comfortable for me, I just had to stay calm, focused, and deliver my best.

Q) Today when you look back at your journey, Is there anything you would do differently or advise the upcoming aspirants against it?

DO NOT TAKE MOCKS LIGHTLY. It is the most important part of your preparation. I had been advised the same, but I did not take it seriously. I thought I'll focus on conceptual clarity, and start writing mocks once I'm done with the portion, but by then it was too late. I could only write 2-3 mocks. So start giving sectionals once you have completed 30-40% of your portion - even though you might not be able to solve half the questions. It is important to solve a question under time pressure and in a simulated exam situation.

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Q) Please Share Your Month-Wise Preparation Insights For Upcoming Aspirants.

I started my preparation in the month of May 2021, that is because it was my 2nd attempt. In my first attempt, I started my preparation in January 2020 itself. The time which one would take to prepare for CAT is subjective depending on how much time can one put in every day and what are one's strengths and weaknesses. For the first 3-4 months it is all about learning the concepts and getting your basics right. I did the same and then started with my sectionals followed by mocks. On weekdays I used to give sectionals and on weekends appear for mocks.

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Q) Please Share The Section-Wise Strategies Followed By You During Preparation.

VARC - I did not feel that there was a need for me to learn anything conceptually in VA basis my analysis of past years' papers and hence I directly started practicing RC and VA questions. Initially, I used to solve IMS practice questions. Then I moved to IMS' sectionals followed by Cracku's. I would have given roughly around 30 sectionals for VARC. And these many sectionals are important for you to design your strategy for the mocks/final exam. Initially, I used to read the entire passage quickly and re-read it again while solving the question. After a few sectionals, I realized that my accuracy is not improving. Hence, I switched to a different strategy, I used to read the passage very carefully the first time itself and then solve the questions. There could be many such strategies eg - Read the questions first and then start reading the passage, attempt VA questions first and then move to RCs.

Quickly skim through all the RCs, eliminate the one with the topic which you are least interested in, and dedicate all your time to answering the balance RCs. All of this will be clear to you only once you appear for enough sectionals. QA- It was a dreadful subject for me being from a non-engineering background. I put the most amount of time into QA. Carefully studied the past year's papers, identified the important topics, and caught the low-hanging fruits first eg. Arithmetic, algebra, and Number systems. I studied from Arun Sharma Sir's book and referred to Ravi Prakash Sir's youtube channel Rodha. I made a point to prepare summary notes (List of formulae, important concepts, difficult questions, etc). I practiced most of the questions across difficulty levels from Arun Sharma. I took about 25 sectionals for QA.

The source is the same - IMS and Cracku. The objective was to increase my speed. Identify the best strategy that works for me and restrict the use of a calculator. DILR - It is the most unpredictable section and hence requires the most rigorous preparation. For me personally, it was a section for which I solved the most number of questions and gave sectionals. I would have solved around 200 sets and given about 35 sectionals of IMS and Cracku combined.