A Non-Engineer's Journey To An IIM - Divyanshu Kothari, IIM Indore

Summary of the video

Divyanshu, a dental student, took the decision to pursue an MBA so that it would add value to his medical career. In this video, he talks about getting out of his comfort zone and needing to learn new skills.

Divyanshu reveals how he prepared for CAT and lays out some un-missable tips for all CAT exam aspirants. He talks about juggling a draining medical job and preparing for CAT simultaneously. He shares how it was tough to manage the time to prepare for CAT, but coaching helped him along.

Next he shares some precious tips on studying math for CAT and GMAT, especially when you’re a non engineer, or have lost touch with math for quite a few years. He shares how he watched strategy videos and read articles, as well as wrote mock tests to be ready for CAT. He talks about honing your strengths as the ultimate CAT strategy. He also talks about cultivating a reading habit to crack the verbal section.

Divyanshu then takes us through his time at IIM Indore and talks about how IIMs are different pedagogy wise compared to other institutes. He shares how studying at an IIM is fast paced with lots of assignments, exams and interviews packed into a short period of time. He talks about the importance of studying with a diverse batch of students. He talks about gaining help from seniors and working on your weak subjects at b-school. He shares the story of being selected for an exchange program from IIM Indore to go to France.

Finally, he talks about the scope of an MBA for a medical professional. He shares how a doctor or dentist too needs managerial skills and an MBA is a great way to learn them.

Here are important takeaways from Divyanshu's interview:

1. You should focus on honing your strengths and making sure your CAT strategies are based on these.
2. Take mock tests, watch videos and read as much as you can to prepare for CAT.
3. Get out of your comfort zone to be able to learn and grow. A learning mindset helps you in any career.
4. A medical professional needs to have management skills, and an MBA is a good option for this.

There's a lot more where that came from! In the coming weeks, we will also be releasing more such insightful interviews with CAT toppers, as we pick their brains for some tips on how you can score 99%ile in the exam. Stay tuned, and post your suggestions in the comments!