For all three attempts that I took, I followed the same strategy, with some tweaks here and there. Instead of a daily quota, I decided to set a weekly Target of 105 questions in Quants (focus on Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and some topics of Modern maths, skipping Combinatorics), 7 hours of Reading from Aeon, 7 RCs and 14 DILR sets. If I missed n number of questions a day, I would make sure to cover it up in the subsequent days of the week.
What it helped me achieve was consistency, prevented burnout and helped me lay a foundation for the concepts for the type of questions that CAT throws at you.
However, this was not enough. The most significant impact was through mocks. I solved them as per the schedule of the mock provider and analyzed them which gave me an insight into what I was doing wrong when it came to performance in an actual exam simulation.
First Attempt:
My first attempt was in 2022. It was a very embarrassing one. However, it laid the foundation for my future preparation. It opened my eyes to my strengths: VARC (99.6 Percentile) and weaknesses (less than 75 percentile in both DILR and Quant). Overall, I scored 95.6 percentile.
I introspected a lot and narrowed down the cause of the problem to a lack of practice of a better set of questions and not enough practice of those questions.
Second Attempt:
The second attempt was for CAT 2023, For this season, I majorly worked on my previously recognized shortcomings and managed to improve substantially, with the given constraints. I enrolled with Cracku, as I had heard from some peers that the content in their study material was tough, and their recorded lectures and self-paced study program would work perfectly for me, as I didn't have the luxury to attend live classes.
I practiced questions and solved mocks from Cracku dashCATs and IMS simCATs. This time, I managed to score 97.11 percentile. With a 98 percentile in verbal and more than 89 percentile in Quant and DILR. Got calls from SPJIMR, CAP, IIFT and MDI G.
The GDPI season was a mixed bag. I got a high waitlist in SPJIMR, converted to all CAP colleges (except for Udaipur) and converted MDI HR program. I had solid options this year for me to pick. By this time, I had accumulated almost 3 years of work experience.
I had many options to consider at this point. Going for the colleges that I had a convert from or another attempt at CAT, I decided to take one last shot at CAT. A part of me wanted to touch the fabled 99 percentile mark. I decided to listen to my heart and set out to achieve, what seemed impossible at the time.
Third and final attempt:
Studied this time, yet again from Cracku's study material, their dashCAT mocks and for a good measure took up IMS' simCATs, VARC1000 and CL's CDC mocks. I followed the same strategy that I had followed so far. However this time, I made one major change in my approach. I had realized by this time, that my concepts were clear. Yet my mock scores did not reflect that. I couldn't solve the questions while attempting the mock in the test window but during analysis, the solution came to me naturally. I had found out my core problem. It was the pressure to perform when the stakes were high. Thus, weak Basics was not the issue. Solving hard questions was not the issue. The issue was solving it under the pressure of a competitive environment. I decided to try a risky strategy.
Towards the start of October, I was only solving mocks. No analysis, no discussion, no looking at the instructors' approaches, just attempting the mocks. Going as high as 4 mocks a week. I was building up endurance for the hard questions in an exam environment. I took leave from the office but made sure to give my best during the mock tests. I took one other guy's advice and started solving the mocks with a tired mind, just after coming back from the office. I would even doze off during the mocks, wake up and solve the remaining questions with a level of unfound urgency. I felt like it was too much at that point. However, surprisingly it further contributed to my endurance and built it up very nicely for the eventual morning slot, that I got assigned Now, even though I was yawning during the exam, the capacity that I had built up would still help me evade the lethargy.
My scores hovered between the 90-95 percentile initially. And towards the end of October, they started touching the 99 percentile mark consistently.
Having said all of this, the strategy did come with a risk of burnout. Thus, I reduced it to two mocks a week starting in November and just one mock 1 week before the actual CAT.
The last week I spent doing nothing but revisiting the concepts, and catching up on my responsibilities at work
The D-Day arrived:
The morning slot didn't faze me one bit. I was yawning throughout the 2-hour exam and still managed to breeze through the exam. I had trained my mind to perform under lethargy. Most importantly, I held my composure. I was not nervous. I had internalized the mindset that I had nothing to lose. I went out of the exam hall, for the first time with a good feeling, despite making 2 silly mistakes in quant that cost me 8 marks.
When the results were out. I was taken aback. I had expected to touch just the 99th percentile mark. But it went way beyond that.
Overall I managed to score 99.66 percentile. With a 99.57 in VARC and a 98.28 in both Quant and DILR.
I was elated, not just by the number on the screen, but by everything it stood for. From a hesitant 95.6 to a soaring 99.66, from cracking under pressure to thriving in it, this wasn’t just a test score, it was the culmination of years of quiet grit, relentless self-work, and unwavering belief.
GDPI Season:
GDPI season started. I had calls from IIMs Bangalore, Lucknow and Mumbai. SPJIMR, IIFT Delhi MDI Gurgaon, all the CAP colleges and new IIMs.
This was another challenge in itself. I worked on my SOP, keeping in mind who I was, the decisions that I took, the struggles that I overcame and where I intended to be after my MBA. It required a lot of introspection, developing a clarity of mind and a lot of mock PIs to finally arrive at the version that I wanted to present to the panel.
Had great interviews at SPJIMR, Lucknow, MDI G, IIM Mumbai and IIFT Delhi. I managed to speak everything that I wanted to and went out of the interview with no regrets
Final Results:
Retrospectively looking at things, I think SPJIMR, could have gone a bit better. I hadn't anticipated that the Group INTERVIEW would turn into a Group DISCUSSION and I guess that cost me some points. Bangalore was a disaster, to put it mildly. Fumbled it badly. I Guess for the first time in my life, my bravado and confidence were nowhere to be found. Nerves got to me that day.
When the results came out, there was some disappointment mixed in with triumph. I was Waitlisted high in SPJIMR, IIM Lucknow and IIM Bangalore, but had a convert from IIM Mumbai, IIFT Delhi and MDI Gurgaon.
I was thrilled with the results. I deliberated a lot among my 3 converts. All three are equally good in my opinion and one should seriously be looking at their own goals, profiles, future aspects and the opportunities the campus presents to make this decision.
After talking to seniors & considering my profile, I decided to finally join IIM Mumbai.
The most important factor that helped me decide was the interview that I had. It was the most memorable one of all. I had an opportunity to show some niche knowledge of Geopolitics and the EV Industry that had so far not been asked of me in any interview.
After the interview, I knew this place was the one I wanted to be in if I wanted to become the professional that I had envisioned myself to be, for what I wanted from an MBA experience, and I knew I would be joining an Institute that has one of the richest legacies in the entire country.
This was more than a result; it was a redemption. And now, I step into IIM Mumbai with clarity, confidence, and the quiet pride of someone who didn’t quit.
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