Profile :
10th – 83.6%
12th- 87%
Grad. – 60% (BMS)
CAT 2018 – 99.16 percentile
Calls – FMS, IIM K , MDI, IIM S, IIT-D, CAP IIMs
My preparation revolved around using my time as abundantly as possible, considering I had a lot of it as I had decided to take a drop for CAT Prep. After taking CAT 2017 I had a fair idea about the places I lacked and I decided to focus on improving my weakness while honing my strengths side by side through mocks.
I joined iQuanta course for its famed tricks and shortcuts for the QA section, which I knew to be my weakest. I had scored 99.17 in LRDI in my first attempt so I was fairly confident about it. Similarly for VARC, it was my strongest section in my estimation. Thus for these two I decided to practise daily rather than starting from square one.
VARC –
For this section, ability to understand lengthy passages holds the key. I regularly read editorials from two newspapers The Hindu and The Indian Express. One must always ensure diversity while reading passages. Even in the CAT exam the 5 passages concern a whole world of issues ranging from philosophy to economics. Along with this Word Power Made Easy ensures a healthy vocabulary which helps in understanding of complex passages. Most importantly SIMCATs and AIMCATs help in planning a section where time usage is of the utmost importance.
LRDI –
For this section persistence is the key. I tried to solve at least 4-5 sets of LRDI daily in a time bound manner. In this regard, Iquanta group was handy as frequently sets from previous exams and mocks were provided for practise. Lastly this section can be perfected the most through mocks. You have to plan which sets to attempt and which to not. Approaching the section randomly can be a recipe for disaster and panic.
QA –
I was petrified of this section, Geometry and Numbers gave me many sleepless nights. I was hell bent on not letting it become a weakness. Hence I joined the iQuanta course. I can’t stress enough how helpful it was. Shortcuts tricks and applied logics enabled me to solve complex problems in a matter of seconds. That book of notes was like a holy book to me and I made it a point to revise it and the classes daily. This helped my scores in mocks and went from scoring in 70s in this section to the 90s.
On the D-Day what separates the good candidate from the best is the strategy. You should always have a plan for each section. Facing unexpected problems and getting stuck in questions can easily derail a man without a plan. Ensure that you plan how to use each minute of those three hours and you will sail through.
-Bhrigu Chopra
