CAT 2021 Topper Interview: Know How Vinay Kotwal Made it to the 99 Percentilers Club
Common Admission Test 2024 ( CAT )
Read the article below to know how Vinay Kotwal secured the 99.4 percentile in CAT 2021.
Vinay Kotwal, a Computer Science engineer from Punjab University, secured the 99.4 percentile in CAT 2021 exam. He is working as a Business Technology Solutions Associate in one of the leading firms. He hails from Kolkata and made it to the 99 percentilers club. With an interest in data analytics, he wishes to pursue MBA in Business Analytics. Shiksha got to talking with Vinay and he shared his CAT success mantra. Read the article below to know more.
Also Read: CAT 2021 toppers list
CAT 2021 score:
Overall: 99.4 Percentile
Sectional Percentile:
VARC: 97.24
DILR: 99.81
Quant: 95.96
Q: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.A: Well, I was expecting this score as the Quant section did not go very well. I was expecting around 110. But I am satisfied with my score.
Q: Was this your first CAT attempt?
A: This was my second CAT attempt. I also appeared for CAT 2020 exam where I scored 97.95 percentile.
Q: How much percentile is a good score in CAT exam?
Q: How much percentile is a good score in the CAT exam?
Q: How is the CAT score and percentile calculated?
Q: When did you start preparing for the CAT exam? What was your overall prep strategy?
A: I started my CAT preparations in February 2020, since I also appeared for the CAT last year. Being from a mathematics background, I had a hold over the Quant section. I mainly focused on the VARC section. I referred to Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. I also used to read the newspaper daily to improve my English. I practiced Quant questions every day but I also focused a lot on the VARC section.
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Q: Please share with us your section-wise strategy.
A: For VARC, I used to read newspapers daily and a lot of editorials. Because I think reading is very important as it helps you with the RC questions and the approach to these questions gets better.
For DILR, I think it is better to practice all kinds of questions so that you can choose which questions to attempt on the exam day. So I prepared and practiced various combinations of the questions.
For QA, I used to practice a lot. This section was a little easier for me, but I made sure to practice QA questions every day.
Q: What is sectional cutoff in CAT exam?
Sectional cut off in CAT exam refers to the section wise percentiles required by the candidate for making it to the Personal Interview round of the IIMs or other top MBA colleges. The sectional cut offs are lower than overall cut offs of any institute. To understand better, check the table below for sectional CAT cut offs for IIM Ahmedabad:
Category | VARC percentile | DILR percentile | QA percentile | Overall percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
General | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
NC-OBC-Transgender | 65 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
SC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
PwD (General, NC-OBC-cum-transgender, SC) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
PwD (ST) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
For sectional cut offs of all IIMs, check this article – IIM shortlist and selection criteria
Q: How many questions should I solve to score 99 percentile in CAT exam?
Q: What is the CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow?
Q: What are the qualifying CAT cutoffs for all the IIMs?
Q: Are CAT cut offs announced along with the CAT result?
With over 7 years of editorial experience, Saumya has been a writer at Shiksha for over four years. With a bachelor's degree in English literature from Delhi University, she loves to write. A true Delhiite and her l... Read Full Bio
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The CAT (Common Admission Test) is a highly competitive entrance exam for admission to various management programs offered by top business schools in India. The percentile score in CAT exam is based on the relative performance of the test taker compared to all the other test takers.
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