CAT 2021 Topper Interview: Know How Maharshi Nagori Scored 99.68 Percentile
Maharshi Nagori scored 99.68 percentile in CAT 2021. Check here CAT 2021 topper interview where he talks about his preparation strategy.
CAT 2021 score
Overall Percentile: 99.68
Sectional:
- VARC - 99.70 percentile
- DILR - 99.64 percentile
- QA - 94.46 percentile
Maharshi Nagori topped CAT 2021 with 99.68 percentile. He is from Ahmedabad, Gujarat and is currently working as a Senior Sales Engineer with an automation company. He passed BTech from Indus University in 2019. He started preparing for CAT in the month of February. Initially, being a working professional, he was preparing for CAT and working full-time simultaneously. For an additional effort, he took leave from the office two months before the exam. Read further to get detailed insights on the preparation strategy of CAT 2021 topper, Maharshi Nagori; here he shares his preparation strategy and tips for future aspirants.
Q: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?
A: I'm satisfied with the score I achieved. I was expecting somewhere around 99+. So I have no complaints.
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.Q: Was this your first CAT attempt?
A: Yes, this was my first attempt at the CAT exam.
Q: When did you start preparing for the CAT exam? What was your overall prep strategy?
A: I started doing my research on CAT and MBA colleges around February. Once I was convinced about perusing an MBA degree, I started with daily one hour reading newspapers and solving arithmetic questions. With the exam approaching, I took a leave from work for two months and focused entirely on exam preparation. I will always advise any working professional to prepare for full-time at least for a month. While preparing for exams I used to indulge in my hobbies so that the exam stress does not overwhelm me. I believe taking a good number of quality mocks is the key to good preparation.
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?
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Q: Please share with us your section-wise strategy.
A: There is one common strategy, which is you need not solve all the questions in cat exams. We need to work on our strengths and achieve the highest possible accuracy in that topics. For VARC, reading always helps. And the habit of reading a complete newspaper taking 1-1.5 hours daily helped me to score well. For Quant, we need to understand that we don't need to cover all the topics. I did complete Arithmetic and Geometry because they have a max number of questions in the exam. Every other topic I learned while analyzing mocks. And for Lrdi, the strategy is fairly simple, solve as many varieties of questions as you can.
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Q: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation?
A: I did not refer to any particular books for any of the sections. From engineering time, I had a habit of learning from the Internet. So, for CAT, I did the same. I use to learn the concept from YouTube or other sites. But for practising and taking mocks, I used an online mock test with AI features and It was very helpful.
Also Read: Best Books to Prepare for CAT
Q: How many mock tests did you attempt and how important is a mock test series?
A: I took 20 -25 mocks before the test day. And I will recommend anyone to take at least 15 -20 mocks. It helps to understand strengths and to make test-taking strategies. As CAT is the game of figuring which questions to leave, knowing those questions is possible only if one has taken enough mocks.
Q: Is it hard to get a seat in IIM Bangalore?
Yes, IIM Bangalore is one of the toughest business schools to get admission to, and every year, even CAT 99+ percentilers miss out on a call from the institute. IIM Bangalore uses multiple parameters, namely academic performance as well as candidates' scores in CAT/GMAT to select candidates for the PGP programme. IIMB adopts a two-phase selection process and accordingly, these selection criteria are applied in two phases. The first phase of the process is applied to all eligible candidates who appear for CAT to determine candidates to be called for a personal interview (PI). Candidates selected for the PI process will be additionally required to take a Writing Ability Test (WAT).
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: Can I join IIM without CAT?
No, one can't join IIM without CAT. Candidates seeking admission to the IIM Ahmedabad MBA course must appear for CAT and secure 90 percentile. The Institute considers Writing Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds for final admission to IIM Ahmedabad along with CAT results. Students must meet both, the overall CAT cutoff percentile and the sectional cutoffs.The Institute does not release CAT cutoffs in the public domain and are exclusively accessible only via account login to candidates who have appeared for the exam.
Q: What is the CAT score required for IIM Calcutta?
The table given below mentions IIM Calcutta sectional and overall cutoff 2024 across all sections and categories:
| Category | Section - 1 (VARC) | Section – II (DILR) | Section – III (QA) | Overall Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPEN | ≥80 | ≥80 | ≥75 | ≥85 |
| EWS | ≥70 | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥75 |
| NC-OBC | ≥70 | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥75 |
| SC | ≥65 | ≥60 | ≥60 | ≥70 |
| ST | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥65 |
| PwD | ≥45 | ≥45 | ≥45 | ≥55 |
Q: Did you join any coaching institute? How does the coaching institute help in CAT preparation?
A: Yes, I joined a coaching institute in Ahmedabad. In normal times joining a coaching institute had many benefits like peer learning and competition. But when everything was online these benefits ceased to exist. Though mentors helped to a certain extent. But it is always one responsibility to work hard. That is what it should be. Saying that, joining a coaching centre when you are appearing for CAT first time, always helps.
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Q: What was your exam day strategy?
A: I stopped studying a day before the CAT exam. I had the test in the third slot, so I woke up late on the exam day, got ready, had lunch and rushed for the exam centre. In this way, I had no time to stress over the exam. And it surprisingly worked.
Q: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
Know yourself and know your strengths and choose strategies that suit you. Every individual is different, and what works for one, does not work for all. So, one must use techniques that are suited to one's strength. And to know one's strength, we will need to solve a lot of questions. Most importantly, do not overthink or stress out. Enjoy the process and then enjoy the results.
Q: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?
A: I, being from Ahmedabad, wish for IIM Ahmedabad. Besides IIM-A, I will be happy to get into any of the following top MBA colleges in India:
| What After CAT Result? | |
Q: Tell us something about your educational background, family, hobbies, profession.
A: I am an Electronics and Communication Engineer. Currently, I work as Sr. Sales Engineer for Shubham Automation Pvt Ltd. I have a keen interest in fitness and nutrition and believe in living a sustainable healthy life. Because of my interest in the field, I also hold a certificate in Food and Nutrition. I am a big sports buff, I enjoy every sport. Additionally, I have been part of football and basketball teams at school and used to play cricket at University. I have always been inspired by my mother, and she is the strongest person I know. She completed her PhD at the age of 50+ while working as a professor and taking care of two sons. This gave me the motivation that I can prepare for CAT while working a full-time job. I will always dedicate whatever little bit of success I get in my life, to my mother.
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With a creative soul, Abhishek is inclined towards anything in the creative space be it drawing, painting, craft, or writing. He has been working in the ed-tech industry since he started his career. Besides creative... Read Full Bio
Comments
(1)
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.
The cutoff percentile for admission to top business schools varies from year to year and also depends on factors such as the number of candidates, difficulty level of the exam, and the number of available seats. In general, a percentile score of 90 or above is considered a good score and can help you secure admission to some of the top business schools in India. However, to increase your chances of admission to the top-tier business schools, a percentile score of 95 or above is preferred.