Mohit Babu, a BTech student, shares his CAT 2021 success mantra with Shiksha. Read the article below to know more.
A BTech student from Ranchi, Mohit Babu, scored 99.85 percentile in CAT 2021 exam. Mohit is pursuing BTech from the National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology, Ranchi. He is a fitness enthusiast and loves to travel to sparsely explored places. He also keeps a keen interest in Finance and loves reading informative novels related to finance and economics. Mohit shared his CAT success journey with Shiksha. Read the article below to know more.
CAT 2021 score:
Overall: 99.85 percentile
Sectional:
VARC: 99.94 percentile
DILR: 96.90 percentile
QA: 98.64 percentile
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: Thanks. Ever since I started preparing I had the score of 99.7+ percentile in my mind as it would ensure a call from all major B-Schools. So I would say that I am pretty satisfied with this score.
Q: Was this your first CAT attempt?
Q: How much percentile is a good score in CAT exam?
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.
Q: How much percentile is a good score in the CAT exam?
Q: How is the CAT score and percentile calculated?
A: Yes this was my first CAT attempt. However, I had been following CAT since last year so it wasn't a new experience altogether for me.
Q: When did you start preparing for the CAT exam? What was your overall prep strategy?
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A: I started my preparations in April 2021. My strategy mostly involved solving the previous years' mock papers from different coaching institutes. After that, I analysed my weak areas and then focused on improving them.
Q: Please share with us your section-wise strategy.
A: For VARC I started reading articles from Finshots and Aeon and then transcribing them in my own words. This improved my comprehension skills and helped me with parajumbles too.
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?
You can't prepare specifically for DILR. However, there are some topics such as Venn Diagrams and Arrangements that are in almost every set. So I focused on them and started solving as many DILR sets as I could.
In Quant, I attempted past mock series and marked the areas I lacked in. Then I referred to Sarvesh Verma's Quantitative Aptitude book and cleared my basics from there.
Q: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation?
A: I referred to Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT and Verbal Aptitude by Sarvesh Verma and also the ETS GRE Big Book.
Q: Did you join any coaching institute? How does the coaching institute help in CAT preparation?
A: If you are dedicated, self-motivated and can stick to sincere practice then you don't need any coaching. But coachings will definitely give you a competitive edge because they will be sharing their years of experience which you can't have on your own. Also, they will keep you regular in your studies and you'll get to know the competition pool you'll be facing.
I too joined a coaching institute in my hometown solely for mentorship and competitive purposes.
Q: How many mock tests did you attempt and how important is a mock test series?
A: I attempted all 16 SimCAT mocks and more than 30 Take Home Mocks. Mock test series are definitely important as they help you face the time constraints beforehand and plan a strategy for the actual exam.
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Q: What was your exam day strategy?
A: On exam day I made sure to not let any question get to my ego. I planned to spend only two minutes on any question and then come back to it later only if I believed I knew how to solve it. I also tried to avoid any questions that involved time taking calculations.
Q: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
A: My only tip would be to start giving mocks as early as possible and analyse them in detail. It is okay if you feel that you don't know anything in the beginning, you'll improve with time. But analysing your mocks will train you in taking the CAT exam.
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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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 19 hours ago
To download the CDAC C-CAT admit card, the candidates will have to visit the official website at cdac.in. The login credentials required to access the CDAC C-CAT admit card are the candidate's application form number and password. During the registration process, the candidates should check their ap
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Beginner-Level 3
Answered 19 hours ago
Yes. CDAC C-CAT admit card is released online. The candidates will be able to access the CDAC C-CAT admit card download link online at cdac.in. No other mode will be used by the authorities to release the CDAC C-CAT admit card. To log in, the candidates will have to provide the required credentials.
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Beginner-Level 3
Answered Yesterday
No, SKILL-CAT exam is not compulsory to get into MBA at Symbiosis Skills and Professional University. Candidates can also apply with a valid score of national-level examinations. The accepted entrance exams are CAT/MAT/SNAP/GMAT, etc. After shortlisting candidates based on exam scores, the universit
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered 3 days ago
LEAD college og management ofers admissions based on entrance and merit. The institute offers courses such as MBA AND MCA for duration 2 year full timemode.
Candidates must have minimum marks of 50% in graduation from a recognised university or college. Apart from this, candidates must obtained vali
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered 4 days ago
Hi Sanjana,
MDI Gurgaon primarily accepts CAT scores for admission to its PGDM programs. For Indian students, a valid CAT score is required. However, for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Foreign Nationals, and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), a GMAT score is accepted.
The last date to apply for the PGDM,
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 4 days ago
Dear Sayandip,
Achieving a 60 percentile in the CAT exam may not meet the typical cutoff requirements for admission to the KIIT School of Management (KSOM). Based on available information, KSOM generally considers candidates with higher CAT percentiles for admission.
Typical Cutoff Percentiles for KS
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, Mangalmay Institute of Management and Technology accepts the CAT exam for admission to MBA and MBA+. Further, the college accepts other entrance exam for admission to MBA, such as MAT, XAT, CAT, CMAT Additionally, the college has some basic eligibility criteria that differ from course to course
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
No, CAT score is not required to secure MBA admission at The Neotia University. The university provides merit-based admissions to eligible applicants. Candidates who fulfil the course-specific eligibility criteria can visit the university's official website to apply. They must upload all the require
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Manipal University offers admission to several MBA courses via its affiliated college called TAPMI Manipal. The institute accepts several national-level entrance exams, such as CAT/ XAT/ CMAT, and NMAT, for admission to the MBA/PGDM courses. During the TAPMI Manipal MBA cutoff 2023, the CAT cutoff p
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, freshers can apply for the MBA program at the National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM). For admission, NIFM considers scores from various entrance exams, including CAT, CMAT, XAT, MAT, and GMAT.
With a CAT percentile of 76.41, you have a good chance of securing admission at NIFM, as th
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Contributor-Level 8
Which login credentials are required to download CDAC C-CAT admit card?