CAT 2022 Topper Interview- “FOMO is going to be your biggest enemy” says Mohul Kishore, 99.08 percentiler

Mohul Kishore who bagged, 99.08 percentile in CAT 2022 shares his preparation strategy and important tips for aspirants. Check complete details here.

Read this complete CAT 2022 topper interview of Mohul Kishore to know about his preparation strategy.

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Name and College: Mohul Kishore, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (University of Delhi)

CAT 2022 score- 99.08 %ile

Overall: 84.88

Sectional score

DILR: 23.76 (97.51 %ile)

VA: 32.40 (97.05 %ile)

QA: 28.73 (98.02 %ile)

Shiksha: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? How much score were you expecting?

Mohul: Thankyou! When I started my preparation in November 2021, I always aimed at getting a 99 percentile or more and I feel happy and satisfied that I have fulfilled that goal. Going by my performance in mocks and the amount of preparation I feel I could have scored a 99.5 percentile or more but under the exam’s pressure condition it wasn’t to be. Nevertheless, a 99 is what my initial target was and I’m happy to have achieved it.

Shiksha: Please tell about yourself
Mohul: My name is Mohul Kishore, I am 20 years old and live in Gurgaon. I had Commerce stream in 11^th and 12^th and I am currently in the final year of my graduation from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi University pursuing B.A. (Hons.) Economics. My interests include Squash, Cricket and Swimming.

Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?

Mohul: Yes, this was the first time I sat for the CAT exam while studying in my final year of college.

Shiksha: When did you start preparing for CAT exam? What was your overall preparation strategy?

Mohul: I started my preparation in November 2021, giving myself one full year to prepare. My strategy was to get myself familiarized with the different sections and what they entail. For the first 6 months my entire focus was on completing the syllabus and getting a good grasp of the various topics. In July 2022 with 4-5 months to go for CAT I started giving mocks to get an idea of where I stand. I kept giving mocks every week or two and practiced the areas in which I scored low. The analysis part of a mock is much more important than just giving the mock. I focused on the material provided to me by my coaching and the practice tests for improvement in specific topics.

Shiksha: Please share with us your section-wise strategy.

Mohul: In Quants, I felt a sense of comfort having studied math till class 12 and being in touch with some concepts through economics. I learned all the topics from my coaching regardless of the fact that I may/may not have studied them before. I used Arun Sharma’s book for extra practice of quants, I practiced LOD 1 and 2 questions. Later on, I gave around 8-10 sectional tests.

LRDI, this section being my weak area mainly due to the logical reasoning sets required extra preparation. Once I completed any topic of LR through my coaching, I immediately practiced 5-7 different sets in order to cement my understanding. I used Arun Sharma’s book on logical reasoning for extra practice material. I memorized fractions and percentage conversions to improve calculation speed in DI sets. I also gave 8 sectional tests to practice variety of sets and improve my speed.

VARC section requires one to connect with the core idea that the author is discussing in the paragraph. I read some essays and articles from different sources including Aeon essays for improving my reading speed and accuracy. I also kept noting down all the new words I came across along with their meaning to improve my vocabulary. Apart from this, regular test taking with in depth analysis helped me improve my score in this section.

Shiksha: Which books did you refer to for CAT preparation?

Mohul: I used Arun Sharma’s books for Quants and Logical Reasoning. For DI and VARC I feel that coaching material suffices.

Shiksha: Did you join any coaching institute? How does coaching institute help in CAT preparation?

Mohul: I enrolled for a self-study course from Takshzila (TIWYS) along with their test series.  Coaching institutes and their experienced faculty help students practice the right way and guide us as to how to go about the exam. The resource material is a real convenience for students always in search of important questions. The teaching methodology and learning approach assists the students in familiarizing themselves with the topic, without a coaching institute the preparation journey can become much harder.

Shiksha: How many mock tests did you attempt and how important is a mock test series?

Mohul: I have given close to 20-25 full-length mocks along with 10 sectional tests for each of the 3 sections. A mock series is very important since it gives you a rough idea of where you stand and thus helps you plan your preparation accordingly. It also gives you an insight into the kind of questions you can have trouble with in that 2-hour time frame. A test series helps you prepare an exam day strategy for the final test and familiarizes you with the exam interface.

Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?

Mohul: My plan was to try and attempt all 4 Reading Comprehension since that was my strength and then move on to other VA questions and try maximize my attempts of the non-negative type (TITA) questions. For DILR my plan was to identify and complete the relatively easiest DI set and then try and complete one more set from either DI or LR. In the Quants section my plan was to attempt all the arithmetic questions first since that was my strong suit and then later come back to algebra and try attempt a total of 12-13 questions in the QA section.

Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Mohul: Remain consistent with your preparation, never lose sight of the goal and keep working for it. Stick to one resource material till completion, do not keep switching resources. FOMO is going to be your biggest enemy but keep trusting yourself and your preparation.

Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Mohul: My first preference naturally goes towards the BLACKI IIMs followed by my institutes like FMS, MDI, SP Jain, XLRI etc.

Shiksha: Tell us something about your educational background, family, hobbies, and profession.
Mohul: I have always been a decent student, I scored 92% in class 10, took up commerce stream in 11^th and scored 96% in class 12. I am currently studying economics at Delhi University. My father is an MBA graduate and it was my father who encouraged me to go for an MBA. My hobbies include squash, swimming, and cricket. I also like listening to songs in my free time.

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