CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Take Mocks and Analyse, says Aditya who Secured 99.9%

Aditya Singh, who scored 99.9% in CAT 2022, shares his preparation strategy and tips for future aspirants in this exclusive interview with Shiksha.com. Scroll down to read!

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: IIM Bangalore released CAT results on December 21 which made Aditya Singh a CAT 2022 topper. Aditya secured an overall 99.9% and is targeting to convert top IIM ABC, FMS, and XLRI. He completed BSc Computer Science from Xavier’s College, Kolkata, in 2020. Post his graduation, Aditya joined Deloitte USI as a Technical Consultant.

His hobbies include playing video games and singing. Additionally, he is fond of playing and watching cricket. In an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com, Aditya shares his CAT preparation strategy and exam day strategy with tips for future aspirants.

CAT 2022 Topper Interview: Highlights

Name of CAT Topper	Aditya Singh
College	St Xavier’s College Kolkata
CAT 2022 Percentile Score
Overall	99.90
VARC	99.80
DILR	99.33
QA	99.00

CAT 2022 Topper Interview with Aditya Singh

Shiksha: Congratulations! Are you satisfied with your CAT result? What was your expected CAT score?

Aditya: Thankyou for your kind wishes. Yes, I am satisfied. I underperformed in my strongest section (QA) but somehow still managed to get a good enough percentile. Different percentile predictors predicted in the range of 99.76 to 99.81 percentile so 99.9 was a pleasant surprise.

Shiksha: Was this your first CAT attempt?

Aditya: This was my third CAT attempt. In 2020 and 2021 I scored 94+ and 95+ percentiles respectively.

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

Aditya: I was repeating CAT this year so I already had all the basic concepts already done. I started practising and strategizing in August 2022.

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

Aditya: My overall preparation strategy for all three sections of CAT 2022 was as follows:

VARC - I was not much of a reader, so I heavily focused on practice. I made it a habit to solve 2-4 RCs with 4-5 VA questions daily and analyse my mistakes. I challenged myself with tough-looking RCs on varied topics. I might not get the questions right, but I developed familiarity with different topics, which improved my vocabulary. As a result I was not intimidated by a tough RC and always believed that I can work my way through the same. For choosing the right answer option, my approach was to eliminate wrong answer choices on BANET principle where 

• B-Broad (in relation to the question/passage)
• A-Alien (to the topic/passage)
• N-Narrow (in relation to the question/passage)
• E-Extreme (in relation to the author's position/passage)
• T-True (true in the passage's context but not applicable to the question)

This helped my arrive at an answer which was typically correct. As Sherlock Holmes said, "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". I have borrowed the BANET principle from a course I took in my 2nd CAT attempt. I had decided to attempt three RCs and all VA questions to score well in VARC

DILR - I believe there is no pattern or set guidelines for DILR preparation. So you practice, practice and practice again. I used to solve and analyse 2-4 sets of different type daily. CAT don't generally repeat a set in DILR so it's unlikely that you will get a known set. So what's important is to develop a knack of solving DILR questions so that you can work your way through an unknown set. Set selection is of utmost importance as one or two right sets can lead to a high percentile. My sectional strategy for DILR was to look for three doable sets and proceed to solve from the easiest one. I ended up doing 2-3 sets most of the time.

QA - This is the only CAT section with a knowledge component attached. QA is the most rewarding section of the CAT. If one can master the basics in this section, a high score is achievable. Slowly and steadily you will see your scores improve in this section once you start practising. My sectional strategy for QA was to attempt all the easy-looking questions in first round and come back to do the questions with moderate difficulty in the second round. I completely ignored difficult questions. I believe 15-18 questions out of the 22 are always doable in the CAT papers of the last 3 years.

Also Read:

VARC preparation tips and tricks

DILR preparation tips and tricks

QA preparation tips and tricks

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

Aditya: I referred to the online study material available on the websites of different coaching institutes.

Also Read: Best Books to Prepare for CAT

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

Aditya: For my first attempt I attended offline coaching classes, post which I only took the online test series. This year I took the test series from two of the most renowned coaching institutes. Coaching really helps a lot, it helps you structure your preparation and it takes a lot of burden off of your shoulders. If you don't enrol at a coaching institute then you need to do a little extra work in managing the preparation but you still can make it.

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

Aditya: I attempted some 30-35 mocks in total. Mocks are a little subjective in my opinion. I know people who have given less than 5 mocks and have scored 99+% and people who have given 30-40 mocks still hardly getting a 90%. So, think of mocks as a tool, not a resource to be exhausted. As a tool, mocks are excellent. They give you an idea of how an actual exam would look. Learn from your mistakes in previous mocks and try to avoid them in future mocks. Mocks will help you build a strategy of how you want to approach and time the paper to maximise your score.

Shiksha: What was your exam day strategy?

Aditya: I have already failed twice before so going by my experience I knew anything can happen in those two hours. So all I thought was that I will go in with a clean slate, no expectations, no fear, no fixed number of attempts, nothing. I was going to take the test as it came. Take one question at a time. Try not to get stuck and waste time. If it is difficult for me it is difficult for everyone out there. Also, it is very important not to bleed out the panic of a bad section into the next one which I had done in my previous attempts.

Also Read: CAT Exam Day Tips

Shiksha: Any tips for future CAT aspirants?

Aditya: A lot of people have different opinions on CAT. Some find CAT easy, some find it difficult. I would say it's just a test. Easy or difficult depends on the individual’s preparation strategy. So don't have any preconceived notions about the exam, take a mock test and decide for yourself. Depending on your level, devise a strategy to approach the exam in a balanced manner giving equal effort to all 3 sections. Don't take the exam too seriously, it tends to create pressure and panic. Enjoy it. Don't be overconfident about any section if you're good at it. Keep on practicing. Consistency is the key.

Shiksha: Which IIMs /Institutes are you targeting?

Aditya: I'm targeting the following colleges:

• IIM Ahmedabad
• IIM Bangalore
• IIM Calcutta
• FMS, Delhi University
• XLRI

What After CAT Result?
PI Preparation	GD Preparation

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