CAT 2024 Topper Interview: Rahul Sinha, 99.49 Percentiler Shares His Success Story

Rahul Sinha, a mechanical engineer Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, started preparing for CAT 2024 in February alongside a full-time job. With a high score in mind, he kept his focused on the target throughout. He shared his CAT preparation journey with Shiksha. Read below.

CAT 2024 Topper Rahul Sinha

CAT percentiles Overall: 99.49 (score - 103.83)

VARC: 98.78 (score - 39.67)

DILR: 99.24 (score - 38.94)

Quantitative Aptitude: 97.07 (score - 25.22)

Rahul Sinha scored 99.49 percentile in CAT 2024. He attributes his success to the hard work he put in for nearly a year and constant support of his parents. Originally from Bokaro Steel City in Jharkhand, Rahul is a Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra. He has worked with PwC India as a full-time Associate in their D&A department.

A cricket enthusiast and Virat Kohli fan, Rahul I enjoy trading in stocks, reading books, and watching anime. Shiksha spoke to Rahul to know his CAT preparation journey, challenges he faced and how he overcame them. Read on.

Q: Congratulation! Was this your first CAT attempt?

A: Thanks and No, I gave CAT last year too without any significant preparation to understand the exam pattern and I managed to score 90.7 percentile in that attempt and after that I decided to give it seriously this year again with structured preparation and a lot of practice.

Q: Were you expecting 99+ percentile?

A: I didn’t have specific expectations, but as Norman Vincent Peale said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” My teacher, Jeet Singh, also taught me to always aim for a 100 percentile. So, from the very beginning, I set my sights high and worked with that goal in mind. Of course, there were times when my confidence wavered, especially when CAT mock Test scores didn’t reflect my efforts. However, I chose to stay focused and keep pushing forward, regardless of the outcomes, believing that consistent effort would eventually pay off.

Q: When did you start preparing for CAT 2024?

A: I started preparing for CAT 2024 early, around February, as I knew balancing studies alongside a full-time job would be challenging and require extra time. Initially, I had a few breaks scattered throughout my preparation until August. However, after August, I didn’t take any more breaks, ensuring consistent effort in the final stretch.

Q: What was your CAT preparation strategy?

A: My CAT preparation strategy was straightforward. I started by building a strong foundation by clearing my basics. Once that was done, I moved on to solving a variety of questions, ensuring I covered the different types that could appear in the exam. The most crucial aspect of my strategy was starting mock tests early. Simply completing the CAT syllabus and practicing questions isn’t enough—you need to fine-tune your approach for each section. Mock tests helped me identify what worked best for me and allowed me to refine my strategy for the exam day.

Q: What challenges did you face during your CAT preparation?

A: During my CAT preparation, I faced a few challenges, with time management and consistency being the most significant. Initially, balancing a full-time job alongside preparation was quite difficult. However, over time, I found a sweet spot that allowed me to stay consistent with my studies without exhausting myself. I did take a few breaks in the middle of my preparation to recharge, but after August, I focused on maintaining consistency, with only an occasional day or two off. My advice to anyone preparing for CAT would be to identify your sweet spot as early as possible and stick to a routine that works for you.

Q: Tell us about your section wise preparation strategy?

A: VARC - VARC was my weakest section, so I had to allocate extra time to it from the beginning. I benefited greatly from iQuanta’s VARC Engineering videos and Gejo Sir’s past VARC-1000 lectures. After building a foundation, I practiced 1-2 RCs daily and read essays on unfamiliar or challenging topics like philosophy, society, and culture to broaden my comfort zone. Timed practice was crucial to improving my reading and comprehension speed, which allowed me to attempt more RCs within the given time. Starting in September, I increased my daily RC practice to 2-3 passages and focused on refining my strategy through mocks and sectional tests. By the end, my D-day strategy for VARC was to attempt 2 passages in the first 16-18 minutes, move to all the VA questions (which took about 10-12 minutes), and then attempt the remaining 2 passages with the time left.

DILR - I started well in this section and performed consistently in early mocks by completing the basics quickly and practicing different sets regularly. However, as the difficulty of sets increased, I struggled and sometimes couldn’t complete even one set. To address this, I changed my approach to spend the first 5-7 minutes reading all the sets and ranking them based on difficulty and my comfort level. A key lesson I learned was not to get stuck on a set. If nothing clicked in the first 3-4 minutes, I would move on. Towards the end of my preparation, I focused on identifying my favorite types of sets and understanding how much time I needed to solve them based on their difficulty. My D-day strategy for DILR was to spend 5 minutes assessing and ranking the sets, start with the easiest ones, and strictly avoid spending more than 3-4 minutes on any set or question that didn’t make sense initially.

Quantitative Aptitude - QA, often seen as the most challenging section, can be tackled strategically. I focused most of my preparation on Arithmetic and Algebra, then moved to Geometry. I realized that I struggled with higher-level (LOD 2 or 3) questions, so I decided to attempt them in the first pass only if they were formula-based or struck me immediately. On D-day, I was fortunate to encounter a direct formula-based question. Topics like Number Systems and PnC are not to be neglected, as even a single easy question could make a difference. I ensured that I was well-prepared to attempt any easy question, regardless of the topic, and I would emphasize on regular revision due to the vast syllabus. My D-day strategy for QA was to go through the questions one by one, solve them immediately if they seemed doable, and skip those that didn’t click within the first 30 seconds. I avoided getting stuck on any question and didn’t let ego dictate my approach.

Q: How many CAT mock tests did you attempt?

A: I attempted around 30 full-length mock tests and 12-15 sectional tests for each section during my preparation. Additionally, I solved 6-8 past year CAT papers, treating them as either full-length mocks or sectional tests. I primarily relied on iQuanta’s ICATs and CL’s CDC Pro Mocks, which were instrumental in helping me assess my performance, identify areas of improvement, and make consistent progress throughout my preparation.

Q: Which IIMs and top colleges are you targeting?

A: Of course, all the top IIMs, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, ISB Hyderabad, XLRI Jamshedpur, SPJIMR, IIFT, NMIMS, SIBM, SCMHRD and so many more!

Q: What CAT preparation tips would you like to share with future CAT aspirants?

A: Aim to finish your syllabus as soon as possible and start giving mocks by mid-August at the latest. Mocks help you analyze your strengths and weaknesses, giving you enough time to make improvements and refine your test-taking strategy. Everyone has ups and downs. Even I had mocks where I scored around 30-40, but the key is to learn from them and keep improving. Don’t be discouraged by them. Initially, try giving mocks at different time slots to adapt to all scenarios. However, once your admit card is released, start taking mocks consistently at the exact time slot of your actual exam to sync your mind and body for peak performance. Make the Most of Weekends (for working professionals) - Use weekends wisely to maximize your study hours and keep practicing regularly. Lastly, enjoy the preparation process. It will teach you many skills that go beyond the CAT exam. Stay focused, trust the process, and believe in yourself, if I can do it, anyone can do it!

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