Anshul Aggarwal
Anshul Aggarwal has a keen interest in Finance, and his passion to increase his knowledge in the field made him decide to pursue MBA. A student of Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, Anshul aimed at pursuing a management programme from IIM Calcutta, and this is when he decided to appear for CAT 2017.
Anshul started preparing for the exam, and his hard work finally paid off when CAT result was announced. With sectional cut-offs VA-92.75, LRDI-99.17, QA-99.09, Anshul scored 99.36 percentile in the exam. He likes listening to music, has interest in politics, and is fond of watching Hollywood movies.
Shiksha got in touch with him to know how he prepared for the exam. Read his exclusive interview here:
Q. How did you feel on seeing your result? Were you expecting this score?
It was truly an ecstatic feeling. It feels great to be among the top 1 percent of the test-takers. My paper went good and I was expecting 98+ percentile But 99+ was a cherry on cake.
Q. Was this your first CAT attempt?
Yes, this was my first CAT attempt.
Q. What area of specialisation do you plan to opt for?
I plan to opt for Finance. Finance has always interested me and I look forward to increase my knowledge in the same.
Q. Tell us about your preparation strategy.
I started by completing the basics of all the 3 sections of CAT. After completing the basics, I gave the fundamental tests of all sections. I also enrolled for test series of T.I.M.E. (Aimcats) and simultaneously started doing the advance level questions. My main focus after completing the advance level questions was to give as many sectional tests as possible. And finally before CAT exam, I had already given around 30 full mocks and around 100 sectional tests.
Q. What was your weak areas and what did you do to improve the same?
I didn’t have much problem in the Quant and LR-DI section, but was not able to score in VA section and thus I found that I was weak in RC section. So I started reading as much as possible. I made it a habit of reading the newspaper daily which gave me confidence while solving RCs in mocks. Gradually, I was able to increase my score.
Q. Is it important to join a coaching institute?
According to me hard work and practice will alone make you successful in CAT. If one is sure he can practice enough and work hard on his own, self-study is sufficient. Then I think only enrolling for the test series can help one crack the CAT.
Q. What’s your dream institute?
Since I am interested in Finance, IIM Calcutta which is considered to be one of the best colleges for finance in the country is the college which I have always wanted to be a part of.
Q. Any tips for future CAT aspirants?
The key to succeed is practice and only practice. The more you practice and take mock tests, the more will be your chances to succeed. Do not lose hope in between and try to improve your weak areas simultaneously strengthening the strong areas.
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