Son of Ludhiana-based farmer tops CMAT 2016 exam

Nineteen-year-old Jugad Singh Grewal has finally put an end to the winning streak of engineers in MBA entrance exams.

Earlier this month, 17 engineers topped CAT 2015 exam. Previous CMAT exam toppers were also engineers.

Ludhiana-based Singh is a science student and a farmer’s son. But this teenager is very clear about his life.

“There’s a lot of hardship in farming. I have seen my father struggling, often taking mid-night trips to ensure everything is okay in the fields. That’s not what I want. I want to be a manager and rise up the corporate ladder,” he says.

Singh wants to follow the footsteps of his older sister, Jasmine Kaur, who’s an MBA graduate and is currently working with Axis Bank.

A final year BSc student at Government College Ludhiana, Singh started preparing for CAT exam earlier this year. He enrolled himself with IMS Coaching centre in Ludhiana and studied from the notes provided. Alongside, he started preparing for General Knowledge.

But things did not go as planned.

“Something happened during the CAT exam on November 29. I got stuck and couldn’t do well in the first (verbal) section. Next came DI-LR section, which was quite difficult. I could attempt just 15-16 questions. It was a complete disaster,” he recalls.

Singh went into depression over his performance in CAT. “I had already stopped meeting my friends and withdrawn from social circles in other to prepare well for CAT. I was under a tremendous pressure to perform well and would study for hours at a stretch. Once CAT results were out, I knew my friends will mock me – ‘Tu na idhar ka raha, na udhar ka’!”

Witnessing her brother’s state, Jasmine Kaur took the matter her own hands. She made Singh fill up CMAT forms and encouraged him to prepare for the exam. Meanwhile, CAT results were declared on January 8 and Singh scored 64 percentile.

Looking at the state of things around, Singh made some serious changes in his CMAT preparation plan. “I decided to spend more time with people who mattered to me and not go overboard with preparations. I started hanging out with my friends and spent time with family. I devoted just four hours daily for preparation. Previous preparations for GK came in handy at this juncture,” he says.

Luckily for him, his friends and family were supportive and encouraged him to study well.

Singh, in his new stress-free avatar, appeared for CMAT exam on January 17. “The exam went well, but I wasn’t expecting a fabulous score,” he admits.

Yesterday, CMAT 2016 results were declared around 7 pm.

“I was shocked to see my results. I couldn’t believe my eyes,” says Singh. He had scored a perfect 100 percentile! (View his scorecard at the end of the article)

Singh now hopes to crack K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research (SIMSR), Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE) and Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (if they start re-accepting CMAT scores).

Also read: Story of CMAT 2016 topper, Jivtesh Singh

Tips to future CMAT aspirants

“My two biggest takeaway from the entire experience are – Don’t be overconfident and don’t be overstressed. Both this issues can have negative implications on the candidate preparing for the exam,” says Jugad Singh Grewal.

He also advices candidates to keep an eye for GK. “If you are appearing for any other exam apart from CAT, general knowledge becomes an important part. Prepare for it right from the beginning. Don’t leave it for the end.”

 

Singh's CMAT Scorecard:

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