Name: Shaunak Acharya
Institute : FMS,Delhi(Batch of 2014)
CAT Score: 99.97%ile
Rank: 1(on the basis of CAT score)
Q1. Tell us something about yourself
I am Shaunak, currently in my first year, pursuing MBA at FMS. Delhi.
Prior to this, I have worked in the IT Services Industry for nearly three years, after completing my Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata in 2009.I am an ardent Manchester United fan, and do take keen interest in painting and reading Novels.
Q2.How is life at your institute
Life at FMS is full of varied experiences, with tedious assignments, tough exams and various activities like Group tasks, group presentations, Societies, pitching for various activities, mentoring and being mentored, content development, participating in various corporate events and other B-school competitions.
Q3.How did you prepare for CAT2011?
The entire preparation is CAT centric, and the basics are all covered when one prepares for CAT. For other Management exams, sometimes there are certain topics which require special attention. In such cases solving the last 3 / 4 years paper & practicing some Mock papers helps. Only the Decision making section of XAT requires entirely segregated effort as far as CAT is concerned.
Q4.What is the difficulty level as compared to other exams like XAT or NMAT or IIFT?
CAT & XAT are tougher than any other MBA entrance exam.
Q5.What was your strategy to crack CAT?
I believe Quant is my strongest area, evident from the fact that I scored 221/ 225 in CAT 2011 in Section1. Well I was strong in Quant, and surfing forums, solving doubts at Workplace helped. Whenever someone posted a doubt on the forums, I used to try and solve it without using a pen. This was done deliberately, and after sustained practice it helped as my mock scores, especially in Quant/DILR soared.
Also being strong in a section has it’s own negatives. In any exam, in case u fail to live up to your potential in your strongest section, the entire paper goes awry. To nullify such possibilities, confidence is the key and whenever mock scores fell, I used to go back to basics, like revising some fundamentals, solve some puzzles, revise some shortcuts, some marked questions with typical approaches etc.
Q6.Which sections in CAT were you uncomfortable with?
Overall the CAT 2011 was easier as compared to previous papers of 2007/08.
Section 2 had some tricky questions in Verbal and RC.
Q7.Which section needed utmost preparation?
Verbal/RC was my weakest section. Initially I used to score pretty less in Verbal/RC section and was worried about my performance in this section. Took suggestions from past CAT toppers, eminent CAT trainers (as shared on forums), but nothing helped. Then I decided not to follow the suggestions but device a strategy of my own. No fancy speed reading, no word list mugging, no grammar rules, the idea was simple. You need to read a sentence, paragraph, RC passage and get the essence of the passage, something that sounds good should be grammatically correct, and elimination helped a lot. Patience, sustained effort and practice helped me improve my Verbal scores.
Q8.How did you manage time during the CAT exam?
In Section1- QA/DI I attempted all the questions, and in Verbal left questions where I was not sure, especially direct ones, like synonyms, antonyms, grammar, things which are direct and non-inferential in nature.
In Section2, I attempted 27 questions out of 30. I first attempted all LR questions in section2, 7 in number. I completed these 7 in some 20 minutes and devoted the remaining time in VA/RC sections. Verbal and RC questions were dicey with extremely close options and unlike mock exam questions. There was a degree of uncertainty about most of the RC questions I ticked. Also I left 2 grammar questions and one phrasal verb question.
Q9.How was your GDPI experience?
Kept abreast with the current happenings, also i do write sometimes, blogs, snippets etc.
At FMS, the GD went well. Post GD, I had a one minute extempore and the personal interview round. Overall the experience was satisfactory.
Q10.Do you have any advice for CAT aspirants?
Here I would like to mention that every individual is unique in his/her own way. So everyone should have their own preparation strategy, customized as per one’s needs. The target is to secure a good score in a National level MBA entrance(s), there are too many sources, too many online mocks, materials, discussion forums, which are tools for enhancing knowledge. Device your own strategy, make use of the resources in hand, be regular, and whenever your performance dips, never doubt your own ability, just make sure that u do enough to maintain your standard.