CAT preparation : The CAT journey of a 99.84 percentiler ft. Dhruv

Getting into the IIMs can be challenging, specially when you are competing with around 2 lakh students but the kind of learning one gets once inside an IIM transforms your life. The entrance exam column of our website lays emphasis on how to get through various challenging entrance exams and shares the experiences of those who have gone through it.

So, here we bring to you one such journey of Dhruv Chawla who got into IIM A this year with a 99.84 percentile.

A brief introduction - Dhruv did his B.tech from IIT BHU ( chemical engineering) and worked with Ola as an analyst for about 2 years.

Q- I was wondering, what makes engineers write CAT or more specifically what made you write CAT?

A - Basically, after doing my engineering,I realized that it is not what I like a lot. Also, when I was with Ola, I was managing the business side of things.

In India, you become an engineer and then decide what to do.

Q- What was your major mode of preparation; since you were also working at that time?

A- My major mode of preparation was Mocks. Earlier, I started doing topic-wise tests only to realise that they wasted a lot of time, the prep appeared to be slow and since I knew the basics*, they were not benefiting much. So, I moved to sectional tests and mock tests and started analysing them.

It is important to analyse the mocks and sectional tests after you attempt them.

Basics here means the topics like probability, time speed distance, percentage etc. which most people already have an idea of.

Q- What strategies did you use for the RC part?

A- One must practice a lot of passages.

Go through the entire passage, make notes in your head and retain the gist of the passage.

Q- What is your opinion on the coaching institutes charging tons of money for the CAT PREP? Is it worth it?

A- I would say that some people do need it due to the cut throat competition out there. I purchased online mocks from a coaching institute and used them for my preparation.

Q- Coming to the interviews, how were they?

A- The interviews of IIM-L,K,C were definitely stress interviews but the interviews of IIM-A,B were more "conversational"

Each IIM has a different interviewing culture.

Due to the pandemic, the interview of IIM-I was conducted over a zoom call and it was a different experience. I did not have to go through the hassle of suiting up!

Q- Will B be the new A? What are your opinions?

A- IIM A has held the pedestal for a good amount of time now BUT IIM B is catching up fast.

Q- Do you think doing an MBA at this time will be beneficial? Since the corona virus is clearly eating the economy up and it might have an impact on the summer and actual placements.

A-

Recession is the best time to get a degree. However, let's wait and find out.

So, this was the CAT journey of a 99.84 percentiler, you can follow him on Instagram @dhruvchawla07

Similar post - IIM-R Interview experience

IF YOU STILL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DROP THEM DOWN IN THE COMMENTS SECTION! Don't forget to subscribe to our website, just scroll down and fill in your e-mail id!

Best of luck to all the CAT Aspirants!