Hailing from a science background, I understood the importance of hard work when I was preparing for Engineering entrance exam.I don’t belong to a fascinating tier1 or tier 2 college which everyone dreams of and aspires to get admission. I lost my first battle to JEE Advance and so I had no option other than to complete graduation from a tier 3 college. As soon as I stepped into the world of corporate, I was doing extremely good with my engineering skills. I was awarded several times. Business has always piqued my interest, and I have always kept wondering, what exactly is the driving force behind successful organizations. Being a Data Analyst (Business intelligence engineer), I used to provide statistics to partner organizations. However, I was curious to know how organizations work based on these analytical outputs, the intricacies of resource management, and closely analyse how each unit functions in tandem. This was my motivation to start preparations for my MBA and take the CAT exam.
CAT preparation journey:
I started my CAT preparation in June 2019. As soon as one starts something only then one realizes the number of hurdles that one has to face. Each student is unique. Each student has his/her strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I am good at Quantitative Ability and LRDI but VARC is my weak point.For my preparation, I used the 3:2:2 strategy (which I developed during my engineering) of the available time in the beginning and increased it (focus hours) gradually. To elaborate, I devoted 3 parts of the available 7 parts of the timeto my weak sectionand the rest to other subjects.The last 15 days were left for the review process. Revision of important formulae is a must.Also, it is important to train your mind to relax as it boosts your productivity.
How I overcame challenges?
Challenges are the mark of your progress and I too had many. I tried several ways to cope up with the challenges that I was facing concerning different subjects. I used the above strategy of devoting time which helped me reach my goals. I believe that one has to keep practicing to understand the concepts and gain confidence.
I) VARC: Read books, have command over the words, try to deduce them from daily life.
II) LRDI: Practice as much as you can, try to think all possible ways, don’t get stuck while solving in mocks or exams.
P.S.: Do not leave any questions while practicing thinking “I will see this later”.
III) Quantitative Ability: Even after you reach the answer, try to find how you would have achieved the same in less time. Focus on each topic and find shortcut methods to save time.
Overall: Mocks are your only true friend do not get demotivated with the scores, take them as your reflection and reschedule your 3:2:2 strategy as per this.
Strategy for Personal Interview:
No one in this world can tell you what happens on the D day it’s all your luck and how you compel your interviewers to drive it your way.All I can say is try to get a good command of whatever you say don’t say anything which you are not aware of because the backfire will break the ecosystem(confidence).
Important Tips that I followed to crack the CAT exam:
- Managing time when one is working is extremely difficult. Being a working professional it's difficult to extract the time out of a busy schedule. Speak to your manager about this and say(politely) that you won’t be able to extend your timings (this is the major problemthat I faced while preparing for the CAT exam). Try to maintain healthy relations with your team members and ask them to help you if the need arises.
- Be consistent with your available time and focus on what you are doing. These sacrifices will lead you to the life you have always dreamt of.
- Be faithful to yourself no one is going to get affected by your decisions. It is your life and these major decisions will impact your professional life.
- Consistency is the only key to success. Stay Motivated and believe in your goals.
- CAT exam is a test of patience and perseverance.
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