Tips from a CAT topper,Amit Kumar
(Topper Talk)
CAT- Secrets
Tips from a CAT topper
Amit Kumar
Before I talk about group discussions and interviews, I want to share my experience - about taking CAT. I come from an engineering background. As Mathematics was one of my subjects during graduation and Computer Science my area of expertise, I was confident about the QA and DI/LR sections. However, language has been my weak point since my school days (I got a measly 60-plus in English in the CBSE 12th standard exams). Hence, this was the area I was most concerned about.
The most important thing that you need to keep in mind while formulating the CAT strategy is that you need to do equally well in all the sections. If you miss the cut-off in any one section, your chances of getting a call from the IIMs reduces greatly, even if you top the exam. You also need to manage your time properly during the examination. Since QA and LR/DI were my strong areas, I attempted these first, giving roughly 35 minutes to each section to try and clear the cut-offs. I tried to do around 20-22 questions in QA (cut-off is 16-18) and 28-30 questions in LR/DI (cut-off is 23-25). Then I went on to the EU section and tried to attempt 40-plus questions in the remaining 50 minutes, as this was my weak area. The intention was to come back to QA to maximise my gains, if any time remained.
Since I was doing my exam preparations alongside my professional duties, I did not have enough time to put in any extra effort. This was because, after my graduation from IIT Delhi in 2003, I joined UT Starcom, a telecom equipment manufacturer, as software engineer in their Gurgaon centre. So, I focused on the material provided to me by my coaching institute and found that it was more than sufficient. However, despite my best efforts, I was able to finish only 60-70 per cent of the reading and practice material provided to me. However, I made it a habit to read newspapers and books regularly.
First and foremost, one should always remain calm in a group discussion (GD). It is very easy to get into one-to-one situations with other group members who do not agree with your point of view. However, one must remember that a GD is all about the group. The more you become part of the group and help bring out new, innovative points and perspectives into the topic under discussion, the better chance you have in the GD. Equally important is to listen to what the other members of the group are saying because you may be asked by the panel to summarise the discussion, either orally or on paper. If you are busy thinking about what your next point would be, you might miss the flow of the discussion. Another member of the group might give the topic a whole new dimension and by the time you come back to your senses, you will be totally clueless about the point being discussed.
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In my case, the GD at IIM-I was the most challenging. We were given a case study. The case was behavioural in nature and was about a student who had performed well at school but could not handle the pressure of studies and ragging in her college. She belonged to a family of achievers and this, too, implicitly burdened her. She was not able to take the pressure and decided to leave medical school. The case required analysing the root cause of her failure and discussing the various possibilities for her. It was indeed an interesting experience. Apart from this, the topics at the other GD sessions were standard ones such as energy security and corporate governance. Such topics can be easily handled if one regularly reads newspapers and is well versed in what is happening around the world. Personal Interview The personal interviews (PI) at the various institutes were a totally unique experience. The topics on which I was questioned varied widely with each IIM. While the IIM-A panel spent a considerable time testing my creative skills, IIM-B was more focused about my work experience, the IIM-C panel quizzed me about the goings-on in Iraq and we also discussed the functioning of the American democracy in this regard. The IIM-L panel, on the other hand, spent much time on my hobbies. Of course, all the panels asked about my plans for the future and questioned me on my stated technical strengths. What to Look for in a Coaching Institute? Go through previous papers and understand the pattern. Then make sure the material provided by your coaching institute is comprehensive and takes care of all the sections. In my case, the PT study material was thorough and comprehensive and I didn't have to look at any other source for theory and exercises. Interact with faculty members and engage them in helping you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Their personal attention goes a long way in fine-tuning your strategy for the CAT examination. Check if the institute conducts an adequate number of mock GD-PIs. Spend some time on the feedback given by the faculty, as it will prepare you to confidently face a totally unknown group and panel. In my case, they had one GD and PI recorded so that they could point out my mistakes and suggest improvements to my approach and behaviour. I am now looking forward to joining IIM-B in the coming weeks. IIM-B has a world-renowned faculty in Systems and Finance. It was an easy choice for me since these are the two fields that I wish to take up as part of my management career I have one suggestion for students looking to crack CAT this year. You must learn to build upon your strengths and work hard on your weaknesses. You can do this only through persistence. As the saying goes 'practice makes perfect'. Need I say more? |