How Mehak Rathi, a Psychologist & Graphologist, cracked CAT 2022 with 98.08 % to get into MDI Gurgaon - MBAUniverse.com Interview

With CAT 2023 scheduled on November 26, it is right time to read and understand how the CAT toppers prepared and cracked the exam with high score and converted IIMs and other top B-schools. MBAUniverse.com in its series of CAT 2022 topper interviews, brings before you success story of one such CAT topper Mehak Rathi who cracked CAT 2022 with 98.08 percentile and was offered admission by IIMs, MDI, NMIMS but she preferred MDI Gurgaon to any other top B-school.

Coming from a modest service class family of Delhi, Mehak Rathi is a B.A. in Psychology from Fergusson College and has keen interest in Graphology, Dance and Mandala. Mehak has gained one year work experience after graduation in Talent Acquisition before joining MDI Gurgaon. 

With her well devised preparation strategy and support from MBAGuru Coaching Institute, Mehak not only scored high overall percentile but also good sectional percentile in CAT exam. MBAUniverse.com invited Mehak Rathi to share her preparation and CAT day strategy, how she cracked CAT and why she preferred to join MDI Gurgaon instead of IIMs and NMIMS. Read below her Interview with preparation strategy

Q: How did you perform in CAT 2022?
A: I scored 98.08 overall percentile in CAT 2022. I scored 98.69%ile in VARC, 87.56%ile in DILR and 95.24%ile in QA.  

Q: Apart from CAT 2022, which other exams did you appear?
A: Apart from CAT 2022, I appeared in IIFT, NMAT and XAT. I performed well and got admission offer from NMIMS as well.

Q: Which top B-schools shortlisted you for PI Round?
A: I was shortlisted by IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode, MDI Gurgaon, NMIMS, IIFT, Baby IIMs

Q: Which were your final Converts after PI Round?
A: I converted IIM Indore, MDI Gurgaon, NMIMS Mumbai and 4 of the baby IIMs

Q: Before we understand your preparation strategy, please share your key criteria why you preferred to join MDI instead of IIMs, NMIMS?
A: I opted for MDI Gurgaon PGDM after giving a due thought based on the following three important points – What are the courses offered? Does the B-school have the course that I desire; What is the Ranking of the particular major in India and lastly how good are the Networking opportunities.

Q: This is very thoughtful of you to have researched so well before finalising your B-school. Let us now understand what was your overall preparation strategy for CAT?
A: I gave time to each section everyday. Giving mocks was an equally important part of my preparations. I gave mocks every alternate day and made sure to analyse them the very next day. Other than that, dedication was a driving force in cracking CAT. Set selection formed another part of my strategy which came through practice and knowing my strong areas. Keeping in mind the speed in accuracy took time to develop but was integral.

Q: Please share your sectional preparation strategy for CAT? How did you prepare for VARC?
A: Reading few passages everyday was my priority because a chunk of marks are it’s part. Solving the rest of VA questions in sets was another everyday part. I worked on developing my vocabulary as well.

Q: How did you prepare for DILR?
A: I solved more and more sets. I don’t think there is any other way to crack this other than practice. The more timed sets one does, the more kinds of questions are solved. This helps in making our brain work in that particular direction and also be in a habit of quick calculations.

Q: How did you prepare for QA?
A: Basics of QA should be very strong. The formulas should be on your fingertips. Practice is needed for that as well, to see a question and instantly know how to solve it.

Q: Was there any particular section/area that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge?
A: Quant turned out to be a little problematic for me. I didn’t have enough practice, and score in mocks were disheartening. Choosing the right questions and practice increased my score tremendously.

Q: What role did Mocks play in your success? How many mocks did you attempt before the exam?
A: I think Mocks are the most important part of preparing for these exams. Equally important is analysing each Mock. It gives us an idea where we stand and what weaklings we need to take care of. For CAT, I gave approximately 30 Mocks, plus mocks for the other exams.

Q: Did you self-prepare for CAT Exam or did you attend a Coaching Centre and why?
A: I attended MBA Guru coaching classes as I wanted to make sure I completed the syllabus on time. Plus, the mock series of MBA Guru was good. It also gave me access to faculty members who cleared a lot of doubts.

Q: Which books did you refer during your preparation and how effective were they?
A: I referred to the ones my coaching centre provided. But my major focus was on mocks. The books had varied sets which did help me get an idea of what to expect.

Q: Please share your strategy for the CAT Day. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your CAT test taking?
A: Try to be as relaxed as one can be on the day of the exam. I didn’t prepare anything that morning. The day before also, I just went through Quant formulas and that was it. When one panics during exam, one blanks out on questions that are easily answerable. One should not treat the exam as life or death situation, rather give it with a cool head. So that’s what I did.

Q: How did you prepare for GD/PI/WAT Rounds?
A: Here too, mocks played a huge role. Revising college subjects, reading up on news and answering logical reasoning questions were the major parts of my preparations.

Q: According to you, overall, how can B-schools make their MBA admission process less cumbersome for MBA applicants. 
A: According to me, the long wait between interviews and results really gets stressful. Reducing that would be helpful.

Q: Finally, your message and tips for candidates preparing for CAT 2023
A: My message to CAT 2023 aspirants is to continue with Practice, practice and practice. The more you do, the more confident you will be on the day of exam. Do not leave things for tomorrow and don’t let yourself slack.

Read More CAT 2023: Check Exam Date, Pattern, Syllabus, Preparation