Colleges
Colleges
CAT Topper 98.86%
"I Overcame My Weakness in VARC by Preparing Study Plan to Solve RC and Grammar Tests from Basic to Adavanced"
Soraya Gupta from Jaipur, cracked CAT 2023 with 98.86 percentile and is pursuing PGDM from SPJIMR Mumbai. A B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Malviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, Soraya has about 2 years of work experience. Soraya loves dancing, playing TT and Basketball. Apart from SPJIMR, Soraya was offered admission by IIM Indore but she preferred to join SPJIMR Mumbai. Soraya’s CAT preparation journey has many lessons. For instance how she got motivated to pursue MBA, how she overcame her weakness in VARC section, how she got motivated to join SPJIMR despite getting admission offers from IIMs.
With this let us read Soraya’s responses to MBAUniverse.com questions
Here are the Most Common Question answered by the topper itself:
Q: What was your overall preparation strategy for CAT?
I prepared for the CAT myself. I had resources like different textbooks and the whole of the internet. To practice and test where I am, I took up the AIMCAT series from TIME. I started around Feb- Mar of 2023. I started by working on my foundational knowledge in QA and DILR. For VARC, I started reading newspaper editorials and Aeon essays. Initially, my strategy was to give 2-3 hours every day till the last 3 months were remaining for the exam. I also tried to divide my time judiciously between the 3 sections.
Q: Please share your sectional preparation strategy for CAT? How did you prepare for Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)?
For VARC, I started later than I should have; I read editorials and Aeon essays and did mocks from TIME for comprehensions and jumbled paras. Every night before sleeping, I also read Word Power Made Easy.
Q: How did you prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)?
I made sure to give some time every day to practice DILR sets. As it is difficult to start preparation, not knowing what to do, I started with something I enjoyed. I began working on 3-4 DILR sets every day from Anastasis Shankar videos on youtube. Then I continued with mocks from TIME. Every day, a 30-minute mock, then went through its solutions. Slowly I only practised sets, which are different types of sets that broadened my understanding
Q: How did you prepare for Quantitative Ability (QA)?
For QA I completed the textbook (Arun Sharma) first, then started solving practice tests from TIME.
Q: Was there any particular section/area that you were weak at? How did you overcome this challenge?
VARC was something I was weak at; according to my AIMCAT scores, my performance in VARC kept going down. I spoke to one of the teachers from TIME Institute, and she suggested a study plan for solving basic comprehension and grammar tests on the first day. On the 2nd and 3rd days, solve intermediate and advanced tests and then continue the same. I also read Aeon essays, which improved my comprehension. I could have started my VARC prep a bit earlier, too.
Q: What role did Mocks play in your success? How many mocks did you attempt before the exam?
As CAT is an aptitude exam, I think mocks make all the difference. To see where you stand with your peers and to understand your strengths and weaknesses, mocks were very important. I solved 2-3 sectional mocks daily and 1 AIMCAT every 2nd week from August or July onwards. So around 40-50 full mocks and 100s of sectional mocks. I also solved the previous year's papers, but in retrospect, the paper was harder than the 2021 and 2020 papers, so it’s always better to have a strong foundation and practice with more difficult papers.
Q: Did you self-prepare for CAT Exam or did you attend a Coaching Centre and why?
I self-prepared with a Test series AIMCAT from TIME. I had the resources to prepare independently, and I required a more flexible preparation schedule with my work. Also, I believed I had enough discipline to study independently. I took the test series to practice, gauge where I stood, and see where I could improve.
Q: Which books did you refer during your preparation and how effective were they?
QA- Arun Sharma, Word power made easy for improving my vocabulary ( beautiful book), DILR only sets ( Anastasis Shanker )
Q: Please share your strategy for the CAT Day. What was your last-minute preparation? How did you plan your CAT test taking?
At the end of the day, it’s good to believe the amount of preparation you have done is more than enough. I had one cheat sheet for QA, which I looked at for formulae on the last day, and I looked at one previous year's paper. Other than that, I just chilled the entire day. Luckily, my exam was in the morning slot, so I slept well and didn’t have much time to be anxious throughout the day. For VARC, I first checked all 4 comprehensions and solved the ones that were doable. DILR also checked all the sets and chose the 3 based on difficulty level; I was able to solve 2. QA, I went through all the questions and left anything that seemed hard for the end.
Q: How did you prepare for GD/PI/WAT Rounds?
I enrolled into TIME for PI/WAT prep. I took 2 mock PI’s, 2 SPJIMR Mock group interviews, weekend classes for WAT prep, and read newspapers and watched ThinkSchool videos. If done diligently its more than enough.
Q: Do you have work experience? Please share how the work experience can help in MBA?
I have 23 months of work experience in the analytics domain. It helped me as I had more clarity as to why I wanted to pursue an MBA, which I could express in my MBA interview. During my MBA also my work exp is helping me in some subjects.
Q: What motivated you to Join SPJIMR? What were your top three criteria?
I joined SPJIMR as it gave preference to my work experience, has good culture in terms of student and faculty body, is one of the top private B schools in India, competing with the top IIMs.
Q: How has been your experience so far at SPJIMR? Please share some high points
My experience has been very good. I have learnt many things through the hectic schedules and classes, especially from my peers. My time management and stress endurance have also improved a lot. The main thing I have learnt is that every outcome is not a reflection of your personal capability. Keep trying your best, and keep your head high!
Q: Whom you would like to give credit for your success? What role your family & friends played?
From my journey of prepping for CAT to pursuing an MBA in SPJIMR, my friends and family played a huge role. I have a wonderful support system of family and friends. They comfort me when I feel overwhelmed and cheer me on for every opportunity.
Q: What challenges you faced during your life, academics, preparation? How did you come out of them?
My biggest challenges were managing between work and preparation and sometimes building up that motivation to prepare. As I previously mentioned, I had a sound support system, people to look up to who motivated me to work hard, and friends and family who supported me while I prepared.
Q: According to you, how can B-schools make their MBA admission process less cumbersome for MBA applicants.
I think it’s a good process, and compared to my experience with undergraduate, this was much smoother.
Q: Finally, your message and tips for candidates preparing for CAT 2024
Do your best. Don’t constantly think about the outcome; just how you can improve and do better. Be confident within yourself and calm at the end of the day.
