Meet Amrit Anwesh, the boy in his final year of engineering course in NIT Rourkela, who aced the CAT exam in his very first attempt. And if that is not impressive enough, know that he did it without going to any coaching classes. Oh, and he also drops some cool beats with his beatboxing skills. Talk of an all rounder!
Are you a CAT 2021 topper? Or do you know who is the CAT topper? Reach out to us to get interviewed.
IIM Ahmedabad declared the IIM CAT 2021 exam result on Monday for the examination that was held on November 28th. This year 9 candidates clinched the 100% percentile score while 19 candidates scored 99% in the Common Admission Test 2021. These candidates have become an overnight sensation post the result declaration and now the future CAT aspirants want to know their success story. Hence, to make our readers aware of the preparation journey that made them top the toughest exams, our esteemed editor Himanshu Tiwari had a word with Amrit Anwesh- CAT 2021 topper a few days back. Check out the space below to know the excerpts of that interview.
Watch: CAT 2021 Topper Interview of Amrit Anwesh on Youtube
Ques: What was your first reaction to seeing your CAT 2021 scorecard?
Ans: Well, the reaction was quite normal but I was not expecting this high score. Post checking the result I called up my parents and shared this news with them and they were amazed on hearing this.
Ques: What was your sectional percentile i.e. VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability?
Ans: My sectional percentile was 99.91% in VARC, 99.96 in DILR and 99.45 in Quantitative Ability.
About Preparation for CAT Exam
Ques: Was this your first attempt for CAT? What was your strategy for this exam?
Ans: Yes, this was my first attempt at the CAT exam. Post my final year, I made up my mind to appear in GRE and CAT exams and hence I was keen on starting my preparations for the exam. Owing to some personal mishaps, I merely studied for some sections and attempted a lot of mock tests before the exam.
Ques: Do you refer to any particular books for CAT 2021? Do you enrolled yourself in an online coaching
Ans: Not really, I was mostly dependent on Youtube videos and mock test analysis taken up by me. No, the major part of my preparations was from online resources, and videos available on the social media platforms
Ques: How much time did you take to complete the CAT syllabus?
Ans: Coming from an engineering background was a plus point for me. I practised for the Reasoning section and a simultaneous preparation for GRE helped me in preparing for the verbal section.
Ques: How many mock tests have you attempted before going for the CAT exam?
Ans: I took 4 to 5 mock tests from different websites before taking up the exam. My primary focus was to deeply study my performance post completing the test like which topics need more attention, what mistakes can be avoided etc.
Ques: Was preparing simultaneously for GRE helpful for the CAT exam?
Ans: GRE also had a verbal section and my English was not very great. Preparing for GRE helped me in developing my verbal ability and provided a strong grasp of vocabulary.
Ques: How did you manage negative marking in CAT 2021?
Ans: I made my mind to mark only those answers of which I am 100% sure. I tried to avoid those questions that could prove me wrong in the final evaluation. I avoided guesswork and was just focused on solving the questions before marking them.
Ques: What was your exam day strategy?
Ans: I took a light meal a day before the exam and had a proper sleep. Other than this, I refrained from revising anything before the exam itself and that helped me in claiming my mind.
Take on the revised exam pattern of CAT Exam
Ques: What was your take on the revised question number for CAT 2021?
Ans: I found this quite good as only question numbers were decreased and not the duration. This provided me with extra time to focus on the tougher ones without worrying about the time limit.
Amrit’s hobbies, extracurricular activities, and future plans
Ques: What are your interests other than academics. Are there any activities that you take to relax?
Ans: I am a part of a lot of committees in my college like music, astronomy, basketball team. All of these things help in relaxing the mind post a hectic day.
Ques: What’s your plan for GD/PI round since now you have aced the CAT written exam?
Ans: As of now, I am contacting my seniors who have earlier aced this exam to get a correct idea of approaching this round. Other than this, I am also taking guidance for this round from different Youtube videos.
Ques: Do you have any dream college in mind?
Ans: My top preference for admission are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bengaluru, IIM Calcutta or IIM Kozhikode.
Ques: What are your aspirations post completing MBA?
Ans: I am aspiring to become an entrepreneur and serve different communities in India with my work.
Motivation behind the success and closing lines for CAT 2022 aspirants
Ques: Who is the biggest motivation in your life?
Ans: My father is the biggest motivation of my life. I have always taken inspiration from him to move ahead in life.
Ques: What would you say if I ask to sum up your success mantra in a line?
Ans: My success mantra is keeping calm and just focusing on the goal.
Ques: What is the one piece of advice you would give to future aspirants?
Ans: I would only say that take up a lot of mock tests and go through the performance analysis. Devise your own strategy as the analysis provides correct insight into the weaker and stronger sections. Also, take proper sleep and a balanced diet a day before the exam.
Check out the complete interview here!
