A B.tech in Dairy Technology, Shubham always aspired to become an Investment Banker with a top finance firm in the country someday. Shubham Kumar, one of the toppers of CAT 2021 started his preparation in June 2021 and with extreme dedication managed to top the exam in merely 5 months. Currently pursuing his internship from Vidya Dairy Anand, Gujarat clearing CAT 2021 with 99 percentile was never a cakewalk for Shubham Kumar.
However, with his extreme hard work, dedication, and zeal to get admission in leading IIMs Shubham managed to clinch the topper badge. Check out this complete interview story to know how a boy from Bihar is now expecting a call from esteemed IIM Kolkata for the leading MBA programme.
Ques: What was your first reaction to seeing your CAT 2021 scorecard?
Ans: I was very happy once I saw my result for the CAT examination. Although, I was sure of my performance but checking the scorecard was a great feeling.
Ques: What was your overall preparation strategy?
Ans: I started my preparation in June 2020 during the lockdown period and my strongest subject was Quantitative Aptitude.
Ques: What was your sectional percentile i.e. VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability?
Ans: I scored 99.72 percentile in QA, 96.90 percentile in DI &LR and 97.73 percentile in VA and RC.
Ques: Was this your first attempt for CAT? What is your academic background?
Ans: Yes, this was my first attempt at the CAT examination. I have pursued B.Tech in Dairy technology from Anand and currently, I am pursuing my internship at Vidya Dairy.
Ques: Do you refer to any particular books for CAT 2021? What role do you think online coaching provides in preparation?
Ans: No, I didn’t follow any particular books, my preparation was based on the modules provided by IMS coaching. The online classes provided by IMS during lockdown were of great help to the overall preparations. I would credit my success to my mentors in IMS.
Ques: How did you overcome the most challenging section of the CAT exam?
Ans: For me, VA and RC were one of the challenges for my preparations but I overcome them by solving numerous mock tests, RC etc.
Ques: How many mock tests have you attempted before going for the CAT exam?
Ans: I took mock tests from IMS and Times and solved at least 42 mock tests for the examination. The mock tests provided an atmosphere similar to that of the actual examination. It also helps in knowing the overall preparation level.
Ques: What was your take on the revised question number for CAT 2021?
Ans: I think this revision was not helpful since earlier there were 100 questions and it provided a better choice option to candidates. With the revision, there was a handful of questions that have to be solved irrespective of your choice.
Ques: How many correct answers were in CAT 2021 exam?
Ans: I was able to solve 15 questions correctly in Verbal ability and Quantitative Aptitude and 10 in DI & LR.
Ques: What are your interests other than academics. Are there any activities that you take to relax?
Ans: Other than academics, I take up a lot of sports activities like football, cricket, lawn tennis to relax my mind.
Ques: What’s your plan for GD/PI round since now you have aced the CAT written exam?
Ans: Yes, I have started my GD/PI round preparations as of now with the mocks PI offered by IMS.
Ques: Do you have any dream college in mind?
Ans: I am aspiring to join IIM Calcutta owing to their Finance based courses.
Ques: Do you have any aspirations post completing MBA from IIM Calcutta?
Ans: I am planning to join an MBA programme in Finance and wish to become an investment banker someday.
Ques: Who is the biggest motivation in your life?
Ans: My father has been the biggest motivation in my life, he has always supported me for my career aspirations.
Ques: What is the one piece of advice you would give to future aspirants?
Ans: For CAT aspirants, appearing in mock tests and analysing the performance post completing them is very helpful in getting the correct idea regarding the strengths, weaknesses, correct approach towards solving any questions before the D-day.
Ques: What was your exam day strategy?
Ans: In the last week of the CAT exam I diverted my attention towards the revision of core topics and attempted a mock test with a particular technique that helped me in acing the exam.
