Mr Debjit Nag
scored 99.97 percentile in CAT 2012 and also secured final admission offers
from 10 top B-schools including 9 IIMs and FMS Delhi. Presently a student
of 2013-15 PGP batch of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, Mr Nag
shares his success mantras on cracking CAT. In this exclusive session
with MBAUniverse.com, the computer engineer who worked with Cognizant for 22
months before joining 2-year full time PGP programme at IIM-A, talks on the
challenges he faced while preparing for CAT. He elaborates on part of his
preparation which helped him secure admission to India’s top B-schools.
In this interview,
Mr Nag also talks on his GD/PI strategy, weekly study plans and what he finds
as the best part of doing an MBA.
You
scored 99.97 percentile in CAT. How many B-schools made final admission offers
to you?
After the
GD-PI process was over, I was offered admissions from more than 10 top
B-schools including many IIMs. I made into the final admission list of IIM-A,
IIM-C, IIM-L, FMS Delhi, IIM-Ranchi, IIM-Trichy, IIM-Raipur, IIM-Rohtak,
IIM-Kashipur, IIM-Udaipur amongst others. I however, opted for IIM-A.
What
was your percentile in two sections (QA-DI, VA-LR)?
While I had
an overall percentile of 99.97 in CAT 2012, my percentile in QA-DI was 99.82
and the same for VA-LR was 99.79.
What
were your strong and weak areas? Why?
Quantitative
Aptitude (QA) and Data Interpretation (DI) was the easiest section for me
while Verbal Ability used to trouble me the most. Logical Reasoning (LR) was
also an area of strength for me. The reason for strength in QA, DI, LR was my
analytical ability and problem solving skill. On the other hand, initially I
didn’t have much reading habit which used to lead to fluctuated scores in VA.
So,
what was your strategy to cope with challenges in VA?
I
think, for improvement, there is no other way than practice. I started
reading a lot to improve my VA skills and gradually things got better.
How
did you manage your weekly study schedule?
I studied
regularly for 2-3 hours on weekdays and 5-6 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
This used to include time spent in mock tests and thereafter the analysis of
the same.
What
was the one preparation area which influenced your selection to this Top
B-school heavily? How?
I think, my
preparation for the post-CAT part was the key deciding factor during my
selection process at IIM-A. Without a good interview, even a 100 percentiler in
CAT doesn’t guarantee selection in top IIMs nowadays. For me, sincere
preparation of Group Discussion (GD) and Personal interview (PI) helped me a
lot during the final stage of selection.
What
was your long-term preparation strategy for GD/PI?
As I was
working with Cognizant for 22 months, I was out of touch with academics for 2
years. But for GD/PI preparation I mostly devoted time to study statistics and
3-4 core subjects of Engineering and I found questions from these areas in all
top IIM interviews. Apart from that, I used to keep a tab on current affairs
regularly.
What
was your biggest mistake during selection process beginning with CAT?
Initially
I used to attach too much value to mock tests. Later, I realized that those
were just mocks and started to invest more time in self-improvement by
targeting weak areas one after another.
Your
advice for CAT 2013 Aspirants
Focus on
accuracy on the D-Day. Lack of accuracy is penalized heavily in CAT. Maintain
your composure and you will definitely do well.
What
is the best part of doing/being an MBA?
From the
experience of two months at IIM Ahmadabad, I would like to say that MBA is
really worth investing time and money if pursued from a top notch B-School of
the country. The kind of industry exposure we get at IIMA is indeed a great
value addition and learning opportunity.
Stay
tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more news, CAT prep features & Topper’s
Mantra.
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