A word from our achiever

I am glad to share with you the success story of our students. Let’s see what our achiever has to say

Dear GP Sir and Gejo Sir

I am a student of Career Launcher’s PDP Personalized (Mumbai) for this academic year. I’m happy to inform you that I have been selected for the PGP at IIM Calcutta.

I would like to share my story with you. I didn’t take any formal coaching for CAT, naturally my performances in mocks were poor for a long time. I tried many things, materials, etc. which didn’t help in any way. It was frustrating and demotivating. This was a month and half to CAT.

Fortunately, at the end of this process I came across your blog (GP ka Funda). And that turned the tables within two weeks. I started using all the techniques prescribed, watched all the “How I gave Mock” videos and imitated your regime the best I could. My scores saw a mighty 50% jump which got me to the required bracket. I got a 99.88 in CAT 2014 and my first step after that was to join the CL PDP.

I have to mention here Sir that I have a miserably academic past, but that didn’t stop Gejo Sir in trusting and motivating me. I picked up all I could and honestly my strategy was always, “What would Gejo Sir do or say?” All my interviews were between very good and awesome and that’s just because of the mentorship I got.

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything I achieved this year. It was not just CAT or interviews, but more about life lessons. I can safely say that this success is just because of my failed attempt to imitate the two of you to the best of my ability. Thanks again, have a nice day!

Warm Regards,
Neil Merchant

57 Comments

  1. Sir,

    I have joined cl for cat 2016, but currently I am doing a job so could you please suggest me a time table for preparation. This is my first time for cat .

    • Trisha, a 12-15 month period is usually good enough time for CAT preparation hence you can start formal preparation for CAT 2016 any time between August and November depending upon your requirements and your job timing, the earlier the better. Irrespective of when you start your CAT preparation you should start the following immediately:

      1. Develop a reading habit, read books by different authors and of different genre @ at least 1 per month. A daily newspaper (The Hindu or Indian Express) along with a current affairs weekly will help build your general awareness, reading comprehension, vocabulary and sentence correction all of which will be helpful in your MBA entrance process.
      2. Solve puzzles that come in newspapers and fro other sources and also get in the habit of mental/oral calculations (outside your college).
      3. Go through class 9-10 NCERT maths books as it will cover almost the entire QA syllabus of CAT and other MBA entrances. This should be over in the next 2 months.

  2. Sir, I have the following acads;
    10th- 83.2%
    12th- 77%
    Btech- 73%

    Work ex- June 2014- present,as a business development executive.
    I have started preparing for CAT2015. Quant has been a huge hurdle for me. I wish to get in the 99+ bracket this time. What should be strategy and to ace CAT this time?
    Also assuming I get that much percentile, for which all colleges shall I be eligible?
    Thanks

  3. Hi Sir,

    I have been solving questions on DI from past CAT papers.
    While doing CAT papers from 1999 onwards, I notices that DI sets are tricky. Also, not all DI sets are solvable(atleast for me). So on an average out of 6 sets, I am able to do 3-4 sets? Is that fine, or should I try to push myself more. There are some question where I am absolutely not able to relate the data.
    Secondly, my reading speed is around 220 wpm. Is that fine?

    Thanks
    Waiting for your advice.

    • AyushK, 3-4 DI sets on an average out of 6 is okay for now but you should try pushing it to 5 out of 6. After you have attempted the DI sets, go through the ones that you could not solve, understand the logic and revise them once a week till you are confident of them.
      A reading speed of over 300 wpm should be your target.

      • Sir i.have 99.9 percentile. In.Mat feb 2015. I Hope with this.score i.could get Kj MMs? I.have cleared Glim so i am confused wether to.wait or not as no notification of cap rounds is out yet. Please suggest what should i.do?

  5. Sir,

    My profile is 10th CBSE 80.8%, 12TH CBSE 81%, Graduation Electrical Engineering 63%( I had a major surgery back then and the reasons are genuine). I had a 9 months work experience with Indiafirst Life Insurance( under Bank of Baroda) and I am currently working as Asst. Manager at IDBI Bank. I am confident of making it through CAT with good percentiles as my performance in most of the bank exams was pretty good. I intend to write the CAT and RBI Grade B exam this year. Given my profile , do I stand a chance at any of the IIMs ?

    • Karishma, IIM B could be an issue because of 63% in graduation and less than 2 year work experience but all other IIMs and other top B schools are all possible for you. Prepare well for CAT and a good score in CAT/XAT will ensure calls and admission from all institutes.

  6. Sir,

    I am daily reading The Indian Express newspaper and The Hindu editorial section. I also solve gk questions from SIS and other sources. Will this suffice for reading and gk? Or should I read some other magazines as well?

    Is it necessary to read fiction/ non-fiction books? Should I allocate some time for it?

    • Hitesh, what you are doing is sufficient for GK but for reading comprehension and for speed of reading suggest you read an e-paper also. Books are not necessary.

  7. Sir
    ive been studying in IMI delhi(pgdm) for the past one year and find it to be ok. i gave the cat again and this time Ive gotten a call from shillong. sir my question is do you think at this stage i should leave imi and go for iim shillong. Ima fresher Have 85% in both 10th and 12th and 62%in b.com graduation. Eagerly waiting for reply

    • Confused, yes you should move to IIM Shillong, it is a couple of notches above IMI and will give you opportunities that IMI cannot provide. Call me at 9811155160 to discuss.

      • Sir,
        I will be taking CAT exam this year. I have completed all my funda books but still i am not able to perform well in tests.
        Sir please guide me on how to prepare or how much time I should practice daily so that I may increase my score.
        I am facing more problem in Verbal…more number of questions are going in negative.

        • Kritika, hope you have also done the MCQs at the end of each fundabooks and are also revising the important/difficult questions.
          For practice you should practice questions from Test Gym daily. A test daily of RC, Verbal Logic, DI, LR and QA would take about an hour and in another 30-45 minutes you can analyse these tests. Ideally you should spend about 3 hours in this every day. A mock once in two weeks and revision of all important questions once a week would complete the process. To improve you score in Verbal please refer to the posts on RC, Para Completion and Inferential reasoning articles on this blog.

  8. Hello GP SIr,

    I have 82.8% in 10th, 71.2 % in 12th and 65% in BE. Also 3.5 years experience in IT. How much percentile I require to get into IIMB and what should be my approach in preparation? I am from general category.

    Thanks & Regards,

    Dibya

    • Dibya, your work experience should help you compensate for your not so good marks in XII and graduation and a CAT score of over 99%ile should get you a call from IIMB.

  9. sir,
    im an ex student of CL took cat 2014 i dint score as i was willing to…..so i have decided to give it again this year my fultime job is not allowing me to join classes so i need to join SCC will tat be available in june also coz i decided to join in june coz ill be a bit releaved in the noon times ………..if i can join jus let me know the prize also ill join ASAP

    • Priyankit, apologise for the delay. Both the programs would have placements of around Rs 4.5 lakh pa and restricted placement opportunities. Between the two unless you are keen on on healthcare as an area you could prefer SRC GBO.

  11. dear gp sir,
    i have just enrolled for smart cat cracker. it is just awesome. sir but i am little confused. do i have sufficient time to prepare for cat2015. i have just started the preparation.

    • Aakash, yes you have sufficient time. About 2-3 hour on weekdays and 7-8 hours on holidays/weekends would be sufficent for you to do well in CAT and other MBA entrances.

    • Tipi, the best away to improve in comprehension and grammar is to read a lot, preferably a good newspaper like Hindu or Indian Express. Focus on the editorial pages of the newspaper.

  13. How is wellingkar Mumbai is it worth joining that college.i got 97.9 in cmat and in xat and cat around 70 .

    • Ankit, it is a decent institute but with a 97.9%ile in CMAT you could have got GIM and KJ Somaiya also.

  14. hello GP Sir,
    I am trying to make myself comfortable with different topics by reading on topics- Science, Politics, Economy, History through sources like editorials of The Hindu and The guardian. Also, I read articles on websites like aldaily.com and magportal.com. My reading speed is 195 wpm. Is that fine?
    Secondly, I am not at all comfortable with topics on Psychology and Philosophy. How to improve on that. Any specific suggestions pertaining to these two topics?
    Third, Below is my profile. Do I have the chance of getting into top 10-15 Bschools:
    10th-89,12th-87.2,Btech-71.4, Currently in CTS since 8 months.

    • Also, I face issues with passages on Charles Dickens. I guess even they would come under Philosophy.

      • Ayush, a reading speed of 195 wpm on the computer is a decent start at present but you should slowly try to push it up to 300 wpm. Do not try and hasten the process, continue with your regular reading and the speed will increase on its own. You will obviously need to push yourself a bit.
        To improve your comfort with Psychology and Philosophy you will need to read articles on these topics regularly.
        Based on your marks in X, XII & graduation all IIMs (except B) and other top B schools are possible.

  15. 10th 85.7 12th 71.2 btech petroleum engineering upes dehradun 2 years work ex from itc infotech cat 77.57 converted dsm dtu delhi, imt nagpur, edi ahmedabad (have one bplan for which i got first prize in couple of competitions) waiting for results from NIBM pune and iitkharagpur law course (already completed one legal intern and also have interest) welingkar on 9th may.
    I want good placement
    Please suggest what to do fully confused

    • Amit, given your work experience I am inclined to suggest a retake rather joining any of these B schools. Please call me at 9811155160 in the evening to discuss.

  16. Sir i am 2011 pass out. Already written CAT 2013,2014 but scored only 87 and 89 percentile respectively. I had scored 79, 73,73 percentage marks in 10th, 12th and B.Tech respectively. I have 4 years of work experience in IT industry. I am writing this post as i have a GAP of 4 yrs between 12th and Graduation.As few of friends were telling that if u have scored well in CAT then also they will not call you for GD/PI because of gap.
    I am in dilemma. Shall i go for CAT this year or forget CAT/MBA due to gap in academics.
    Need your advice.Please help me sir

    • Rahul K, your friends are incorrect, gap year(s) is not a criteria for either the interview calls or for final selection. Interview calls by IIMs are based on your performance in CAT and past academics and hence a good performance in CAT/XAT can get you calls from top MBA institutes including the IIMs. The gap years will however be discussed/questioned in the interview but can be handled and will not be a reason for rejection.
      However with 87 and 89%ile in two successive CAT papers, you need to assess realistically your chances of improving your score in CAT’15, to get into top institutes you will need around 97.5%ile and for top IIMs a score of 99.5%ile is required.

      • Thank You sir for quick reply.
        I am confident this time to achieve a very good score & it’s a promise to you and myself.
        Thank You Sir..:)

  17. Hi Sir,

    My acads are:
    X- 85%
    XII- 82%
    B.Tech – 8.1 CGPA
    Work Experience – 2 years in TCS

    I left my job on 6th Febuary, 2015. I just want to know whether a year gap before the interviews will affect my chances of getting into the top tier institutes.

    I am also unable to sit for 170 minutes during the mock tests. I seem to lose my concentration repeatedly. This doesn’t happen during the actual exams. Any suggestion might be fruitful…

    • Hitesh, the year gap will be questioned in the interview but will not be a reason of rejection. In any case it will be useful to be occupied and a part time/free lance work or association with an NGO will be helpful.
      You have a “good problem”, most of the students have a problem during the 170 minutes of the test, to stay in to you can take all CMAT and MAT.

  18. Sir,
    I am Waitliat no. 14 in FMS under OBC category, considering that the results of IIM A, B, C were announced before the interview day for OBCs.. what are my chances of converting ?

    • Shushank, given the low fee of FMS most of the candidates still went for the interview and hence you have a chance.

  19. Sir, I have 92% and 91% in my 10th and 12th respectively. I also have 90% in my engineering. I prepared casually in my 1st attempt of CAT and scored a whopping 95%….though I did not get any calls from IIMs cuz I could not clear the verbal cut-off marginally. I decided to give a 2nd shot at CAT…giving my 100%. I had also taken up the cl classroom coaching. But after working so hard, I failed miserably securing hardly 80 percentile probably due to the changed pattern of CAT. I have started preparing for CAT again…but I am now really worried as to how to get a good percentile. I am working in Cognizant..

    • Shreya, yes the changed pattern required you to work faster and possibly you were not well prepared for it. focus on building up speed and accuracy and hopefully you will have a better result than your first attempt. Your focus this time has to be on practice followed by testinfg and regular revision. Analysis of all tests and Mocks is essential.

  20. Sir I m a biomedical engg and very much interseted in healthcare sector.
    I have to make a choiCE gim, goa pgdm HCM or MBA icfai Hyderabad or we school pgdm?
    First two have been converted. We school shortlisted for pgdm

  21. Sir, when is the right time to start taking mocks if I were to appear for CAT 2015 ?
    And what should be the time interval between 2 mocks ?
    Thanks in advance.

    • Komal, the Mock CAT schedule could be followed by you. Initially you should take a test every 2 weeks and gradually increase the frequency to 2 tests per week in Oct/Nov.

  22. I am going to appear for final year engineering exam in May and will be joining a company after that at Mumbai. Although CL centers are there, but I may not be able to attend Classroom Program, due to nature of my job.

    So, I want to know that whether Classroom Program is better or Smart CAT Cracker?
    What advantage Classroom program students have over SCC program?
    And Test Series have started in March (referred to PDF Test Series 2014 on CL site), if i join now, then will i have access to test series going to take place May on wards or can I have access to previous one too?

    • Aman, both programs are good and you need to decide based on your specific requirement.
      A classroom program ensures regular/systematic preparation and is useful if you are not disciplined enough to spend a given number of hours every week, it also ensures availability of faculty for doubt solving. Hence SCC should be preferred if you can prepare in a disciplined manner yourself and do not by and large need regular faculty guidance or if your work schedule does not allow you to attend classes.
      The Test Series is starting in May and you will have access to all tests. In case any Mock CAT has been uploaded for CAT’15 before May then it too will be available.

  23. Sir,
    I know this is completely off-topic, sorry for that.
    But, I wanted to know what should be my plan for the 5 months given that I’m okayish in LR, suck at quants and good at verbal.
    Probs are doable in DI, but are just too lengthy since the change in pattern.
    I’m good with numbers, but the sheer amount of concepts in quants pulls me down.I want to solve the questions intuitively rather than counting on the formulae etc. What would be your advice to achieve such prowess in quants ?

    • Bharath, apologies for the delay in responding to your queries.
      Will be uploading an article today/tomorrow which will most probably take care of your issues.

  24. Hi sir,
    I’m in dilemma and pretty much perplexed on which way to go. So, as a mentor kindly help me.
    MY PROFILE
    born 92
    10th 54% UP board( I’ve a toi article to prove that the result was battered to all time low 0%; and the highest were around 80%)
    12th 47% CBSE
    B.COM 58.80% (again in my university highest at time were around 70%)
    For 2 year worked under a ca( unpaid). I have an offer to work as an account assistant for 12k.
    My xat score this year was 71% ile. But I’m optimistic that if I join a coaching institute this year. My score may rise exponentially. I am out of the competition from most of the iims or may all iims. But given my poor profile do you think I can try SIBM, NM, XLRI, FMS, IIFT, CHRIST, WE, KJ SOM? And what other colleges can I hope?

    • Sir can you give me your number and time at which I should call you? Its important I have to take some important decisions and I need your help in it. Urgent!

    • Adarsh, while you are not in contention for almost all IIMs unless you get a 100%ile fortunately most of the institutes outside the IIMs have a low/no weight for past academics and hence would not be a problem. You cam get through to most of the institutes mentioned if you do well in the entrance test and in the interviews.

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