India: How this student scored 100 percent in his CAT exam

10 Jan 2018

CAT exam prep — "Consistency is the key," says Viraj Sheth who narrowly missed full marks in his CAT exam. Source: CRS PHOTO/Shutterstock.

Yes, you read that right. Apparently it is achievable to get full marks in a CAT exam. That is not to say, though, it doesn’t come without a considerable amount of hard work.

The CAT is infamously difficult and many students find themselves having to take it multiple times. This was not the case for Meet Agarwal, a 20-year-old student of Chartered Accountancy (CA) who achieved 100 percent in his exam.

And he is not the only one celebrating a remarkable result. Viraj Sheth, a student from Gujarat in Western India also received his impressive 99.95 percent on results day this week. He spoke to the Indian Express to shed some light on just how he managed to score so highly.

A healthy amount of competition

Sheth is currently undertaking a B.Tech in Computer Science from Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information & Communication Technology (DAIICT). Taking time out from his course to prepare for his CAT examination was no easy feat, but worth it in the end.

The successful student enrolled himself in coaching classes. “If you study with students who have the same target, it develops a sense of competitiveness in you. We share our exam strategies and discuss mock tests that are available online,” he said.

CAT 2017: Gujarat boy scores 99.95 percentile, shares exam strategy #CAT2017Results #CAT2017 https://t.co/tDXrL47Ihj

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) January 9, 2018

Starting preparation early

Sheth’s journey to results day started back in April 2016. He had slowly built up his exam prep over the course of the last year and a half.

In the final six months before his exam, he stepped it up a notch by dedicating six to eight hours every day to exam preparation. He claimed consistency is paramount. If you wish to qualify for CAT, working your schedule around revision is key.

“Believe in yourself, keep a positive attitude and even if you couldn’t make it in the first attempt, do not feel low. There is always the next time,” Sheth said.

Source: GIPHY.

“I could score good marks due to months of preparation and regular practice of online tests. I stressed on taking online tests than just reading books,” Agarwal told The Times of India.

Support from family

“I got support from [my brother] who too has scored 99.86. It was his second attempt and therefore his experience helped me understand the exam pattern,” Sheth told the Indian Express.

Sheth has remained humble. He is all too aware he has a long way to go before he can achieve his goal of reaching the Indian Institutes of Management.

“I didn’t expect to score that much but now my entire focus is on the interview round as it is the deciding factor.”