CAT 2020 topper Shivam Kumar shares the secret of scoring 99.95 percentile!

Shivam Kumar, a working professional and an alumnus of BITS Pilani registered his name in the league of toppers by attaining a scaled score of 140.09 with his sheer dedication and unwavering determination. Here he is with the nitty-gritties of his journey of becoming a CAT 2020 topper!

Giving a serious-second attempt has its own charms. I also took CAT last year but merely with any preparation. However, I decided to make a strong comeback this year in June 2020 with a strategic approach. And I am happy with the way the results turned out.

I invested valiant efforts for about 5-6 months and attained a scaled score of 140.9 which made a 99.95 percentile. I am a working professional, so I didn't get time to study during weekdays and most of my preparation happened over weekends.

The magic potion behind becoming the CAT 2020 topper

I took the mock test series from a couple of coaching centers. Taking mock tests seriously and analyzing them constitutes 80% of the preparation. These mock tests helped me a lot to gauge my performance, moreover, it helped me build the exam temperament and prepared me for uncertain situations. Apart from this year's mocks, mocks from previous years also contained pretty good questions. In addition, there are free youtube videos as well with excellent content. I followed those channels to prepare for my weak topics.

Since Quant was my strongest suit, my focus was on improving the timing and efficiency while solving questions. After mocks, I used to discuss the questions and their solutions with friends. Those discussions led to new insights which helped me a great deal. 

However, I dreaded the VARC section the most when I started my preparation. I took the previous year's papers and realized that I needed to work from scratch on VARC. Since it contains dense passages, I was unable to comprehend it properly during the initial phase of the preparation. Moreover, VARC consists of other types of questions as well which required critical understanding. The core reason behind these difficulties was my habit of NOT reading.

To overcome this, I religiously read plenty of articles from various resources. The idea was to acquaint me with a variety of topics and writing styles. I also went through the solutions provided by the coaching center to get myself aligned with their thinking process.

CAT tests your temperament!

Proper time management was the key to becoming a CAT 2020 topper as it helped me in maximizing the output in a limited time. I focused more on VARC and DILR as I was struggling with those during the preparation period. I continuously used to reassess where I lacked the most in terms of achieving my highest potential. I took mocks very seriously and tried to simulate the exam condition at my home while taking them. 

In mocks or in the actual paper, you need to respect the tough question keeping your ego aside. I made sure to solve all the easy questions first before moving to the tough ones because 60-70% of the paper is easy to moderate. You need to do those first!

CAT exam evaluates not only your knowledge, but it also tests your temperament and how you handle pressure in a crunch situation. So believe in yourself. As someone said, "Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself. Never let self-doubt hold you captive."

Read more CAT success stories:

• CAT 2020 topper interview: This is how Shivam Chandak scored 100 percentile in DILR, 99.98 overall!
• Who said only engineers can be the CAT toppers? -By Abhilasha Balakrishnan, 99.86 percentile, CAT 2020
• How to score 99 percentile in CAT through self study - By Ravi Kumar Prinshu, 99.78 percentile, CAT 2020
• How 2-3 hours of CAT preparation on weekdays helped me land IIM Lucknow -By Nishi Agrawal, 99.62 percentile
• This is how a biology student can devise a preparation strategy for CAT without any aid from coaching -By Vaibhav Mangla from IIM Kozhikode