MBA For Biology Students? Here's How Vaibhav Mangla, A Life Sciences Student Made It To IIM Kozhikode Without Any Coaching!

Have you ever wondered if MBA is for biology students? Well, we don't know about you, but Vaibhav Mangla did not only think it possible but also made it happen. A graduate in B.Sc. Life sciences from Ramjas College (DU), Vaibhav went on to work in the sales department at a retail jewelry showroom based in his hometown Palwal, Haryana. He then converted an IIM in his second attempt. Let's have a look at his CAT preparation strategy, and learn how he made it to IIM Kozhikode.

I was a person who never went to tuitions or any coaching institutes in my whole life because I firmly believe in autodidacticism. I think the more you depend on tuition, the more you will be trapped in its vicious circle. It is not easy to be an autodidact, as you will not be having any mentor to guide or solve your queries or to keep your motivation levels high. 

But according to me, self-study gives us the freedom to learn without any restriction and thus helps in broadening our thought processes. It forces us to bring the best from within us and push ourselves to our limits. However, there is one thing that lacks while self-study, and that's the feeling of competition that we get in any coaching. Nonetheless, I decided to continue with my CAT preparations on my own, without any CAT coaching.

The Crux of my CAT Preparation Strategy

For me, it was consistency and dedication. In my opinion, studying for only 3-4 hours a day is more than enough if you are regular. A person who studies for just 3 hours and 7 days a week is far better than someone who studies 10-12 hours a day but only two days a week. Apart from this, always try to remain calm and think positive no matter how bad you perform in your mocks. Understand that these tests are only to improve your understanding and are not a true picture of how you will perform on D-day.

Also read: How to Prepare for CAT Exam 2022? CAT Preparation Timetable, Guidance, Tips, And More!

Mocks, Mocks, and Some More Mocks!

Taking mock tests was the most important part of my CAT preparation strategy. I got enrolled for the IMS test series and used to solve sectionals on my mobile phone whenever I got any free time at my workplace. Twice a week, I used to give full-length mocks and analyzed them properly to know where I could have done better.

I will recommend IMS Mock series to all aspirants, as the online interface portal is both mobile and laptop friendly. In addition, there is a column where you can post your doubts and get them cleared by other aspirants.

Also read: Details About CAT Syllabus 2022 & CAT Exam Pattern- Everything You Need To Know!

Preparing for CAT Without Coaching- From the Desk of a Biology Student

Being a biology student I didn’t have a good grip on quantitative aptitude (QA) or on data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR). In fact, DILR is considered the most difficult section of the CAT and a nightmare for most of us MBA aspirants. So to begin with I used to solve around 40-50 questions of quant, 3-4 DILR, and 4-5 RC passages of medium to difficult level on a daily basis. 

The major problem for me was the DILR section as video solutions are not easily available and text solutions are difficult to comprehend so I took the help of YouTube and Google to get my doubts cleared and finally managed to score from 48.87 percentile in CAT’18 to 99.35 percentile in CAT’19 in the DILR section.

It felt amazing to get a high score on the CAT exam. But my next problem started after I got shortlisted for the interview, as this was the first time in my life I was going to appear for an interview. And due to the unavailability of any interview preparatory classes in my town, I decided to work on my oral efficiency at home itself.

I had to get creative, so I started using the application Opentalk from which I used to talk to random people from all over the world. This helped me improve my English communication skills which gave me the confidence to express my opinions in front of the panelists.

Also read: CAT 2022: Tips To Score Well In Logical Reasoning And Data Interpretation (LRDI) Section

Keep Working Even if You Hit a Low Point

It is really disappointing for any aspirant to keep getting a below-average score in mocks, even after working so hard. The same happened to me, and that too just a week before D-day. But remember there is no benefit in giving up. You should not let your spirit die, try to stay calm and motivated and instead of cursing yourself, analyze your test and work upon the mistakes. Here are the resources and some do’s and don’t I incorporated into my CAT preparation strategy, that might be helpful to others as well.

• IMS mocks
• YouTube
• Unacademy 
• Opentalk application (for interview preparation)

Do’s and Don’ts

• Try to find out your weak point by giving mocks
• Analyze the mocks properly
• Try to solve questions of various difficulty levels as CAT is totally unpredictable.
• Don’t blindly follow in the footsteps of others, not even mine because everyone has a different set of circumstances 
• Make your own strategy and keep it flexible
• Don’t take too much stress and take a good diet to keep your mind and body healthy and fit.

Last but not least always remember what Dwayne Johnson once said - “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come."

Here are some other relevant pieces on CAT preparation and success stories:

• How to prepare for CAT in 3 months or less and get 99+ percentile
• Answers to all your queries on taking and analysing CAT Mocks
• Reading Comprehension For CAT Exam- Intro, Questions, Tips, Resources, And More!
• An Engineer’s guide to prepare for VARC -By Rohit Singh, 99.56 percentile, MDI Gurgaon - Part II
• How to prepare for CAT in one month or less? -By Praneeth Allada, 99.78 percentile, IIM Calcutta