#NewsBytesExclusive: CAT-2019 topper Somansh Chordia on preparation, challenges, and more
What's the story
The much-awaited results of the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2019, conducted by IIM Kozhikode, were declared on January 4. As many as ten candidates scored a perfect 100 percentile in CAT-2019. Among the toppers was Somansh Chordia, a final-year engineering student at IIT Bombay. In an exclusive interview with NewsBytes, Somansh talked about CAT preparation, challenges, and also gave some tips for aspirants.
Score
Was surprised by the score: Somansh on securing 100 percentile
On scoring a 100 percentile in CAT-2019 and being one of the toppers, Somansh said, "It feels good. I was surprised by the score...I was expecting somewhere about 99.99 but 100 percentile was a shock." When asked if he was expecting to be among the toppers after the exam, he said, "Not after giving the exam, but after seeing the answers (answer key)."
About
Somansh is a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at IIT Bombay
Somansh, hailing from Maharashtra's Nagpur, is a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at IIT-Bombay. He completed his schooling in Nagpur before joining IIT-B. Notably, he was also a Design Engineer at IIT-Bombay's Team SHUNYA (Sustainable Habitat for an Urbanizing Nation by its Young Aspirants), which built a zero-electricity fully-functional, well-furnished house that not only runs on solar energy but also generates electricity for future use.
Appearing for CAT
The IIT-B student explains why he decided to take CAT
Explaining why he appeared for CAT, despite having an engineering background, Somansh said, "I was interested in the managerial side since school days probably because I realized...it's one of the things that could have a large impact on society." "After coming to college (IIT-B), I got exposed to different (management-related) options we could pursue through different (guest) speakers...and that increased my interest," he added.
Exam preparation
Joined TIME coaching institute for CAT preparation
Somansh had joined the TIME coaching institute for CAT preparation in January last year. Asked when he started preparing to crack CAT 2019, he said, "In the initial 3-4 months I gave mock tests without analyzing them, just to understand the pattern of the paper." "But then from August, I started studying for CAT a bit more seriously," he said.
Information
Somansh on challenges he faced while preparing for CAT
Somansh also talked about the challenges he faced while preparing for CAT-2019. He said he faced some issues with the Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section. "But practice is the key," he said, explaining how he overcame the challenge.
Strategy
Analyzing mock tests, identifying weak areas, solving previous papers
Further, talking about how he prepared for CAT in the last 1-2 months, Somansh said, "Finally, in October, I decided to give more time to preparation, analyzing mock tests, identifying weak areas, and practicing those topics from TIME material." "Towards the very end, I used to study the entire day for CAT. I also used to solve previous year CAT papers."
Advice
Just analyze your weak areas and keep practising: Somansh's advice
Somansh also gave some advice and tips for CAT aspirants and NewsBytes's readers. He said, "The CAT paper is not as difficult as other entrance exams are. It is simple." "Just analyze your weak areas and keep practising. Once you have clarity about the basic concepts, then practice is the only thing that needs to be done," the CAT topper added.