How to crack CAT? Hear it from Pune topper

Paarth Hebbalkar, 22, topped the city with 99.97 percentile in the common admission test (CAT) whose results were announced recently.

“The exams are over, results have been announced and now I need to concentrate on getting into Indian Institute of Management (IIM) of my choice,” said Paarth Hebbalkar.

Out of the 2,09,405 students who appeared for CAR from across the country, 11 students scored a perfect 100 percent in the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2018 for post-graduate management courses at top colleges, and seven of them are from Maharashtra. All 11 of them have studied engineering and technology.

Hebbalkar completed electronics and telecommunication engineering from Maharashtra Institute of Technology(MIT) in 2018 and is looking forward to joining a prestigious institution to pursue master’s in business administration (MBA).

Hebbalkar studied in Vidya Valley School and Loyola’s Junior College. He has been the captain of the football team in school and has later been the vice-captain of the football team in MIT.

“I appeared for CAT last year also just to gain experience and scored 96.23 per cent. I also attempted common entrance test (CET) and scored 99.65 per cent. I did not get into Jamnalal Bajaj and so I began preparing again for CAT.I joined Endeavor Careers, IMS and Time for better preparation,”he said.

Hebbalkar said that out of the three sections - verbal, data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR) and quantitative ability, verbal was the hardest for him.

“Mock tests are important. I gave at least 70 mock tests. I studied mostly from books given by coaching classes and for DILR, I referred to a book by Arun Sharma and for Quantitative Ability, I referred Quantum CAT,” he said.

Hebbalkar aspires to join IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Calcutta which would give him an opportunity to learn from elite group of professors and students as well. Specialising in finance is his ultimate goal.

Tips for aspirants

1. Get the basics right

2. Mock tests are important. Give as many tests as possible

3. Analyse your mistakes in the tests

4. Understand your strengths and weaknessness during your preperation and strategise

5. Smart study with 100 per cent focus for at least 2 to 3 hours daily