CAT 2016 Toppers reveal how they scored 100 percentile in one of India's toughest exam

Avidipto Chakraborty from Mumbai not only cracked the CAT examination in his first attempt itself, he emerges as this year's topper. Almost 20 students including him have scored 100 percentile in CAT exams this time.

This BITS-Pilani student attributed his success to the number of mock tests he had taken while preparing for the test.

“I completely relied on self-studies and did not take get enrolled in any coaching centres,” The Indian Express quoted Chakraborty, who is working with a private finance services company as an intern.

“I took 86 mock tests for preparation and trusted almost 90 per cent on the analysis,” he said.

He kept the balance between his studies and CAT preparation by utilising his free time during weekends. He would attempt three mock tests in two days to gain confidence. This young lad now sees his future in entrepreneurship and aspires to pursue MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad, but not too soon. In his final year, Chakraborty got an offer from his dream company — McKinsey & Company.

“I may opt for the deferred admission policy and will join the Indian Institute of Management later. I wish to become a consultant,” he said.

Meanwhile, Unlike Chakraborty, another topper Yash Choudhari has decided to turn down his job offer if he makes it to IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Bangalore. He hails from Kolhapur in Maharashtra.

For this fourth year B-Tech student from College of Engineering in Pune, securing a 100 percentile in CAT in his first attempt wasn't a surprising moment.

"I had been preparing for the exam for 7-8 months, and I was expecting a 100 percentile," he said. While solving test series and mocks for the CAT, Choudhari said he would always score the highest in Quant, while Verbal was his weakest area. Ironically, he secured the highest score in the Verbal section, and second highest in Quant.

His word of advice to CAT aspirants is - “No matter how much ever you prepare, CAT will always be a step ahead of you. There is always an element of surprise. Do not try to solve all the questions in a set. It is sheer waste of time."

He concluded saying - "A smart student would know which section is tougher than the previous years' papers. So, don't waste your time. Solve what you know and move ahead..."