Jitumoni Sharma’s smart hacks for preparations one month before CAT 2020

 

Assessing your strengths and figuring out your weaknesses to work on them in the final stages of preparations can make all the difference in your CAT score. Jitumoni Sharma, who aced the test in 2019, did just that. “I was good in quant and LRDI but very weak in VARC. Through YouTube, I found “Word Power Made Easy” by Norman Lewis, which helped me a lot. I would also record new vocab words on the phone to recall and memorize them,” he reveals.

Jitumoni showed the same level of earnest through the four months of his CAT prep while keeping up with the studies in 5^th semester of his graduation program. “I would prepare for CAT for 4-5 hours every day. I cleared the basics to the best of my ability and then kept revising the concepts. Give as many mock tests as possible, including sectional mocks. It’s also important to pick the right set of questions for mock tests,” he recommends.

According to Jitumoni, managing time and stress is the key to giving your best on the test day. He realizes that there will be additional stress this year due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. He suggests a crash course a month before the CAT and goes on to offer tips for the D Day. “I had done my SWOT analysis, which was a big advantage. You should get a fair idea on the types of questions you should be tackling first. It will help you stay on top of the clock and avoid panic,” he adds.

After CAT he went through a four-step the selection process of WAT, GD, PI and Extempore Speech to secure his admission with IMI Bhubaneswar. Jitumoni explains his choice of B School, “I joined IMI B because the course curriculum is industry-relevant and on par with some of the IIMs. The campus is beautiful and I had read about excellent placements. You get a lot of practical exposure through live projects, competitions, internships. In two years, you are groomed to be corporate-ready.” He certainly seems to be on his way there.