CAT 2007 topper reveals his winning strategy

Ahmedabad: As the date for taking the Common Aptitude Test (CAT) nears and management degree aspirants across India are busy with their preparations. As they get ready to write the CAT this month, here's the story of someone who aced the entrance exam and booked a seat at one of the best of B-schools - IIM Ahmedabad.

His confident walk is not the only thing that sets Shayan Sarkar apart from the crowd. Despite him being one of the only few who managed a 100 percentile in the CAT last year.

"I was working, so I didn't have time. I used to take a test series, which helped a lot. I had to balance between work and preparation," says Shayan about his preparation.

His best efforts weren't in vain as the IIT-Kharagpur engineer managed to translate his top CAT score into a seat at IIM-Ahmedabad.

"My under-graduation curriculum was holistic in nature, which made the need to have a MBA more obvious. Here in the IIMs we get a perspective on the functional aspects of how businesses are done," says Shayan.

And while taking a break from his packed schedule at IIM, he shares his winning strategy.

"My focus was on fine tuning my exam technique strategies. How to allocate time and equal number of attempts in all sections," he says.

But what strategy will work after the IIM? The campus is abuzz with talks of the economic slowdown but Shayan's face is yet to reflect those worry lines.

"It is an opportunity in disguise because when the economy is in recession, you need to come up with innovative and newer management practices. You have to turn around the recession. It is a big learning ground for us and it will provide us a steep learning curve," he adds.

That sounds like true winner speak. With hope and optimism Shayan is surely not far from becoming part of IIM success story.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)

#Bell the CAT #CAT #IIM #Shayan Sarkar #IIT #economic crisis