The CAT, I find, is much more scoring

CAT 2013's Rank 2, Suneet Kumbhat, says that he found the CAT easier to solve than the CMAT. In an interview with Puja Shah, he talks about why he feels so, his preparation for the test, his biggest hurdles which he overcame to top the CAT and his future plans.
 

Briefly tell us about yourself.

My schooling was completed in Mumbai, where I was born and brought up. I got my engineering degree from IIT - Delhi, after which I worked for a company in Chennai as a business analyst for a year. For the last couple of years, I have been working on an entrepreneurial venture along with a business partner. 

Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?
I had been trying my hand at the CAT since I graduated graduation. This was my fourth attempt at the test; the previous tries hadn’t been satisfactory for me since I was finding it quite difficult to give my best while working full-time. Finally, I decided to give it my best shot, as I wanted to gain a better insight into the corporate world. I also wanted to get some industry experience, since that would be beneficial in the long-term for my business.
The other reason was the tag of having an MBA degree. I wanted to do it in India specifically, since I have my own venture here. Obviously studying in an international school in another country has its pluses, but since I wanted to be in India for the foreseeable future I thought staying here and studying the business environment here made most sense.

How did you prepare for the test?
I was familiar with the test, and there were certain sections with which I wouldn’t face too many hiccups. On my first attempt, I found that I could handle the quantitative ability, data interpretation and logical reasoning pretty well. I had always been inclined towards quantitative and analytical subjects, and I had an engineering background, which is why I have always scored well in these areas. However, the Verbal analysis portion was difficult for me, and I could never score consistently well in that section. So I kept answering similar questions till I got the accuracy and score I wanted.
I have been practising this since my second attempt and solving the mock tests really helped me.

What was the biggest hurdle in your test preparation and how did you overcome it?
My biggest hurdle was time. I was involved with my business and did not have much time to spare for studies, but I did what I could. Around 10 days before the CAT, I stopped both working and studying. I decided to devote only a couple of hours a day for solving mock tests. I did this every day for those 10 days. My business partner was also very helpful, and took over all my responsibilities during these days.

What's next after topping the CAT?
I have managed to get an admit from IIM-Calcutta - I’ve accepted it and will be going there in a month’s time. My entrepreneurial venture will be functioning while I am studying; my partner will be handling most of the operations while I’ll be involved remotely at the strategic level and not at the operations level. After completing my course, I plan to come back to my business and take it to new heights.

What other exams did you give?
I just gave the CMAT, in September 2013. After the CAT results I didn’t give any further tests.

What made you accept the IIM-C offer?
Well, I got calls only from IIM-C and IIM Lucknow, so that made my decision easy. If I’d received calls from Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta , then yes, I would have had a lot to think about and it would have been a tough decision to make. Obviously IIM A, B and C are said to be at par with each other, followed by the rest.
I must say that I hadn’t thought about my decision beforehand, when I was waiting for the results to be declared. If I had, I would’ve spent a lot of time analysing and speaking to a number of people, but things worked out for the best. This way, I didn’t have to make a tough decision or do any analysis.