An Interview with XAT 2014 Topper
“If you’re well prepared for CAT, cracking XAT will be a cakewalk” – An interview with Maulik Gandhi, XAT 2014 Topper.
CollegeSearch interviewed XAT 2014 topper Maulik Gandhi who is currently studying at XLRI School of Business and Human Resources – Jamshedpur and got some valuable insights about the exam, its pattern and the institute. He shared helpful tips for the aspirants and some interesting facts! Here’s the complete interview:
CollegeSearch: How much did you score in XAT 2014?
Maulik: I secured 99.74 percentile
CollegeSearch: Did you take any other entrance exam, apart from XAT?
Maulik: I took 6 other exams –
CMAT,
MAT,
NMAT,
SNAP,
IIFT and
Maharashtra CET.
CollegeSearch: How was XAT exam in comparison to others?
Maulik: XAT was the toughest! It is the quality of questions and the time constraint that makes XAT the toughest of all.
CollegeSearch: Does preparing for CAT help to score good in XAT?
Maulik: Yes. If one is well prepared for CAT, cracking XAT becomes easy. XAT does not require a different preparation strategy. It is just that the exam is one level up in terms of difficulty level which is due to the time constraint. Brush up your skills and go for it!
CollegeSearch: What is your opinion about the changed exam pattern? Will it help the candidates?
Maulik: The changed exam pattern – reduced number of questions and increase in the allotted time will surely help the aspirants. Aspirants will be eased off the time pressure and will be able to attempt in a better way.
CollegeSearch: What preparation strategies would you recommend to aspirants?
Maulik:
a) Attempt Strong Sections First
Start with attempting your strong section first and keep the weak one for the last.
b) Do not get Stuck
Time is a crucial aspect when appearing for XAT. A candidate should not allow himself or herself to get stuck on a particular question. I did not spend more than a minute on any of the questions.
c) Maintain a balance in scoring between sections
Scoring high in one of the three sections will not result in a good score. Therefore aspirants must keep in mind that they have to maintain a good balance in terms of scoring across the sections.
d) Solve Mock Papers
Solving as many mock papers as possible is very important to get a good score. There are a number of mock tests available online and one can also go for the paid series. Solving and conducting error analysis is a must.
e) Do not ignore Previous Year Papers
I solved question papers from a book named XAT Previous Year Papers. It gave me a better understanding about the trend and quality of questions. Solve previous year question papers along with taking mock tests.
Maulik is currently studying in the last year and has summer interned at Ernst & Young. He also shared with CollegeSearch that he recently received a pre-placement offer from the company and is most likely to join the same after the completion of the course.
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