Delhi student who scored 99.73 percentile in CAT - Jatin Mehra [Interview]

FMS (Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi) is a dream destination for MBA aspirants. while many can only dream only, here is one who made it this year. Jatin Mehra, who graduated in 2011 with BE in CSE from Delhi College of Engineering scored 99.73 percentile and further battled through GD and PI rounds to finally bag a seat at FMS.

This achiever had cleared the written round of FMS last year too, but could not get through the interview. With a balance between passion to achieve his dream and calmness about CAT not being the end of the world, he tried again and this time he succeeded.

To guide students who have started preparing for various MBA entrance exams, he has some thoughts to share. Please read on to know what all Jatin told us about!

Which all exams did you appear for MBA Admissions (Like CAT, SNAP NMAT, XAT?)

CAT, XAT, SNAP

What was your best Percentile /Scores

CAT 99.73

B school calls you received

FMS, IIM C, IIM L, new IIMs, XLRI-BM, SIBM, NITIE, IITs

That is quite a large number of calls! Why did you want to do an MBA?

I joined MBA to:
1. Enhance my skill sets to grow vertically in my career.

2. The stakes are high, as you get a demanding work profile in terms of expectations from you. So there is a huge scope of opportunities to contribute and challenges to stimulate your personal gratification.

3. By doing an MBA you get a holistic view of the business scenario and you start thinking about every action in terms of what would be its macro level effect.

4. Also having an MBA degree under your kitty is a stamp towards better opportunities in terms of showcasing your creativity and be accountable to various important aspects of business.

It is great to meet someone who was so focused! What was your plan of action for MBA admission preparation? Did you join any coaching classes?

Yes, I joined Tathagat in pre final year of my engineering. For the second time, I did not join any coaching institute. I just read few books and kept myself abreast with the current happenings. I did take Time and TestFunda’s test series. Also I joined Mr. Malay ray’s GD-PI prep classes.

Apart from bookish studies, what helped you do so well in the exam?

Reading newspapers, novels, solving puzzles, playing games like chess, sudoko, even counterstrike etc. helps keeping your thoughts together and acts as exercise for pumping oxygen in the brain and contributes positively to your development subconsciously.

Any particular book/s you would refer?

There are lots of booklists you can refer to. Do read Animal’s farm, 1984, Jonathan Livingstone seagull and novels on diverse topics so that you can improve your comprehension. Many engineering students have some problem in comprehending topics on politics, philosophy etc. I would suggest working on your personal weaknesses.

Did you focus on CAT only after college or were you preparing simultaneously?

I did not study after graduation, whatever I did in my college years helped me off.

You have also worked at Futures First. How was the experience? How did you manage work pressure and studies?

The work at FuturesFirst was a great learning experience. Here, work is quite demanding and exhilarating. I hardly got much time after work hours. It did help me cognitively in handling and comprehending a lot of data.

On a scale of 1 to 10, what is the importance of academic achievements and extracurricular achievements in getting admission in a good B School?

I would rate importance at 9. They are certainly important. I won’t say the B schools would take you if you have good achievements in your life. They certainly help you in building your confidence and gives depth to whatever you talk because of your experience in different avenues.

What role did hostel life play in your overall growth and MBA preparation?

Hostel life was important. It helped me to get exposed to various events to which I was blithe towards till that time. I did some projects in hostel which helped me to create Team work aspects inside me. I got various likeminded people in hostel with whom I could study and discuss problems.

Did you find the online pattern of CAT troublesome?

No.

Is the interview actually tougher than the written exam?

In my case they were. I cleared written of FMS in 2011 too, but could not clear the interview. Written has somewhat limited syllabus but there is no dearth of what they expect you to know in an interview. But joining Malay sir’s classes really helped.

One secret mantra to bell the CAT!

Don’t go to CAT by having a feeling of DO or DIE. There is a lot to life apart from CAT. Just be confident about your strength and work on your shortcomings, rest everything will take care of itself.

Yes, that is really very important. So, how is life at FMS?

Life at FMS is pretty hectic till now. Parties are super awesome. The strategic location and ROI of the campus is incomparable.

For a student who has just started preparing for MBA admission exams, what would you advice. Please guide them!

READ, READ and READ for verbal. Develop a habit of solving puzzles and question anywhere and anytime you get them. Do a lot of mocks when the time would come. Do last year CAT papers. Play, Party and rest. God will take care of other stuffs.

Last minute preparation tips

Do solve a lot of comprehensions and RCs before going to CAT. It helped me. It might help others also.

What are your plans after MBA?

I am pretty much open to various avenues right now. Let’s see what next is in store for me.

Well Jatin Mehra, we are very proud of you! May you achieve even bigger things in life. (PS : We would rush to interview you again then)

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