MindInsight:- What was your overall strategy for CAT?

Tarun Ahuja:-
I put a lot of thought on how I would plan my preparations as well as the exam. During the exam, I knew how much time would I give to each section and in what order. I had the cut-offs in mind for each section. So, I attempted quant and DI section in 2 rounds, and VA in between. I started with sections in which I was more confident beforehand, and it set the flow for me during the exam. Of course, these opinions are personal. The idea is to have a concrete plan, and yet be flexible enough to adjust according to the pattern. Please don't be lured by easy or difficult sections. Remember that without clearing all cut-offs, cracking two sections with 100 percentile is useless.

MindInsight:- How did you manage your time?

Tarun Ahuja:-
Time management can become a big issue for a person on job. My suggestion would be to avoid taking ambitious projects at office and not to stretch beyond office hours. I devoted 2-3 hours in night during weekdays and whole of weekends for preparation. One should start early if he/she thinks time can be a constraint. Even for graduating students, regular practice is a must.

MindInsight:-Is coaching institute a must for CAT preparation?

Tarun Ahuja:-
I didn't join any coaching institute for CAT exam, though I did attend few sessions and mock GDs for the GD/PI stage. Rather, I relied on study material from coaching institutes which is readily available in the market. Seriously, you are best judge to decide if you need coaching or not. Try solving some mock tests and look at your performance on an absolute scale. However, one should always give mock-tests through coaching institutes, as they prepare you well for "surprise" element in the exam.

MindInsight:- What will be your advice to MBA aspirants?

Tarun Ahuja:-
1. Work hard. There is no substitute for that.
2. Know your strengths and weaknesses and plan your preparation/exam/GDPI accordingly.
3. Be confident. You really don't gain anything by getting nervous, do you?
4. Relax. Life is much more than just CAT. And CAT happens every year :)

MindInsight:- What do you think are the three things you did well, that landed you in an IIM?

Tarun Ahuja:-
1. I was very relaxed on the exam day. Infact, when I saw the change in pattern in CAT-07, the first thought that struck my mind was "wow! I have a better chance now!"
2. I thought really hard about typical interview questions like why MBA, strengths, goals etc. I spent many days just making sure that I actually believe what I am going to speak. I spent a lot of time studying the mission and vision statements, along with thorough scan of the websites of all IIMs. It helped me frame better answers.
3. I read a lot for the interviews. Be it newspaper, be it my job or be it undergrad studies. Infact, one should always be regular with newspaper, much before CAT exam.

MindInsight:- How did you prepare for GD/PI?

Tarun Ahuja:-
I attended a 2 day workshop from a coaching institute, 5-6 mock GDs and 1 mock interview. These things helped me gain some practice for GD-PI. Now that IIMA has included extempore in its process, one can practice that at home also. Just stand in front of mirror, think about the headlines in today's paper and speak for 5 minutes on each. Rest is answered by #2 and #3 above.

MindInsight:- How helpful is academic background for MBA?

Tarun Ahuja:-
It doesn't really make much of difference. During MBA, engineers are more comfortable with quant subjects while commerce students find accounting very easy. Anyway, good students excel in all kind of subjects, so it is really not a worry.

MindInsight:- How did being at IIM change you?

Tarun Ahuja:-
I really wondered about this question before joining the place - what is the passion that drives people to IIM. After 2 years of study here, I can offer the following parameters to consider:
1. Leadership skills - you can certainly gain a lot, if you put in requisite effort. In my opinion, leadership is not just leading a team, its about leading thoughts and discussion, which you can certainly do in class rooms more than anywhere else.
2. Work load - Don't ever worry about that. IIMA ensures through their curriculum that you are always busy (read "sleepless"). Usually the saying goes that if you can handle the work-load at IIMA, you can handle any kind of stress.
3. Knowledge - It's a big pool of knowledge. You get to interact with highly intellectual faculty, smart students with diverse background and a number of people from the industry. The approach to education is unique as well.
4. Future prospects - Definitely improve by plenty. Not necessarily in terms of money but the positions that you take in industry post MBA are of much more responsibility than after graduation. Of course, its not a hard and fast rule.
5. Fun - Nothing like hostel life!

MindInsight:- A few things about Life at IIM ...

Tarun Ahuja:-
Covered in above answer.

MindInsight:- How much work experience matter in getting an IIM call?

Tarun Ahuja:-
Not very sure. IIMs have their own rules, which keep on changing every year. But if you have done well in CAT, I don't think you need to worry about your work-ex or the lack of it.

MindInsight:- What do you think about MindInsight.com as a portal for MBA preparation?

Tarun Ahuja:-
Very good initiative to help CAT aspirants. During my preparation, I had to search internet for different resources, while this website offers a bundled pool (read "a one stop destination").

Thank you Tarun for your wonderful tips which will be surely helpful for all MiGhts.

Credentials

Class X (CBSE), 1999 DAV Public School,Ghaziabad

Class XII (CBSE), 2001 Vivekanand School, Delhi

B. Tech (Electronics & Communication), 2001-05 IIT Roorkee

Work experience: 2 years in Atrenta (India) Pvt. Ltd.