Ishaan’s CAT Journey: Rejected XLRI (2023), Got IIM C (2024)
“Forget uncontrollables. One question at a time.”
That’s the line Ishaan kept coming back to after three attempts at CAT. An engineer (Class of 2023) with 22 months of work experience, a 96.67% in Class 10 (ICSE), 80% in Class 12 (Maharashtra Board), and an 8.45 CGPA in graduation, Ishaan’s profile reads “balanced.” But the story behind his eventual CAT 2024 breakthrough is about realistic self-assessment, rebuilding fundamentals, and practicing with intent, especially in DILR.
The Early Attempts: 2022 and 2023 (What went Wrong?)
Ishaan first wrote CAT in 2022 while finishing college. With placements and academics running in parallel, he leaned on recorded lectures and weekend mocks. The result was encouraging and strong enough to convert XLRI HRM. Still, he decided to work, aim higher, and try again.
CAT 2023 was tougher. A new city, a new job, and an overreliance on mocks without deep concept repair led to a dip, especially in DILR. In his words, the prep became “superficial.” He could attempt, but he wasn’t building the muscle memory to break unfamiliar sets under pressure. The disappointment stung, more so because close friends converted to IIM Calcutta that year. But, he took it as an inspiration and scored an impressive 99.81 percentile in CAT 2024
What worked in CAT 2024
Going into 2024, Ishaan dropped the “I need 99.5” mindset. He focused on a controllable loop—study, attempt, analyze, repair. He used Cracku’s CAT Study Room to target subtopics he used to skip or “somehow” solve, and Daily Targets to keep the prep engine running on low-motivation days. He didn’t chase raw mock scores; he chased learning. The shift paid off most in DILR, where he moved from ~80s to 99+ by training himself to pick sets better, and to stick with hard ones long enough to truly learn from them, even if that meant taking an hour or two post-mock to crack a set he’d abandoned during the test.
On exam day (slot 1), when DILR had five sets, he didn’t force a fixed “2-of-5” plan. He read the section, sensed the level, and pushed for that extra set.
Ishaan’s Section-Wise Preparation Strategy
VARC: Reading First, Questions Second
Ishaan kept VARC simple and consistent. He didn’t label papers as “easy” or “hard” in the moment; he focused on reading with attention and answering with restraint. He built a steady habit of long-form reading and treated RC as a comprehension test, not a speed race. The goal was to reduce opinionated answers, keep close to the author’s intent, and avoid re-reading entire passages by learning to make mental notes of key ideas in every passage. He used to focus on key things in the paragraphs such as purpose, tone shifts, and the central claim.
For VA, he minimized guesswork. Sentence ordering and summary questions improved when he slowed down and asked: What’s the author trying to do here? Which sentence advances that purpose? Instead of memorising “tricks,” he rehearsed the reasoning pattern inside each question type until it felt routine.
Note: Reading habit improved score for a lot of aspirants, which shows how important that habit is. To build reading habits for the CAT exam we provide 3 articles from the sources of CAT previous year papers. To know more about this just visit CAT Daily Articles.
DILR: Set Selection + Muscle Memory
This was a big leap. Two fixes powered the 99+:
- Brutal honesty in post-mock work. If he skipped a set, he still solved it later—no excuses about “this won’t appear in CAT.” He learned the underlying structure. He used to put the required mental effort after the CAT mock test to solve the difficult DILR sets Over time, unfamiliar sets started to look familiar.
- A flexible plan on test day. No rigid target like “two sets or bust.” He scanned all five, tagged difficulty fast, and started with the one that “opened” quickest. Once momentum built, he went for the next best fit. The aim wasn’t to finish a set at all costs, but to keep ROI high, progress over pride.
He started the DILR practice with the CAT previous paper to know the level of difficulty. Mentally, he practised “letting go.” If a set stalled after a fair try, he moved on without carrying frustration into the next one. That one habit change lifted both attempts and accuracy.
Quant: Back to Basics, Then Speed
After 2023, Ishaan revisited fundamentals topic by topic, especially in Arithmetic and Algebra. He kept a small error-log with concrete labels like “framing error,” “missed hidden constraint,” “mis-read units,” and “over-algebra.”
He improved pace by learning to stop early on very hard CAT questions. If the first 30–45 seconds didn’t reveal a clean path, he marked and moved. He also used last month’s “marathon” style practice (long, mixed sets) to train stamina and switching—so the real paper felt like one more rehearsal.
Also Read, Rejected at 99.89%ile? Rishabh’s IIM Ahmedabad Story with 99.95%ile
Ishaan’s Mocks Test Strategy
Ishaan took plenty of mocks, but he stopped worshiping the number at the end. He drilled into why he lost marks or minutes: Did he jump into a DILR set without mapping entities? Did he cling to a CAT Quant question out of ego? Did a VARC inference hinge on a single word he skimmed past?
He timed his review, too. Quick pass for silly mistakes. Slow pass for concept gaps. Deep dive for pattern recognition. He kept the chain tight: identify → repair → re-attempt similar patterns within 48–72 hours. That short loop made fixes stick.
CAT Daily Targets helped on off-days: even 15–20 minutes of high-quality questions kept the rhythm alive so “restarting” never felt heavy.
Ishaan’s Exam Day Mindset: One Question at a Time
When slot 1 felt friendlier than 2023, he didn’t get greedy. He kept the same routine: read, decide, solve, or move. The mantra was “Don’t aim for a score; aim for the next correct answer.” Because he wasn’t chasing 99.5 on the screen, anxiety stayed low, judgment stayed sharp, and attempts rose naturally.
Ishaan’s Interview Preparation Strategy
With a strong percentile and multiple calls, he treated interviews as a different exam: subjective, time-boxed, and narrative-driven. He built a personal dossier—schooling, values, projects, work impact, hobbies (cricket), and why finance interested him. After an early jolt (a C++ question he couldn’t answer in his first interview of the season), he went back and revised key graduation topics, work-role specifics, and current affairs. He also brushed up finance (he’d cleared CFA Level 1), and gave 6–7 mock interviews with seniors and friends.
Result: converts at IIM Calcutta, FMS, and SPJIMR (Finance first preference); XLRI waitlist; top-quartile at ISB. The lesson: the panel doesn’t know you; your job is to present a clear, honest, well-prepared story in 15–20 minutes.
Ishaan’s Resources for CAT Success
Ishaan credits three things for success in 2024: Study Room for targeted concept repair with video solutions, Daily Targets to keep the habit alive on tough days, and Mock Analysis that visualized time sinks and decision errors. Long “marathon” revision sessions in the last month helped Quant feel fresh and connected.
Also Read, CAT Study Material 2025, Questions, Test Series, Formula PDF
Ishaan’s Advice for CAT Aspirants
Ishaan’s biggest shift was emotional: ignore profile anxiety and percentile obsession. Control the controllables—study blocks, set selection, and the discipline to drop a question when it’s not yielding. Keep options in life (a job you like, parallel plans); lower pressure often leads to better performance. And whatever you skip in a mock, solve it later—that’s where the growth is.
How Ishaan Went from Rejecting XLRI to Joining IIM Calcutta : Conclusion
Ishaan's CAT journey proves that persistence and self-reflection lead to success. Despite setbacks in 2022 and 2023, he focused on improving his core concepts and staying consistent. His post-mock analysis and learning from mistakes helped him achieve a 99.81 percentile in CAT 2024. For other aspirants, the key is mastering the basics, staying consistent, and keeping a calm mindset on exam day.
Ishaan’s story shows how a well-planned approach can turn setbacks into success. By focusing on weak areas, practicing with purpose, and staying flexible on exam day, he improved significantly. Whether in DILR or Quant, understanding concepts and practicing regularly are crucial for success. A focused mindset and consistent effort can make all the difference in achieving top scores in CAT.
