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Nishant’s Journey From 10 Marks to 99+ Percentile
Improving from a 97 percentile to above 99 percentile in CAT is not a small achievement. As scores rise, every extra percentile becomes harder. Nishant’s journey shows how consistent effort, strong fundamentals, and a clear mindset can lead to a significant improvement.
From scoring just 10 marks in his first mock attempt to scoring 99+ percentile in CAT 2024 his story is something every CAT aspirant needs to hear.
Nishant’s Background: Education, Work Experience & CAT Preparation Start
Nishant is from Arrah and completed his graduation from Haldia Institute of Technology. He has worked at Infosys and PPro across multiple roles like testing, data analysis, team leadership, and even some development. By the time he decided to prepare full-time for CAT, he had already handled responsibilities across five different projects.
Like many candidates, he prepared for the CAT while working for a few years. But the constant pressure, burnout, and inability to give his best finally made him take a tough decision to quit his job in April 2023 and attempt CAT with full focus.
His First CAT Mock Test Experience: The Turning Point
Before scoring in the 99 percentile range, Nishant began exactly where many aspirants do — at the bottom. When he attempted his first CAT mock test based on CAT 2018 Slot 2, he scored only 10 marks out of 300. In fact, he got –1 in DILR and –1 in QA.
He says very honestly:
“I used to think I’m an engineer, so QA will be easy. But that mock showed how weak I actually was.”
Instead of getting discouraged, he accepted his weaknesses and restarted from the very basics. This attitude stayed with him throughout his journey.
CAT Attempt Progression (2020–2024): How Nishant Improved Year After Year
Nishant never stopped attempting CAT. Even when the scores were low, he treated each attempt as a checkpoint.
2020 was his first attempt and the percentile was very low.
In 2021, he prepared seriously and reached around 91 percentile.
In 2022, he fell sick on the exam day.
In 2023, he scored 97.xx percentile, but still felt he wasn’t giving his 100%.
Finally, in 2024 — after quitting his job he crossed the 99 percentile mark with a 99.87 percentile in QA.
This pattern clearly shows that improvement is slow, continuous, and completely possible with the right process.
Why He Quit His Job for CAT 2024
Quitting a stable job is a big decision. Nishant had already spent years doing job + CAT together, and every year he felt burnt out during preparation. This time, he wanted to prepare without distractions. He also had more than 3 years of experience, so taking a gap year would not damage his profile.
His parents were initially surprised but eventually supportive. What helped Nishant the most was the fact that he had planned for this situation financially. He saved money, invested properly, and prepared himself for the possibility that the attempt might not go well. That financial stability gave him mental peace.
He says:
“Plan B is not for losers. It keeps your mind calm so that you can give your best for Plan A.”
Mindset Changes That Helped Nishant Cross the 99 Percentile Mark
One of the biggest changes this year was not academic, it was mental.
He learned to prepare strategically instead of emotionally. Nishant didn’t chase shortcuts or magical techniques. He trusted the traditional approach, especially in QA, and practiced until he became fast.
He also accepted that failures and setbacks are part of the journey. Instead of worrying about results, he focused on building habits, solving daily, repeating concepts, reviewing mistakes, and staying consistent even when the scores dropped.
Also Read, How Tanishka Went from 70%ile to FMS Delhi Convert
Nishant’s Section-Wise CAT 2024 Strategy (QA, DILR, VARC)
CAT Quant Strategy 2024: How Nishant Scored 99.87 in QA
This was Nishant’s biggest transformation. From negative scores in early mocks to 99.87 percentile in CAT 2024, his journey in QA was built on patience and fundamentals.
He did not depend on shortcuts. Instead, he solved problems using traditional methods until he became naturally fast. He practised regularly in the Cracku CAT study room and refined his approach based on Maruti Sir’s problem-solving process.
The most unique part of his preparation was solving CAT Previous year papers five times, especially from 2020 to 2023. This repetition gave him a deep understanding of the CAT pattern, the type of traps, and the kind of logical steps required to solve questions quickly.
According to him:
“If your basics are strong, you can be as fast as someone using shortcuts.”
CAT DILR Strategy 2024: Set Selection, Calmness & Consistency
DILR was another area where Nishant changed his approach completely. In his earlier attempts, he used to panic when he couldn’t crack the first set quickly. This year, his focus was on staying calm even when a set looked complicated at first glance.
He practiced one or two sets daily with strict timers, not to chase speed early on, but to build his mental stamina. While solving, he paid attention to how the set was structured — the relationships, constraints, patterns, and the order in which information should be processed. Instead of jumping in and trying to force a solution, he spent the first few seconds understanding the framework of the puzzle.
Over time, he developed the habit of identifying:
- Which sets were worth attempting
- Which ones were likely to be time traps
- How to break a complicated set into manageable steps
This allowed him to stay composed during the actual exam. He did not rely on flashy tricks or shortcuts; he built a thinking process that helped him make the right decisions under pressure.
CAT VARC Strategy 2024: Reading Approach, Accuracy & Passage Selection
VARC was a slow and steady improvement journey for Nishant. Rather than trying to increase speed or attempt all passages, he worked on building genuine comprehension. He read consistently — articles, editorials, and long-form content — which slowly trained him to understand different writing styles and tones.
His strategy focused on reading to understand, not reading to finish quickly. He made it a habit to pause mentally and check whether he was actually following the author’s intention, central idea, and transitions. This helped him avoid the common mistake of misinterpreting RC questions under time pressure.
In Verbal Ability, grammar practice played a strong supporting role. He revised sentence correction, para-jumbles, and odd-sentence-out questions regularly. With time, his accuracy increased because he could identify logical flow in sentences and paragraphs more naturally.
Another major improvement came from mock analysis. Instead of checking only the wrong answers, he observed patterns — which RC topics he was comfortable with, which ones drained too much time, and what type of VA questions he frequently got wrong. This helped him learn how to choose the right RC passages during mocks and in the actual exam.
Overall, his VARC improvement came from consistency, reading quality, and understanding the logic of the passage — not from shortcuts.
Also Read, Akash Dwivedi’s CAT 2024 Journey: From 97.4%ile to 99.97%ile
What Nishant Did Differently in CAT 2024
Two things made the biggest difference this year:
1. Complete Focus Without Burnout
Leaving his job allowed him to study with energy and stability. He could give time to basics, revision, and mock analysis without feeling overloaded.
2. Financial and Mental Preparedness
Because he planned for the possibility of failure, his mind stayed calm. This calmness helped him perform better in both mocks and the actual exam.
CAT 2025 Tips from a 99 Percentiler: Nishant’s Advice for Future Aspirants
Nishant believes CAT is not just an exam but a discipline. He advises students to remain consistent, repeat concepts until they feel natural, and avoid shortcuts when the basics are not strong.
He also warns aspirants not to rush into mock tests without proper preparation. Many students take dozens of mocks without knowing basic concepts, which destroys confidence instead of improving it.
His biggest message is simple:
“You rise by doing the same boring things again and again. That’s the real secret.”
Also Read, Rejected at 99.89%ile? Rishabh’s IIM Ahmedabad Story with 99.95%ile
Key Lessons From Nishant’s 99+ Percentile CAT Journey
Nishant’s journey is proof that anyone can improve, no matter how low the starting point is. What matters is honesty about your weaknesses, consistency in your process, and a calm mindset built through planning and discipline.
He began his journey scoring 10 marks, and reached a 99+ percentile through sheer effort, repetition, and belief.
Stories like his remind us that progress takes time — but it always comes if you keep moving in the right direction.
