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Journalism of Courage
Twenty-one-year-old Dhatri Mehta scored 99.99 percentile in the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024, the results of which were declared last night. She and another female candidate are the women who scored 99.99 percentile this year. A total of 14 candidates got 100 percentile of which only one is a woman.
As a final-year electrical engineering student at IIT Bombay, she balances her rigorous academic commitments with her dream of securing a seat at IIM Ahmedabad, where she plans to specialise in finance.
Born into an academically inclined family — her father, an MBA in finance, and her mother, a doctor in homoeopathy — have been her pillars of support. Her upbringing instilled in her a deep love for studying, which has been a consistent driving force throughout her life. “Since I was a child, I loved studying. This passion helped me crack JEE Advanced and eventually choose electrical engineering at IIT Bombay,” she told indianexpress.com.
Her journey was challenging. A particularly demanding semester at IIT Bombay and a two-month internship left her with little time for preparation.
“Those were testing times, but I reminded myself of my goal and stayed persistent,” she says. She credits her family, especially her father, for being a constant source of motivation. “He would often say, ‘If others can do it, so can you,’ and that mantra kept me going.”
Despite the demands of her engineering curriculum, she decided to embark on her CAT preparation journey in November 2023. Enrolling in a year-long online programme by T.I.M.E., she found the flexibility of online classes particularly helpful. “There were weeks when my academic load was intense, but the ability to revisit lectures at my own pace kept me on track,” she recalls.
The CAT exam is known for its three sections: Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR). While she had a strong foundation in QA, thanks to her engineering background, mastering the nuances of the other sections required dedicated effort. “For VARC, the tutor’s lectures taught me how to effectively comprehend passages and approach questions strategically. Similarly, for DILR, extensive practice and mock tests helped me build speed and accuracy,” she explains.
Her preparation strategy evolved over time. Initially, she attempted questions randomly, but repeated practice and mock tests enabled her to devise a structured approach. For DILR, she would scan all the sets, categorise them as easy, medium, or hard, and prioritise accordingly. For VARC, she focused on maximizing her score in reading comprehension before tackling verbal ability questions as “bonus marks”. For QA, she revisited elementary concepts like multiplication tables, squares, and cubes to boost her calculation speed.
When asked about her inclination toward finance, she points out its universal applicability.
“Finance is all-pervasive and vital to every industry. Coupled with my technical background, I hope to contribute to roles like tech management that blend engineering and managerial expertise,” she adds.
Her preparation journey has taught her invaluable life lessons, particularly time management.
“Balancing my engineering coursework with CAT preparation required meticulous planning. It’s a skill that will undoubtedly help me as an MBA student and beyond,” she reflects.
As she awaits interview calls from the top IIMs, her aspirations are clear. “I’ve always had an inclination for studying. If not an MBA, I might have pursued an academic career. But for now, I’m excited about the opportunities that an MBA in finance will open up,” she concludes.
