Interviewer: Dr Rav Singh
Topper: Tushar (Software Engineer at TCS)
Dr Rav Singh: Hi guys. Today we have with us Tushar. Tushar, we want to know about your story from TCS to 99.25 percentile in the SNAP exam. First, tell us about your background.
Tushar: Hi everyone, I’m Tushar. I’m from Mumbai. For the past couple of years, I’ve been working with TCS as a Software Engineer. After two years, I decided to do an MBA for career growth.
Dr Rav Singh: Did Tushar belong to the category of students who focus on CAT first, or did you target SNAP from day one?
Tushar: SNAP was always my first target. Because I was working, I didn’t have a lot of time to put into studies, and CAT requires much more time. Also, SCMHRD offers a Business Analytics program, which aligns with my domain at TCS (software engineering and data analytics), so it was a clear target.
Dr Rav Singh: How many hours of study every day do you think is basic enough for a working professional to survive?
Tushar: I wouldn’t limit anyone, but for me, it was around 3 hours a day during my weekdays and around 5 to 6 hours on the weekends. The key is how well you analyze your mocks.
Dr Rav Singh: How did Tushar analyze mocks while working?
Tushar: My workplace was around two hours away from my home. Whenever I was traveling to work, I used to actually analyze the mock, try to find my strong points, weak points, and which topics were pulling my score down. Before the next mock, I would brush up those topics.
Dr Rav Singh: What are the extra topics in SNAP that a student preparing for CAT should focus on?
Tushar: For Verbal Ability, vocabulary and grammar are key. For LR, there are many topics like blood relations, direction sense, and others that aren’t prominent in other exams. I would suggest brushing up these topics before you start giving mocks.
Dr Rav Singh: You gave all three attempts. Was Tushar underconfident, or was there a specific strategy behind it?
Tushar: It was a do-or-die situation. All three papers are different from each other. It may happen that even if you know a lot of topics, you don’t get questions from them in one attempt. Since there is no score normalization in SNAP and only your best score is considered, giving all three papers gives you the best chance to maximize your score.
Dr Rav Singh: What was the major learning after the first attempt?
Tushar: I realized I had a bit of a time crunch in the Quants section. I learned to not get stuck up on any hard question. If you think you cannot do it immediately, just leave it and move on. The next question may be the one you can solve easily. Also, the three attempts provide built-in practice and time to improve incrementally.
Dr Rav Singh: Moving to the interview, what do you think was the mojo factor that worked in your favor to convert SCMHRD?
Tushar: The main thing is to remember that only 50% of the weightage belongs to SNAP; the remaining 50% is for your GEPI. In the Group Engagement (GE), your team collaboration and interpersonal communication skills are observed. It’s not a group discussion; it’s about how well you work as a team to reach a conclusion.
Dr Rav Singh: And the Personal Interaction (PI)?
Tushar: The PI, which has 40% weightage, is not a formal interview. It’s like a conversation where the panel wants to get to know you better. If you got the call, you’re a good student. The college tests how well you are able to convey your intentions and your potential.
Dr Rav Singh: What is Tushar‘s final advice regarding lower mock scores?
Tushar: Don’t let a bad score bog you down. If a mock score is low (like when mine was 5 marks lesser than the previous one), know that the mock was probably not based on your strengths. Identify the weak topics where you can gain an extra 2-3 marks by brushing up, and then go for the next mock.
