Be confident, assertive and relaxed -

… says Akshay Kataria, a computer engineer from Pune University, who has won various national level prizes for his final year project and has worked with IBM for two years. At IIM-A, he was elected to the Students Affairs Council and since then he has been managing the IT Infrastructure on the campus. His interests include cricket and instrumental music. In conversation with
Reshma Majithia he talks of his determination to join IIM-A and how he went about doing so.

Tell our readers a bit about yourself, tracing your journey from being a Computer Engineer from Pune University to an MBA student at IIM-A?
I started preparing for the CAT during my third year of engineering. Though I could not clear CAT in my first attempt in 2006, I would still like to rate it as the best of my three attempts. I had an overall percentile of 99.04 with 98 percentile each in English and QA. Having secured 93 percentile in my strongest section, DI, I missed out by four marks or rather one question on an IIM-A call. Surprisingly, I did not get any other IIM calls either. The same year, I had secured admission into JBIMS, Mumbai through MH-CET. Everyone including my friends, family and mentors wanted me to join the esteemed institute. However, having missed out so narrowly, I was convinced that I could crack the CAT in my next attempt and fulfill my dream of studying at the best MBA institute in the country. In the meanwhile I joined IBM in September 2007 and owing to the hectic schedule during training, I could not devote adequate time to prepare for the CAT exam and my performance was not up to the mark. I was determined more than ever and in my third attempt in 2008 I paid a lot of attention to strategy and the finer nuances of the CAT and aced it.

You have worked with IBM for two years. How has your experience working with IBM been?
The exposure to corporate life at IBM was enriching. Working in a software firm or any company is much more than developing and putting to use the technical skills learnt in engineering. Soft skills like managing people, communicating with people in the right way though underrated are extremely important to climb up the ladder.

You have completed a year at the IIM-A campus. If you could describe the distinctive ethos or culture of the IIM-A fraternity, what would you say?
First year at IIM-A is mainly about academic rigor. Students at IIM-A stay in dorms with each dorm housing 20-40 rooms. The dorm culture at IIM-A is very strong and there is a strong intra dorm bonding. Dorm is the epicenter of all activity. The dorms have their own identity, their own idiosyncrasies, and that makes it a fun place to be in. Dorm birthday celebrations at IIM-A make for cherished memories for years to come.

What had been your greatest challenge during the first few months on campus? Was it really overwhelming?
The greatest challenge was undoubtedly, time management. At IIM-A, there are numerous activities apart from the hectic academic schedule, which a student can be a part of. There were so many things, I wanted to do but there was always so less time. This resulted in me cutting down on my sleep timings. Reaching the class at 8.45 am was another challenge. The doors of the classroom would be locked at 8.45 am sharp. Even a few seconds late would result in being stranded outside the classroom for the entire lecture.

How was your experience at the CAT? Where did your weaknesses lie when you started preparing and how did you overcome that?
The CAT exam is not merely about knowing how to solve questions correctly, it is more about knowing the questions to be selected and solved as per the individual capabilities. English or verbal ability section has been my weakness. Considering the nature of the passages in the CAT exam, I prepared by reading a number of articles and books which I did not enjoy reading. I realised that solving around 30-40 percent questions correctly is usually sufficient to clear the section and used this to my advantage. My analysis of the CAT tests that I took revealed that there were a few areas in VA where my accuracy rate was consistently good. I decided to target these areas while solving the section.

What is the best possible attitude and frame of mind to be in on the day of your interview?
To overcome stress on the day of your interview, it is important to overcome the fear of failure and assert confidence on one's abilities. Before answering the question posed by the interviewer, one must try to interpret the question correctly and not beat around the question. The professors on the interview panel like to test the depth of the answer and can comprehend very easily if something is amiss. There are few questions, which are difficult and usually not expected to be answered. They are intended to test the candidate by putting him/her under stress.

I would say be confident, assertive and relaxed.

What has been your greatest realisation/insight gained about the MBA programme in general in this one year - something one never really grasps as an aspirant?
The MBA programme trains a person to think about a situation from different perspectives. For every presentation or proposal made, there are numerous scenarios, which need to be taken into consideration before implementing the idea. The presentation skills play a key role in the success of any good project/proposal. I have observed that there are people who tend to work tirelessly but pay little attention to presenting their work. The MBA programme teaches us the impact of a good presentation and how it can be created.