Born to Achieve - Interviewed by Afsha Khan in December 2005

Varun Khanna, CET 2005 Topper

All of us are born with potential. But it is only modesty and faith in one’s abilities that leads us to success. Varun Khanna is one such person who has the attitude and personality to achieve success. He definitely doesn’t do this by boasting of his academic achievements or by burying his nose in management books. Having completed his Bachelor’s in Management Studies from Sydenham College, Varun is currently studying at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), doing his MMS. He is also Director of Pegasus Events, a company he established with a few of his friends. He has learnt everything he needs to through experience and keeping an open mind. Despite taking the CET in 2004, and doing fairly well, he wasn’t content. He dreamt of getting into one of the top 10 B-Schools in the country and didn’t settle for anything less. His efforts paid off as he topped the Maharashtra CET exam in 2005. All of us can learn a little from Varun, who attributes his success to positive thinking.

How does it feel to be the Maharashtra CET topper?
It feels great because once you’ve decided you want to do something, you tend to give it your best shot. This year I gave CET my best shot. I had taken it last year as well to get a feel of the test. Also, I wanted to work for at least another year before applying to various B-Schools. But, this year, I took the test with complete dedication. The last time I gave my CET, I was ranked at 250 in Maharashtra and around 100- 150 in Mumbai. I had finished the exam two minutes before time was up. It was then that I realised that this was one of the exams that I WOULD crack the next year, because I believed in myself. More so, my parents’ reaction has been amazing. They are very proud of me and that makes me really happy.

How many entrance tests did you give before the CET?
I gave the CAT, XAT, FMS and CET. My aim has always been pretty defined. I wanted to be either in the top 10 institutes or work. There was a lot about JBIMS that appealed to me. Primarily, it was the legacy, When I say legacy I refer to the last 40 years of the institution, the alumni and the faculty. Being at Nariman Point in Mumbai, which is a business hub, we’re definitely very connected to the corporate sector and our guest lectures are brilliant.

How did you prepare for the written test?
CET is different from other tests. The exam content is such that you cannot be good in just one specific area. In the other tests you have negative marking, so you have to pick and choose what you’re comfortable with. You have to concentrate more on your strengths than on your weaknesses. But in CET you have to have a minimum comfort level with everything. I was more comfortable with getting through my strong areas really quickly, and tried my best to concentrate more on my weak areas. My weak areas were reading comprehension and visual reasoning. But with loads of practice, I knew on the day of the paper I wouldn’t take more than 15 to 20 seconds to crack each question. Visual reasoning helped me save around 30 seconds for other questions. Practice, by far, is the most important factor in taking the CET. You have to keep giving Sim-CETs. Primarily what I did was after each Sim- CET I evaluated and analysed exactly where I went wrong. And you have to try redoing the paper and crack it in less than two and a half hours. I don’t believe in guesswork, which is what most people do, as there isn’t any negative marking.

What according to you was the toughest section in the paper?
For me, the toughest section was probably Visual Reasoning. There are a lot of ways you can look at Visual Reasoning and often there can be an ambiguous answer. But I worked on that very hard, as I was quite thorough with my other sections like English and Math.

Could you tell us a little about your studying techniques?
Once you have studied for other examinations and taken numerous tests, you hardly get a month or two before the CET. That one month I made sure that it was my prime focus. I made sure that every once in two or three days I took a paper, then for one whole day I sat and analysed where I went wrong and figured out where I could have scored. Mainly I’d say that I stuck to my attitude in life. I’ve been an owl for as long as I can remember. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone, but what really works for me is to do all my important studying the night before an exam and then directly giving the paper without any sleep. Despite the fact that many people recommended that I get at least four hours of sleep, I was confident that I stood a better chance at cracking the CET if I stayed up the whole night. It was a radical decision but I know where my strengths and weaknesses lie and I’m very comfortable with this pattern of studying. The night before the paper I didn’t get any sleep. I took 2 Sim-CET’s after 12 am and spent time analysing my score and strategies. Once again I don’t recommend this, but studying all night has been my technique and it has worked well for me.

Are you part of any committees or extra-curricular activities in college?
Well, I’m on the placements committee, which is one of the most important committees at JBIMS. The workload is tremendous but I enjoy it a lot. I was surprised when, two weeks into college, I got the maximum number of votes to serve on the committee. The academics here are great and despite tedious lectures and busy schedules I have skilfully learnt how to manage my responsibilities between placement committees and academics.

“Dream Believe Achieve” This is my success mantra in life. I dreamt of getting into one of the top 10 B-Schools of India. I believed in my abilities, set my aims high and put in my best to finally achieve SUCCESS!

What are your plans for the future?
As of now, I’m giving my course 110%, as I really want to thrive and do well in it. My Event Management company too gets a little of my time but I’m most active in the placement committee. My primary focus for the next two years will be my studies and responsibilities. My vision of an MBA is that of a challenge and I know I’m going to be a manager. Ten years down the line I hope to have a business of my own. A global MNC based in India! But you can never really tell the course life tends to take. I might just opt to start a B-School of my own and share my knowledge with others. It may sound like a Miss India answer, but I really do like helping people. That is why I aspired to take up psychology about 3 years ago. I am an absolute dreamer and I tend to achieve my dreams, come hell or high water. I wanted to do Event Management and thus I got together with a few of my friends and started a company. Eventually I want a degree in law and I’m going to pursue it after my MBA. My future definitely depends on my attitude. I strongly believe in these words, “It is the attitude of a man not the aptitude that determines his altitude.” As of now, judging from my attitude, I know I have the ability to achieve each and every one of my dreams.

What is your advice to aspirants?
First of all, I think everyone must have confidence in himself or herself. In order to build this confidence you have to have a good attitude. Never get nervous. If you look at a challenge and decide that you’re going to take it and come out victorious, you actually will do just that. If you’re a person who is confident and has the propensity to smile your way through anything, even blunders and mistakes, you’re definitely going to do well, whatever your field.