Krishna Deshmukh is a satisfied man. After narrowly missing out on a Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai seat last year (he scored 306 marks in last year’s Common Management Admission Test), this BITS Pilani Goa student finally upped his performance and topped the CMAT September 2013. PaGaLGuY spoke to him.

What went right for you this year?

I scored more in GK this year. Last year, I had scored 52 marks whereas this year I scored 76 in the section. The marks in the other sections were identical.

Any special preparation for GK this year?

No, I guess I was lucky with the questions. The questions came from the topics I had covered.

With Maharashtra announcing the return of the CET, how does that affect CMAT takers?

Earlier, I would have been happy with topping the exam as it would have confirmed a seat in a good institute. Now, with the CET, it becomes difficult. I don’t know how the dynamics will play out. I belong to Nanded, so will fall under the OHU category. So, what kind of quotas will be in place remain to be seen. Plus, Maharashtra also has the highest number of CMAT takers. It will definitely affect those taking the exam.

Will you take the CET, if it comes to it?

Yes, I will take the CET.

Do you feel your achievement is somewhat watered down because of CET?

Not really. It feels good that I have topped the exam.

In light of the same news, how important do exams such as CAT, Xavier’s Aptitude Test (XAT) become for you?

I will focus on these exams. I had initially given up on my CAT preparation, but I am planning to give it a shot now.

Are you taking the confidence of your CMAT results in CAT?

CMAT result has given me the confidence that I can do well in CAT. A few days remain for the exam, so will analyze the earlier tests.

At a time when the number of CAT takers are going down and the placements are sluggish, why MBA?

I had done my internship in a company where I did not find my work challenging enough. I want to explore a different field such as marketing. And an MBA will help. The number of people taking the CAT may have gone down, but I feel it’s the non-serious MBA aspirants which have moved away. In terms of placements, the b-schools with larger batch sizes have struggled more. If you get into a good b-school, there are more chances of you getting placed.

Tips for CMAT aspirants?

In CMAT, the questions are very easy, so we tend to get excited and make silly mistakes. Read the questions carefully before attempting.