IIM results are out, and everyone is talking about percentiles, college conversions and success stories. Social media is full of posts from toppers sharing their scores and aspirants congratulating each other. But in the middle of all that celebration, the part that almost never gets the spotlight is what happened before the result. The sleepless nights, the mock scores that refused to budge, the phases where preparation felt completely pointless and the very personal and very quiet moments where the only question running in the head was whether any of this was even worth continuing.
Neha Alatagi is an iQuanta student, and her story does not begin at 99.48 percentile or at IIM Calcutta. It begins at 12 marks in her very first CAT mock test, in a phase of complete confusion, low confidence and no clear idea of where to even start. And that is exactly what makes it worth reading.
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From Getting Low Marks in Mocks to IIM Calcutta Conversion
If you were to look at Neha Alatagi’s CAT 2025 scorecard today, you would see a 99.48 overall percentile with VARC at 98.08, DILR at 99.21 and Quant at 97.55 and on top of that, an IIM Calcutta conversion that most CAT aspirants spend years chasing. It looks like the result of someone who had their preparation figured out from the very beginning.
But go back to where this journey actually started and the picture is completely different. When Neha sat down to take her first CAT mock, she scored 12 marks. That was her starting point and by any measure it was one of the most difficult starting points you can have in a CAT preparation journey because it meant that almost everything, the concepts, the speed, the accuracy, and the exam temperament, all of it needed to be built from zero with no prior foundation to lean on.
The distance between 12 marks and 99.48 percentile and IIM Calcutta is not a small one, and it did not get covered quickly or easily. It took a full year of preparation, a complete transformation in how she approached the exam and a support system that stayed consistent through all the highs and the lows.
What Were the Major Challenges Neha Faced?
Understanding what Neha actually went through during her preparation matters because the challenges she faced are not unique to her. They are the same challenges that a very large number of CAT aspirants deal with every single year, and yet they rarely get spoken about openly because everyone is too busy presenting the polished version of their journey after the result is out.
Starting From a Score That Most People Would Walk Away From
A mock score of 12 marks is not just a reflection of weak preparation. It is a signal that at that point in time, the exam feels completely foreign, that the concepts are not in place, that the time pressure is overwhelming and that there is no section or area where you can fall back on existing strength. Starting from that position means you are essentially looking at the entire CAT syllabus as one large unknown and the task of converting that unknown into exam-ready understanding feels enormous when you are staring at it from the very beginning.
Most aspirants who see that kind of score in an early mock either quit immediately or spend weeks paralysed by the sheer size of what needs to be done. The fact that Neha chose to treat it as a starting point rather than a full stop is itself a significant part of why the story ends the way it does.
Self-Doubt That Does Not Go Away Easily
Neha has been completely honest about the fact that the early months of her preparation were heavy with self doubt and confusion. And this is something that is very hard to explain to someone who has not been through a long competitive exam preparation cycle because from the outside it looks like just studying harder should fix it. But self doubt in preparation is not a motivation problem. It is a compounding problem. When you do not see results despite putting in effort, you start questioning the effort itself. You start wondering if you are studying the wrong things or if you are too slow or if everyone else is just fundamentally better at this than you are and that questioning drains the consistency that is the one thing you actually need most during this phase.
How iQuanta Became the Turning Point of Neha’s CAT Preparation Journey
For Neha, iQuanta has been a constant backbone where faculty doesn’t just teach tricks or formulas but focuses on the why and how which really stays with you beyond the exam. She said that there were many moments when she genuinely felt like faculties cared and invested more effort than she did by herself with the help of YT playlists, daily assignments, and continuous support with other important aspects too.
What made the journey even better was the community for her. Talking to fellow aspirants, sharing ups and downs, and seeing others improve and post their scores, it honestly felt to her that all were growing together. At some point, this started feeling less like coaching and more like a college. An entire year of effort and learning, and iQuanta was there throughout. She is truly grateful to the star of the show, Indrajeet Sir, as well as the faculty, Shabana mam, Raj Kumar Jha sir, Sajjan Barnwal sir and Kamal Lohia sir and everyone in this group for being part of her journey.
The whole iQuanta team is congratulating Neha for successfully converting IIM Calcutta!
