Not every MBA journey goes exactly the way you plan it. Some students hit their target in the very first attempt, while others have to take a step back, recalibrate, and come back stronger. Rachit Sarda’s story belongs to the second category, and honestly, that is what makes it worth reading. Rachit gave the CAT and walked away with the 93.15 percentile. Not bad by any standard, but not what he was aiming for. Instead of letting that result define him, he shifted his focus to XAT and ended up scoring the 99.94 percentile, which is nothing short of extraordinary. One exam humbled him, and the very next one reminded him what he was actually capable of. This blog covers the detailed journey of a XAT topper, Rachit Sarda, who successfully converted to XLRI Jamshedpur.
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Rachit Sarda’s Educational Qualifications
Talking about the educational qualification, Rachit completed his class 10 with 94.5%. In 12th, he went even further and scored 96.71%, a number that very few students manage to hit. He then pursued a BBA from NMIMS Mumbai, one of the most reputed management colleges in the country for undergraduate business education, and graduated with 94.5%.
So by the time he started thinking about CAT, he was not starting from scratch. He had already prepared for IPMAT before getting into NMIMS, which means he had spent time building his aptitude base at a fairly young age. That prior exposure to quant, logical reasoning, and verbal sections gave him a head start that most CAT aspirants do not have.
But here is the thing about having a strong foundation. It can sometimes give you a false sense of security. And that is exactly where things got a little complicated for Rachit.
What Are the Major Challenges He Faced During CAT Preparation?
Rachit started his CAT preparation in May 2025 through iQuanta. Good academic record, prior aptitude training, strong concepts. But having all of that did not automatically translate into a great CAT score.
Repeating the Same Mistakes
This is something most CAT aspirants go through but rarely admit. You give a mock, you review it, you spot the errors, and then you repeat the exact same ones in the next mock. For Rachit, the frustrating part was that it was never about not knowing the concept. The real problem is that fixing a mistake in a review session and fixing it under actual exam pressure are two completely different things.
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Neglecting VARC
His IPMAT background naturally pulled him towards Quant and LR, so VARC kept getting delayed. The tricky part about ignoring VARC is that it does not hurt you immediately. It catches up with you on exam day, and by then there is not much you can do about it.
Losing Focus in LRDI
Rachit struggled to maintain concentration across sets in LRDI. Even when he understood the logic, mental fatigue mid-section was costing him both time and accuracy. This is not a concepts problem, it is a stamina problem, and that makes it trickier to solve.
Calculation Errors in Quant
Despite being strong in math, he was making careless calculation errors. This usually happens when you are too comfortable with a subject and start rushing through it. Small slips in quant add up quickly.
All of this together was reflected in his 93.15 percentile in CAT, a score that showed potential but also made the gaps impossible to ignore.
How Did iQuanta Help Rachit During Exam Preparation?
When Rachit joined iQuanta in May 2025, he was looking for a proper structure, not just more study material. Shabana Ma’am’s VARC lectures were a turning point for him. The classes were practical and approach-based, which pushed him to take VARC as seriously as he had always taken Quant and LRDI. Alongside that, the consistent focus on sectional tests and PYQ practice made sure he was never walking into unfamiliar territory on exam day. iQuanta’s Live and Application Classes also helped him close the gap between knowing a concept and actually applying it under pressure, which was exactly the pattern he had been struggling to break.
For XAT specifically, Rachit worked on building mental endurance in a way most students do not bother with. He would finish a full-length CAT mock and then go straight into an additional sectional test with barely any break, just to train his brain to stay focused even when tired. That kind of deliberate fatigue training, combined with understanding that XAT rewards a slightly different mindset than CAT, is what helped him go from 93.15 in CAT to 99.94 in XAT.
Final Words
Rachit’s journey from getting the 93.15%ile in CAT but bouncing back with 99.94%ile in XAT is a true motivation for the students who backed down with just one failure. He started his preparation journey in May 2025 and ended up with converting one of the top B-schools in the country, i.e., XLRI Jamshedpur.
