Scored 99.75 in CAT and 99.94 in XAT, passed out from XLRI JSR BM. I've been thinking about what actually moved the needle vs what just felt productive, and wanted to put it out here as preparation season starts in full flow!
The thing most people get wrong about Quant and LRDI
There's a difference between not knowing a concept and knowing it but making the wrong decision anyway. Most people treat both the same - they go back and re-study the topic. But if it's a judgment problem (you understand the concept, you just can't decide when to apply it or when to drop it), re-studying is a waste of precious time. You need different practice. I spent a lot of my prep figuring out which one I was actually dealing with in each weak area.
When to start building your profile for interviews
Most people think about this after results. Big mistake. The stories you'll need for PI - your "why MBA", what you've done, what you want need to be developed over months, not assembled in a panic in January. If you start in May, you have time to actually do things worth talking about while focusing mainly on preparing for the exam itself.
Mock strategy - attempting more isn't always better
I color-coded questions during mocks: green (attempt), yellow (revisit if time), red (skip) & built an attempting/iteration strategy around it. Sounds simple but it forced me to make explicit decisions in real time rather than drifting. The data from this over 20-30 mocks tells you more than any coaching or concept/formula cramming will.
Feel free to ask me any doubts!
Edit - I can see that people have specific doubts as well. Please feel free to DM if you have specific personal doubts!