“After working hard, I expected it!” says a smiling Pavneet, who was waiting for the results since midnight.

“We knew that he would do us all proud. He was topping the mock tests, conducted by our coaching centre on an all-India level,” says Col Gurmeet Sethi, centre head, PT Education.

But it’s his mother’s happy tears that Pavneet thinks are the best compliment. “She has played a big role in my success,” he says.

While Pavneet’s mother Jagjit Kaur works in Punjab National Bank, his father Upinderjit Singh is a businessman and his younger brother is a student of Class XII.

With a total score of 215 out 356, Pavneet has now his eyes set on IIM Ahmedabad. Not a believer of burning the midnight oil, the topper says confidence is a must-have attribute.

“Since it’s an aptitude test, I studied for three to four hours every day, but made it a point not to overdo it. Moreover, it is just a revision of what we studied in school, so it all depends on how well one practises,” says Pavneet. He listed verbal ability and mathematics as his weak and strong points respectively.

Siddharth Singh and Debanjan Dey from Delhi, who also took mock tests from an institute in the city, have scored 100 percentile with a score of 210 and 246 respectively.

Though CAT translates into ‘fear’ for many aspirants, the winners say they followed a simple strategy. While Siddharth says that no pre-planning can help, Pavneet reveals: “It’s all about common sense. I practised every single format.”

“It’s not only about aptitude as attitude also matters,” says Sethi, while adding that Pavneet’s humility and helpful nature kept him grounded throughout.