How to Prepare for CMI Entrance ~ Mayur N Sastry

Learn from the Achiever - Mayur N Sastry (CMI 2022)

Mayur N Sastry - CMI Entrance Success Story

Mayur N Sastry has cracked the CMI Entrance 2022 Examination.

He shared with us how he prepared for the CMI Entrance in an interview with Cheenta. This interview will take you through the preparation journey of Mayur for CMI Entrance 2022 and can help you with some insights that you can utilize for your CMI preparation.

Here are some of the questions, that he answered in the interview.

Tell us about yourself

I am Mayur N Sastry, Class 12th Student from National Public School, Kengeri, Bengaluru. I recently qualified the Chennai Mathematical Institute, CMI Entrance Test. In addition,

1. Won many trophies in UCMAS Abacus, including one Champion of Champions award in the Regional Level.
2. Cracked AMC 12 (2021 Fall) and qualified for AIME.
3. Certificate of Distinction in the Euclid Contest 2022, hosted by University of Waterloo.
4. (No award) Disciplined execution of plans, I consider that to be my strength and achievement.

I call Mathematics as the "Subject of Patterns". I love mathematics because I loved finding patterns everywhere. I mainly like to think over problems, which no one in the world has tried before, and I aspire to do new things, entirely new, with a lot of creativity, and that is what keeps me motivated to do great mathematics.

How did you prepare for the CMI?

The main thing which helped me was disciplined execution of short term plans and a regular practice of problems. I felt this was really hard this year as the board exams and entrances overlapped, due to which I couldn't attend few Cheenta classes towards in the end, unfortunately. But I managed it well.

First, I increased my conceptual strength in each topic and solved problems with increasing difficulty. Solving mock tests is the best way to finish your preparation when the exam date nears.

Can you suggest some resources (books, YouTube channels and websites) that had helped you in your preparation?

Tomato, Challenge and Thrill, Pathfinder for Olympiad Mathematics (Vikash Tiwari, V Seshan).

Apart from that I enjoyed teaching, so creating my own YouTube channel helped me to stay motivated. Here's the link.

What are you planning next?

I wish to excel in combinatorics, game theory, and theoretical computer science, as I am immensely interested in design and analysis of algorithms. I can't wait to explore the millennium problem P vs NP, and try to achieve major breakthroughs in that in the future.

Any advice for the current aspirants?

Problem solving can be both fun and frustrating. One must experience both those moments. When you aren't able to understand a concept or you are stuck at a problem, feel free to take a break, go for a walk, or play something. Staying motivated is important. Regular practice of problems from varied topics, would certainly help.

How Cheenta helped you in your ISI - CMI preparation?

Cheenta helped me to start thinking on another level. The Explorer Batch is the start of it all, where the passion for mathematics is really ignited. 5 days a week problem solving classes, regular homework gives us regular practice. One-on-one mentoring sessions, for me, were the most helpful, as my mentor Saumik sir was very patient and happy to listen to all my ideas, and also he had recommended me to the Superstars batch, which unfortunately I couldn't be a part of, as I had my board exams.

Cheenta helped me to start thinking on another level. I would like to thank Srijit Sir for helping me out to think creatively during the Explorer Batch. The problems compiled by Aritra sir for the problem solving classes were interesting and fun to solve. I would also like to thank Saumik Sir for having patiently listened to all my ideas during the mentoring sessions.

Words from my Parents: Knowing our son's strengths and ambition towards pursuing a career in research in the field of Mathematics, we picked Cheenta to support him for very obvious reason - the passion for Mathematics and they have not disappointed us rather justified the tag above in all aspects. Cheenta's faculties have played a significant role in helping our son achieve his goal of getting qualified for the B.Sc Hons Program at Chennai Mathematical Institute and we are thankful to all the faculties, the admin staff who responded to every request of us in adjusting class schedules to avoid conflicts and the CEO Ashani sir who has been an inspiration for all the young ones.

Cheenta has excellent programmes for students passionate about Mathematics. The problem solving and one-on-one classes gave my son lot of confidence to get better at problem solving. It also helped him to think creatively. I thank all the faculties for supporting my son in every step.