CAT 2016 - Preparation Strategy for Quantitative Aptitude

Most of exams like Common Aptitude Test (CAT), club the mathematics sections of the exam with Data Interpretation & Analytical reasoning. In order to master this section of the examination, a few core skills need to be developed. These include a combination of accuracy and speed, the ability to perform simple/complex calculations under pressure and the ability to use reasoning while solving mathematics questions.

Considering the nature and scope of these skills, practice should become the imperative for any student. The basic understanding and grasp of concepts is vital and should never be looked over. Along with these, one need to develop a certain set of advanced skills and learn a few short cuts so as to minimize the time you spend on each question.

How should you approach CAT Mathematics or CAT Quantitative Ability? We have the dates for the exam and we can say that approximately 3 months are left for the preparation. What should be done over the course of these months and how should you plan your preparation? Before digging in to the advice bit, let’s go through the list of topics that make an appearance in the CAT exam:

Algebra and Geometry have been the most important topics in CAT in the last 3 years. Arithmetic has been on the wane, and generally, not a lot of questions are featuring from this area. Keeping this in mind, the following are some important suggestions for you:

1. Cover Concepts for Most topics: The best approach for CAT is one where you cover the basic concepts for most topics. Ensure you study the basic concepts for every topic.

2. Solve previous year CAT questions: Solve all previous year questions and that too topic-wise. This is the best pool of questions for any topic, and a number of CAT questions are based on logic similar to the ones already asked.

3. Use answer options: Whenever you get to use answer options to solve questions, kindly do that. This would ensure you save time in the exam and with this saved time, you can place extra focus on your weak areas.

4. Work on Data Interpretation: Those of you who are weak in mathematics should work that much harder on data interpretation in order to cover the gap.

5. Use a planned and phase-wise approach: Make a schedule, wherein you list the number of days you would be spending on a particular topic. The schedule should be into two stages: concept stage and practice stage. Give sufficient time to each area in a phase-wise manner.

6. Solve timed topic/area tests for a particular topic: It is super important that you solve timed topic tests for a particular topic. This is the only way that you can learn whether you are a master of a topic or not.

7. Don’t get lost in shortcuts: Learning short-cuts sounds very good but do not allow this to distract you. Hardly any CAT question is based on obscure formulas. In fact, most concepts check conceptual clarity. Always remember this.

8. Build a small pocket diary of your learning: Whatever you learn, jot it down in a small diary. These might be simple tricks or concept explanations, just keep noting these down and keep revising them. Essentially, you are building your own flashcards for quantitative aptitude.

Each one of us has his strengths and weaknesses. A common prescriptive time schedule cannot be outlined for all as each individual would have different needs. A standard timetable could be like this. Individual can tailor-made according to their necessity and suitability.

Number System: 5 days

• Arithmetic: 15 days (even though this topic does not appear in CAT, I would give it 10 days as it has massive application in DI)

• Algebra: 15 Days

• Geometry: 10 Days

• Permutation & Combination/Probability: 5 Days

• Miscellaneous Topics: 5 Days

These are some of the tips that you can follow for CAT mathematics. 

Preparation Strategy for Logical Reasoning

Preparation Strategy for DataInterpretation

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