How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT?

Raise your hands if Mathematics has been the subject that has never intrigued your interest and has been something that you have had always avoided to have a close encounter with. But, if you aspire to get a phenomenal percentile in CAT or any other MBA entrance exam, you need to score really good in Quantitative Aptitude section, which is primarily a subset of Math. Having said that, the question that arises now is how to approach this section and strategize the preparation even if math is not your cup of tea. So, let’s check out what practices and procedures one needs to adopt so as to ace Quantitative Aptitude section.

Alright!!. The first step is to understand what is QA?

What is Quantitative Aptitude?

Basically, QA is all the math that you have studied up to standard X.Be it geometry or trigonometry, algebra or types of numbers, the basics of permutations, and topics like time, speed, distance, profit loss, etc, everything that you have studied till the X standard. It doesn’t involve higher mathematics like calculus or vectors, or matrices, but that doesn’t make this section a cakewalk. Even though the concepts are relatively easier, their application isn’t. Most of the students while in their Xth or the IX standard, mug up the standard questions from standard books like RD Sharma, and vomit the same in the exam. But CAT involves tricky problems, where diverse concepts are involved in solving a particular problem. So, acing QA requires thoroughness with all the concepts, and it entails rigorous practice. 

How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude?

Understand the Syllabus:

Before, we discuss anything, we need to understand all the topics covered under Quantitative Aptitude and, further, what all are the most important topics. So, Quant basically consists of 5 modules:

Geometry

Arithmetic

Algebra

Number System

Modern Math

We will further dissect these modules into various topics and subtopics in another blog post. We’ll also cover which topics are really important as per the frequency of questions that appear in actual CAT papers, in the same blog.   

Start with the very basics:

So, if you are not comfortable with math, start from the very basics. Pick up NCERT books and RD Sharma or RS Aggarwal. There are certain topics which are the tools that will go a long way in your quant prep. Topics like percentages, ratio and proportion, averages, and linear and quadratic equations, are the ones that will be extensively involved in solving problems. Topics like percentages, ratio and proportion and averages are extensively used in Data Interpretation. So, an understanding of these topics will also bolster your preparation for data interpretation. So, before you delve into solving CAT problems, finish off the basic content.

Start with the most comfortable module:

Once, you have gone through the basic concepts and solved some easier problems related to these topics, you need to start with the CAT material and related problems. You should start with the module you are most comfortable with. The idea is to gain momentum and keep your learning wagon on track. If topics like profit and loss, time and work, time, speed and distance interest you, then start with the arithmetic module. Pick up some standard CAT books and study materials from a renowned CAT preparatory institute and start doing the problems. You can also go through some YouTube channels that can help you gain clarity on the related concepts. Let say you are starting a topic X, then, try finishing assignments completely from that topic and get all your doubts clarified. Don’t move to a different topic Y before you have gained confidence in X. Try problems on topic X from multiple study resources so that you get an exposure on all the sort of problems that can be asked from the topic X. Once u have gained enough confidence, you can jump to the next topic.

Take frequent tests:

To fairly assess your understanding of a topic, the best way is to appear for a test. Whenever you have completed any topic, appear for tests related to it. Topic based tests will definitely help you evaluate your level of preparedness. Similarly, once you have completed a particular module, appear for a module-based test. Test taking is an integral part of your preparation and helps one to objectively identify his or her strengths and weaknesses.

Short Cuts and Formulae List:

Many times, a quant problem can be solved in a multitude of ways, and some of them are really easy and time saving approaches. There are so many short cuts that can save a hell of a lot of time. But, one can appreciate the beauty of a shorter path only when one has travelled through a longer path. No, point in mugging up the short cut, when you have no clue on how it has been derived. You need to have the whole idea behind how it got derived and in what situations it can be applied. Also, QA comes with a lot of formulae. Make notes of all the formulae that you encounter through- out the journey. But, more importantly, you also need to be well versed in your applications. 

Revision:

We tend to forget what we have studied earlier, and this is the case with most of us. Whenever we jump to a new topic, we tend to forget what we studied in the earlier topics. So, to make sure that we remember everything, we need to keep on revising the concepts, formulae and shortcuts. Maintain a diary or notebook of all the important concepts that you have studied and make it a habit of revising them time and again. 

Get your doubts clarified:

While solving math problems, we get stuck with questions. We sometimes fail to understand how to approach a problem and at times understanding the solution becomes quite difficult. So, doubts need to be clarified regularly. Don’t let doubts pile up, as it would lead to a poor understanding of the concepts and their applications, and eventually you would lose interest in the topic. Ask your teachers for doubts. You can even consult your friends who are good with math to help you with your doubts. Having doubts is a positive sign. It reflects that you are working hard. But it makes sense when they are clarified. 

The most beautiful aspect of Quantitative Aptitude is that you can achieve a great level of accuracy in this section. It is a highly scoring section as QA has a fixed syllabus and questions come from the same standard models. Only the stories and figures change, the essence of the problems remains the same. So, this makes QA the most reliable section, as there are no surprises in the exam. 

Someone rightly said, “The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics.” So, whatever way u feel about it, whether u love numbers or they haunt u in your nightmares, math is never going to rest u at peace. So, take it as a challenge, do the homework, and start practicing. Eventually you will get the hang of it and evolve into someone who isn’t scared of it and is, in- fact, well placed to score exceptionally well in this section. 

Happy Learning!!!