Analysis of Quantitative Aptitude for CAT

Quantitative Aptitude section was my forte. Though I was good at quant, many of my friends struggled in this section. To help them, I drafted various preparation strategies before settling on one that has proven useful for anyone who is having trouble with quant.

Quantitative section primarily tests us on 5 unique aspects. Every aspirant needs to acquire good command over these traits to score a decent percentile in the quant section

S.No	Trait	Description
1	Concept	Basics knowledge of a particular topic
2	Question Selection	Understanding your strengths and weakness
3	Solution Planning	Figuring out how to start the solution
4	Execution	Carrying out the solution plan in mind
5	Speed	Reducing the time taken to solve questions

Question Paper Pattern:

The pattern of the question paper plays an important role in our preparation.

Header	Description
Total Number of questions	2020: 26 Questions 2017-19: 34 Questions
Type of questions	2020: 18 MCQ with negative marking 8 Non-MCQ with no negative marking 2017-2019: 24-27 MCQ with negative marking 7-10 Non-MCQ with no negative marking
Marking Scheme	+3 / -1 for MCQ and +3 / 0 for Non MCQ
Total Time	2020: 40 Minutes 2017-19: 60 Minutes

Concept:

Analyzing previous year trends help us identify the important sections in quant and prepare accordingly to maximize our score.

The quant syllabus can be divided into 6 parts. They are Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Number Systems, Modren Maths, and Miscellaneous. From the previous year's trends, it is quite clear that Algebra, Arithmetic, and Geometry constitute 80% of the paper. It would be wise to strengthen up our basics and practice tons of questions from these sections initially. You can click here to see the question distribution among the subtopics.

Algebra :

I recommend you to start your preparation for quant from Algebra as it is the easiest of all topics in the quant section. Around 35 - 40% of the questions in the quant section come from Algebra. Each sub-topic of Algebra has equal weightage.

1. Topics: Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations & Polynomials, Inequalities, Indices Logarithms & Surds, Sequence and Series, Functions & Graphs.
2. Question Style: Questions in algebra are relatively small and straightforward questions. Anyone with good command over basics and ample practice can easily answer 6-7 questions in algebra.
3. Concepts: Algebra contains a limited number of formulas, straightforward models, and tons of questions with mixed concepts. It can be mixed with any other section (especially numbers) of quant to make questions.
4. Special Tips: As most Algebra questions are MCQ, few could be solved with substitution or option elimination. Try to use these techniques while preparing so that you can use the same during the CAT examination.

Note: Algebra section is vital for CAT Examination. In other exams, the number of questions coming from algebra is relatively less. So do not just stick to this one section.

Arithmetic

Arithmetic is the core topic in quant for all MBA Entrance Exams. Around 40 - 50 % of the quant section constitutes questions from Arithmetic. All subtopics have equal importance in the Arithmetic section.

1. Topics: Percentages Profit and Loss, Simple and Compound Interest, Ratio Proportion and Variation, Time and Work, Time Speed Distance, Averages, and Mixtures and Alligations.
2. Question Style: Questions in arithmetic are usually 3 to 4 sentences long, and they contain around 3 to 6 parts. To solve arithmetic questions, one needs to practice reading, understanding and analyzing the data to form equations from all the parts. As all topics carry equal weightage, one needs to look for at least one question from each one.
3. Concept: Luckily, there are only a few concepts and formulas in arithmetic, and once we are done with the basic concepts, mostly it depends on practice and how well we interpret the question.
4. Special Tip: Different people offer different solution methods, try to adopt a method that you are comfortable with, but also keep a tab on the amount of time each method takes to solve and use it accordingly. Learn the traditional way of solving questions of arithmetic along with shortcuts so that in case you get stuck at any point, you can try and solve it using the traditional approach

Note: Arithmetic section is vital for CAT and other MBA examinations. Gain mastery over the section, which will help you with other exams also.

Geometry

Geometry is the 3rd most important topic in the quant section. Around 10-15 % of questions come from this topic.

1. Topics: Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Polygons, Circles, Mensuration, Coordinate Geometry
2. Question Style: Questions in Geometry are basically direct questions based on theorems and formulas, mixed concept questions, or special questions based on special concepts.
3. Concept: Geometry has a huge concept base with a good number of theorems, formulas, and a variety of questions. One needs to get a good grasp of the basic theorems to attempt at least a few questions.
4. Special Tip: I would advise you to jot down these formulas or theorems whenever possible in regular intervals without going through the notes. This helps us in retaining the formulas well. This can be done for other topics also.

Numbers

Numbers cover around 5-15 % of questions in the quant section. Factors and Co primes are fundamental concepts for CAT examination. Base system and Remainders are also important for other MBA examinations.

1. Topics: Basic Numbers, Factors, Co primes, Base system, Remainders
2. Question Style: Most of the questions are based on factors, and few are from Co primes. Questions are mostly multi conceptual (involving algebra concepts).
3. Concept: Numbers contain an unlimited number of formulas and varieties of questions. One must analyze the previous papers, study the particular topics in-depth, and learn the basics of other concepts.
4. Special Tip: Practice previous year's models and mock questions well, and it will help you learn important models to do good in the exam.

Note: Many people tend to waste their time trying to solve the "remainder" topic questions and give up the topic of the entire number after failing to solve a few. As remainders are not much important in CAT perspective, refrain from practising too many questions from that topic and work on the important ones.

Modern Maths

Modern Maths covers around 5-10 %  of the questions in the quant section. Most of the questions are from Permutations and Combinations. Probability plays an important role than P&C in other MBA entrance examinations, so it is advisable to not give up on probability.

1. Topics: Permutations & Combinations, Probability
2. Question Style: Most of the questions are from P&C, and mostly these are question-related to numbers or simple arrangements, selections, and distributions. Some of the questions are purely concept-based and can be solved using basic knowledge.
3. Concept: P&C offers a limited number of concepts, and anyone who can understand the basics well can solve the questions easily. Try and grasp the basics well before going to solve the question.

Miscellaneous

They constitute 0-5% of the questions, and all of these are from the set theory topic itself. The concepts take only 30 mins to complete and can guarantee you 3 marks in some slots.

Question Selection:

After covering the concepts, next comes the task of selecting questions to attempt during the exam. The questions should be selected based on your strengths and weakness. While attempting the question paper, I follow the 12-16-10-2 approach

12 Min slot:

In this time slot, I go through all the questions in the paper and mark answers for the easy questions(based on my interests, strengths, and time taken to solve the question), and mark few other questions (easy and time taking or medium difficulty level questions) for review to attempt in the next 16 mins.

16 Min slot:

In this time slot, I attempt the questions that have been marked for review in the previous 12 min slot.

10 Min slot:

I will try and attempt the leftover questions of 16 mins slot or try solving leftover questions that have not been marked. 

2 Min slot:

Marking the Non-MCQ leftover questions.

Note: To master the question selection, one needs to gain mastery over at least a few topics and give an ample number of Sectionals or Mocks.

Solution Planning:

Solution planning can be perfected with good command over concepts and ample practice during preparation. Initially, people struggle with crafting the solution, but one keeps on solving numerous questions, they get adapted to techniques to be used for various questions.

Note: Practice as many questions as you can and try different approaches before going for the solution. In the case of some topics, try using shortcuts to get the answer.

Execution:

Execution and Solution Planning are almost similar except that solution planning is done in our mind, while execution is putting our solution plan on a piece of paper.  Executing a solution plan is an area where most of us make mistakes, leading to losing marks. Many people tend to make silly mistakes or calculation mistakes while solving various questions. I would suggest you follow a traditional method to gain control over it.

In the initial days, while practising, write down the Given data, formula, required output, and all the steps to solve a particular question neatly and clearly. As time passes, reduce the number of steps, you write and do the mental calculations.

By doing this, you can minimize the silly mistakes and put everything you got in your mind. Once you are confident with your execution, you can stop following this method. This method definitely kills some time, so one must be cautious of his time constraints before using this.

Speed:

One can attain a good speed in solving the questions by gaining control over the above 4 traits. With good speed, time can be managed well. Solving the basic question of all topics while practice is really important for improving your speed. These basic questions act as building blocks of various advanced-level questions and help in speeding up their execution.

Notes & Resources:

Resources: 

1. I personally advise you to Practice from Sarvesh Kumar and Arun Sharma books for preparation (Solve Introductory Exercises, Level -1 and Level - 2).
2. Other sources include coaching institute worksheets, youtube channels( Elites Grid, Iqunata, etc.), social media groups (Facebook, Whatsapp, Telegram), sectional tests (TIME has a good number of sectional tests), and Mocks (TIME/IMS/CL).
3. Rather than trying to attempt multiple resources vaguely, it is better to follow few good sources with complete coverage,

Mocks & Sectionals:

1. Sectionals will help you with Time Management, Question selection, and conceptual clarity. While mocks also do the same, they also help us develop strategies to attempt the paper.
2. Try to improve the score in the quant section of mocks gradually rather than rushing to improve it by huge margins. Analyze any silly mistakes in previous mocks and avoid them in the next mocks.

 Short Notes:

1. Short Notes play an important role in revising the concepts and questions during mocks and before the examination. Make short notes of your own style which should contain concepts, formulas, and 10-15 important models for each topic.

Quant Scores Vs Percentiles:

The level of difficulty of the Quantitative Aptitude exam is highly varying in CAT. One should be able to ascertain the level of difficulty of the section and accordingly focus on the number of attempts. If the section is difficult then, you need to prioritize accuracy and if the section is easy you need to prioritize speed.

	90th Percentile	95th Percentile	99th Percentile
CAT 2016 (Out of 102)	36	42	50
CAT 2017 (Out of 102)	52	65	78
CAT 2018 (Out of 102)	34	41	51
CAT 2019 (Out of 102)	33	43	55
CAT 2020 (Out of 78)	27	32	44

Based on CAT 2020 model every quant paper consists of 8-10 Easy questions, 10-12 medium level questions, and 4-8 difficult level questions.

Easy questions may be from any of the topics in the syllabus. If one can find them and attempt them correctly, it would be key to breach the 90 per cent mark. To cross the 95 percentile, one has to attempt  4 to 5 more questions. For crossing the 99 percentile one has to gain good command over the above-mentioned skills and along with it should also keep up his calmness and avoid silly mistakes.

Finally,

If Quant is your Forte: Attempt 20-22 questions (out of 26) with an accuracy of 90 - 100%

If Quant is your Achilles heel: Attempt 10-12 questions (out of 26) with an accuracy of 80-90%