With approximately 50 days left before the CAT 2023 exam, it's crucial that aspirants have solidified their strategies and time management skills. This becomes more important from the perspective of Quantitative Aptitude Preparation 2023.The Quantitative Aptitude (QA) section holds immense importance for two key reasons. Firstly, it is the final section of the exam, and after 1 hour and 20 minutes of intense concentration, tackling Quant requires even more effort. Secondly, for those with an engineering background, this section offers a significant advantage. So, it's imperative to put in substantial effort to secure a better score and percentile.To help you navigate this section effectively, here are some key points for Quantitative Aptitude Preparation 2023.Must Check → InsideIIM's CAT 2023 Masterklass: Your Gateway To 99+ %ile!To help you navigate this section effectively, I'll cover the following key points, drawing from my experiences in last year's CAT:
Stay Calm: On the exam day, treat the QA section as a standalone paper. Forget about the Verbal or LRDI sections you've just completed. The final 40 minutes of the CAT exam can be intense, and some mistakes in the earlier sections can haunt you. Avoid carrying that baggage into this section, as it can lead to a cascade of errors. Stay calm and composed during this final lap.
Embrace Elimination: Understand that CAT is a process of elimination, not selection. The real selection happens in the later GD and PI rounds. Apply the same principle here. If you find a question too challenging or time-consuming, skip it without a second thought. Don't waste time on questions you don't grasp immediately.
Practice with Mocks: Mock tests are your best friends. They help you build speed. Try to practice 2-3 sets daily from now on to gauge how many questions you can attempt in an hour. You don't have to attempt every question, but aiming for a substantial number is beneficial. Some candidates manage to go through the entire question paper in less than 30 minutes. Developing speed is crucial.
Three-Round Approach: In your first round, aim to get the correct answer quickly, either through intuition or automatic understanding. The second round should be dedicated to tackling longer, more complex questions that involve multiple calculations or calculator usage. If time permits, use the final round to tackle bonus questions. If you can solve them, great; if not, don't worry—they were never your safety net. Keep a positive attitude.
Accuracy is Key: Your accuracy levels in the actual exam may differ from your practice sessions. It's up to you to ensure your accuracy doesn't decline. Avoid blind guesses in this section, as negative marking can impact your score significantly.
Calculator Usage: Use a calculator only when the answer choices are very close, with a 5-10% difference. CAT doesn't encourage calculator use for questions with widely varying answer choices. Focus on mental calculations and approximation techniques instead. Leave questions with closely clustered answer options for the end.
Remember, CAT is not a life-or-death situation. It's an unpredictable exam, so don't let pressure get to you. Keep negative thoughts at bay and remind yourself that no matter what happens, life will go on. Appreciate the journey!We understand that this is a challenging time, but the real battle lies ahead, particularly with PI shortlists becoming increasingly competitive. The key now is to perform as well as you do in your mock tests. Stay relaxed, and best of luck!