- Geometry
- Averages, Mixtures, Alligations
- Simple and Compound Interest
- Time and Distance
- Numbers
It is of utmost importance that you master as many of the above topics as possible in order to safely attempt 50% of the questions.
The other topics include:
- Time and Work
- Percentages-Profit & Loss-Partnerships
- Permutations & Combinations
- Probability
- Progressions and Series
- Quadratic Equations
- Ratio Proportion
- Functions & Graphs
- Inequations & Modulus
- Trigonometry
- Statistics
- Indices-Surds
- Simple Equation
Leave No Concept Unturned
It is important that once you list down the topics, you understand where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Do not make the mistake of spending too much time on your strong topics and neglect the weak ones. Each topic in this section is a different ballgame altogether, so it goes without saying that one must be above average in all topics and great at few, in order to succeed.
Finish going through all the concepts and solve Level-1 questions from Arun Sharma by mid-August. This would mean, you will need to devote an hour and solve at least 30 questions on a daily basis.
Maintain notes of all the concepts and revisit them on weekends.
Accuracy, Accuracy, Accuracy
There are three elements to securing a good percentile in QA: Accuracy, Selection and Speed. Let me show you how improving your accuracy will impact your overall score.
It is clear how improving accuracy will help one improve their score.
Drop Your Ego And Move On
The key to accuracy is selection. Do not spend more than 30 seconds on a question at the first glance. If you think a questions is going to take more than 60 seconds for you to solve, mark for review and move on. You can come back and solve it once you have glanced through all the questions at least once.
Attempt all the easy questions at first, move on to moderate questions during your second round and keep difficult questions for the end.
One of the most important advantages of CAT as opposed to GMAT, is the freedom to revisit questions. Make use of it. This applies to all sections, not just QA.
More Mock Tests, The Merrier
The best advice anyone can give would be to give as many mocks as possible before attempting the CAT. Practice as much as you can. For QA, sectional tests by any of the coaching institutes would be the right way to go about it.
Keep track of your attempts and accuracy in each mock test. Analyse the mocks to diagnose the reasons behind your accuracy.
Analyse the mocks even if you have secured good marks in this section. It is always good to know alternate and faster methods to solve a problem.
Note, the key to scoring more is owning your mistakes and improving. You cannot expect to score more if you do not rectify your mistakes.
I hope these tips will help you in your preparation for the CAT. All the best!
Do leave your queries in the comments below. I'd be happy to answer them.
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Comments
Aishwary Trivedi
Really Helpful Article. Vaishnavi, Could you please suggest some good Sources to improve Geometry. And Tips to reach from 95% to 99% in Quantitative Aptitude. Thank You. ☺️
27 May 2019, 11.18 AM
+Read Replies (2)
Vaishnavi Ravi
Vaishnavi Ravi is a Chemical Engineer from BITS Pilani with two years of work experience at Johnson Matthey as Deputy Manager. She secured 99.84%ile in CAT 2018 and will be joining IIM Calcutta, Class of 2021. She secured 99.66%ile in VARC and 99.4%ile in QA and bagged final admission offers from IIM C, L, K, FMS and SPJIMR
I used the TIME Material for Geometry. The key is to note down all the concepts and keep revising because there is a lot to remember in geometry. Also keep track of all the questions from geometry in the mock tests. Concepts are usually repetitive.
3 Jun 2019, 08.35 AM |
Vaishnavi Ravi
Vaishnavi Ravi is a Chemical Engineer from BITS Pilani with two years of work experience at Johnson Matthey as Deputy Manager. She secured 99.84%ile in CAT 2018 and will be joining IIM Calcutta, Class of 2021. She secured 99.66%ile in VARC and 99.4%ile in QA and bagged final admission offers from IIM C, L, K, FMS and SPJIMR
The key to going from 95 to 99%ile in QA is accuracy. That comes from the right choice of questions. You need to make sure you go through all the questions in the section. Skip if you think you'll need more time to solve a question, come back to it later. I used to attempt the section in 3 rounds. First, solve questions you're familiar with, second, solve questions that are lengthy but from your strong topics, and last would be attempting the remaining questions contingent on time remaining.
3 Jun 2019, 08.39 AM |
Sucharitha Subrahmanyan
Hello! Thank you for this article- it helped me out of the confusion I was in! While I'm attempting mocks, I get stuck in a few sums, and I end up attempting only some 10-15 questions, though I do clear all cutoffs. Any tips from your side to improve my overall percentile and analyse mom's efficiently?
27 Jul 2019, 01.24 PM
+Read Replies (1)
Sucharitha Subrahmanyan
Analyse mocks* sorry about the typo
27 Jul 2019, 01.25 PM |
ayushi tripathi
What should be first on the priority list accuracy or speed ?
22 Apr 2020, 12.01 PM
Saket Jindal
i have covered many of the topics in quantitative section but the question that in come mocks are so much difficult and tricky then question in books that they blow my mind and i attempt only 8-10 question in mock test. can you tell me how can i overcome my this weakness and improve my score in quantitative ability section as i am preparing for CAT20. Thank you
20 Aug 2020, 02.02 PM