Hello aspirant,

Quantitative aptitude is generally the toughest section for students preparing for CAT. Because of vast syllabus and endless formulas students generally create a phobia in their mind. They are not aware that there is a trick for solving every question. If you follow these three steps, you can easily prepare well for this particular section and score high :



1. Covering the basic concepts of every topic

2. Topic wise test

3. Practice every type of question



Covering the basics of every topic : It is vital to cover every topic because many a time quant questions require multiple concepts to be applied to arrive at the solution. Also, exam is unpredictable.



One should start with arithmetic topics such as percentages, ratios and averages. These topics will require less time and would cover a huge part of your syllabus. The following topics should also be targeted :

1. Number system

2. Algebra

3. Permutations and combinations



Candidate should also focus on geometry. Within it, one should focus on pythagoras theorem, basics of triangles and circles.



Try to solve questions mentally. Avoid using pen and paper. It is important to develop a habit of solving questions in your mind. But one should also understand that it is not applicable for every question i.e. not all questions can be solved mentally. It is important to go through the explanation of every solution.



Topic wise test : Taking sectional tests is an excellent way of evaluating one's competency on the ability to apply the concepts as well as speed. You must take a note on new variety of questions and the new approaches to solve those questions. Taking tests would help you to analyse your weak and strong areas so that you could get an idea of where to focus more.



The speed to solve the questions increases automatically with increase in the number of tests taken by a candidate. Also, one should keep in mind CAT is an objective exam. Here you just need to arrive at the correct answer. Nobody's concerned about how you arrived at it.  While practicing we must consciously look and analyse options to arrive at the correct answer.



Solving previous years CAT Quant questions : previous year CAT papers are the best source to practice. It helps the candidate to understand how questions are framed. Being able to solve these questions gives you a satisfaction, develops comfidents and motivates you to practice more.



You can easily find previous year papers online or in your nearby bookstore.



If you have gained confidence over your basics then refer to quant book by Arun Sharma.



If you feel less confident about your basics then go for Quantum CAT by Sarvesh.



NCERT Mathematics books for 8th, 9th & 10th standard



CBSE Mathematics books for 8th, 9th & 10th standard



All the best!

Hello abhijeet,



Quants part of the CAT exams tests your basic knowledge acquired during class 6-10. It uses those concepts and builds on them for higher level questions. So the basics have to be strong to be able to perform well in this section.



You can refer the book "How to prepare for quantitative attitude for CAT" by Arun Sharma.

This book explains the concepts in details and then provides examples to highlight the use of those concepts. It then has it's practice questions divided on the basis of the level of difficulty. This helps you analyze your potential in each topic and helps improve on them. It also includes past year questions and model papers. You can buy this book online as well as offline from stores.



Hope this helps.

All the best

Hey Abhijeet,

For acing the Quantitative Aptitude section in CAT, first of all you should be clear with all fundamentals and concepts. Take one topic at a time and give sufficient time to it. Then, you can start solving questions. You can opt for a institute's materials to start with like Career Launcher, TIME, etc.

After that, you may go on solving previous year CAT papers. You can also refer to these books below:

• How to prepare for Quantitative Ability for CAT by Arun Sharma
• Pearson Guide to QA and DI by Nishit Sinha

Good Luck.

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