Alongside many other challenges, CAT aspirants must also confront the most common fear among students - Math. There is no doubt that Quantitative Aptitude remains a scoring section in the Common Admission Test, regardless of whether you boast of it as a strength or not. With no predefined syllabus, the QA section presents a mix of algebra and geometry questions that students must complete within forty minutes. The section weighs in anywhere between 70-78 marks.
To understand this strategic section, The Free Press Journal spoke to IIM Bangalore student Chirag Gupta, who topped CAT 2021 with a perfect score. Divulging his best tips to this year's CAT aspirants, Chirag said:
Plan ahead
Assess the situation you are in once the questions are laid out in front of you. It is always wise to sort them into three types– the ones you know and can solve quickly, those that will take you time, and the ones you know you will struggle with. Take the first shot at your paper and solve all questions you are certain of, try to solve them in less than two minutes.
While doing so, mark the ones which are taking your time. On your second try, go for the questions that you have marked and try to finish them within the given time. If you are left with a few minutes by the end of it, move on to those problems that you are not good at solving.
Check questions, not topic
Students often tend to believe that it is okay to spend a lot of time answering a question that has been asked about their favourite topic. They forget to look at the question itself. This notion cannot be followed in a time-sensitive examination like CAT. Students must know that even the topics they are comfortable with can present a question that is hard to crack.
Don’t master, but know
While preparing for the QA section, it is not advisable to skip topics that are not your strengths. Skipping an entire concept due to fear can easily cost a student 15-20 marks, which is not ideal for CAT where section-wise scores are considered by IIMs. Know a topic enough to solve the easiest questions within it, increasing your chances of scoring higher marks in QA.
Recheck
When it comes to topics like algebra, students often tend to make silly mistakes. A 9 becomes a 10 when there is a calculation mistake and students often miss the right answer by a single factor. These mistakes can make or break your scores for IIM cutoffs. It is advisable to spare a few minutes rechecking your answers, even in a time-sensitive exam like CAT, to ensure that you have bagged the 3 marks in the questions you are confident about.
Mocks
Revise everything you can through mock tests in the days leading up to CAT, but see where you are going wrong. Once you know where the errors are recurring, revise and solidify the concept. An excellent way to check is by giving a mock the next day and checking how you have performed in your weak points.
CAT 2022 is set to be held on November 27 and will be conducted in three sessions. The exam will be held between 8:30 am and 10:30 am in the morning, 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm in the afternoon, and 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm in the evening.
(This article is a part of CAT 2022 Tips brought to you specially by The Free Press Journal to help B-school aspirants crack the exam)
