How To Prepare For Quantitative Aptitude For CAT Exam? A Complete Guide

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Master of Business Administration (MBA) is one of the most coveted post-graduate degrees around the nation. Countless MBA aspirants, who want a spot in one of the top B-Schools, appear for the CAT exam every year in hopes of making their dreams come true. The exam, as we know, is one of the toughest competitive entrance exams, and you need to cover all bases to land a high percentile. 

Success rate of CAT exam: The success rate of CAT exam is about 3%. About 1% of students get into Top MBA colleges and about 4% of students make it into decent colleges.

CAT Exam Pattern

The CAT exam consists of three sections and each section has an individual time limit of 40 minutes. 

• Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
• Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
• Quantitative Aptitude

The gist of these sections is as follows: 

What is Quantitative Aptitude?

Quantitative ability/ aptitude is an integral part of not only CAT but many other entrance exams. The quantitative aptitude for CAT, and most other entrance exams, assesses an individual's quantitative, analytical, logical, and cognitive abilities through tricky arithmetic questions. 

If you're looking for the exact CAT quant syllabus online or in books, then you may be disappointed. Because there is no fixed syllabus for any of the CAT sections. Yes, this leaves students confused about carrying on their preparation for CAT.

However, it is important to note that even though the syllabus for CAT isn't set in stone, there is a broad group of recurring topics and sub-topics that you must cover. Thus, while you may not know the exact CAT quant syllabus, you can study the recurring topics.

To begin with, let's have a look at the general paper pattern for this section in the table below:

How to prepare for quantitative aptitude for CAT: CAT Quant Syllabus

In simple terms, the section on quantitative aptitude for CAT will test your knowledge of a range of topics in mathematics and their application. The CAT quant syllabus can be divided into the following broader topics, which include multiple sub-topics:

• Geometry & Mensuration
• Trigonometry
• Alligations and Mixtures
• Number System
• Modern Maths
• Arithmetic Topics
• Algebra Topics

These are the major topics covered in the quantitative aptitude for CAT. The table below gives a more detailed view of these topics and their sub-topics. 

The difficulty level of questions varies for various sections/ subsections, however, the general sectional difficulty level is moderate to high.

Now that you have an idea about most of the vital topics that form the QA section of the exam and its level of difficulty, let's have a look at how to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT. 

How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT Exam 

The CAT quant syllabus can seem daunting to many aspirants, especially those from a non-mathematical background. Most aspirants find it difficult to prepare for this section. 

In this section, we will help you build a preparation strategy for the quant section. Listed below are a few steps and quantitative aptitude tips which will help you on your CAT preparation journey. Check them out:

Prepare a schedule/ timetable

No matter how much preparation time you have, it won't do you any good if you don't utilise it efficiently. This holds true in particular for students who have a limited time to prepare for the impending competitive exam. So the first thing you must do is prepare a well-structured and defined timetable. 

Divide the total number of days you have into smaller periods and set milestones for each. For example, you can prepare weekly timetables, allocate a particular number of hours to preparing quantitative aptitude for CAT, and decide which topics to cover in that duration. Make sure you stick to the timetable. 

Also read: How to Prepare for CAT Exam 2023? CAT Preparation Timetable, Guidance, Tips, And More!

Always start with the basics

It is best practice to start with the basic concepts first and then move on to complex topics. It is only if you have clarity of the fundamental concepts, will you be able to handle the more complex ones. So prepare a list of topics ranging from basic to difficult/ complex. 

Know your strengths & weaknesses

You must have heard of this advice from a lot of previous CAT toppers, and that's because it is critical to allocate more time to working on your weaknesses when it comes to CAT prep. It is a good idea to give a few mock tests to figure out your strengths & weaknesses. Once you know this, focus more on gaining conceptual clarity of the topics you are weak in. Also continue to solve at least 1-3 questions from topics you are strong in, on a regular basis, to maintain the preparation level.

Understand and memorize the formulas

Formulas play an important role in the quant section. But don't make the mistake of trying to memorize them without understanding the method/ logic behind them. Logically understanding the whole method of solving a particular problem with the use of specific formulas will not only speed up the learning process but also help you connect the dots faster in the actual exam, saving time and minimizing errors. 

Take sectional mocks & analyze your performance

Once you have a good understanding of all topics in this section, start practicing by taking sectional CAT mock tests that have sample questions from a range of topics. Once you take these tests, look at the solutions and analyze your performance in the same. You can also take the help of online resources that provide video solutions for many CAT questions and topics.

The purpose of this analysis is to adjudge your performance regularly and to keep on tweaking your CAT prep strategy accordingly. 

Revise & practice through PYQs!

Practice is the only way to comfortably solve questions in CAT. And when we speak of practicing questions, Previous Year's Questions (or PYQs) can't be ignored. These give you a good idea of the pattern of questions that can be asked for the exam and trains your mind accordingly. 

This compiles the list of major points that you must take note of in your quantitative aptitude preparation journey.

Now let's take a look at a few quick preparation tips and tricks that will give you an extra edge over your competitors. 

How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT: Preparation Tips

• Understand the basic pattern of the CAT exam and QA section before you start building a prep strategy. Getting a birds-eye view of the whole exam is important to prepare a strategy that best suits your situation and needs.
• Since there is a strict time limit within which you will need to crack the questions, it is a good idea to have some shortcut tricks/ math tricks in your arsenal.
  • Vedic maths, for example, provides many tricks that can help with mental calculations and reduce your reliance on a basic calculator. Once you master some vedic maths techniques you will be surprised by how quickly you can perform otherwise lengthy calculations. 
• Practicing with the previous year's papers is key to performing well in the CAT exam. Analyzing and solving these question papers will help you in estimating the different types of questions asked, question patterns for the actual CAT paper, and other details which will help improve your performance.  
  • Solving these CAT question papers with time limits will also improve your speed during the actual exam.
• It is a good idea to start your practice with basic questions and then gradually move on to more difficult questions, to better acclimate yourself with the CAT-level questions.
• If you don't know the formula to solve a particular concept/question in the exam, don't try to solve the questions on guesswork. A lot of CAT candidates end up making silly mistakes when they do this. It is better to skip such technical questions and avoid the possibility of negative marking.

Quantitative Aptitude for CAT: Best Books for Preparation

There are two primary modes of preparing for any exam- one is through self-study and the other is with the help of coaching centers. A lot of aspirants also go for the hybrid mode where they take offline/ online coaching for certain components and rely on self-study for the rest. Irrespective of the mode you choose, it is best to explore a wide range of study material - this includes online videos, books, study material provided by coaching institutes, question banks, and more. 

Listed below are a few of the best books for preparation in QA, that are also popular amongst past CAT toppers/ candidates:

• How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma
• Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT – Sarvesh Verma
• Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT - Nishit Sinha

These books extensively cover the CAT quant syllabus, and include multiple questions for CAT that can improve your chances of acing the exam.  However, be sure to get the latest version of these books. 

This brings us to the end of this article in our CAT preparation series. We have equipped you with all the information you need to ace the QA section. So buckle up and get ready for CAT 2023.

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Here are a few other articles that will help you in your CAT preparation journey:

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2. A Stellar Achievement Of 98.85 Percentile- Get The Scoop On CAT Preparation Strategy By Mohit Verma, SJMSOM IIT Bombay
3. CAT vs XAT: Which Is A Tougher Nut to Crack?
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5. MBA Entrance Exams In India- CAT Exam Alternatives To Get Into Top B-Schools