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A guide to scoring well in quantitative aptitude of B-school entrance exams

In fact, there is still a general notion in the world of MBA wannabes that there are two kinds ofMBA aspirants. Those who are poor at quant and those who are very poor at quant. People who

are good at quant and DI stay on Mars. However, I dare to make a tall claim that this notion is a

misconception and an over-hyped phobia. Mastering quantitative aptitude is just another task,which can be fulfilled with focused strategy in preparation and sustained hard work.Since I have made this loud declaration that quant may be wild but is definitely tamable I ought

to substantiate it. For this, I need you to look at the quant section (CAT 2006 notwithstanding) of

B-school admission tests as divided into the following two functional categories:1. Quant that appears in CAT or XAT2. Quant that appears in other exams (SNAP, IRMA, MAT, NMIMS, etc)

However, the so called syllabus for both types of tests remains the same, and roughly

comprises of the following:1. Questions on properties of numbers, divisibility, LCM, HCF, remainder theorem and their

applications.

2.

Basic arithmetic and its applications like calculating simple and compound interest, ratio andproportion, profit, loss and discount, mixtures and work-time or time-speed based problems,

essentially commercial mathematics.

3. Basic algebra and its applications like simple and quadratic equations, series, exponents,polynomials, functions.

4. Geometry and mensuration. Comprising of primarily two dimensional figures, and application ofbasic theorems.

5. Modern maths: Set theory, Venn diagrams, permutation, combination and probability.Although the syllabus and breadth of areas remain the same in both types of exams, there is a

huge difference in types of questions that are asked and hence the approach to prepare and

attempt questions also varies.

Let us look at quant in non-CAT exams. The quant in these exams (SNAP, IRMA, etc) is what

could be primarily called a Speed and Accuracy Test. The number of questions is large, but most

of the questions are either direct formula-based questions or direct application of a basic concept.The premium is on speed. Those who can solve questions quickly rule the roost. Consider few

sample questions:

A trader bought two watches for Rs 2,000 each. One he sold at 5 per cent profit and the second at

7 per cent loss. Calculate net profit/loss.

This is a simple question of calculating a percentage (2 per cent) on Rs 2,000, which is 40.

Consider another question. If today a father is four times as old as his son and five years ago he

was five times as old as his son, find their present ages. This again is a simple application of

algebra, or substituting the given options.

For this type of quantitative aptitude (non-CAT), the following preparation strategy is suggested:

1. Leave no area unprepared, as coverage is more important than depth. Even dreaded topics likeprobability and permutation and combinations should not be left.

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2. Cram and make yourself familiar with all basic formulae (for mensuration, algebra, logarithmsand modern maths) and theorems (for geometry) as a starting point. Practise them well to the

extent that you become well-versed with their application in basic questions.3. Each functional area in quant has five to 10 standard sub-areas associated with it and each such

sub-area has two to three basic concepts involving standard questions related with it. For

example in work-time and time-speed questions, the sub-areas are relative speed, pipes andcisterns, boats, circular motion, clocks and work efficiency. You should familiarise yourself witheach sub-area and standard questions. Again, practise well so as to solve any similar question

quickly, efficiently and correctly. Remember, this will potentially comprise 80 per cent of

quantitative aptitude section. You have to ensure 100 percent accuracy in them.4. Many questions require nothing but faster calculation; hence it is sine qua non that you have

complete mastery over the multiplication tables of first 30 natural numbers and the squares,

cubes and square roots of the first 20 numbers. Memorising reciprocals of the first 30 numbers is

also helpful in dividing faster. You will find it extremely useful in arithmetic problems likecomputing compound interest.

5. While attempting questions, divide your attempts into multiple rounds (at least two). In roundone, attempt only those questions, of which you are 100 percent sure, and solving them is just amatter of time. The prime test of this doability is that you should not have one iota of doubt that

you can solve the question. If there are certain questions that you have solved earlier and hence

know are doable but time-consuming, put a circle over them and return to them if time permits in

the second round. Similarly, questions where nothing strikes your mind in first 10 to 15 secondsare best left. Put a different symbolsay a sign of interrogationover all such questions and

you can return to them in your third round. For questions about which you have no clue in first

five seconds, put a cross in front of them and leave. They are a potential round four questions,subject to availability of time.

The big challenge

Now lets move to the big league, the CAT and XAT exams. The syllabus of quantitativeaptitude sections of these exams as mentioned earlier is same as for other exams. The difference

lies in nature of questions. Here not merely the width but the depth and clarity of basic concepts,

along with complete mastery over first principles, is an absolute necessity.

Although the questions derive from basic concepts, application is of a high degree. For example,

although in geometry the basic theorems involved are the same (around a dozen), a singlequestion may involve application of multiple theorems or a single theorem will only become

applicable when some further construction is done in the question. Mere familiarity with the

topic and basic formulae is not going to help you score well here. Nevertheless, there are always

a few sitters, and most of the suggestions given for other exams also hold water for CAT andXAT. However, one needs to go that proverbial 'extra mile' to tame the quantitative ability

section of CAT and XAT.

Lets see what extra must be done. Following guidelines will be helpful:1. You need to identify your areas of strength. Areas of strength are those areas where your grip

over the first principles is very clear, you are psychologically at ease even with the difficult

questions and can easily comprehend and solve newer type questions. Typically this will be thearea where you were ahead of your friends, either from day one, or were able to grasp

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fundamentals swiftly. You probably invest maximum time in solving problems in this area, and

also enjoy it. Statistically, your accuracy is also highest for such topics. Your mock test scores

will also indicate that. Everyone has few of these areas. It could be number system or geometryor algebra. You really need to introspect and cogitate to discover your areas of strength and

further groom them to become your milch cows.

2. The larger trick lies in picking the sitters from other areas, and scoring heavily in areas ofstrength. Invest more time in solving difficult questions from these areas of strength. Go through

previous CAT papers to find out how many questions are coming from that area. If the number isconsistently 10 to 15, then you are on the right track. If it is lesser then you need to identify

another such area of strength. The logic is simple, and can be explained using an analogy drawn

from cricket. Every batsman has few pet shots, using which he scores most of his runs, say apull, flick and cut. He is only average with other shots, but the mastery over these few shots is

such that he rarely leaves an opportunity to score using them. You also need to identify, develop

and hone your areas of strength in the same way.

3. People who are really good at quantitative aptitude are those who have got a larger number ofareas of strength and keep on adding more to their repertoire. To further bolster your areas ofstrength, start modifying and altering questions from them after solving them. Better still, try toframe your own questions in areas of strength. The exercise of framing one's own questions is

very helpful in further mastery.

4. Now again, while attempting the actual paper or mock tests, the operating logic is simple. Thesurface-level questions, if any, should be done in round one. Then one should invest time in

questions from ones areas of strength. However there is a caveat: no matter how good you are inone particular sphere, there still could be questions, which you cannot solve, so the criterion of

reasonable time investment per question has to be kept in mind. As per this criterion, if you are

clueless about a question after investing two minutes even in your area of strength, the chances

are that it is beyond you at that point. Leave it; there are other battles to be fought.In the end, at the cost of sounding clichd, I may add that mastering quantitative aptitude is not a

fixed rigid goal but a process, which can be refined to no end. Applying patience and

perseverance can help you in achieving this task.