Time management in DILR is like money management in terms of the pandemic. You try to use the available resources to the best possibe extent. Sometimes, it works. Probably, it backfires and leaves you empty-handed.
DILR – Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning? Yes, but it is also “Deceitfully Interesting and Luring Rampage”. I am kidding, but I actually am not. This “newly-coined” expansion fits in aptly with the nature of DILR puzzles in CAT itself, and recently, in CAT mocks.
Why time becomes crucial in DILR (and VARC)
There is a peculiar aspect in the VARC and DILR sections of CAT, which usually does not happen as much in Quant. The reason is that Quant is a chunk of individual questions where it is easier to attend or skip based on on one’s familiarity with a particular topic. However, the same cannot be said about VARC and DILR. There is always going to be that one tough RC passage or that one easy-looking but time-eating and unsolvable LR puzzle which would prove to be game-changing.
So, how really does one go about managing time, number of attempts and accuracy in an optimal way?
Before answering the question – in detail, I am going to be upfront in announcing I am not an “expert” of sorts in any sense of the term. This is going to be the perspective of yet another CAT aspirant, who has had his own share of pitfalls and turnarounds, especially in the DILR section.
Let’s go!
1) DILR sets and familiarity – how time management plays a role
Puzzle selection plays a crucial role in deciding how much you end up scoring in the DILR section. However, the most difficult aspect of DILR is giving up “possessiveness”. Wait, where does a relationship-related jargon come into play in something as unrelated to it as a competitive examination? Good question.
Let us say you are good at solving “seating arrangement” sets. You get a question in a mock (or in the actual CAT 2020) that is exactly of this type. Your heart leaps up in joy, and you start solving the puzzle. You almost crack the puzzle open and account for all the given constraints.
Based on that, you solve the first one or two questions of the set. You move on to the third question and then realize it is a conditional question. That is, it states something like, “If X happens and Y does not happen, Z is not the result.” You come back to the table you have already kept ready, and realize solving this particular question involves multiple cases.
What we do usually at this point – lose out on time
You realize it is going to take a lot of time, but you are so rigid about wanting to solve this particular set FULLY, just because you think you are a master at this puzzle type. Deciding to spend the next n minutes trying to arrive at all possible cases clearly backfires. You realize you have missed an important caveat in forming the cases.
You start fretting and try to rework. Eventually, when the puzzle gets done, you are left with little to no time to think on your feet for the other puzzles.
Alright, so what is the takeaway?
Simple. You NEED NOT solve all questions of a set compulsorily. If you realize you can do two questions easily, keep that set to be solved during your second or third revisit of questions.
Finish off questions that are NOT open-ended, and which would fetch you the full 12 marks if you fill the table right.
2) DILR and time management in a general sense
The disclaimer I have given upfront holds good for this point as well. Personally, my rule of thumb is spending 6 to 7 minutes in a puzzle. If it takes me somewhere, I decide to spend the next 4 to 5 minutes. If it hits a roadblock at the end of the first 7 minutes, I make it a point to leave it and move on.
This is like the rule of consent in relationships – the oft-repeated “No means no”.
If a puzzle or a set remains Greek and Latin after 6 minutes, it is going to look like Greek and Latin even after 60.
Do not waste time; it is toxic, unproductive and generally spoils your mental peace (holds good for relationships and DILR puzzles).
3) What if I do not know even a single puzzle?
Truth be told, there are times when this happens. When I took my first mock, I spent a whole hour and got 4 questions right (4 questions, as opposed to 4 sets). Time management in DILR was a moot question back then.
Fret not. There are some workable workarounds.
Let us take a sample scenario. Among the 8 given sets, there are some 2 data-intensive DI sets, 2 arrangement-based sets with ridiculously unconnected constraints, 2 puzzles based on topics which you think do not have anything to do with CAT, 2 more on topics you think you are good at but will most likely get wrong.
This sounds so dystopian yet so true. Tell me more…
You have got 8 seemingly unsolvable puzzles. Now, consider the previous idea on time management in a more general sense. You are going to spend the first 48 minutes across the 8 sets. In these 48 minutes, let us say you get some 3 or 4 questions right (keeping the lowest threshold as much as possible).
The last lap that seals the final outcome
You still have 12 minutes in your kitty. Now, these 12 minutes are going to be game-changing in your DILR section’s overall result.
You could use these 12 minutes to go to one of those intense DI sets and perform all sorts of calculations without hurrying. You are sure to get all the 4 questions of that set right.
The result is still not all great. But hey, you started off thinking you could score anywhere between a 0 and a 10 in the whole DILR section. Now, you are up to 24, which in the classic “percentage” lingo, is anywhere between an 140% to 240% increase. Your time management is also on point.
Stay safe, happy solving. Register for CAT 2020 on time. Best wishes for CAT 2020!
Written by Giridharan Raghuraman
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