Quant Preparation: Tips to keep in mind for beginners

Quant Preparation: Tips to keep in mind for beginners

Quant preparation is the most looked up topic by CAT takers. It is probably because Quantitative Aptitude is perhaps the most challenging topic in any CAT exam. The vast syllabus and the importance of topics are one of the factors that make it tough. Other being the vast set of calculations required to be completed in a short duration and the number of formulas to remember.

Tackling Quant can be made easier with keeping some tips in mind while preparing and solving sums.

Here are few things to keep in mind while preparing for Quant.

• Start with the basics.
• Practice A lot
• Identify your strengths.
• Avoid using calculators:
• Test yourself

Start with the basics:

         QA is a vast topic and it’s easy to get sidetracked and have your preparation all over the place. Best way is to make yourself a roadmap of the topics. You can make your own timetable or follow a customised schedule to cover topics. I personally prefer to start with arithmetic. Start with percentages, averages and work my way towards time speed. This again is a personal choice but whatever it is start with the basics and build a solid foundation.

Practice A lot:

         Quant is about solving as many questions as possible within the time limit. So speed becomes a critical factor for Quant preparation. You need to be able to figure out the formula and do the math at a good pace to be able to attend a decent number of questions. This comes with practicing more questions. The more you practice the familiar you are to applying the concept and solving quickly.

Identify your strengths:

         While its good practice to cover all topics for your quant preparation. This might not be possible for everyone. It’s better to work on minimizing your weaknesses. It’s okay to leave out a few topics if you aren’t too comfortable even after practicing. You needn’t solve all the questions but make sure all the questions you solve are correct.

Avoid using calculators:

         Avoid using calculators at all costs while practicing. Rome wasn’t built overnight and neither will your solving speed. The digital calculator provided in CAT is tedious to use and more time consuming. As much as possible stick to pen and paper for calculations. This again iterates my previous point about practice. To an extent knowing the multiplication table byheart helps.

Test yourself:

         After completing a topic, test yourself probably with a stopwatch to see how your understanding and application of the concepts are. It also helps you understand how much time you take to solve a question and analyse the reason behind your timing. Practicing with a timer helps you in the longer run while taking CAT exam. You can solve CAT question papers from past years to boost your confidence

Quant is easy to crack, All you need to do is remember the 3P’s. Persistence, Patience and Practice.

Cheers !! – Harish V

Harish is an alum of IIM Bangalore who can’t stop talking about Chelsea FC