CAT 2016 : Easy steps for Non - engineers to prepare Quant & DI ; utilize every minute suggest toppers and experts

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
October 17, 2016
CAT 2016 Non-Engineer aspirants, weak at Quant or DI need not worry and should utilize every minute as Nishant, a Bachelor of Arts & IIM-B student did
Dont just mug up the formula to solve the question as the questions may not be done by simply going through the formula Prof Nishit K Sinha

Non-engineers preparing for CAT 2016 need not worry about their weak Quant or Data Interpretation as number of CAT toppers are emerging from non-engineering back ground. The only clue from CAT toppers like Nishant Gupta, student of IIM Bangalore and a B.A. is to utilize every minute of yours to overcome your weak area.

In fact, it is not only Nishant who being a non engineer was afraid of Quant and DI questions in CAT, there are thousands of such candidates coming from non-engineering back-ground and are weak in Quant and Data Interpretation. These candidates need clear and easy steps as to how they can prepare well and get a decent score in both these sections.

Experts and mentors on CAT 2016 have also found that non-engineers are good at Verbal Ability but are weak at Quant. The toppers and experts suggest that despite being a non-engineer you can crack both these sections with high percentile score, if you follow the suggested preparation plan to crack Quant and DI in CAT 2016  in next 45 days.

1st Step: Know the expected type of Quant & DI questions
CAT 2016 exam proposes to have MCQs with negative marking and Non-MCQs without negative marking on Quant as well as DI. Usually Quant questions that appear in CAT are of class 10 standard. But all the questions are presented in a twisted form and need consistent practice.

Going by the last year CAT pattern, you should expect not less than 30 and not more than 35 questions in Quant section in CAT 2016. Out of them,  a minimum number of 10 Non-MCQs are expected. The best thing about these Non-MCQs goes in favour of non-engineers. Non-MCQs do not carry any penalty of negative marking and the non-engineers despite being weak on Quant need not afraid of any wrong attempt of non-MCQs.

2nd Step: Know the different Question levels
Prof Nishit Sinha, IIM Lucknow alumnus, who has been training students for the CAT and other B-school entrance examinations for around 15 years and author of titles for CAT preparation – QA for CAT, LRDI for CAT, VARC for CAT – published by Pearson publications, clarifies different key steps and levels to prepare on Quant questions. The concepts, fundamentals and applications will equip the non-engineers to prepare well and crack Quant & DI sections with high scores. Let us understand these with the help of examples:

Applying
Q. At SI, a sum of money amounts to Rs. 2600 in three years and Rs. 3000 in next two years. What is the rate of interest?

Solution – You may observe that to solve this question, you cannot use any formula or short cut. You need to have an understanding of how Simple Interest works and be able to apply the same.
There are two data points in this question:

Amount at the end of three years = Rs. 2600 and amount in next two years (i.e. total five years) = Rs. 3000.
Using this, it can be inferred that:
Interest obtained in last two years = Rs. 400  Interest obtained per year =  = Rs. 200 per year.
Hence interest obtained in three years = Rs. 200  ´ 3 = Rs. 600
So principal = Rs. 2600 – Rs. 600 = Rs. 2000

Hence rate of interest = ´ 100 = 10%

Analyzing
Q. Equal sum have been invested at CI and SI at same rate of interest. At the end of two years, total SI obtained = Rs. 500 and total CI obtained = Rs. 550. What is the sum invested at SI or at CI?

Solution – Analyzing is ability to know where to start the problem solving from, then breaking down the problem in smaller parts leading to the most important aspect of the problem.
To solve this question, you are required to understand how SI and CI are calculated, apply the conceptual framework of SI and CI after breaking down the problem in smaller parts.
How to start & solve
Using the data for CI will not lead you to any conclusion regarding the interest obtained in 1st year or 2nd year.

Using the data for SI: Since total interest obtained in two years = Rs. 500, interest obtained in the 1st year = Interest obtained in the 2nd year = Rs. 250 each.
Simple interest obtained in the 1st year = Compound interest obtained in the 1st year (Since Principal is same) = Rs. 250. Hence CI for 2nd year = Rs. 550 – Rs. 250 = Rs. 300
It can be summarized here:

 

1st Year

2nd Year

Simple Interest

Rs. 250

Rs. 250

Compound Interest

Rs. 250

Rs. 300

Hence rate of interest =  ´ 100 = 20%

Begin with Non-MCQs
Instead of starting with MCQs which have 1/3 negative penalty for each wrong answer, you should begin with Non-MCQs which are not fraught with fear of negative marking.

But to achieve the success in Quant and DI, the weakness must not be compensated by shortcuts or mugging as you have to arrive at the answer and slightest mistake can pull you down.
Prof Sinha further advises 3 steps to crack Quant-

-- Don’t bank upon shortcuts
-- Solve a question instead of jumping to answer option
-- Don’t just mug up the formula to solve the question as the questions may not be done by simply going through the formula.  All the levels above the basic one need  – Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating and Creating and need  considered Higher Order thinking. To solve questions at this level, you need to have a sound thought process and strong logical abilities.

Utilize every minute: Advises IIMB student with CAT 99.97 percentile
Nishant Gupta, B.A. Economics scored 99.97 in CAT 2015 and got IIM Bangalore. Nishant was afraid of Quant & DI but after his systematic preparation, he scored   95.8 in Quant in CAT 2015.

Nishant suggests the non-engineers to follow the preparation strategy that he adopted for CAT 2015 to overcome the weakness in Quant and DI 

-- Solve all text book exercises and try to do different sectional tests
-- Extensively analyse the mock tests
-- Make notes of the concepts and the good questions you find. It will help you to revise them before the exam.
-- If you are working, you will have very little time to study on your own. Utilize your time while commuting from one place to other. Nishant did it on the Metro every day to work. This will help to complete your syllabus and also figure out how to approach the questions. Nishant used to solve the Quant questions on the margins of the book.

Please remember it is not important how many questions will be there on Quant or DI but it is important how well you are prepared to face them. Please note that non-availability of exact information about the number of questions in Quant section should not be an obstacle in preparation for this section in CAT 2016.

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