How to Build a Strong Foundation in Quantitative Aptitude for CAT?

Introduction  

Quantitative Aptitude is considered to be the toughest one among the three sections of the CAT. However, if incorporated the correct method of preparation, the quantitative aptitude section can become the most scoring one. Students from non-math background often fear that they would never be able to score well in CAT and get past the competition with students having a math background. This is a total myth, as a well-structured cat preparation strategy can help even a non-math student ace the QA section. Now let's explore how you can cover the complete quantitative aptitude syllabus smoothly in a much stress-free manner and achieve your dream score.

Select a Definite Mode and Source of Study  

The first step towards preparing for the CAT is to decide the mode as well as source of study. Nowadays, students have numerous options of modes of study like offline and online coaching, self-paced coaching with recorded lectures, youtube videos, and other ways of self-study. A student needs to first identify which mode of study suits best of its interests and then get access to the source of study. Source of study comprises of the coaching center, the book publications, youtube channels, etc that you are willing to follow throughout your CAT preparation journey.

Strategize and Schedule Your Topics  

If you're under the impression that you need to cover all the topics under quantitative aptitude to score well, then you might be wrong. Some chapters in Quantitative Aptitude are more dominant than the others in terms of weightage and need to be prioritized during CAT preparation. Arithmetic and algebra alone make up to 90 percent of the quantitative aptitude section. Hence, allocating equal time to all the chapters might not be the best strategy. The topics with maximum weightage need to be studied first and practiced the most, and then shifting to the other topics can fetch better scores.

Get Your Concepts Clear 

Many students often think that the quantitative aptitude syllabus is all about sums, numerical, and calculations. This is a partial truth that needs to be understood properly. Although this section is majorly based on practical questions, jumping directly to practice sets without giving enough time to concept builders can be a foolish move. Solving problems without concept clarity can waste a lot of time and increase your risk of forgetting the methods of solution during an exam. Focusing more on understanding and clearing concepts in the initial period of CAT preparation and revising those concepts throughout can help increase your ability of solving questions.

Practice Questions of Diverse Difficulty Levels 

In order to perform well in the quantitative aptitude section of the CAT, it is essential to practice questions of different difficulty levels at different phases of CAT preparation.

➤ Examples of concept builders

➤ Easy level of questions

➤ Moderate level of questions

➤ Difficult level of questions

➤ Previous year question papers

Maxxcell's CAT courses provide a wide range of practice questions for CAT aspirants with example questions with concept builder classes, easy to medium practice questions, medium to hard practice sets, and previous year questions once the complete quantitative aptitude syllabus is covered. Also, it is important to practice mix questions which contain concepts from different topics in a single question. Practicing diverse questions helps you improve speed and accuracy and boost your confidence in the exam.

Keep a Track of Your Progress 

Another crucial point while preparing quantitative aptitude for CAT is to track your progress throughout your preparation journey. Some effective ways in which you can track your progress are-

➤ Record frequently occurring errors and analyze them

➤ Take a minor test after completion of every chapter

➤ Set timers while solving practice questions and compare the recorded time after every 10 sums

➤ Prepare a daily schedule one night before and track your progress by the end of the day

➤ Download the detailed CAT syllabus pdf by Maxxcell and tick mark the checkboxes as you complete a topic and increase your speed

Focus on Learning Short-cut Methods

Short-cut methods are nothing but just skipping steps to minimize the time taken by a question during an exam. Though short-cut methods can be helpful in managing time during an exam, it should be the last thing that you should shift your focus on. This is so, because trying to use short-cut methods without enough consistent practice can often turn out to be a disaster, just like picking up heavy weights on the first day of your workout can bring you more harm than good. Hence, once you're well versed with the quantitative aptitude syllabus and experienced in solving problem sets, then you can devote your time to learning short-cut methods so that you understand how and when to use them to get the desired outcome.

Start Your Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Now! 

Now that you're familiar with the tips and tricks to build a strong foundation in Quantitative Aptitude for CAT, you might be wondering where to begin. Look no further! Maxxcell has launched its exclusive CAT preparation courses designed to equip you with everything you need—high-quality concept builders, conceptual questions, practice sets across different difficulty levels, past year question papers, and more—all at unbelievably affordable rates. Our mission is to make top-notch education accessible to everyone. So, even if you're unsure about the right preparation source, give Maxxcell a try—it just might be the last stop on your journey to CAT success!