CAT is the most look- forwarded and contemplated exam for MBA aspirants in India. Since the notification for the exam has been released and the exam itself is round the clock, scheduled for November 25, it is recommended for all aspirants to get rigorously engaged in tying the loose ends and mastering the subject matter. Logical reasoning and Data Interpretation questions of CAT are the most time consuming and yet very scoring, so one needs to be perfect in this section. These let the candidate get an edge over other not so specific questions. Therefore, here is the strategy to score high in CAT 2018. Given below are some points to crack the logic of Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation question and solve them in minimum time.
The pattern of LRDI questions in CAT
CAT is assumed to be one of the most difficult exams in the country and non-availability of the pre-defined syllabus and a proper exam pattern along with the difficulty level of questions in examination confirms the words. So, it is quite natural for the aspirants to often get confused as the CAT pattern changes frequently.
In CAT logical reasoning section, 16 questions are generally included every year. The questions vary from inequalities to symbol operations, direction sense test, etc. The questions in this section are easily solvable and thus, this section is highly scoring.
On the other hand, data interpretation section too contains an approximate of 16 questions; however this section is a bit difficult and time-consuming one. Several confusing data cases are included in this section and candidates are required to understand the data sets thoroughly to be able to answer the full question sets. Hence, CAT Data Interpretation section should be attempted cautiously as a single mistake can lead candidates to attempt all questions from a particular set incorrectly.
Plan your LRDI Section Preparation
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation section have been consistently the most difficult sections from past 3 years. Logical Reasoning is not about hard-core mathematics or any difficult concepts, the basic concept of LI is to judge basic analytical thinking and common sense of a candidate. However, the questions in CAT are not easy but the trickiest and perplexing part is the language of the question itself.
Coming to the Data interpretation questions of the CAT, these are the questions depicting various data studies in the comprehensive form of graphs, charts, reports etc. The questions in DI section require knowledge of basic mathematical concepts such as Ratio & Proportions, Percentages, etc.
How to approach LRDI questions for CAT?
The first and foremost step while solving an LR problem is to write down all of the given information collectively for easier and fast access. Let us assume that the problem involves seating arrangements at a round table, the first and foremost step is to draw the table first and then try various permutations and combinations of people seated around it.
Once you get successful in seating all the people right you are free to think answers of the sub-problems with a clear mind. The problem should be approached in a methodical approach and solved step-by-step, for questions contain numerous statements because feeding a whole lot of information to the mind will confuse even the best of minds.
CAT Logical Reasoning problems are specifically designed in ‘all-or-nothing’ manner, meaning thereby, if you crack the problem and link all the sub-parts you will have answers to all the sub-questions that follow the main question, else you will not be able to answer even a single question.
The above-described rara avis occurs because if the logic to the problem is known to you, all the related sub-questions that follow can get solved. Hence, here the paradox occurs and you have to decide for which question to solve, proper selection of problems to solve first is the most crucial part.
Often, students fail to solve a problem after investing 10-15 minutes on it, and here you lose all the time on a non-productive problem. The one thing that should be kept in mind while solving LI for CAT is you have to decide a time frame for each question and if the question is consuming too much time and not getting anywhere near to result, muster confidence and proceed to the next question.
Although, you should be very wise in your decision of leaving the question as you can always come back later on the question if you have the time but once you switch the section, you can’t come back to it again. Therefore, for each aspirant, to Attempt or not to attempt is the main quest.
Following are the tips to ace Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation section of CAT
- Invest a few seconds over a question and study the question carefully write the important points of the question, start to frame the diagram for your LI section, in case of DI section, write information in separate space so that you don’t miss anything important question and can understand better.
- Now reach the sub-question read for any contradiction and explanation of why each choice is correct or incorrect should go into your mind.
- The most important part of solving LRDI is that NEVER assume or use any information that the question fails to give you. Always follow what is given in the question and try to come to a conclusion by using that information only.
- It is essential to read both the factual passage and the sentence completion instructions given in the question carefully. Both must be considered in making your choice for giving a correct answer to the problem.
- In questions types which require you to select a valid conclusion, always keep in mind that answer chosen as the conclusion must definitely follow the information given in the question.
Important topics for LRDI section preparation
CAT exam pattern has been changed several times in the past years by the conducting IIMs however following are the topics which have been consistent for several years for now. The logical reasoning and data interpretation section of the Common Aptitude test tests the proficiency of the candidates to interpret data and their ability to understand logical assumption in the given problem. In this section, a total of 32 questions are included, where these topics are quite frequent.
- Seating Arrangement
- Blood Relations
- Propositions
- Syllogism
- Data Arrangement
- Puzzles
- Statements and Assumptions
- Clocks and Calendars
- Sets
- DI caselets
The Data Interpretation sub-section involves questions from the topics like ratio, percentage reasoning, and set-theory most prominently.