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If you want to score high in CAT 2025, aim get full makrs in Quantitative Aptitude as it is the only section where you can get a perfect 100. Shiksha brings to you six key strategies to keep in mind while preparing for CAT Quantitative Aptitude section.
CAT Quantitative Aptitude is the most scoring section of the exam. However, to crack this section one needs to be a master of Marhematics. The Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT carries about 22 questions from Arthmetic, Algebra, Mensuration, Trigonometry and Modern Maths. These are the topics that we all have studied in school so most of us have the conceptual knowledge, but we may not be in touch with all of them after that. In CAT, the questions are of advanced level. Candidates need to learn these topics all over again. Not only that, to crack CAT Quantitative Aptitude section, a good amount of practice of sample questions is required.
MBA aspirants appearing for CAT 2025 must follow topci based preparation, focused on handling of the question paper in the limited time frame. As per the chronology of the CAT question paper, aspirants will have to start from Section 1, which is, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, then move on to Section 2, which is, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and then Section 3, which is, Quantitative Aptitude. There are few things that you can include in your CAT 2025 preparation plan for a better outcome. Shiksha brings to you six key strategies for CAT Quantitative Aptitude preparation.
- Six Strategies for Quantitative Aptitude Preparation for CAT 2025
- CAT Quant Preparation: No New Strategy Required
- CAT Quant Preparation: On-Screen Calculator
- CAT Quants Strategy: Select CAT Quant Questions Carefully
- CAT Quant Preparation: Practice Mock Tests
- CAT Quant Preparation: Learn Quant Shortcuts & Tricks
Six Strategies for Quantitative Aptitude Preparation for CAT 2025
As per the latest CAT exam pattern Quants sections has 22 questions to be solved in 40 minutes. The difficulty level of the CAT is usually high and CAT 2025 will not be any different. Arithmetic will be the dominant topic so you need to be thorough with each chapter of it. Now, lets look at the six strategies for CAT Quants preparation.
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CAT Quant Preparation: No New Strategy Required
According to MBA expert Pratik Gaur, “The student should continue with the preparation but with a focus on the test taking strategy. He/she should devise a plan for the sections which are now time bound.” Thus, channelise your energies in practicing within the time limit allotted to QA section (40 minutes) rather than working upon new exam strategy for CAT exam.
CAT Quant Preparation: On-Screen Calculator
As CAT 2025 will be conducted in online mode, aspirants taking the exam should be well-versed with computer based mode of the examination. Aspirants cannot carry their own calculator but will be provided on-screen calculator. Although the CAT QA section is calculation centric, aspirants are advised to use calculator only when required. Don’t rely on it. Develop mental calculation skills and keep practicing numerical problems through shortcuts and tricks.
CAT Quants Strategy: Select CAT Quant Questions Carefully
The unfortunate part of CAT Quantitative Aptitude section is that there are rarely non-MCQs so there is a danger of chances of more negative marking in this section as compared to VARC & DILR sections. So, CAT 2025 test takers are advised to develop the skill of choosing the right questions to answer. This can be done by practicing sectional CAT mock tests. Note the type of questions that are your strength and choose only such questions to solve in CAT 2025 exam.
Check out free PDFs of CAT question banks, section wise:
| Free VARC Questions with Answers for Practice | Free Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers for Practice | Free DILR Questions with Answers for Practice |
CAT Quant Preparation: Practice Mock Tests
CAT mock test plays a vital role in exam preparation. It helps the candidate in getting familiar with the CAT exam pattern and structure and at the same time, help them develop speed and accuracy. CAT aspirants are advised to start attempting at least one QA sectional test every week. This will help them in getting exposure of different types of Quants questions and get into the exam mode. The official CAT mock test is also released a month before the exam. Aspirants must attempt the official CAT mock test at least once to get the hang of the actual exam.
Free Shiksha CAT Mock Test for Practice
| CAT_Mock_Test_1 | CAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| CAT_Mock_Test_2 | CAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
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CAT Quant Preparation: Learn Quant Shortcuts & Tricks
Even though calculator will be available to the students in the CAT 2025, they must still learn shortcuts and tricks for quant section to save precious time. Remember, CAT is a speed based test where you are racing against time. Since, Quantitative Aptitude is the last section of the exam, one is bound to get exhausted which will affect their speed. So instead of relying on calculator, use your brain. But for that, you’ll need to develop shortcuts and tricks to arrive at accurate answers without actually doing the calculation. So, one thing every candidate must do is memorise Tables up to 20, Square, Square Roots, Cube, Cube Root and other such Mathematical values.
Mentor at coaching centres also provide key tips and shortcuts for getting correct answers faster than the normal way of solving it. You can also check for these in online study forums and communities.
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CAT Quantitative Aptitude Books other than Coaching Material
After completing prescribed books, practice from a few other CAT study material and CAT mock test from other resources. This will help in strengthening the basics in quant and further improve problem solving skills. Here’s a list of popular Quantitative Aptitude books for CAT preparation:
- NCERT Mathematics books (Class 9-10)
- How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
- Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Verma
- Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Nishit Sinha
- Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal
CAT is a speed based test which is designed to assess a candidate's analytical aptitude, logical reasoning skills, data interpretation and English comprehension. Now, it may sound tough, but these are the skills which we are taught in school so there is nothing new to learn. What is required is to learn these subjects at advanced level. If you are an average student but have studied Science or commerce in Class-12 and graduation, you will find a lot of familiar topics in Data Interpretation, Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning. All you will need is brush up the basics and practice the concepts on advance level problems.
However, since the competition is so high in CAT and less than 95 percentile can break your dream of joining a top college like IIM, the preparation for CAT requires a lot of focus, dedication, discipline and diligence. If you can do that, despite being an average student, you can crack the CAT exam.
In the last one month before the CAT exam, candidates must start focusing on the most important topics. These may include strong and weak areas. Practice sample questions from these topics and do not start any new topic. Here's what to do in the last month of CAT preparation:
· Attempt CAT mock tests regularly and anaylse your performance. Spend time on filling the gaps.
· Practice time management through time bound practice sessions and mock tests
· Attend online study groups for problem solving and doubt clearing sessions.
· Keep revising key concepts and formulas of CAT. Have a daily session of 2 hours for revision only.
· Solve previous years' question papers to understand the trends of past years and work on topics that appear most frequently.
· Attempt official IIM CAT mock test to know the expected CAT 2025 exam pattern
· Focus on your health. It is very important to stay healthy in this phase so that your study time is not affected. Sleep well and take breaks from study to indulge in a hobby or a recreational activity to relax.
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Yes, it is possible to prepare for CAT exam with mock tests only if you have appeared for the exam previously and have complete control on the topics included in the CAT syllabus. But if you are a first timer, you need to first complete the syllabus, understand each and every topic and then practice CAT mock tests to crack the exam.
The best way to prepare for DILR section is through practice. Before starting the preparation, aspirants should be accustomed to the question types by going through previous years’ question papers and solving those. Since there is not much conceptual understanding required in this section, practice is the key to excel in this area.
Some of the most popular books on DILR section that you can refer are How to Prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit Sinha, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Pearson, to name a few.
CAT DILR is all about practice. So, you need to practice a lot of questions from DILR to be able to master it. This section of CAT is equally divided into 10 questions each on DI and LR. The Data Interpretation questions are based on Mathematical tables, bars, pie charts, etc. so you need to work on it alongside Quantitative Aptitude. Learn some basic rules of tables, bars, pie charts as well as some basic rules of mathematical calculations. If you can read the data correctly, you can solve the CAT questions. However, to be able to solve questions quickly and accurately, you need to practice a good number of sample questions and mock tests.
For Logical Reasoning, you will have to depend totally on practice tests and exercises. The CAT LR questions are mostly based on series, number system, coding-decoding, family tree, circular patterns, blood relations, etc. So, you need to practice a lot of questions on these to be able to solve them in the exam. Go through CAT previous year question papers to know the type of questions are asked and practice them.
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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
With a 300 SC category rank in CAT, your chances for NIT Trichy MBA are relatively high. Based on 2025 data, NIT Trichy generally shortlists SC candidates with CAT percentiles around 60-65. To achieve a 300 rank under SC category, you would need about a 65-70 percentile, or a score of roughly 60-65
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That's a wonderful goal to push your son toward right at the start. To obtain previous CAT model papers, you can check many available popular exam preparation books in any bookstore or online store. Coaching interest such as TIME, IMS, Career Launcher, etc., usually have mock tests and sample papers
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Yes, CAT syllabus is difficult to crack if you do not have enough time. There are three subjects in CAT- VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Most of the candidates find RC passages tough to crack. In Quants, Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry pose significant challenge during preparation. In DILR, Reasoning questions often turnout to be tricky and confusion.