The Quantitative Aptitude Section in the Computer-Based CAT: Type of Questions
ABOUT THIS CHAPTER
This chapter shall discuss the type of questions that appear in this section of CAT. CAT Previous year papers do give some, some indication of the nature of questions; the type of questions has not changed much in the Computer-Based Test, These cover topics such as the Number System, Factors ‘of numbers HCF and LQM, Logarithms, Percentages Averages, Ratio and Proportion, Geometry etc.
INTRODUCTION
It is generally the Quantitative Ability, section in the CAT that is regarded to be the toughest section in the examination paper. most agree that this view is not really Owing to the general difficulty level of the questions hut more due to the fact that this section is known to be unpredictable-it has a reputation of springing surprises.
Consequently many test-takers feel that this section is not easy to prepare for. after all, the syllabus has not been defined. Students state that in the English section, one can expect sub-sections such as Reading Comprehension while in the Data Interpretation section, ne can expect questions dealing with tables, charts or graphs. In the Quant section, however you cannot expect that you will definitely get a particular type of question. This feeling has been heightened with some exam papers that had questions from previously Untested topics such as functions, graphs etc.
But this is only one part of the picture. Agreed that the questions cannot be predicted, but that is what is needed in any good test. besides, some particular types of questions are certainly found virtually every year. For example, Algebra, finding the missing value ‘x’ after writing and solving linear equations, is very important. Hence, as any test taker or coaching institute will tell you, you need to brush up for Class 7-10 Mathematics, especially your ‘fundas’ or concepts. Similarly, you can expect at least a few questions pertaining to Geometry of course, one cannot state whether these would have to do with circle, squares, triangles, rectangles or any other figure.
Questions will test your in-depth knowledge or basics and fundamental. You need to ensure a certain degree of comfort with numbers. after that you have to play around with them. just like the English section in a way tests your degree of comfort with English as a language.
Some compare this to working on a PC-should an issue come up you may not be prepared beforehand to handle it, but if you an comfortable with computers and the basic commands, you can perhaps find a way to resolve the issue. If you get scared and panic, III will mess things up. Use the fundamentals and attack the problem Ii cool and structured manner.
It is advised that you go through previous years’ question papers CAT and try get a grasp of what are the common types of questions, used the skills that they test. You will notice that the answers to some questions can be conceptualized in your mind first, rather than with lie use of pen and paper. other questions may he best tackled using The answer choices, rather then solving them in the conventional manner.
In order for you to focus your preparation and know what to expect, let us outline the type of questions that can appear in the test.
THE NUMBER SYSTEM
Questions pertaining to the number s stem were important for the CAT earlier, however, their frequency has been reducing in recent times. but the tests of some of the other management schools do test you on your knowledge of the number system and related concepts.
In this section, you could get questions dealing with fractions including mixed fractions, compound fractions (when the numerator and denominator are themselves fraction), real or complex numbers, irrational or rational numbers, complex numbers, irrational or rational number, complex fractions (a combination of other types of fractions) and continued fractions, etc.
Prime numbers, co-primes and their properties are another important genre of questions. You will typically get application based questions, dealing with the properties of such number, rather thin direct ones.
You will also find questions on indices and surds. These refer to numbers raised to the power of some other number. Here too, questions centre on tile properties of induces.
Other questions pertain to your knowledge of the rules divisibility and the cyclicity of numbers. Practice specifically for these, these are important concepts to know.
This section requires you to have strong fundamentals and robust working knowledge of the properties of numbers.
These range from very basic, simple properties such as the product of two even numbers is always even, while the product of two odd numbers is always odd. There are some interesting ones: any power of the number five always ends in 25? Use this judiciously if you need h calculate some high power of the number five, you need to calculate some high power of the number five, you need to eliminate all the answer options that do not end in 25.
As an example of the type of questions in this section, you could he asked to find the units place of 1! + 2! +3! +4! + …. +99! Now, it is clearly not possible to calculate all the factorials of each number uptil 99! so you need a different approach, using the properties of numbers the factorials of all numbers greater than 5 has zero in the units place (5! =120, 6! =720 etc). And of course, you know that whenever you add a number with zero in the units place to any other number, the result has always the same digit in the units place as that of the other number. so what we need to do here is simply find the sum of (1! +2! ! +4!). That is 33; hence the digit three will he in the units place of the answer.
FACTORS OF NUMBERS, HCF AND LCM
Next come questions dealing with the Highest Common Factor (HCF) an Least Common Multiple (LCM) of numbers. These are quite a favourite of examiners, especially for institutes like the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Narsee Monjee (NMIMS) etc. Needless to say, you will not get direct questions and be asked to find the HCF or LCM of any number; instead you will be tested on the applications of concepts, and whether you have understood where this is needed.
Let us take an example. A very popular question goes like this: “There is a corridor with 100 closed doors. A person (who has a lot of time on his hand, it seems) walks around and opens all the 100 closed doors. next, a second person comes and re-closes every 2nd door (therefore doors 2, 4, 6, 8, …… 100). He is followed by a third person who comes and changes the state of every third door (doors 3, 6, 9… 99) and so on. after the 100th person goes about things in this strange pattern, what is the state of the 99th door (i.e., is it open or closed?).
The answer to this is actually quite straightforward. all that matters is that how many people have changed the state of the 99th door. What is the number? The people touching the 99th door are flung but the factors of the number 99! Depending on the number of factors, you can now conclude the state of the 99th door, given that it was initially closed.
Here’s another one: you have a rectangular piece of cloth; its dimensions are 36 metres x 12 metres. Now you are asked as to what is the least number of squares that can he cut out of this cloth, without wasting any cloth. Once again, the answer uses the concept of HCF/LCM, the answer here requires you to find the HCF of 36 and 12 and then proceed.
BASE SYSTEM AND LOGARITHMS
Sometimes, you get questions testing your conceptual skills—the ability to work with different number base systems (in day-to-day life, the decimal system, using ten digits, from zero to nine, is followed). I here are other systems with a different number of digits—the binary system with two digits zero and one, the octal system (with eight digits) etc.
Questions that appear could ask the test-taker to convert numbers from one base to another or perform certain mathematical operations like addition or subtraction. These questions are not difficult, if you have practiced adequately, you should find them straightforward.
Questions on logarithms, or logs, can also appear. they pertain to the application of the properties of logarithms (such as log XY = log X -i- log Y); and you will also he tested on whether you know where logarithms can prove useful to answer a particular question. those who have not studied Mathematics at the 10+2 level get psyched out seeing these questions, but they are really not all that difficult.
PERCENTAGES
An important topic, almost every management test will have questions pertaining to percentages’. after all, we use them so often in daily life (think of salary increments, inflation figures, returns on investments you make etc.). Further, percentages are used so often in a corporate setting—to calculate changes in profit, sales figures etc. The types of questions that appear under this category are:
• Profit and loss based questions where you have to calculate the selling price, cost price, gain or loss etc.
• Simple percentages, involving successive percentage changes
• Marked-up pricing and discounts
• The use of indices, such as inflation figures or the stock market etc.
• Faulty weight balances used by shopkeepers that allow him to over-charge customers and allow an increased profit/loss.
• Simple interest and compound interest problems
You will need to have a thorough understanding of concepts and basics here. If you know how to apply short-cuts, they could work for these types of questions The caveat here is that some short-cuts can only be applied in certain cases, so make sure you have understood exactly what the question is asking of and the short-cut can applied.
RATIO AND PROPORTION/MIXTURES AND SOLUTIONS
Another very important category of questions. many of these questions allow for the use of the concept of ‘alligation’ to solve question’ Know and understand alligation’ thoroughly and practice sever, such questions Remember that alligation’ does not provide answer in the form of actual numbers but gives you only the ratio of two o more items (a relative number).
Further, you need to ensure that you have really understood alligation before applying it-if used properly, this rule does save a lot of time; hut incorrectly applied, it can make you fall into a trap anti make a mistake
Over here, some possible questions deal with the relative efficiency of people (some groups take less time to complete a particular task) the time taken to complete some work, fixed and variable costs etc.
Mixtures and solutions seem to he a hot topic among examiners in B-school entrance exams. Perhaps this is because your conceptual skills are tested as it requires an understanding of what is going on and that you need to use the appropriate formula judiciously. A common type of questions deals with the addition of new quantities of some liquid to an already existing solution, the replacement of one part of a mixture with ‘mother part etc.
TIME, SPEED AND DISTANCE
Another very important type of questions. There has been a change in trend here: earlier there were single questions, now caselets (or 2—3 linked questions) are often seen in the test-paper. they are somewhat tougher and require more time, but if you do grasp the question, it fetches you commensurately more marks, since you can solve the entire set of 2—3 questions.
The concept of relative speed (when two objects are moving in cither the same or in opposite directions) and circular motion are tested. Here what is being seen are some innovative type of questions, some combine geometrical concepts with those of Time, Speed and Distance.
Here’ a straightforward application based question from this section. “Two people begin together to write out a booklet containing 425 sentences. The first boy starts at the beginning, with the first line, writing at the rate of 50 lines an hour; and the second by starts at the end (with the last line – the 425th, then 424 and so on), receeding backwards. He writes at the rate of 25 lines per hour. At what line will the two boys meet ? This is actually a sitter-all you need to do is use the concept of relative speeds, the ratio f their speeds (2 : 1 here) to find the solution.
GEOMETRY
In some years, there have been a large number of questions pertaining to Geometry, while in other years, there have been only a few. The recent trend has been that Geometry has been making a regular appearance. You will need a good knowledge of Geometry, along with considerable and regular practice here. The ability to think logically is also important.
Be prepared for innovations here, any kind of figures can appear from the conventional circles and rectangles to more unconventional figures. As mentioned before, sometimes geometrical concepts are combined with other concepts.
At the end of the day, the principles remain the same. Often the solution can he worked out in steps, when you attack different parts of the questions in turn.
MENSURATION
Mensuration deals with cylinders, cuboids, spheres, cones, hemispheres etc. your skills in applying formulae after understanding the question are checked.
For example, if a S cm cube is cut into small cubes each of side 1 cm, then what is the change in surface area after this operation?
PROBABILITY
Probability does not make a regular appearance in the CAT exam. However, the XAT (Xavier’s Admission Test) does ask questions pertaining to probability and permutation and combinations. It is also true that some of the IIMs sometimes ask you to solve a question pertaining to probability during your interview.
Be an are when the concept of conditional probability needs to he used. Also make sure you are calculating the probability of what is asked in the question. This is one section where a lot of silly mistake’, are seen.
Just occasionally, you may come across questions dealing with diagrams (of course, you can use Venn diagrams for most probability related questions too). Don’t worry, these are not tougher than what you have studied in school.
SUMMARY
The Quant section can spring a couple of surprises on you, more so if you are not well prepared for this section. You can be sure that your basics and fundamenta’s will he tested, along with your ability to apply concepts. Stay cool, many of the questions will involve variations of the standard types of questions that you might have prepared for. be ready for caselets and questions that combine two or more concepts, such as geometry combined with concepts of Time, speed and Distance.
- How to Tackling the English Section
- English Section – Vocabulary for Computerized CAT 2011
- CAT English Section – how to Improve Vocabulary
- English Section – Parajumbles for CAT 2011
- English Section – CAT Grammar question for CAT 2011