Fearing Quants? Don't be

Do you fear numbers? Do bizarrely tough sums give you nightmares? The sort where numbers are pursuing you as you freeze in place in fear, expecting them to eat you up? When it comes to passing the CAT, do you find this portion difficult? We all know that quantitative aptitude is the most feared topic, and this portion may be quite challenging to pass if you lack strong mathematical foundations. Examiners never test your approach to answering a question or your method of choice in a competitive exam. They only put your talent, quickness, and precision to the test.

Are you staring at the quantitative portion of the current practice exam you're taking and coming up completely blank? You are a number phobe if this is the case with you. So, what do you do in this circumstance? Should you skip the whole section or mark the answers according to your presumption? Or do you settle down with a book and attempt to figure out the best method to answer those elusive questions that you can never figure out, no matter how hard you try? What should you do if your fear of numbers undermines your self-assurance and ruins your whole preparation?

A significant component of the CAT Exam involves quantitative aptitude. Since the Quantitative element of the CAT exam requires the greatest study time, it is fair to conclude that it is the most crucial component of the test. Does it have to be that way? – The majority of CAT aspirants give Quant their top priority, which is considerably more than is necessary for it to be a cause. Perhaps the answer is yes for a small number of students. And are you aware of the causes of that?

It is mostly the ingrained phobia of math. Quantitative aptitude instils in CAT applicants the dread of that which they do not completely comprehend since we are often terrified of it. Second, compared to the other sections of the CAT Exam, such as logical reasoning and data interpretation or verbal ability and reading comprehension, quantitative aptitude is very simple to prepare. Because there is a more or less fixed syllabus, the quantitative aptitude books are very well defined. But are any of these arguments true? No. The opposite.

Quantitative aptitude should only take precedence in your CAT preparation strategy if it is your weakest area. How will you determine whether it is your weakest section in that scenario? This would be the following question. Attempt prior year papers early in your preparation to identify your skills and weaknesses and to know the kind of questions that are asked. That's the straightforward solution to that problem.

Let's imagine that as CAT candidates, we have decided that we would devote the minimum amount of time necessary to Quantitative Aptitude and will not extend it to make up for the lack of preparation time.

Which areas of quantitative aptitude need the greatest attention is the following question. Unfortunately, most students never ask themselves this question. They just choose at random the first subject that is provided in their books and devote an excessive amount of time to it. They wind up skipping through some of the other themes because they are uninterested in them or because they come up later in the book.

They never take the time to consider what is important and what is not, which is the main cause of this. What's worse is that a lot of students place disproportionate significance on subjects that seldom ever come up in question.

It is perplexing how much effort students devote to understanding remainders and other concepts linked to the Number System—days, even weeks—at a time. Although I've observed a decrease in this over the last three to four years, it's still too high to tolerate. Hopefully, this article may assist a few students in breaking the bad habit of searching for fast computation methods to get the final two digits and the number of zeroes in a factorial.

Most CAT test candidates find the quantitative component the most terrifying. In the CAT test, the complexity of the Quantitative and DI problems has risen yearly.

The increasing focus on Sectional Cut-Offs by IIMs and other top business schools has made things worse for CAT applicants, who now have to devise a successful plan to get high Sectional Cut-Offs in the CAT 2014 test.

So, how can you get a 99 or above on the CAT's Quant section? Do you have to be a math prodigy? Do you need any more preparation?

 

1. Prior baggage will only impede future development: Most CAT candidates do not begin by stressing about DILR since they often lack past DILR baggage. For the most part, it is a new "topic," and they are willing to learn more about it before declaring that they are knowledgeable or comfortable with it. The subject of Quant (or Math) has, on the other hand, sometimes caused them pain. In fact, it was likely the reason they decided against it in the 11th standard:). So, with that baggage, they start their CAT preparation. However, it is doubtful that you will advance as swiftly as you need to if you dwell on the past or look back. Therefore, simply start again. Assume Quant is a new field to you and that you don't know anything about it or need to. You'll be able to advance quickly with this way of thinking.
2. No one is weak in math (or English): It's quite improbable that you're poor in math; rather, there's a decent probability you're not strong in a few themes in math. You will learn that there are things you are horrible at (true weaknesses), topics you are acceptable at, and topics you are very strong at once you start making topic-by-topic progress and start evaluating your comfort and competency in each area in Quant. This segmenting of each subject and self-evaluation in each area is a key component of MBAGuru's ADAPTIVE CAT Preparation programme. There are 2 significant benefits that result from it:

• It lessens anxiety - comparing "I am weak in Quant" to "I am weak in Work, Mensuration, Functions, and Probability," there is a far less mountain to climb. It cuts down and identifies where you need to put in more effort. This makes improvement more realistic.
• Saying something like "I am good or acceptable in Number Systems, P&L, Equations, and Trigonometry" helps to reduce anxiety and makes progress in quantitative analysis more likely. This helps to ensure progress since it is more analogous to mentally dividing down a challenging, enormous issue like Quant into manageable, smaller bits.

3. Comparing the growth attitude to the mindset of weakness

A weakness that is well-known serves as a strength since it enables you to focus on the areas that need work. Consider how much you can do to improve in that area with a little effort rather than thinking of it as a weakness. Once you start doing that, a lot of things alter. What your mind tells you constantly either acts as a barrier or a springboard for recovery.

 

You should review your fundamentals thoroughly and concentrate on your calculation techniques for Quantitative Ability in order to shorten solution times, minimise errors, and place emphasis on correctness. Quantitative ability is accessible to everyone with a little practice. Simply said, if you practise a lot, you won't need to memorise any formulas or tricks. You'll finally get a favourable outcome to things. In Quant, you don't have to be the best in every subject (or in English for that matter). To assure progress, you must be aware of the areas where you need to pay closer attention. Once you start doing it, even for a few subjects, you'll feel really confident and keep getting better. You will have accomplished the first and most important step in making sure Quant is indeed not a weakness after you have determined that it is not one!