Vikash Singh - 99%ile CAT & XAT | IIM Bangalore Alumnus | Author | 14+ Yrs Mentoring CAT Quant, DILR, IPMAT

Being weak in Quant is almost always a foundation problem, not an intelligence problem. This is the plan I use with students who come to me scared of numbers, whether they are preparing for IPMAT, CAT or any aptitude test.

1. Fix calculation first (2 to 3 weeks). Learn tables up to 25, squares up to 30, cubes up to 15 and fraction-percentage equivalents up to 1/20. Do ten minutes of mental calculation daily. Slow arithmetic makes every chapter feel harder than it is.

2. Start with Arithmetic: percentages, ratio, averages, profit and loss, interest, time-speed-distance. These topics are intuitive, appear in every aptitude exam and build confidence quickly. Class 8 to 10 NCERT maths textbooks are fine for revising basics.

3. Use a three-step loop for every topic: understand one concept, solve 10 easy questions without a timer, then 10 moderate ones. Avoid hard questions until the easy ones feel boring.

4. Keep an error notebook. For every wrong answer, write one line: what went wrong and what you will do next time. Revise it every weekend.

5. Only then move to Algebra, Number Systems and Geometry.

An example of thinking instead of memorising: if a price rises by 25 percent, by how much must consumption fall to keep spending the same? Price becomes 5/4 of the original, so consumption must become 4/5, a 20 percent fall. Seeing percentages as fractions removes half the fear.

Give this three months of daily practice before you judge yourself.

Rankings shift every year, so it is more useful to know the three tiers of undergraduate management programmes and the exam each one needs.

1. The five-year Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) at the IIMs. This is the most sought-after route. IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak run the most established programmes, and IIM Ranchi, Shillong, Bodh Gaya, Jammu and Amritsar offer newer ones. You get an undergraduate degree plus an IIM MBA without writing CAT later. Admission is through IPMAT Indore, IPMAT Rohtak or JIPMAT, usually followed by interviews. For most candidates, Quant is the deciding section.

2. Leading private universities and well-known public university BBA or BMS programmes. Private universities admit through their own aptitude tests (NPAT and SET are the best known), while public universities increasingly use CUET.

3. Other reputable BBA colleges, using their own tests, Class 12 marks or interviews.

How to judge any college:

1. Read placement and internship reports.
2. Check whether the programme gives a clear path to a strong MBA, or includes one.
3. Look at faculty quality and the peer group. At 17, who you study with matters a lot.

A practical timeline:

1. Class 11: build Quant fundamentals (Arithmetic, Algebra, Number Systems) and read daily for verbal ability.
2. Summer before Class 12: start solving previous-year IPMAT and JIPMAT papers.
3. Class 12: balance boards with regular mocks from mid-year; board maths overlaps heavily with IPMAT.

If you want a structured plan, you can book a free demo from my profile.

It depends on the type of university, so it helps to separate three routes.

1. Central and many state universities. Most BA admissions now go through CUET (UG). You choose the domain subjects that match your intended BA (for example Economics, History or Political Science) along with a language test, and some courses also ask for the General Aptitude Test. Always check each university's course-wise subject requirements, because they vary.

2. Private universities. Many run their own entrance tests and interviews, usually a mix of English, reasoning, general aptitude and sometimes an essay.

3. Integrated management programmes. If your real interest is business, economics or management, look at the five-year Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) offered by several IIMs. It combines an undergraduate degree with an MBA, straight after Class 12. Admission is through IPMAT (separate Indore and Rohtak papers) and JIPMAT. Some private universities run similar BBA admissions through their own tests such as NPAT and SET.

The key difference: CUET-based BA admissions are largely subject-knowledge tests, while IPMAT-type exams are aptitude tests with a serious Quant component, roughly Class 10 to 12 level maths solved under time pressure, plus verbal ability.

If you are in Class 11 or 12 and considering the IPM route, start Quant at least a year in advance. Arithmetic, Algebra and Number Systems should be solid before you begin full-length mocks. Students who leave Quant to the last three months often find that verbal ability alone cannot carry them.

Data Interpretation in CAT has changed. It is no longer about heavy calculation. Most sets are now closer to reasoning with numbers. These are the strategies I teach:

1. Select before you solve. Spend the first few minutes of the section scanning every set. Prefer sets with a clear structure, few variables and direct questions. Leave sets with long lists of conditions and "which of the following must be true" questions for later.

2. Tabulate immediately. Convert the caselet into a table or grid before attempting any question. Half the difficulty disappears once the data sits in rows and columns.

3. Approximate aggressively. If the options are far apart, 4,870 divided by 1,230 is "a little under 4", not 3.959. Memorise fraction-percentage equivalents up to 1/20 (1/7 is about 14.3 percent, 1/8 is 12.5 percent, 1/9 is about 11.1 percent) so that ratios convert instantly.

4. Use fractions for percentage change. Growth from 240 to 300 is 60 over 240, which is 1/4, so 25 percent. Compare growth rates as fractions instead of doing long division.

5. Time-box every set. Give a chosen set about 8 to 10 minutes. If it has not opened up within 4 minutes, exit and pick the next one.

6. Practise with review. One timed DI set daily for three months, followed by 10 minutes of review asking: could I have selected better, tabulated faster or approximated earlier?

The aim is to solve two or three sets fully and accurately rather than touch every set and finish none.

Good coaching should do four things for your Quant that self-study usually does not.

1. Sequencing. Self-learners often start with whichever chapter comes first. I start with Arithmetic (percentages, ratio and proportion, profit and loss, averages and mixtures, time-speed-distance, time and work), because it carries the biggest share of CAT Quant and builds the number sense Algebra needs. Then Algebra, then Geometry, then Number Systems and Modern Maths.

2. Concept to past-paper progression. Every topic should move from concept, to 15 to 20 basic questions, to previous-year CAT questions on that topic. Past questions reveal the real level and traps better than any generic exercise.

3. Speed through method, not tricks. For example, a 20 percent increase followed by a 20 percent decrease is a net 4 percent fall, because 1.2 x 0.8 = 0.96. Once you think in multiplying factors, a whole family of successive-change questions takes 15 seconds instead of a minute. A good mentor gives you a few such frameworks, not 200 disconnected shortcuts.

4. Diagnosis. This is the most valuable part. When I look at a student's mock, I can usually tell whether the problem is a concept gap, slow calculation, poor question selection or exam nerves. Each needs a different fix, and most students misdiagnose themselves and simply practise more of the same.

Prefer small batches where someone actually reviews your mistakes. Quant improves fastest when someone corrects how you think, not only what you know.

If you want a structured plan, you can book a free demo from my profile.