Quantitative Aptitude is one of the most critical sections of any competitive exam. This section evaluates the candidates on mathematical skills and analytical ability. To conquer this portion on the exam, you need to practice extensively and get the best resources. The market is flooded with an abundance of quantitative aptitude books. You need to grab the one that best suits your needs. If you are someone who is also not very sure of this section and wants to understand how to crack this section with magnificent scores, then you have landed on the apt page. This blog will give you all the information required for conquering the quantitative section and how to get an edge over the competition. So, without any further delays let's get started and deep dive into the quantitative section.
What is Covered in Quantitative Aptitude?
Quantitative aptitude is one of the core sections of competitive exams like CAT or MAT. This section evaluates the candidates based on their knowledge of a variety of mathematical concepts, including algebra, geometry, trigonometry, arithmetic, and mensuration. The questions in the competitive exams are based on elementary mathematics but to clear those questions, you need to have in-depth knowledge as they come at an advanced level. But, if you have good conceptual clarity of the subject, you can easily tackle a variety of questions asked in the quantitative section.
No doubt, the base of the quantitative exam will remain the same but every competitive exam will have a different syllabus for the quantitative section. So, you need to be well-versed with the syllabus of the exam that you are appearing for to have a more dedicated preparation approach.
Best Resources for Quantitative Aptitude Preparation
Nowadays, the market is flooded with an abundance of resources that can help you prepare extensively for the quantitative aptitude section. But, with so many options available, it becomes very difficult to choose one good book for quantitative aptitude. A good aptitude book will cover a wide variety of topics that are important from an examination standpoint. In addition to that, you should focus on the books that offer in-depth conceptual clarity.
One of the most underrated yet the best books for quantitative aptitude is the NCERT book for mathematics. In addition to that, you can also refer to books from some of the most renowned publication houses or authors like Oswaal Books and many more. But, make sure that the books you are referring to are aligned with your preparation goal.
Strategies to Conquer Quantitative Aptitude
This section will focus on some of the great preparation strategies that you can inculcate in your preparation regimen to get the best results. Let's get started!
1. Focus on conceptual clarity
Conceptual clarity plays a key role in helping you ace the quantitative aptitude section. To tackle any type of question asked in the examination, you must be well-versed in all the basic concepts and formulas. This will help you kickstart your preparation in the right direction. While starting with the preparation, firstly try to solve the easy problem and then keep on increasing the difficulty level to achieve a level of competitive examination.
2. Work on speed and accuracy
Quantitative aptitude is one of those sections that requires tips and tricks to solve the questions conveniently. While preparing for this section take advantage of shortcut tips that will help you solve the questions in much less time. A good aptitude book will help you achieve your goal in the right direction. In addition to that, make sure that you have a proper understanding of the logic behind the tricks to properly apply them in the examination.
3. Practice extensively
Quantitative is one of those sections that requires consistent practice. You can't miss practising the questions of this section to have a grip on it. When you practice with the mock test papers, you will understand what the actual exam will look like. In addition to that, you will also understand your preparedness levels for the examination. This will help you understand the type of questions that you can handle easily and where you need more practice to ace the exam.
4. Focus on time management
Time management plays a key role in understanding your preparedness levels for the examination. When you solve the practice paper in a time-bound fashion, you will realise whether you can complete your exam well in time or not. This will further help you analyse how you need to attempt the questions so you can complete the exam well in time. Moreover, you will also get an idea about the time that you need to give for each question so you can manage to complete your exam within the stipulated time.
5. Refer to good resources
To practice the latest and best set of questions that are relevant for the examination, it is always advised to go with the best book for quantitative aptitude. This will help you come across a variety of questions in addition to the various difficulty levels. So, always make sure that you don't fall for different types of books rather, choose the best one that aligns with your needs.
Read More: Common Quantitative Topics Asked in Government Exams and How to Prepare
Common Mistakes to Avoid for Quantitative Aptitude
This section will shed light on some of the common mistakes that most candidates make while preparing for the quantitative aptitude. Let's have a look on the same!
1. Lack of conceptual clarity
Most of the candidates don't give importance to fundamental basics and focus on mugging up the concepts. This lands them in a problem when they encounter a different type of problem from the basics to tackle on the day of the exam. So, always have a strong understanding of the basics before rushing to the tough topics.
2. Not solving mock test papers
Students feel that once they are done with the preparation, they have won the battle. But, this is not the case. If you don't solve the mock test papers, you will not understand where you stand with your preparedness levels for the examination.
3. Rushing with the questions
On the day of the examination, students are under exam pressure. This pressure hinders their calm and they lose their capability to understand the question properly. So, always sit in the exam with a calm mindset.
4. Not focusing on time management
When students get stuck on one question in the examination instead of leaving the question and moving ahead they keep on trying the same one ultimately wasting a lot of time. Therefore, good time management is what is required to ace the examination.
5. Don't remember the formulas
Remembering the formulas is the key to helping you tackle the questions in the right way. Most of the students forget the formulas that put them in a difficult place. So, always try to prepare one formula sheet that comes in handy before the examination.
Final Thoughts
A good book for quantitative aptitude is what you need to conquer the quantitative section. The more you practice and the more consistently you remain, the better your chances of cracking the examination. So, always have faith in your preparation and practice as many varieties of questions as you can.
All the Best!