Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT was clubbed into one section by the IIM. While they are entirely different in terms of their core knowledge, it is still a section that requires a lot of focus. Here are some 10 of the best Techniques and Practices for CAT DILR 2020.
- Cover your Basics - Everything falls down without a strong foundation. Cover all the basics first. Cover all the fundamentals like different types of graphs, syllogisms etc. all clear for both logical reasoning and data interpretation.
- Pay Attention - Carefully read each question, as one oversight or mistake causes you to lose a whole section of questions.
- Do not Cram - The logical reasoning section of CAT relies on your own reasoning ability and speed. It would be a total waste of time to memorise solutions and answers, as you will never know what kind of questions will be asked in CAT. It is better if you understand how to reach the solution and actively solve each question.
- Practise - Each section requires plenty of practice, but it is especially required for DILR. The brain learns much better by actively doing. You do not have any form of theory for CAT. All questions are application based, as it is a better indicator of your real life performance and problem solving. Such questions can only be learned with practise.
- Make Studying Fun: This section is definitely for you if you are up for a challenge. Understand the logic of the questions, and use real life situations while learning. Application based learning has proven to be much more effective by various cognitive researchers. Try challenging questions once you get the hang of easier ones.
- Take Shortcuts: It is often said that there are no shortcuts to success, but it is okay to take some detours once a while. Each question has a particular way to solve, but there are some ways to solve which take significantly less time. You will only be marked for the final answer, so the means do not matter here.
- Active Reading: This is a crucial aspect of the logical reasoning section. You have to actively think about and picture the passage or question you are currently attempting. Your visual memory is a very strong force.
- Do not use too many books for reference! Contrary to popular belief, using too many books with too many different techniques can get confusing. You need to pick up a few books and refer to that while preparing. This is especially true a few days before the exam.
- Calculations: Having a fast mental calculator can literally shave off minutes, and in many cases it is faster than using actual calculators. There are some mental tricks to fast calculations, apply them and practise them.
- Read the question: All the answers of the reasoning section are hidden in the question. Read the question carefully.
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CAT 2020 DILR Sample Questions
1. After facing yet another World Cup debacle, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is in search of a new coach for the team. It shortlisted five persons - Anshuman, Buchanen, John, Whatmore and Chappel. Each of them is from a different country among Australia, India, Japan, Pakistan and Canada, not necessarily in that order. At present, each of them is coaching the team of a different country among Australia, Bangladesh, China, Wales and Bermuda, not necessarily in that order. The following details were also observed about their particulars:
(i) For any person, each of his three particulars - his name, the name of the country from which he is and the name of the country that he is coaching at present, starts with a different letter.
(ii) Whatmore is coaching Australia and John is from neither Australia nor Pakistan.
(iii) Buchanen is not coaching China and the person who is coaching Bermuda is from Canada.
(iv) Anshuman is neither from Canada nor from Pakistan and also the person from Pakistan is coaching Bangladesh.
Q. Whatmore is from which country?
(1) India
(2) Japan
(3) Canada
(4) Cannot be determined
Q. Who is the person from Australia?
(1) Buchanan
(2) John
(3) Whatmore
(4) Cannot be determined
Q. The person from Japan is definitely not coaching
(1) China
(2) Wales
(3) Australia
(4) More than one of the above
2. DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions on the basis of the information given below. Each point in the graph below shows the sales and expenses of a company. Each company belongs to one of the three sectors among manufacturing, automobiles and software.
- For how many of the companies, is the profit more than 40% of the sales (Profit = Sales - Expenses)?
(1) 4 (2) 5 (3) 6 (4) 7 - For how many software companies are the sales more than Rs.2500 crore but the expenses less than Rs.2100 crore?
(1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 4 (4) 6
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