The Common Admissions Test has three sections, namely Quantitative ability
(Quant or QA), Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Logical
Reasoning and Data Interpretation (LRDI). The CAT does not have a defined
syllabus for any of the three sections. However, most people consider LRDI the
most challenging part of the CAT.
Most aspirants let the fear of LRDI get to them, and often spend too much or too little time focusing on the subject. The fear can also make them focus too much
on the basics or skip them to learn the advanced questions. Most importantly,
they brush aside valuable advice regarding the LRDI, thinking that easy tricks will
not help.
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First, let's understand why LRDI is such a daunting section.
1. It's different
The first and perhaps most obvious reason is that the LRDI section is very
different from what candidates recognize. Unlike the maths in Quant and the
English in VARC, very few school-level and college-level tests focus on LRDI.
They are not used to solving LRDI in highly stressful and competitive exams.
Further, CAT preparation is often their first formal run through with LRDI, which
means they must start from the very basics of every topic. Most aspirants do not
begin preparing for the CAT with a strong instinct or understand of LRDI, which
makes it more difficult.
2. The range is vast
Since the CAT has no defined syllabus, the range of questions in every section is
expansive. However, after studying sample papers and previous year papers, a
candidate can gain a general understanding of the expected portions. LRDI, on
the other hand, is not that easy to quantify. While the general topics may be the
same, the types of possible questions in each is high, which makes it hard to
analyze. Not only that, the time required to understand the basics is more due to
unfamiliarity, which increases both the size of the syllabus and the time you will
need to cover it.
3. Simple questions can be made tricky
In VARC, there is maximum difficulty any question can achieve. With a vast
vocabulary and strong understanding of grammar rules, you can answer any
question in VARC. Even in Quant, which is more varied, practice and familiarity
can help you tackle any problem. LRDI is more complicated than that. There is
rarely a limit to the number of additional concepts that can complicate an easy
question. Worse, if you aren't familiar with even one of the topics, you may not be
able to answer even a seemingly simple question. It can throw a candidate off
when they recognize the base topic but do not know how to handle the
modifications.
4. One small detail can change the entire question
The LRDI section focuses on the candidate's attention to detail and their ability to
reach a logical conclusion through reasoning. Many problems include an
additional piece of information that will force the candidate to modify their
approach. This tactic is a double-edged sword. In the stressful, time-constricted
the environment of the examination, aspirants may skim over the detail and arrive at
an incorrect answer. When the candidate does notice the information, they may
overthink it and lose their rhythm. Another side effect is that people become
overly cautious and look for modification even when there are none, which can
lead to a waste of time.
5. There is no single perfect method
Like every section in the CAT, LRDI has multiple methods, shortcuts, and tricks
that you can learn to solve problems efficiently and accurately. However, that's
where the similarity ends. Due to the nature of LRDI, multiple methods reach the
same answer for every question. There are also a large number of tricks that
overcomplicate the problem. Candidates that study from a lot of sources may feel
overwhelmed by the number of shortcuts they need to remember. Worse, a
candidate may study from only one source and miss out on tricks for frequently
asked topics. It can be challenging to find a balance between the two.
6. No amount of practice is enough
While preparing for the CAT, every aspirant receives advice that they should
study hard and practice a lot. For VARC and Quant, this advice is fitting. They can improve with consistent practice and hard work. As usual, LRDI is unique
here as well. Due to the vast portions and variety in types of questions, LRDI is
not a section that simple practice can tackle. It depends heavily on your logical
reasoning skills, which improve only slightly with studying. The aspirant's
instinctual logical reasoning has a role to play in their ability to tackle this section.
7. It requires multiple skills
Nothing about the LRDI section is simple, including the skills you need to tackle
it. Before you even being the reasoning, you must understand the question. For
this, your language skills need to be able to pick up on small changes in
meaning. Then, your maths skills should be able to solve the problem. Your
adaptability and quick thinking will help you adjust to the modifications in the
questions. Lastly, your attention to detail will ensure you arrive at the correct
answer.
The LRDI tries to quantify the multiple abilities of the aspirants. That can be
scary, but you should not give up hope. Only the overall score matters for the
percentile, but strengthening your LRDI will give you an upper hand against other
candidates. Further, practicing LRDI also gives you practice in Quant and VARC.
Although the section is difficult, you should aim to ensure that you fall in the 99th
percentile in LRDI. Then, if LRDI in the paper is challenging for you, it would
have been for everyone else too.
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To help you in your journey, here are xx strategies to tackle the most challenging
section of the CAT:
1. Practice LRDI questions daily
2. Make a habit of solving puzzles like sudoku
3. Note down one preferred method for each type of problem and stick to it to
avoid confusion
4. Always practice questions with a stopwatch
5. Avoid using pen and paper or calculators as they will reduce your speed
6. Increase your speed of reading but read slowly on exam day
7. Learn indicative words and pay special attention to them on exam day
8. Prioritize the sections beforehand based on the topics you are most confident in
9. Take time to go through all the questions in LRDI before attempting them, even during practice, so that you can prioritize
10. Know which problems to leave so that you do not lose marks
Remember that staying calm and confident is very important whenever you are
preparing for or attempting LRDI.
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