How to prepare for Logical Reasoning in CAT DILR?
When it comes to the CAT examination, the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) has become the make or break section in the past few years. Whether it is the difficulty in understanding a given set or answering the follow-up questions, many students find this section perplexing. In this article, let us see some excellent tips on how to prepare for the Logical Reasoning part in CAT DILR, in detail.
The LRDI section consists of around 32 questions in the CAT (in the 3-hour CAT exam format). Check out the previous year papers of CAT to know about the type of LR questions that appear in this section. Also, taking a Free CAT mock test will help the candidates in gauging their strengths and weaknesses, and can significantly help in understanding how to approach the LR questions. You can also prepare for the same, and take the tests at your convenience by using this highly rated app for CAT preparation.
Also, this video will also help you understand the important tips and tricks needed to ace this section.
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How to prepare for the Logical Reasoning section in CAT DILR
The demarcation between logical reasoning and data interpretation has almost vanished in recent years. The emphasis is now on cracking the logic rather than on calculation speed. Also, IIMs have refrained from asking template / traditional puzzles in the past few years. Let’s take a look at the preparation tips for the LR section, taking these things into consideration.
- The logical reasoning section does not require you to memorize any abstruse concepts or formulae.
- Aspirants who have a logical bend of mind have a better chance of scoring well than someone who has solved only the conventional questions. Therefore, aspirants must try to improve their problem-solving ability by practising puzzles and other unconventional problems.
- Acquaint yourself with the basic topics such as Arrangements (Linear, Circular, etc), Puzzles (Einstein puzzles, constraint-based etc), and also Networks, LR based on picking coins, Games and tournaments, Cubes etc., and other types of sets (family tree, 2D Space LR’s etc).
- Once the basic concepts are covered, practice a wide variety of sets from the Study room, and take more Sectional tests and Mock tests.
- Acquainting yourself with various types of questions will ensure that you do not get caught off-guard, when you encounter a different question in the actual exam.
- The key to cracking the logical reasoning section is to develop the thought process required to crack the puzzles.
Let’s see how to develop the thought process required to solve the puzzles.
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Developing the thought process
- Apart from practising logical reasoning sets, try to solve puzzles such as Sudokus, Kakuros etc., in your free time.
- Represent the given information in the correct format. This is crucial to solving a puzzle.
- Even if you get a puzzle wrong, check whether the method you adopted is right. Try to find out where you faltered while solving the puzzle. Note down what prevented you from arriving at the right answer.
- Over a period of time, you would have developed some idea about the common areas where you are making errors. Analyse them, note them down and avoid those mistakes in the next mock/sectional test.
How to approach the LR section during the tests?
- Selecting the right set is a crucial aspect of the LRDI section. Selecting the right sets goes a long way in ensuring you score well in this section.
- Invest the first few minutes to pick up the sets to answer. Given the level of difficulty of the sets that have been appearing in recent CAT papers, setting aside some time to choose the right sets to solve is a wise decision.
- Dedicate the first 5-10 minutes of the section to go through all the sets. After having a glimpse of all the sets, pick up the sets to answer. The time invested in the process is without a doubt ‘well-invested’.
- Also, have a rough idea about the order in which you wish to attempt the sets.
- Once you select the sets, start with the set you are most comfortable with. Getting the first few sets correct will give you the requisite confidence during the test.
- Do not try to solve a set for an unreasonable amount of time, at any cost. Know when to let go of a set and move on. Have a cut off time for each set. Avoid investing a disproportionate amount of time in solving a set during the exam.
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Be objective while selecting the sets
- Also, ensure that you do not select a set just based on the topic it is from. More often than not, question setters use this as bait to lure test takers. A question from a familiar topic need not be easy. Be objective while selecting the sets to answer.
- Do not develop a liking or penchant for a particular type of question. Be objective in your assessment.
- That innocuous-looking LR set from your favourite topic has a good probability of being a time trap.
- Also, know when to let go of a set. If you have invested more than 15 minutes in a set and have gotten nowhere, it is time to move on to the next set.
- So, don’t get stuck on a particular set for too long. Do not take it on your ego and fight it out during the exam. Remember, the aim must be to maximize the scores in the section.
Analyse the Mock tests
- After taking a mock test, analyse thoroughly and try to solve all the sets during analysis.
- Look at the solution only after putting in a good amount of effort to solve the set.
- Check where you went wrong while solving the set. Note down such mistakes and ensure that you do not repeat such mistakes.
- Check whether you have chosen the correct questions to answer. Hone your question selection skills with each passing mock.
- Try to spot the easier sets in the exam and start solving the same.
- Move on to the tougher sets only after solving the easier ones.
How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT
Allocate Sufficient Time
- Allocate at least an hour for DILR every day.
- More often than not, aspirants spend a disproportionate amount of time preparing for quants and verbal sections and completely ignore the DILR section.
- DILR section has nearly the same weightage as the other two sections. Even if you are inherently strong in the section, set aside some time every day to prepare.
The next step is to practice a lot of questions on Logical Reasoning. Taking a lot of Mocks for CAT and Sectional tests will help you to get a hold of the concepts, which you can use to fine-tune your test-taking strategies. Also, with the sharp increase in the level of the sets, usually solving just 4 sets is sufficient to propel your score past the 99th percentile mark. While reviewing the LR questions in a mock, analyse the solution thoroughly. This will help you to refine your approach and thought process. Also, take Free CAT Daily targets, for rigorous practice on a daily basis.
We hope that this article helped you to know the important tips to improve the Logical Reasoning part, and how to prepare for logical reasoning for CAT DILR. Candidates can also download the CAT LR Questions PDF.
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