Any entrance test basically assess your aptitude based on these 3/4 aspects i.e. Verbal Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation/Decision Making. Out of these, Logical Reasoning and Decision Making are the ones that get you to wrack your brains hard. You usually need to focus on practicing rather than having a fixed set of rules to follow. Quantitative Aptitude requires you to know the 2 Ws of concept application – the ‘When’ and the ‘Where’. A fixed set of rules, as well as intuitive understanding of their use are the ground rules for acing this section.

Here are 5 hacks that will ensure better understanding of the Quants section:

1. Numbers are your friends.

Usually, big calculations can throw us off our game, and we end up blundering. That’s because the complex string of numbers often makes us forget that we know numbers. In order to get better at numbers, consider 20 random calculations (can be addition, subtraction, multiplication or division  – whichever you’re most uncomfortable with) and solve it within a set period of time. This will increase your focus and deal with numbers better. You’ll also start figuring out shortcuts for big calculations, and remember tables easier.

2. The formula to become the formulae wizard

Take down a list of the important formulae, and take a long, hard look at them. You don’t need to rote learn the formulae. Once you know how they were derived, or even the logic behind their output, it gets much easier to keep track of them. Every morning, before you begin your studies, take aside a couple of minutes to just look at your list of formulae. This stimulates learning by visual memory. If you’re an auditory learner, then record a tape of yourself reciting those formulae and play it whenever you wish to.

3. Analyse to Maximize

More important than any other hack is this age old tradition. The reason why mock tests exist is so that we can prepare for the real ones. But, instead of directly beginning with timing yourself, for the first couple of tests, don’t. Once, you get the idea of how long it’s taking you to figure out the question, you can work on minimizing that time. Analysis after a test will help you see which areas require work.

4. Strengthen your language

Understanding the problem question is the biggest hurdle. The longer it takes you to figure out the data, the more marks you lose. Having a strong understanding of the language that the test is in, will encourage you to focus wholly on the data provided instead of decoding. That means more time to actually work with the data, and solve more questions.

5. Keep all options open

Ah no, this doesn’t mean that all options are correct. It just means that sometimes there are more than one interpretations of a question. You need to consider the entire data given, pay attention to the footnotes or the conversion values given. These areas usually require you to be thinking laterally instead of factually. So, for the sake of the question given, you have to forget what you think is factually correct.

The most important point here is, that constant practice and being in touch with the subject will get you closer to your target score. Unless your test has negative marking, attempt everything. But, if you’re unfortunate enough to be attempting a test with negative marking, you need to learn to choose which topics you’re the strongest at, and decide which questions you will solve.

You can always connect with a Study Partner to help you stay focused and keep you motivated. You can register at www.StudyPal.co to connect with a prep buddy nearby.