Experts Take The third SimCAT is over and overall scores are yet to move substantially northward; this

despite the fact that SimCAT 3 was intended to be easier than the preceding SimCATs. May be it is still early days and most test-takers are yet to peak. But the CAT window is now starting a good two weeks earlier (Oct 11) than last year and so there is not much time left to hit top speed. The aim of this write-up has been to help test-takers optimize their performance by looking at the data each test throws up. Analyzing the numbers of SimCAT 3 led me to question Is DI that tough? Really? I have always believed that DI questions are more or less freebies. Especially the ones that do not involve any deduction (like filling up empty tables etc.) and are based purely on understanding the set and calculating precisely. At their toughest, they involve interpreting the meaning of the data given. But even then they offer a good value for time spent, since there is a very high chance of getting them correct. A good example of this kind is the question set 7-9. Less than one in three test-takers attempted all the 3 questions and overall only 1 in 10 test-takers answered the whole set correctly. Was the set really that tough? Lets us have a look. For two years, 2001 and 2011, the table gives the following two stats for 3 countries: A. Number of motor vehicles per square mile B. Number of motor vehicles per 1000 people The first thing to do is to understand what these stats mean? A. Number of motor vehicles / Total area of the country in square miles B. (Number of motor vehicles / Total population of the country)*1000 The first two questions are related to the population of these countries. Given the above two stats, one should be able to somehow calculate the population. Otherwise the question will not make any sense! So it has to be possible? Even going by a very, very layman approach, we can figure that there is no point adding or subtracting these fractions. Since one term is common to both, dividing seems to be the best option. If we divide A by B, we will get (Total population of the country / Total area of the country in square miles)*1000 7. Which of the following countries had a decline in population? X, Y, X & Z, Y & Z Since the area of a country is constant, any change in the value of A/B should be due to the change in population. The only catch is that for the year 2011, A is given per square kilometer. So you have to first convert it into per square mile. Since the conversion value given shows that a square mile is greater than a square kilometer, it is clear that there will be more people per square mile than per kilometer. So all you need to do to convert is to multiply the A values of 2011 by 2.6.

Now instead of directly calculating the A/B values for all three countries, it is better to look at the options. Two of them have Z, so it is better to first check if the A/B value for Z has decreased. The division might seem painful, but is it? A/B values for Z: 2001 54*1000/120 2011 30*2.6*1000/156 = 78*1000/156 = 1000/2 = 500 The 2001 value will be lower since 12*5 is 60 and the numerator is only 54. So, in the case of Z the population has increased. So, two of the options are ruled out and it is either X or Y and you need to calculate A/B for only one of them. It is better to choose Y since the values seem easy to calculate. 2001 60*1000/240 = 1000/4 = 250 2011 25*2.6*1000/270 = 65*1000/270 65*4 is 260, so 270/65 will be greater than 4 and hence the 2011 value will be less than 250. Hence, for Y there is a decrease in the value of A/B and the answer is Y. The key to solving such questions is to know when to calculate precisely and when to approximate. 8. What is the percentage change in the population of Country Z? 10%,-10%,11.11%,-11.11% From the previous problem we know that for Z there has been an increase. So the negative options are ruled out. From the previous question, for Z the 2011 value of A/B is 500. We had only approximated the value for 2001. For this problem you would need to calculate precisely. 2001 54*1000/120 = 5400/12 = 450 2011 = 500 The increase is 50. The two options left for percentage increase in 2011 over 2001 are 10 and 11.11%. 10% of 450 is 45 (just moving one digit to the left of 450). So 50 will be greater than 10%, hence 11.11%. 9. What is range of the population of X in 2001, if its area is between 95000 and 100000 square miles? For X, A/B = 108.6*1000/181~108*1000/180 = 12*1000*/20 = 600 and 600 = Total population of the country/Total area of the country in sq. miles To find the range of population you need to plug in the lower and upper values of the range of area given. 600 = Total population of the country/95000 600 = Total population of the country/100000 Total population of the country= 600*95000 ~ 57000000 Total population of the country= 600*100000 ~ 60000000 This was a set that tested all the aspects of DI: Interpretation Approximation and

 Precise Calculation But still it can be seen that it was possible to score 9 marks by devoting around 12-15 minutes to it. And if you had solved the easiest questions in the sections 1,2,5,12,14 &18 you would have ended up with a score of 27. Not bad when you consider that the cut-off was just 16! The key to getting good at solving such DI sets is to understand that DI does not just mean painful number crunching. That would mean going at the problem with a hammer. You need to develop the ability to determine when to calculate and when to approximate. While the CAT is now just a 60 question test, the skills of fast calculation that were indispensible when it was a 150 to 200 question test will still come in handy. A few things that are a must-know for fast calculation: 1. 2. 3. 4. Powers of 2 till 12. Squares of numbers from 2 to 30 Cubes of numbers from 2 to 12 Calculating without multiplying

In the set from 7-9, you need to calculate 25*2.6. To do this, multiplication is the last thing you should use. 25*2.6 = (25*25+25)/10 = (625 + 25) /10 = 50 or 25*2.6 = 25*2 + 25*6/10 = 50 + 15 = 65 The above two steps can and should be done without putting pen on paper. These fast calculations are helpful not just for DI but also for the entire QA-DI section. I will keep repeating this throughout the season if you dont do anything different, do not expect the results to be any different. And to execute better from test to test, you should get better between them. May be watching a few sports movies should help you push yourself to the limit! Try Senna, a documentary by Asif Kapadia on the Formula One champ Ayrton Senna. All the best!