Categorizing Sections in MBA entrance exams

The secret to cracking any competitive exam is to create an opportunity for yourself to do well in sections that others cannot. In the same sense, sections often neglected in the exam preparation are Data interpretation and Logical reasoning. It has a lot of reasons primarily being the difficulty level and complexity of questions asked amidst a syllabus that mostly remains incapable of being anticipated and is incomplete.

There are 4 types of questions that are usually asked in Data Interpretation- 1)Difference based questions 2) Percent change 3) Change in percentage change 4)Percentage change in percentages. Classifying questions accordingly would help in identifying weak areas and begin practicing questions of the type. The usual technique is to identify the easy, medium and difficult questions in the sections and begin preparation accordingly. It is better to solve 2 out of 4 questions confidently rather than putting your soul in getting 3 questions right and eventually getting one of them wrong. Time is a critical resource that needs to be kept on check to avoid unnecessary delays and mitigate losses accordingly. A maximum of 10 mins can be spent on each set.

With regard to Logical Reasoning, there are some standard formats of questions to look out for: Einstein puzzles, tournament and sports oriented questions and those concerning people. The ideal approach would be to group similar kind of questions and rank your capability to solve each and then proceed forward. This would make you confident and approach this section with clarity.

When you look at a problem, immediately make a mind map as to how you propose to arrive at the solution. However, the speed to understand a question at a single glance can be developed with consistent practice. The practice must be aimed at making you reach a state where you can determine if the question is solvable or not.

Most of the time the questions in Logical Reasoning can be computed in bulk, as long as you are familiar or your world may come crashing down if you are not. So if you get stuck in any question, be sure to avoid it as soon as possible and move on. Otherwise, it may kill your confidence and panic you enough not to deal with the rest of the exam effectively. Do not spend more than 2 mins on any question.

Be one of those rare ones to outdo others in the section they fear the most. All the best for Xat and Nmat!