How to ace DILR ?

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning is an important section in the CAT 2024 exam.

DI is the calculation-intensive portion of the section. It consists of various charts and tables from which you will have to glean and analyze data.

The key to cracking this area is to quickly identify the key pieces of data that you will require to work on the questions asked.

CAT 2024 will be held in November 2024.

TIPS

• Strategy for dealing with DI while attempting CAT should be very straight as well as flexible. Do not start solving any set immediately, but read all the sets first and then make a call on which set is more structured and has lesser variables in terms of conditions that can be put in a structured table or a format easily.
• Make a good choice across the sections and, having decided that, give all the time to that set only. There are going to be hurdles but that does not mean you leave the set and move on to another set, as you have already taken a decision and invested a lot of precious time in that set.
• You should make a sensible choice in picking up the right set and doing the right thing before investing any time in a particular set or just jumping from one set to another. Moving from set to set will exhaust you and kill your time.
• Even if you spend eight minutes in working out the entire set and the set is very clear, you can solve it immediately. Don’t be in a hurry that every two minutes you have to mark a question.Spend time on selection of the right set.

Familiarity:

The difficulty level amongst sets can be gauged in order to select the easier one. For example, you have three sets. One question talks about four people playing four different games and a few conditions follow. You can still plan it in a tabular form.

The second question talks about an entirely new card game. The moment we talk about a game, the advantage is to the exam setter as he can frame any rules he wants to. Pick up the one with which you have familiarity and try avoiding unseen situations.

Conditions:

Very few conditions mean ambiguity and you have to work out lots of possibilities. On the other hand too many conditions, say 10 to 12, mean reading a lot. Or you read the set and every question has a new condition that virtually demands redoing the entire arrangement because it adds a new condition. Or else there is a set with four straight conditions — for example which boys sits on the right, or left etc. These are deterministic conditions. You can just work on the arrangement and answer the questions

The more standard a puzzle the more you can come up with the schemes to represent data. Each question with new condition means doing everything with a new condition. You can also monitor whether the set you have selected is right and till what level or time you should spend time on that particular set.

Reasoning:

Do not make a guess on selecting a set and taking a plunge that the set is going to be easy without any reason. There should be a rationale behind selecting a set. Don’t try out all the sets. One of the biggest problem areas is that students move in a sequential way in the exam pressure type of situation. DI in most of the cases is attempted last and by that time all your strategy and time scheme plans have gone for a toss. Don’t take a chance and don’t think that the solution will be evident while trying the set. Before trying you should have a clear idea about how to go about it.

Sequence of selection:

There is no suggested plan of which section should be attempted first and which should be attempted last. They should be attempted at your own competence level. Don’t keep the most difficult section for the last because it is already difficult and keeping it for the last would add to the pressure. Start with the easier section to score a few points and feel better, follow it up with the section, which you find the most difficult and then move on to the next section.

Q1. How can I practice DILR for the CAT exam?
Ans. Following are the points, which will help you in your DILR:

• Practice 1 DILR set daily.
• Practice sectional mock every 10 days.
• Start with an easy set followed by a medium and finally difficult one.

Q2. What are the topics in logical reasoning?
Ans. Following are the topics covered in Logical Reasoning-

• Alphanumeric series
• Reasoning Analogies
• Artificial Language
• Blood Relations
• Calendars
• Cause and Effect
• Clocks
• Coding-Decoding etc.

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