Page - 1

Logical Reasoning (LR) probably is the closest to the real life problems students would face as managers. In CAT, the emphasis on logical reasoning has increased over the past few years, which makes it an important topic from a test preparation point of view.

Here are some guidelines which you would find useful in the countdown to CAT: -

1. Interpreting Given Information Correctly & Precisely

A common mistake students make is interpreting the given information incorrectly. The precise meaning of a statement should be understood for it to be used in conjunction with other statements correctly. For example, when referring to averages, "the average of the group reduces to" is not the same as "the average of the group reduces by".

Consider the following question from CAT 2007, where quite a few students interpreted the question incorrectly: -

This was the first question in a caselet on 'Low cost airline company connecting ten Indian cities A to J'. The question read as follows: -

Q. What is the lowest price, in rupees, a passenger has to pay for travelling by the shortest route from A to J?
(1) 2275
(2) 2850
(3) 2890
(4) 2930
(5) 3340

Note that the question requires you to find the shortest route first and then the lowest cost route. It is not the same as the lowest cost route between A to J.

The correct answer for this question is Option 4 - 2930. Whereas the answer by the lowest cost route approach is Option 1 - 2275.

Those who are interested to know the complete solution can download the complete solution key for CAT 2007 here...

2. Develop Your Own Ways of Representing the Data by Practice

Often the data given needs to be written in a summarized form so that you can refer to it or remember it while solving questions. Develop your own methods of summarizing the data. For example, let us try to represent the condition 'if P and Q are in the team, then R cannot be there in the team'.

You may represent this as 'P and Q × R'. This is a one way condition. There can be a two way condition such as 'if M is in the team then Q has to be there in the team and vice versa'. This may be represented as 'MQ'.

Next

* Powered by TestFunda.com
Easy, effective & personalized, TestFunda.com is a store-house of information on everything to do with CAT. Right from personalized reports with FREE iCATS, Challenger iCATs, last 3 years solved CAT papers, to CAT Question of the Day, Daily CAT Word List, logical puzzles and Interactive Learning Games, TestFunda.com is a must visit for every serious CAT aspirant.