Tips to crack CAT Data Interpretation: It's all about practice!

In accordance with the new CAT format for year 2011, all it takes to overcome DI is the art of decoding information presented in tables, bar graphs, pie charts and histograms. The very essence of cracking DI is the ability to identify the questions one can answer which would in turn assist you in accomplishing your way through. If you succeed in getting the first step right, everything else will fall in place and here we provide you with some handy and useful tips to crack CAT Data Interpretation.

Visual interpretation, calculation, reasoning or a combination of all these is what it takes to get through the DI and the Quant section that's supposed to make a joint appearance in the new CAT format this year and for this rationing your time is a must! The data may be presented in form of tables, pie charts and or a bar but other chart types like the Venn diagrams, routes and network and spider charts are less frequently to be seen. However, acquainting yourselves with these charts would only do good and help you improve your performance in the DI.

Many a times, questions concerning data sufficiency too are included and for this the magic lies behind finding out whether the given data is sufficient for answering the questions. Your grip over Quant fundamentals and reasoning skills is all that's needed.

Here are some skillful and adaptable tips to crack the CAT DI:

• Working at developing the ability to understand voluminous data
• Familiarizing with different kinds of charts
• Practicing regularly
• Enhancing the mental math skills
• Bucking up with the speed would thus help in saving time
• Calculating the increase or decrease of percentage or comparing ratio is an essential skill of saving time
• Regularly solving DI sets that require reasoning skills and logic and increasing your familiarity with such sets would help you sail through
• Getting a clear idea of the DI sets well in advance by solving as many questions as possible
• Getting accustomed with DS questions, as they would help you score more
• Rejection of DI sets based on the volume of data is a complete NO-NO. More data does not necessarily mean a more difficult set and vice versa.
• Try not to solve all the questions at once. Try solving a bulk of some easy questions and some difficult ones at a time.
• Attempting questions that you can confidently answer in 2 to 2.5 minutes would prove to be a better idea
• Ration your time between the Quant and DI section would help you neither neglect nor spend excessive time on any of these areas

For the very first time, Quant and DI have been compounded together with a time limit of about 70 minutes so make sure you take mock CATs setting a time limit of 70 minutes. Consistently, a DI set may have two- three questions per set, but it is possible to have sets with just one question.

Practice makes a man Perfect and the more you practice, the better you'll get!

Source: Madiha Jawed (Shiksha Team)