Grockit IIM-CAT Prep

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Picking Numbers to Make Exponents and Roots Questions on the IIM-CAT Easy!

By posted February 22, 2012

Even if you know the basic rules for IIM-CAT questions involving powers and roots, it’s still common to feel some intimidation towards harder-looking IIM-CAT practice questions, especially when the powers or roots increase or are combined with other concepts.  Let’s look at how using the IIM-CAT strategy Picking Numbers on your next IIM-CAT practice test, can help you get better scores on Exponents and Roots test questions.

Pick numbers every time when powers and roots appear with variables in regular problem solving questions or in data sufficiency. Actually seeing how the numbers work out when square, cubed, etc. will give you more confidence and will remove all the guesswork (thus narrowing the margin of error). Let’s check out this Grockit Data Sufficiency question involving powers with variables:

Try this IIM-CAT exponent and root question!

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IIM-CAT Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation: How to Solve for Absolute Value

By posted February 20, 2012

On the IIM-CAT, absolute value is a concept you are almost guaranteed to see. Most absolute values IIM-CAT questions will involve a variable. Let’s consider |x|. If x is a positive number, such as 4, then |x| = x, because |4| = 4. However, if x is a negative number, such as negative 4, then |x| = -x. For any negative value of x, the sign would have to be changed. For x > 0, |x| = x. For x < 0, |x| = -x.

To solve absolute value equations, we must split them into two separate equations, removing the absolute value, and making one equation negative. Let’s look at an example.

Notice how we solved two equations independently, getting two solutions for the absolute value. If you are confused, plug in x =4 and x = -6.5 back into the absolute value for x. Notice that they will both make the absolute value true.

*IIM-CAT Test Day Tip: Look out for absolute value questions that have words like “can” or “must” in them. Either solution is correct, but they don’t both have to be correct. x could equal 4 or it could equal -6.5, but it doesn’t have to only equal 4, and it doesn’t have to only equal -6.5.

See if you can solve this absolute value IIM-CAT question!

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IIM-CAT Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation: The Need-to-Know Area Formulas

By posted February 16, 2012

Need better scores in Geometry questions on the IIM-CAT? Keep this guide handy while you study online for the CAT. These formulas are essential to answer questions about Area on Test Day.

Triangles

To find the area of a triangle, we use the formula A = ½ bh, where b = base and h = height. The base and the height of the triangle must always form a 90 degree angle. Keep in mind that the height can be inside or outside the triangle.

Quadrilaterals                         

To find the area of a square, we use the formula A = s2, where s = side of the square.

To find the area of a rectangle, we use the formula A = lw, where l = length and w = width.

To find the area of a parallelogram, we use the formula A = bh, where b = base and h = height. We do NOT multiply the two side lengths. Remember the base and the height must be perpendicular.

To find the area of a trapezoid, we use the formula A = h(b1 + b2) / 2. We essentially take the average of the two bases, and multiply it by the height. Again, the height is perpendicular to each base.

Test your skills on this IIM-CAT area question.

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IIM-CAT: Get Better Scores in Coordinate Geometry!

By posted February 14, 2012

The best thing about studying online for the IIM-CAT is that with the wealth of free practice questions and IIM-CAT strategy advice, better scores are right at your fingertips! Review these fundamentals of Coordinate Geometry before your next set of Grockit IIM-CAT practice questions, and you’ll be ready to work on even the most challenging Problem Solving IIM-CAT questions!

There are two main equations for straight lines. One form looks like:
For an equation that looks like this the slope is  and the y intercept is .

For example, in the equation 2x + 3y + 6 = 0, the slope is -2/3 and the y-intercept is -2.

The second equation is called slope-intercept form and looks like:  .  Here m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.

Distance Formula =  

Use this to find the distance between two points.

Midpoint Formula =

Use this to find the midpoint between two points (notice how you are essentially finding the average of the x-coordinates and the average of the y-coordinates).

Slope = Rise / Run = Change in y / Change in x

Slopes can be positive, negative, zero, or undefined. Positive slopes tilt to the right. Negative slopes lean to the left. A line with a slope of zero is exactly horizontal. The line neither goes up nor goes down as x increases, which is why it has a 0 slope. Vertical lines have undefined slopes. When the two x coordinates are the same, their difference is zero. The slope calculation would leave a 0 in the denominator, which is called “undefined.”

As long as you know any two points on a line, you can find the slope. A line that passes through the origin must have (0,0) as one of its points. Remember that parallel lines have the same slope, and perpendicular lines have negative reciprocal slopes.

Test your skills on this coordinate geometry question from Grockit!

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IIM-CAT: 3 Steps for Fact-Inference-Judgment Questions

By posted February 10, 2012

Fact-Inference-Judgment questions are sequentially ordered statements built around a single topic. Remember that each question may or may not contain one sentence of each type. It’s not uncommon to have a question without any inferences, or without any judgments, so don’t panic if you feel you are “missing” a type! These steps will help you practice your CAT strategy.

1. Start with the Facts. Facts are the easiest of the three types of statements to identify, so it’s best to start there. Ask yourself two questions: is this a statistic? Can this statement be verified? If the answer to either one is “yes” then you have a fact!  Statements that provide cited statistics are almost always considered facts.

Test your skills on this IIM-CAT Fact-Inference-Judgment question!

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IIM-CAT Arithmetic: The Basics of Numbers

By posted February 9, 2012

The IIM-CAT problem solving questions contain a vast range of content, from algebra to geometry, not to mention statistics and data interpretation. The foundation of it (and the key to better scores) all, however, is arithmetic. Brush up on these arithmetic definitions before your next IIM-CAT practice questions, and jump-start your online studying!

Integers are all numbers that are multiples of 1 with no fractional or decimal parts. Whole numbers are positive integers (includes 0). These are also called the “counting numbers.”  Real numbers are all numbers on the number line.

A variable is a symbol representing a numerical quantity. Variables are represented by letters in the alphabet such as x, a, b, y, etc. The number that the variable represents is called a value. A constant is a symbol that represents a definite quantity (such as pi).

A term is a product (multiplication) with an unspecified number of factors, made up of either variables or constants. Terms that have the same factors which differ only in their numerical coefficients are called similar terms. For example, 5y and 9y are similar terms.

An expression is a mathematical statement which often uses constants and variables. For example: 75x + 12   Because of the distributive property, similar terms can be combined into one term. The new term has the same factors as the similar terms, but its coefficient is the sum (addition) of the coefficients; this is commonly known as combining like terms. 3xy + 2xy = 5xy

Here’s an IIM-CAT arithmetic question to try out!

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5 Tips for Data Sufficiency on the IIM-CAT

By posted February 8, 2012

Chances are you will see somewhere between 6-8 Data Sufficiency questions on Test Day. If you’ve studied for the GMAT at all, you are already extremely familiar with this unique question type! The IIM-CAT is a great GMAT alternative, and not nearly as DS-heavy. However, you should spend at least some time getting confident with this question type. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind as you practice Data Sufficiency questions online.

1. You don’t necessarily need to solve. Data Sufficiency questions simply ask whether you COULD solve the question given the information in the statements. Don’t waste valuable time actually solving unless you are uncertain of sufficiency! Data sufficiency questions are not supposed to involve long and drawn-out calculations. If you find yourself doing a lot of math, there is probably something you’re not seeing. Remember that variables can equal a variety of values: negatives, positives, integers, fractions, zero. Don’t simplify when you don’t know what a variable can equal, and don’t assume variables are positive integers!

2. For “yes/no” questions, a statement that gives either a firm yes or a firm no is sufficient. There is no “correct” answer. Our task is merely to determine when we have enough information. It is possible for one statement to answer the question “yes” and the other to answer the question “no” and have BOTH statements be independently sufficient.

Practice with this Data Sufficiency question!

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5 Tips for IIM-CAT Critical Reasoning Questions

By posted February 6, 2012

Look for the overall flow. Arguments have a tendency to follow one of two shapes: a triangle or an inverted triangle. Does the author start by making a specific conclusion and then provide more general evidence, or does he begin with observations and then get to a thesis?

Pick variables to describe the structure. “Y leads to X which leads to Z” is different from “Y turns into Z unless Y is prevented.” Be on the lookout for “If X, then Y” relationships. Each sentence has a purpose that builds that structure.

Put the argument in your own words. Dumb down the complexity of the argument as you read, as if you were explaining it to a child. You may want to write down a few short notes to help you. The idea is to ignore the petty details and see through to the author’s main point and to the evidence he provides to support his point.

Try out this IIM-CAT Critical Reasoning question! Read more »

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Dealing with Decimals on the IIM-CAT Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

By posted February 2, 2012

Decimals by itself is not a heavily-tested concept on the IIM-CAT. However, it may be combined with other topics for medium and hard-level questions. Large numbers and very small decimals are often expressed with exponents using scientific notation. Scientific notation involves writing a number as a product of a decimal and the number 10 raised to a certain power. The reason scientific notation is used is that is saves space. Who would want to write .000000000000000000547, when 5.47 x 1019 saves us so much space? The value of the exponent indicates the number of places the decimal moves. In our example above, we moved the decimal 19 places to the right, so the exponent was a positive 19. A few examples:

108 = 1 + 8 zeros = 100,000,000

.036 x 105 = 3600 (the decimal moves four places to the right)

.0000000857 x 106 = .0857 (the decimal moves six places to the right)

5.6 x 10-5 = .000056

Test your decimal knowledge with this Grockit question!

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How to Apply Your English Vocabulary to the IIM-CAT

By posted January 31, 2012

The IIM-CAT contains a lot of vocabulary-specific Verbal question types: Antonyms, Analogies, Misused Words, Spelling, Grammar Usage, etc. Even if you don’t have a prodigious vocabulary you can still get many of these arduous Verbal questions correct! When you encounter unknown words on Test Day the most important thing to do is not give up. You can still get a question correct even if you do not know the definition of a word!

Where have I heard this word before?  Often the word will “ring a bell”, but you won’t be able to recall the exact definition. Try and think of a context where you may have seen this word. At your parent’s work? In an advertisement? In school? Write down the context next to the word. Sometimes that will jog your memory! For example, you may not know what “disseminate” means, but maybe you have heard the phrase “disseminate information” from the news. What does one logically do with information? “Disseminate” must mean something like “spread” or “share.”

What other words does it look like?  This is especially important to ask if you have been studying word roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Break the word down into its component parts. For example, you may not know what “incontrovertible” means but it shares the same root as the word “controversy” and begins with the prefix “in-“ which means not or opposite of. So we can surmise that the word “incontrovertible” means something like “not having controversy.”

See if you can answer this IIM-CAT vocabulary question correctly!

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