Formulae

&
Tips for CAT
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 1
FORMULAE
AND TIPS FOR CAT
There are several things
that you have to keep in
mind:
a) Differentiate
between speed and
hurry: Many students think
that speed means making
guesses and blundering
on. This is wrong. Do the
q u e s t i o n s w i t h
concentration. Dont worry
about questions you could
not attempt, because you
possibly cannot do 180
questions in two hours.
Speed means avoiding
u n n e c e s s a r y
calculations.
Hot tip:
Allow yourself 30
seconds to glance over the
section before starting.
This will help you locate the
easy questions.
b) Keep your cool.
There will be some difficult
questions and some easy
ones. When you hit the
difficult ones, you must
stay calm. Skip a few
questions. Dont panic,
because if you do, you
have almost certainly lost
the battle.
Hot tip:
If you become tense,
just close your eyes and
take a few deep breaths.
Return to the paper once
you are composed again.
c) Manage your time:
Keep a watch before you.
Write down the time when
you should move over to
the new section. Dont be
tempted to stick to the
previous section when the
time is over. Just keep
moving on.
Hot tip:
Each section should be
 2
attempted in 28 minutes.
Allow yourself 2 minutes to
go back on questions you
could not solve, or for
making some intelligent
guesses.
COMPREHENSION
Tips for speed reading
Next time you are
reading a paper, try this.
First stage: Sweep your
hand from left to right
across the page so your
finger underlines each line.
Follow your finger with your
eyes. The difficulty of the
material determines the
speed, but move your hand
a little faster than your eye
can follow comfortably.
Make your eyes work to
keep up.
Soon you will find
yourself reading whole
phrases and ideas. As it
gets easier, keep
increasing the speed.
As you improve, instead
of sweeping whole lines
with your finger, just sweep
the middle part. Your eyes
will scan the beginning and
the end of the line
automatically.
When youve mastered
this, your reading speed
will be between 500 and
1,000 words per minute.
This is the practical limit.
Second Stage: The
next speed increase comes
from area reading. Instead
of sweeping lines, use
broader hand motions to
make a series of zigzags of
Ss down the page and
read several lines at once.
You can even read
backward as your hand
moves to the left. Youll
comprehend very little at
first, but if you keep your
eyes following your finger,
youll find yourself
absorbing whole chunks of
the page at once.
Six hot tips for
comprehension:
1. Read the questions
before you read the
passage. This will help you
locate the ideas faster.
 3
2. Force your eyes to
sweep entire phrases and
ideas. Dont read word for
word. Avoid pronouncing
words as you read.
3. Dont reread
sentences. Dont skip lines.
4. Let the context define
unfamiliar words. Dont
stop to look for them.
5. Adjust reading speed
to the type of material.
6. Look for key ideas
and phrases in each
paragraph.
What you should read:
Read the editorial page of
one good English
newspaper everyday by the
above method. This should
not take more than 15
minutes everyday. Make it
a point to read the
economic articles and
business news. Look up
difficult words that you
encounter in a dictionary.
Also read a magazine on
current affairs. Your best
bet is THE COMPETITION
MASTER, which has a
regular management
section. Read the debates
regularly as well as the
editorials, features and
current affairs and
Business GK. This will help
you form your opinions and
increase your awareness. A
number of people who
have cleared CAT have told
us that the magazine was
priceless for their
preparation.
Additional reading and
exercises:
Norman Lewis: How to
Read Better and Faster.
VERBAL ABILITY
It is important to have a
good vocabulary, know
good grammar and again,
have the reading habit.
Vocabulary: A good
vocabulary is built up over
time. Reading helps. Check
up important words in a
dictionary. Or take a good
word-list, such as the one
published in Master Guide
for MBA Entrance, and
learn the usage of the
words. Knowing about
 4
roots of words helps.
Hot tip:
The best way to learn a
word list is through
vocabulary cards. Making
them is an investment,
because they will be helpful
over a period of time.
Analogies, Odd man
out: This means finding
relations among words.
What is the relation
between SALT : SALTY?
We can say that salty
things contain salt. The
best choice would be
COW : BOVINE, because
that best suits the relation-
ship. A good vocabulary
helps in such questions.
Hot tip:
Do as many analogies
as you can, to know the
kind of relations that can be
asked. The Test of
Reasoning in THE
COMPETITION MASTER con-
tains analogies regularly. If
you do it every month, you
will have a good
understanding of
analogies.
Arranging sentences,
blanks: These are tricky,
especially if they contain
large sentences. The
selections are usually from
current newspapers, so
extra reading increases
speed in such questions.
Hot tip:
Usually, the answer can
be obtained by getting at
the central idea and
thinking what it should start
or end with, or by working
from the choices. Do not
waste time arranging the
entire paragraph.
QUANTITATIVE
ABILITY
The importance of
knowing your tables,
decimals, fractions and
formulae cannot be over-
emphasised. Many
questions can be solved by
looking at the choices.
Develop this ability and
your speed will surely
increase. We give below
 5
some things which can be Quotient) + Remainder.
remembered easily. 4. Tests of divisibility:
1. Numbers: Remem- A number can be checked
ber the power of 10 in the for divisibility by the
following: millions (6), following methods:
lakhs (5), billions (9) and By 2: If the last digit of
crores (7). Some questions the given number is even
may confuse on the units. or zero.
By 3: If the sum of the
2. Rational and digits of the number are
irrational numbers: divisible by 3.
By 4: If the sum of the
Numbers which can be last two digits of the
expressed in the form number is divisible by 4.
p By 5: If the last digit of
, where p and q are the number is either zero or
q
integers and q 0 . 5.
By 6: If the number is
Examples of rational
divisible by 2 as well as 3.
numbers are By 8: If the sum of the
1 3 8 last three digits of the
, , , 0, 3, 150 etc,
2 5 5 number is divisible by 8.
By 9: If the sum of the
Irrational numbers are
digits is divisible by 9.
those which when
By 10: If the last digit is
expressed in decimal
zero.
would be in non-
terminating and non- By 11: If the difference
repeating form. Examples between the sum of the
of irrational numbers are: 2,
3, 5, 7, and so on. odd digits and the even
3. Division: digits in a number is either
Dividend = (Divisor zero or divisible by 11.
 6
5. Short cuts for
multiplying: Large multipli-
cation should be avoided.
Instead, look for shortcuts
to do the sums:
(a) To multiply by 99,
999, 9999 ... : Place as
many zeroes after the
number and subtract the
number.
(b) To multiply by 5n:
Put n zeroes to the right of
the number and divide it by
2n.
6. HCF and LCM: The
HCF of two or more
numbers is the greatest
number that divides each
one of them exactly.
The LCM of two or more
numbers is the product of
the highest powers of all
the prime factors that occur
in the numbers.
Product of two
numbers
= HCF LCM.
HCF of Fractions
LCM of numerators .
=
HCF of denominators
LCM of Fractions
= HCF of numerators
LCM of denominators
7. Simplification: To
simplify an expression,
always use the order
specified in BODMAS:
Brackets, Of, Division,
Multiplication, Addition and
Subtraction.
8. Square roots: Learn
the square roots upto 16
and squares upto 32. Make
memory cards to help
remember these figures.
Hot tips:
1. Square roots can be
approximated by using
r
a2 + , where a is the
2a
nearest root of the number
and r is the remainder.
4
Hence 85 = 92 + 18 , which
gives the square root of 85
as 9.22 approximately. One
can approximate square
roots easily by this method.
2. To square a number,
try putting it in the form
(a + b)2.
 7
Thus 115 = (100 + 15)
2 2
(Amount of money invested
= 1002 + 152 + 2(100 x 15), by A No. of months
which can be easily invested by A) : (Amount of
computed. money invested by B No.
of months invested by B).
8. Percentages: Learn 12. Shares: It is
the fraction equivalents. important to know the
1 = 25%, 1 = 33%, 1 following terms:
4 3 5 Face value: The price at
1 which shares are issued.
= 20%, = 16% etc.
6 Always a round figure.
Many questions can be Market value: The price
solved faster if we know at which shares are traded.
these figures. Will fluctuate and will
To find growth percent- seldom be a round figure.
age or percentage change, If market value = face
always use: value, the shares are
New Quantity Old quantity
traded at par.
Old Quantity
100 If market value > face
value, the share
9. Averages: Averages commands a premium.
are found by adding up the If market value < face
values and dividing by the value, the share is at a
number of values. discount.
10. Ratio and propor- Return: The interest
tion: Can be written as a : b earned by the shares after
a one year. Always calcu-
or b . If a : b = c : d, then lated on face value.
bc = ad. Yield: Return calculated
11. Partnership: The on what is actually
share of profits divided invested. Calculated by
between two partners is: dividing return by market
 8
value.
Brokerage: When you
buy a share, the buyer has
to pay the brokerage,
which is added to the
market price. When shares
are sold, the seller gets the
price after the broker
deducts his brokerage
from the market price
obtained.
13. Profit and Loss:
Profit = SP - CP.
Loss = CP - SP.
Gain or loss per cent
Gain or Loss
= 100
CP
Marked price is what is
marked in the shop. It is
neither CP nor SP.
14. Interest:
P R T
SI =
100
In compound interest,
R n
A = P(1+ ) .
100
It is advisable never to
use this formula but work
from simple interest, by
calculating interest on
interest.
15. Time and distance:
Remember the formula,
Distance = Speed
Time
To convert km/hr into
m/s, multiply by 5 .
18
To convert m/s to km/hr,
18
multiply by 5
To calculate average
speed, use the formula:
Average speed
2 xy
=
(x + y)
where x and y are the
speeds.
To calculate when two
bodies will cross each
other, use the formula:
Distance
Time = .
Relative Speed
Speed is added when
bodies are going in
opposite directions and
subtracted when bodies
are going in the same
direction, to find the relative
speed.
16. Boats and streams:
A boat rowing in still water
 9
at the rate of x km/hr will be he can finish the work in x
affected if it goes into a
days.
stream which is flowing. If
If A is faster than B and
the rate of the stream is y
is twice as good in his
km/hr, the rate of the boat
work, the ratio of the work
when it goes downstream
done by A and B will be
will increase and will be
2:1.
(x + y) km/hr. However, if
However, the ratio of
the boat goes against the
time taken by A and B will
current, its speed will
be in the ratio of 1:2.
decrease and will be given
18. Areas and
by (x - y) km/hr.
volumes:
Rate in still water is
Rectangle A = L B
given by:
a) Area = Length x
1
{(rate with the current) Breadth
2 b) Diagonal2 = Length2
+ (rate against the
+ Breadth2
current)}
Rate of current is given Square
by: Area = Side2
1 1
{(rate with the current) = Diagonal2
2 2
(rate against the current)}. Four walls of a room
Area
17. Time and work: a
= 2(Length+Breadth)
person can do a piece of Height
work in x days, the work Triangle with sides a,
done by him in 1 day will be b, c
1 Area
.
x = s(s - a)(s - b)(s - c)
Conversely, if 1 days
1 1
where s = (a + b + c )
work of a person is x , then 2
 10

where s = 1 (a+b+c) Solids

2 Cube with side x
Volume = x3
Triangle with base b Surface area = 6x2
and height h Longest diagonal = 3x
1 Cuboid with length l,
Area = bh
2 breadth b and height h
Equilateral triangle units
Volume = l x b x h
with side x
3 Surface area =
Area = (x2) 2(lb + bh + lh)
4
Parallelogram Longest diagonal =
Area = Base Height l2 + b2 + h2
Rhombus with Cylinder with radius r
diagonals d1 and d2 and height h
1
Area = (d1 d2) Volume = r 2h
2
Trapezium Curved surface area = 2 rh
1 Total surface area
Area = (sum of
2 = 2rh + 2 r 2
parallel sides) height Sphere with radius r
Quadrilateral with 4
Volume = r 3
diagonal d 3
1 Surface area = 4 r 2
(d)(sum of perpendi-
2 Cone with radius r and
culars on d from opposite height h Volume = 1 r 2h
3
vertices)
Circle with radius r Slant height l = r + h 2
2
Circumference = 2r Curved surface area = rl
Area = r2 19. AP, GP :
Area of sector = r2/360 In AP, to find the nth term
Volumes are given by and sum of the series, use
the following:
the following table:
 11

nth term = a + (n -1)d, is an example of HP, try to

where a is the first term get the series into AP, do
and d is the common the calculations and then
difference.
change into fractions again.
n
Sum = {2a + (n -1)d}, or 20. Probability : If an event
2
n can happen in y ways and
Sum = (a + l)
2 the number of ways that a
where l is the last term. particular event can
In GP, nth term = a.r n-1, occur is x, then the
where r is the common ratio. probability of t he event
Sum of n terms x
happening is .
(rn .1) y
=a if r >1,
r-1 If x is the probability of an
2(1-rn) event happening, the
and if r <1.
1-r
probability that it will not
Sum to infinity, if r <1 ,
happen is (1 x).
of a GP is given by :
S= .
a 21. Permutations and
1-r combinations:
Geometric mean : If two n n!
Pr =
numbers a and b are given, (n-r)!
their geometric mean is
Circular permutations:
given by ab . The number of circular
Harmonic Progression : permutations of n different
The reciprocals of an AP objects is (n1)!
form a harmonic For example, if 20
progression. people are invited to a
1 1 1 1 party, to find out how many
Thus, , , , , ... ways can they and the host
3 6 9 12
be seated at a circular

table, since there are 21
people to be seated
around a circular table. So
the number of ways that
they can be seated around
it is 20!.
Combinations: The
number of combinations of
n distinct objects taken r at
a time, is given by:
n n!
Cr =
r! (n-r)!
22. Calendar: Every
year which is divisible by 4
is a leap year. Every fourth
century is a leap year but
no other century is a leap
year. Thus 400, 800, 1200
and so on are leap years
but 700, 900, 1100 are not
leap years, even though
they are divisible by 4.
To solve calendar sums,
the number of odd days will
give the answer as to the
day of the week that a
particular day should be.
The week starts with
Sunday (0 odd day) and
goes till Saturday (6 odd
days).
12
23. Clocks: A clock has
a dial divided into 60
minutes. Each minute will
thus subtend an angle of 6
at the centre, since total
circle is 360. Each five-
minute interval subtends a
30 angle.
A minute hand moves 6
every minute. The hour
hand moves a distance of 5
minutes or 30 in one hour.
In one minute, he
30 1
moves 60 degrees, or 2 .
In one hour, the minute
hand moves 60 minutes,
while the hour hand moves
5 minutes. The minute
hand thus gains 55 minutes
over the hour hand.
24. Logs: The following
rules are important:
1. Log of 1 to any base
is 0. 0
(x = 1 for any x).
2. Log of any number to
the same base is 1. 1
(Loga a = 1, since a =
a).
3. Log of any number is
 13
the sum of the logs of its then
factors. dy
(log mn = log m + log = v.du + u.dv.
dx
n). u
5. If y = where u and v
4. Log of a fraction is the v
log of numerator minus log are functions of x, then
of denominator. (log m = dy d.du-u.dv
= .
log m - log n).
n dx v2
dy
6. (a) If y = e x, then = e x.
x
5. Log a = x log a. dx
6. Loga b x logb a = 1 dy
25. Calculus: Rules for (b) If y = a x, then
dx
derivatives: = a x log a.
1. The derivative of a (c) If y = logex,
constant is zero. If y = 10,
dy 1
= 0, since it does not then = .
dx x
change with respect to x. (d) If y = loga x,
dy
2. If y = xn, then dy 1
dx then = = log a.
dx x
= n.xn-1.

3. The derivative of a
term equals the derivative
GEOMETRY
1. Parallel Lines: The
of each term added
following rules are useful:
together.
(i) Corresponding
y = x 2 +2x -1,
If angles are equal.
dy d 2 (ii) Alternate angles are
then = (x )
dx dx equal.
+ d (2x) - d (1) (iii) Interior angles on
dx dx the same side are
= 2 x + 2.
supplementary.
4. When y = u.v where u 2. Triangle: A triangle is
and v are functions of x, a three sided figure. It has

the following properties:
(i) The sum of all the
angles is 180.
(ii) The exterior angle is
equal to the sum of the
interior opposite angles.
There are 6 exterior
angles of the triangle.
(iii) An interior and
exterior angle is
supplementary.
(iv) The sum of any two
sides is always greater than
the third side.
(v) The difference of any
two sides is always less
than the third side.
(vi) The side opposite
the greater angle will be the
greatest side.
(vii) A triangle has at
least 2 acute angles.
A median of a triangle is
the line from a vertex to the
midpoint of the opposite
side. The centroid is the
point at which the medians
of the triangle meet. The
centroid divides the
medians in the ratio 2:1.
The median bisects the
area of the triangle.
14
Theorem of Appolonius:
Sum of the squares of two
sides of 2 a triangle =
2(median)2 + 2(half the
third side) .
The orthocentre is the
point where the three
altitudes of the triangle
meet.
The circumcentre is the
point where the
perpendicular bisectors of
all the sides meet. A circle
drawn with the
circumcentre as the centre,
can circumscribe the
triangle.
The incentre is the point
where the three bisectors
of a triangle meet. The
inradius of the circle is the
perpendicular distance
from the incentre to any of
the sides of the triangle.
The incentre divides the
bisector of any angle in the
ratio of (b+c) : a.
Angle bisector
theorem: The bisector of
any angle of a triangle
divides the opposite side in
the ratio of the two adjacent
 15
sides. Pythagoras is repeatedly
Area of a triangle: used, which states that the
There are 2 ways to find the square of the hypotenuse
area of a triangle: equals the sum of the
1
(a) Area = (base)(height) squares of the other two
2 sides.
(b) s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c) The median to the
hypotenuse bisects the
where a,b,c are the sides of hypotenuse, which is also
the triangle and the circumradius of the
s = a+b+c . triangle.
2 Pythagorean triplets:
The following are some
The isosceles triangle: examples of Pythagorean
Is a triangle in which two triplets:
sides are equal and two 3, 4, 5
angles are also equal. 5, 12, 13
Equilateral triangle: Is a 7, 24, 25
triangle in which all sides 8, 15, 17
are equal and all angles are 9, 40, 41
also equal (60). 11, 60, 61
Height = 3 side.
12, 35, 37
2 16, 63, 65
3 side 2. 20, 21, 29.
Area =
4 Congruency: Two trian-
1
Inradius = (height) gles are congruent if:
3 1. Two sides and the
Circumradius = 2 (height). included angle of one
3 triangle are respectively
equal to the two sides and
Right angled triangle:
the included angle of the
The Theorem of second triangle (SAS).

2. Three sides of the first
are respectively equal to
the three sides of the
second triangle (SSS).
3. Two angles and a
side of the first are
respectively equal to the
two angles and one side of
the other triangle (AAS).
4. The hypotenuse and
one side of a right angled
triangle are respectively
equal to the hypotenuse
and one side of another
right angled triangle (RHS).
Similarity: Two triangles
are similar if:
1. Three angles of one
triangle are respectively
equal to three angles of the
second (AAA).
2. Two angles of one
triangle are respectively
equal to two angles of the
second (AA).
3. Two sides of one
triangle are proportional to
two sides of the other and
the included angles are
equal (SAS).
In a right angled
triangle, the altitude to the
16
hypotenuse separates the
triangle into two triangles
which are similar to each
other and to the original
triangle.
Midpoint theorem: The
line joining the midpoints of
any two sides of a triangle
is parallel to the third side
and equal to half of it.
Basic proportionality
theorem: A line parallel to
one side of a triangle
divides the other two sides
proportionally. In the figure,
DE is parallel to BC. Then,
AD/BD = AE/EC.
3. Polygons: A polygon
is any closed plane figure.
A triangle is a polygon with
3 sides, a quadrilateral with
4 sides, a pentagon with 5
sides and a hexagon with 6
sides. A polygon with
infinite sides is a circle.
A regular polygon is one
which has all sides and
angles equal.
In a polygon, the sum of
all the interior angles is
(2n 4) right angles.

Area = 1 (perimeter)
2 the mid-point of a chord is
(perpendicular from centre
to any side).
Quadrilaterals : In a
quarilateral, the sum of all
four angles is 360.
Area = 1(diagonal)
2 points.
(sum of perpendiculars
on it from opposite
vertices)
Straight lines joining the
midpoints of the adjacent
sides of any quadrilateral
forms a parallelogram.
4. Circles: Some
qualities of circles are given
below.
1. A tangent touches a
circle at only one point. A
chord is any line joining
any two points on the
circle. When the chord
passes through the centre,
it becomes the diameter.
2. A tangent is
perpendicular to the radius.
3. A perpendicular from
17
the centre of the circle to
perpendicular to the chord.
Equal chords are
equidistant from the centre.
The reverse is also true.
4. There is only one
circle that can pass
through three non-collinear
5. Tangents drawn from
an external point are equal.
6. The angle subtended
by an arc of a circle at the
centre is double the angle
subtended by it at any
point on the remaining part
of the circle.
7. Angles in the same
segment are equal.
8. The angle in a semi
circle is a right angle.
9. In a cyclic
quadrilateral, the sum of
the opposite angles is
1800. If one side of cyclic
quadrilateral is produced,
then the exterior angle is
equal to the interior
opposite angle. The
quadrilateral formed by
angle bisectors of a cyclical
 18
quadrilateral is also cyclic. TRIGONOMETRY
10. Equal arcs make In a right angled
equal chords. triangle, three ratios must
11. When two circles be learnt:
touch, their centres and the 1. Sin A
point of contact are = Opposite/ Hypotenuse
collinear. If they touch 2. Cos A
externally, the distance = Adjacent/Hypotenuse
between their centres is 3. Tan A
equal to the sum of radii = Opposite/Adjacent
and if the cicles touch
Some important ratios
internally, the distance
are given in the following
between the centres equals
table:
the difference of the radii.
12. If from the point of Angle Ratio
contact of a tangent, a Sin Cos Tan
chord is drawn then the 0 0 1 0
angle which the chord
makes with the tangent is 1 3 1
30
equal to the angle formed 2 2 3
by the chord in the 1 1
45 1
alternate segment. 2 2
3 1
13. Area of the circle is r 2. 60 3
2 2
Area of sector with angle 90 1 0 unde -
fined
= r2 .
360
 19

ALGEBRA 2
c) If b 4ac is zero, then
Quadratic equations:
2 the roots are real and
The equation ax + bx + c equal. 2
= 0 where a, b, c are real d) If b 4ac is negative,
numbers and a 0 , is a the roots are complex and
quadratic equation. unequal.
Quadratic equations can 2
The value of b 4ac is
be solved by factorising. called the discriminant.
Two solutions are obtained, If and are the roots
which are also called roots
of the equation. of a quadratic equation
2
If the equation ax + bx ax 2 + bx + c = 0, then
+ c = 0 cannot be
factorised, the roots are -b c
+= and =
obtained by the formula a a

b b 2 4ac Formulae: It is useful to

x= remember the following
2a
formulae:
If and are the roots so 2 2
1. (x+y) = x + 2xy +
obtained, then 2
y.
2 2 2
b + b 2 4ac 2. (x-y) = x 2xy + y .
x= 2 2
2a 3. (x+y) (xy) = 4xy.
2 2 2
4. (x+y) +(xy) = 2(x
b b 2 4ac 2
= x= + y ).
2a 3 3 3
5. (x+y) = x + y
2
a) If b 4ac is positive, +3xy(x+y).
3
the roots and are both real 6. (xy) =
3
and unequal.
2
x y33xy(xy).
b) If b 4ac is a perfect 2 2
7. x y = (x+y)(xy).
square, then the roots are 8. x
3
+ y
3
=
rational and unequal. 2 2
(x+y)(x +y xy).
 20
3 3 2
9. x y = (xy)(x + y
2
n(AB).
+ xy). For three sets,
2 2 n(AUBUC) = n(A) + n(B) +
10. (x + y + z) = [x +
2 2 n(C) n(AB) n(BC)
y + z +2(xy +yz + xz)]. n(CA) + n(ABC).
3 3 3
11. x +y + z 3xyz =
2 2 2
(x + y + z)(x +y + z xy
DATA
yz zx).
12. If x + y + z = 0, INTERPRETATION
3 3 3
then x + y + z = 3xyz. Steps to do DI
The converse is also questions:
true. 1. Spend half a minute
to look at the table or
Surds and indices: The graph. Note the years to
following formulae are which the data refers to
useful:m and the units. Sometimes
n m+n
1. a a = a . the figures may be given in
am thousands while the
2. = a mn. answer may be in millions,
an
3. (a m )n = a mn.
resulting in mistakes.
a 2. Make sure you
4. (ab)n = a nb n and ( )n understand what the table
b
an says and what it does not.
= n. 3. The level of approxi-
b
mation that can be done is
5. a 0 = 1.
assessed from the choices.
6. n a = a1/n. If the answers are wide,
7. na.b = na. nb. time should not be wasted
Sets: in working out exact
n(AUB) = n(A) + n(B). figures. If the choice none
If the sets intersect, then of the above exists, a close
n(AUB) = n(A) + n(B) approximation may be

required.
4. Read the question
carefully. It will give an
indication as to which row
and column should be
seen.
5. There may be one or
two very large questions
requiring calculations.
Attempt these at the last.
6. Revise bar charts, pie
charts, statistics and
graphs before attempting
DI questions.
DATA SUFFICIENCY
Steps to solve DS
questions:
1. Read the statement
carefully and understand
the question that must be
answered.
2. Read the first piece of
data provided, while
completely ignoring the
second. If you read
everything at once, it will be
difficult to arrive at an
answer.
3. Can the question be
answered on reading the
first statement only? If so, it
21
is sufficient to answer the
question. The second
statement must be similarly
checked. If it is not
sufficient, it must be
checked whether the
answer can be provided by
combining it with the
second.
4. Read the second
statement while completely
ignoring the first. This is
important, otherwise the
data in the first will
influence your answer.
5. After both statements
have been considered
individually, combine them
to see whether the answer
is obtained by combining
them. This step is not
necessary if each
statement is sufficient
independently to answer
the question.
6. Do not waste time
trying to solve a problem;
you are only to determine
whether the information is
sufficient to solve the
problem. The exact answer
is not required.
 22
7. Sometimes choices
help. If you are sure about
the first statement, the
answer can be A or D. If
you are sure about the
second one, the answer
can be B or D. Looking at
the choices at this stage
will help you tick the right
choice.
8. When geometric
figures are given, do not
assume things going by
the look of the figures. An
angle may look like 90
degrees, but the data
provided may make it just a
little more or a little less
than a right angle. Similarly,
a triangle may look
isosceles, but the data
provided may be
otherwise. Remember, the
figures may not be drawn
to scale.
9. Note that data
sufficiency problems are
time savers since they do
not require long
calculations. So they
should be attempted first.