Aptitude meaning
Capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for
something; talent:
Readiness or quickness in learning; intelligence: the state
or quality of being apt; special fitness.
What is an Aptitude
Test?
An aptitude test is any type of assessment that evaluates
the talent/ability/potential to perform a certain task, with no prior knowledge
and/or training. To simplify this definition, think about the following
examples: A True/False/Cannot say Verbal Reasoning test could help a legal firm
evaluate the ability of a lawyer to draw conclusions from legal documents. A
concentration test could help a rail operator evaluate a driver's ability to
keep focused while being involved in the monotonous work of driving a train.
This section is very useful for those who are preparing for
competitive exams such as Written test of IT companies, Bank Exams, CAT Exams,
GATE Exams, Railway Exams, SSC, UPSC, Defence and many more.
Tips to prepare for
Quantitative Aptitude Test
Start from the
basics: There is no set syllabus that you can strictly follow, in general.
But if a particular test appraises you of the topics included, then stick to
that. Otherwise go back to the basics of Mathematics, however easy you may
think it to be. Follow your academic syllabus so that you can cover all major
topics.
Concentrate on
fundamentals: The basic concepts of the topics involved should be
absolutely clear. Take guidance from your teacher if you get stuck on a
particular topic. Do not leave any topic, even if it seems relatively
unimportant, as questions can be asked from anywhere. Revise the concepts as
and when possible.
Practice: Various entrance exams
conduct Quantitative Aptitude as one of the papers. Solve previous year's
papers and also model papers of these exams. This will help acquaint with pattern
and structure of questions set. The key mantra to success is extensive practice
and speed. Calculations of some of the problems can be quite lengthy and time
is a major factor during the exams. Practice a lot to acquire speed. Look in
the silly mistakes committed earlier and try to improve them.
Take a systematic approach: First solve
the practice questions topic wise and later attempt an entire paper. In the
beginning you can solve the problems using conventional methods. Later, try out
your own shortcut methods to increase speed. But be alert not to jump crucial
steps which might confuse you later.
Memorise important formulas, theorems and
tables: Quantitative Aptitude includes a lot of formulas, theorems, tables,
etc. Write down the important ones that you need to memorise on a sheet of
paper. Keep it handy so that you can glance at it any time. Practice a lot to
get familiar with them. Practice common square root and cube root problems to
quickly solve during exam.
Mark strong and weak
sections: While solving different problems, try to find out the topics that
you are strong in and also the ones you in which you aren't. Do not neglect the
ones you are considerably weaker in, as these might constitute a major part of
the paper. Take guidance from your teacher, mentor or senior. You can also take
up a coaching class on Mathematics.
Part marking:
Many tests on Quantitative Aptitude have part marking scheme. So even if you
know that the final answer is wrong, do not cancel the whole problem as you can
get part marking for the correct portion.
Know different types of questions: The
questions can be deliberately set in a confusing manner or in a more twisted
form instead of a more direct form that you are more familiar with. Only practice
of different model and earlier years' papers will give you idea of the
different ways the questions can be set.
Read the questions
carefully: Read the questions carefully so that you understand it properly
before answering. A slight misinterpretation of the question otherwise known to
you can mar your effort.
Glance before
solving: Give a quick glance to the exam paper. First take up the questions
you are more comfortable as this will give you the much needed confidence and
positive energy to move on with the rest of the paper. Later solve the other
questions that you feel are slightly tougher.
Time is essential: Do
not waste time if you get stuck in solving a particular question. You might be
giving away precious time. Move on to solve the other questions and later if
time permits try the ones you have left earlier.
Negative marking:
Many tests follow negative marking, so it is advisable not to attempt too many
questions on guesswork. In case if you have to then apply the process of elimination
(POE) to eliminate the more probable incorrect choices to zero-in on the
correct one.
