What are quantitative math tests?
In any aptitude test that we take, we are faced with the quantitative section in it. It is inevitable guys, really! Questions that come under these sections prove to be difficulty for the majority of the population. While most of the people who take up an exam do not like this section and try to avoid it or do guesswork on this as much as possible, this is one section where marks are quite easy to gain if you prepare yourself properly. Do not lose hope in this section. Understanding this section will be of great help. Here we will see about Quantitative Math Tests
Let us first understand what the quantitative section deals with. This is the section that tests the mathematical and numerical skills of the person attending the exam. The questions in this section can either be real-life scenarios or just pure but simple mathematics. Quantitative reasoning is simply the ability of a person to use mathematical operations and calculations in real-life scenarios.
Now that we know what quantitative reasoning is, let us delve deeper into the topic.
What is Quantitative reasoning?
Although the main focus in quantitative reasoning is using mathematical information to solve real-world problems, there can be situations where this can be used in non-mathematical fields as well. The questions are generally given as word problems and the catch here is converting the word problems into mathematical equations. Even for those good at math, this is where the problem arises. In the book “How to Solve it” by George Polya, he mentioned 4 basic principles of quantitative reasoning in solving these questions. The four principles are: Understanding a problem, developing a strategy, carrying out the plan, and looking back upon the plan and working it out.
To be able to work and implement these four principles, you would have to have or develop some quantitative skills. Quantitative skills are basically the ability to take in mathematical information and make sense of them. Breaking down this process, some major skills include reading and recognizing information that is in words, but can be converted to mathematical equations, interpreting and critically analyzing this information, discovering the correct ways to solve the problem, evaluating the result and the validity of the same and communicating the result effectively in the form of answers.
Usage of quantitative skills in other arenas:
Developing quantitative skills helps in developing cognitive skills like increasing attention span, memory, logical reasons, and auditory and visual ability. These skills are considered important for decision-making in the real life of every individual as it helps to evaluate the scenario of a problem and arrive at more than one way to solve it.
The steps of quantitative reasoning
Understanding the given problem: When a problem is given in quantitative reasoning, the most important part of solving the problem is analyzing and understanding it. This is where most of the errors occur because most people can easily misunderstand the question posed. One way to overcome this is to read the question multiple times and process every part of the question separately. You will have to understand what is given data and what is expected as the answer first. It is only after you understand the question and the expected result that can you proceed with the other steps.
Developing a strategy: Developing a strategy to attack the problem and arrive at the solution is the second step in solving any question under the quantitative reasoning section. This includes finding a way to work around the mathematical principles that can be applied to the question to solve it. This has to be done before you attempt the problem. Knowing the way that you are going to use in solving the problem will reduce the amount of time you spend on the question. There are chances you could think a way is right and get the wrong answer. This is why it is advisable to think of the right way before you get down to cracking the question.
Carrying out the plan that you have formed: This is probably the only part of solving the question where you would have to use arithmetics and mathematical principles. This is also, by far, the easiest part of the problem. This is where your mathematical skills come to play and you actually start taking the path toward the desired solution. One major mistake that happens here is negligence! As in, your method and working it out might be right. But there might be some minor errors that might have gone unnoticed in the process. These happen quite often and are a huge hindrance to getting the solution.
Looking back: Looking back just means checking whether the answer is correct or not. If you do not have the answer with you, you would just have to ensure your answer makes sense and there is no mistake in the earlier steps. This is the step where you go through all the other three steps and ensure you have given it your best.
Types of quantitative reasoning
There are majorly two types of quantitative reasoning.
Problem-solving: This is probably the more important of the two types and this is where most of the focus might be given. This is where you might want to concentrate if you are preparing for an exam that has the quantitative section in it.
Data sufficiency: This is the easier part of the section where you might only have to analyze data and arrive at a solution or find something related to the given data. You would have to determine whether the given information is enough to solve a particular problem.
Topics covered under Quantitative reasoning
Some of the major topics under the quantitative reasoning section are:
Speed and distance: The problems of speed and distance come under quantitative reasoning.
Example: A man can swim with the stream at the rate of 3km/h and against the stream at the rate of 2km/h. How long will it take to swim 7km in still water?
Averages: Average generally means the central data of all the data that are given to you.
Example: Find the average of the first 1000 numbers.
Allegations or mixtures: This is nothing but a faster technique to solve problems in a quicker way using the weighted average technique.
Example: Two varieties of rice at Rs. 10/kg and Rs. 12/kg are mixed together in the ratio 1:2. Find the average price of the resulting mixture.
The fundamental principle of counting: This principle does not involve any arithmetic equations but only interpretation and some thinking.
Example: In how many ways can the letters of the word DELHI be arranged?
Simple and Compound Interest: Taking the two types of interest and practicing on them would be a great idea since this can be pretty complicated at times.
Example: Find the amount of interest that has to be paid to an amount of Rs 50,000 that was borrowed for two years at the rate of 5% per annum.
Time and work: Problems in this are generally based on the application of ratio and proportion.
Example: If A can finish a piece of work in 20 days, and B can do the same piece of work in 16 days. How many days would it take to complete the work if both of them worked together?
Profit, loss, and discount: There are a few terminologies involved in this and some formulae.
Example: By selling 18 chocolates, a vendor loses the selling price of 2 chocolates. Find his loss percent.
Arithmetic reasoning: This is where your ability to solve real-life, basic problems comes into play.
Example: If there are 3 hens, 4 dogs, and 18 humans in a room, how many legs are there in total?
Data interpretation: In this, you just have to take the data given to you and analyze it.
Example: In a bundle of 154 pants, there are three fewer white shirts than red shirts, and five more white shirts than green shirts. How many red shirts are there?
These are just a few examples of the type of questions that will come under the quantitative section in exams. The difficulty of these questions might vary. There can be more than these types of questions too, but they mostly fall under these broad sections.
Conclusion
Quantitative section and quantitative math tests can be difficult for some people to attempt and crack, but with enough practice and hard work, the section gets easier. You only have to focus on the four principles that have been mentioned before. There sometimes can be questions with more than one answer, but choose the one that seems most logical to you. Ensure you have had enough practice and are confident to attend the test.
FAQs
How hard is quantitative reasoning?
The difficulty level of this section is not much, but you would have to keep in time the time factor and the complexity of the information.
How to prepare for quantitative tests?
Try to speed up your arithmetic tests, because the timing for these tests is limited. Time your mock tests and try to solve as many questions in a limited time as possible.
