Quantitative Aptitude: Topicwise Breakup

Topicwise Breakup IBPS CWE PO/MT	2011	2012
Data Interpretation (DI)	20	15
BODMAS/Simplification	10	10
number sequence-series(although reasoning topic but asked here)	5	5
Linear Equation	4	3
Permutation-Combination-Probability	5	2
Average	2	1
%, profit loss, simple-compound interest	2	3
Ratio-Proportion-Variation	2	3
Number theory (Remainders)	0	1
Time-Speed-Work	0	1
Geometry (Area-Volume-Perimeter)	0	6
total	50	50

Obviously high priority = DI + BODMAS + Sequence-series.
And, Although not many questions are coming from the individual topics of percentages, profit loss, simple-compound interest, Time-speed-word, ratio, averages etc. but collectively, these topics help you raise your score by atleast 10 marks. Hence their Cost:Benefit is quite good. (compared to the amount of data you’ve to memorize to get 10 marks out of Misc.GK/Sports/Persons in News type MCQs.) Therefore, donot run away from Maths, prepare it diligently.

Ignore following topics

Quadratic equations (ax²+bx+c=0)
Geometry theory (except area-volume-perimeter)
Trigonometry
Coordinate Geometry
logarithm

Speed Maths

In Both previous years, at least 25 out of 30 questions came from Data interpretation+ BODMAS only
for both ^these topics, speed Maths=essential. Although internet is full of techniques of Speed Maths, Vedic Maths, but you must atleast master following techniques:

Trachtenberg’s Techniques for:
1. Multiplication by 5. It also indirectly helps you find out half (50%)of the given number as well. Because “m”x5= 10m/2. This helps you eliminate wrong answers quickly whenever you’ve find percentages.
2. Multiplication by 9. It indirectly helps you guestimate the division by 11 as well. Because m/11=~0.9m
3. Quick multiplication by 11. It indirectly helps you guestimate the number division by 9 as well. Because m/9=~0.11m

here is the wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachtenberg_system

Two digit division / long division / percentages approximation

Divisibility rules for various numbers (Given in NCERT, Quantitative aptitude books)
Multiplication tables of 2 to 9, 12 to 25 must be learned by heart. Especially the tables of 13, 17, 19 and 23.
Squares upto 29 and cubes upto 12 (required for the sequence-series questions and BODMAS)
After that, as per your time and mood, learn the Vedic math techniques for finding cube-roots, square-roots of large numbers; three-digit multiplication etc.etc.etc.

Booklist for IBPS Quantitative Aptitude

NCERT Maths

for clearing the basic concepts:
Statistics Class 11 (Only 3 Chapters for DI/Avg. concepts)Download

Mathematics Class 8	Download
Mathematics Class 9	Download
Mathematics Class 10	Download
Mathematics Class 11 (Only AP, GP)	Download

Mrunal.org/aptitude

for simplified techniques on %, Compound interest, permutation-combination-probability etc.

Any one BankPO paperset

Require mainly for the Data interpretation practice.

Arihant’s paperset of previous Bank PO exams
Kiran Prakashan’s Practice book workbook for IBPS PO/MT (with FREE CD for computer test)
If you’ve paperset from any other publication, that’ll also work just fine.

Any one book on Maths/Quantitative Aptitude

I’m biased for Sarvesh Kumar (Quantam CAT) by Arihant Publication
Reason: for the given price range Sarvesh Kumar helps in all competitive exams: starting from SSC CGL, PSU, IBPS, UPSC to all the way upto CAT.
While its competitors (RS.Aggarwal, M.Tyra etc) start biting dust when it comes to geometry-theory, trigonometry, and quadratic equations for SSC-CGL and CDS.
However, As far as IBPS is concerned, all books work fine.
Hell, You can even do without a book, by combo of NCERTs+ mrunal.org/aptitude +practice papersets.

#1: Data Interpretation (DI)

Can be of two types

DI	with photo (Chart)	without photo
Example	pie chart bar graphs line graphs	Paragraph/caselets (you’re given a lengthy paragraph on how a company has total 1200 workers out of them 500 are males and 300 union-workers etc.etc.etc.) You’re given a big table about temperature, number of students in university etc. and you’ve solve questions based on that.
Essential Skill	percentage: calculation and approximation multiplication and long division (two-digit division) Ratios	Addition-subtraction. (although sometimes will require %, ratio, division as well.)

How is Bank DI different from other exams?

In SSC CGL, LIC, State PCS exams, usually chart- based simple case. Doesn’t involve lengthy calculations.
In IBPS/Bank PO, even if chart-based DI is asked, often you’ll be given an additional table showing ratio/sales etc. So you’ve to utilize the information from both chart + table to derive the answers.

How to approach?
Data interpretation doesn’t have much theory, except in pie-chart case (about conversion between % and circle degrees + when and where will the answer = “data-insufficient’)

First master the minimum speed math techniques given above.
Understand the Ratio related concepts.
Understand the basic concepts of bar graph, pie-charts etc. from Class 11 NCERT Statistics.
Then start solving DI questions given the paperset book (Arihant / Kiran )

#2: BODMAS/Simplification

Bank exams (PO and Clerk) have an unwritten rule: first 10-12 questions must be from BODMAS.
Here are two sample questions

[Square root (6354)] x 34.993=?
39.89% of 4331 divided by 58.779% of 5003=?

#1: first clear you basic concepts about following

Simplification (BODMAS)	NCERT Class 8 Chap 1
Surds, indices	NCERT Class 8 Chap 12 Then NCERT Class 9 Chap 1
Roots, squares, Cubes	Basics from NCERT Class 8 Chap 6 and 7.

#2: then master the speed math techniques I listed earlier.
#3: Have a target of solving atleast 10 questions from your paperset every night, before going to sleep.

#3: Number sequence-series

Although it is a reasoning topic, but they’ve asked it in Maths section. Consider following examples from previous IBPS papers
Q. In the following number series, only one number is wrong. Find out the wrong number
8424, 4212, 2106, 1051, 526.5, 263.25, 131.625
Answer-choices

131.625
1051
4212
8424
263.25

Preparation source

for the warm up exercise, go through chapter 3 (Classification) of RS Aggarwal’s Reasoning book
Then maximum practice, go through your paperset book.

Bad thing about such questions: Sometimes you’ll be able to decipher the pattern within a minute, and sometimes, even after doing trial-error for more than 15 minutes, you might not see the pattern. Therefore, my suggestion is: during the exam, you put the entire set of sequence-series questions on “mark and review”. (And when you’re done with other sections, come back and solve these questions at the end of exam.) Don’t waste initial momentum here.

#4: Linear Equations

Another ‘reliable’ area in IBPS. Sometimes, you’ll need to apply concepts of linear equations, to tackle questions from Time-speed-distance, ratio-proportion-variation, averages etc as well.
Here are some samples questions from previous exams:

Rubina could get equal number of Rs. 55, Rs. 85 and Rs. 105 tickets for a movie. She spends Rs. 2940 for all the tickets. How many of each did she buy?
The ratio of the present age of Manisha and Deepali is 5 : X. Manisha is 9 years younger than Parineeta. Parineeta’s age after 9 years will be 33 years. The difference between Deepali’s and Manisha’s age is the same as the present age of Parineeta. What should come in place of X?
Akash scored 73 marks in subject A. He scored 56% marks in subject B and X marks in subject C. Maximum marks in each subject were 150.The overall percentage marks obtained by Akash in all the three subjects together were 54%. How many marks did he score in subject C ?

Two things to be kept in mind, while solving questions on linear equation:

#1: keep minimum variables

Suppose the question runs like this “The sum of present ages of father and son is 56, and 5 years ago Son’s age was……….blah blah blah….find the present age of Father. ”

avoid this	do this
assume father’s present age “f” son’s present age “s”	assume father’s present age “f” assume Son’s present Age=(56-f)
here you assumed two variables “f” and “s”= lengthier calculations and chances of mistakes.	here you’ve to worry about only one variable “f”

#2: Cannot be determined

Suppose you end up with two equations like this:

x+y=5
y+z=6

Here you’ve two equations but three variables (x, y and z). You can never find out the unique value of x, y, z in such situation. Hence answer = “Cannot be determined”.
But sometimes, even two variable-two equation set can be impossible to solve. For example

No solution	infinite solution
x+ 2y=4 2x+ 4y= 12	2x+ 3y=94x+ 6y=18

To learn more about ^this, refer to NCERT Maths Class 10, Chapter3, table given on the page #9.
Preparation source for Linear Equations

Understand basic concepts from
1. NCERT Class 8 Chap 2 and 9.
2. Then NCERT Class 9 Chap 4
3. Lastly NCERT Class 10 Chap 3.
Then maximum practice from your Quantitative Aptitude book and OR paper set book.

#5: Permutation-Combination-Probability

Most of that can be solved without memorizing any formulas. In my opinion, this is the easiest of all math problems. Go through following articles
Permutation-Combination

Probability

Then solve maximum questions from your Paperset book.
Sample Questions from previous exams

(IBPS 2011) An urn contains 4 green, 5 blue, 2 red and 3 yellow marbles. Answer following questions
1. If two marbles are drawn at random, what is the probability that both are red or at least one is red?
2. If three marbles are drawn at random, what is the probability that at least one is yellow?
3. If eight marbles are drawn at random, what is the probability that there are equal numbers of marbles of each colour?
4. If three marbles are drawn at random, what is the probability that none is green?
5. If four marbles are drawn at random, what is the probability that two are blue and two are red?
(IBPS 2012) A bag contains 13 white and 7 black balls. Two balls drawn at random, what is the probability that both are of same color?
(IBPS 2012) In How many different ways can the letters of the word “THERAPY” can be arranged so that the vowels never come together?

#6: Average

Go through following articles, then maximum practice from your paper set book.

Sample questions

The average marks in English of a class of 24 students is 56. If the marks of three students were misread as 44, 45 and 61 in lieu of the actual marks 48, 59 and 67 respectively, then what would be the correct average?
The sum of the ages of 4 members of a family 5 years ago was 94 years. Today, when the daughter has been married off and replaced by a daughter-in-law, the sum of their ages is 92. Assuming that there has been no other change in the family structure and all the people are alive, what is the difference in the age of the daughter and the daughter-in-law?
In an entrance examination, Ritu scored 56 percent marks, Smita scored 92 percent marks and Rina scored 634 marks. The maximum marks of the examination is 875. What is the average marks scored by all the three girls together?

Alligations (Wine-Water Mixture)

Although not asked in previous exams but since it is an allied topic of “averages, so just to be safe, go through following articles

#7: Ratio-Proportion-variations

NCERT Class 8 Chap 13.
then max practice from your Quantitative Aptitude book and or papersets
Also prepare the allied topic: “Partnership”, using this article http://mrunal.org/2012/05/aptitude-partnership-and-profit-sharing.html

Sample Questions from previous papers

A certain amount was to be distributed among A, B and C in the ratio 2 : 3 : 4 respectively, but was erroneously distributed in the ratio 7 : 2 : 5 respectively. As a result of this, B got? 40 less. What is the amount?
Rs.73,689 are divided between A and B in the ratio 4 : 7. What is the difference between thrice the share of A and twice the share of B?
The fare of a bus is X for the first five kilometers and 13/- per kilometer thereafter. If a passenger pays Rs. 2402/- for a journey of 187 kilometers, what is the value of X?

#8: Percentages, profit-loss, SI-CI

No need to mugup any formulas. Can be solved effortlessly, just go through following articles

Then solve maximum sums at home.
Sample Questions from previous IBPS PO Exams:

An article was purchased for Rs.78.350/. Its price was marked up by 30%. It was sold at a discount of 20% on the marked up price. What was the profit percent on the cost price?
What is the difference between the simple and compound interest on Rs. 7,300/- at the rate of 6% per annum in 2 years?
The simple interest accrued on an amount of Rs. 22,500 at the end of four years is Rs. 10,800. What would be the compound interest accrued on the same amount at the same rate of interest at the end of two years?
Ramola’s monthly income is three times Ravina’s monthly income, Ravina’s monthly income is fifteen percent more that Ruchika’s monthly income. Ruchika’s monthly income is Rs. 32,000. What is Ramola’s annual income?

#9: Number theory and Remainders

topic	approach
Divisibility, remainders LCM and HCF Unknown numbers from given conditions Fractions-comparisons.	This article explaining the concept of HCF, LCM click me NCERT Class 7 Chap 2, 9 (fraction) NCERT Class 10 Chap 1 (divisibility) Finally practice sums from your Quantitative aptitude book / Papersets.