How to prepare for Placement Aptitude Test? - Right Beliefs and Strategy
The three most important ingredients you need to succeed at Quantitative Aptitude are - Right strategy, Practice and Confidence.
This video tells you how to achieve these.
The biggest reason for our poor performance in mathematics is "fear". Fear of not understanding the question, Fear of not being able to remember & apply the formulae etc.
So, the biggest belief that you have to let go off today is:
QA is difficult – Trust me. It is not.
The questions asked in your placement test are usually from 10th standard mathematics. All of us have studied mathematics till Class 10th. So, there’s no reason to be afraid.
In fact, you are comparatively more mature and grown up now.
Organize the syllabus, brush up your concepts and practice.
If you are already good with mathematics. Very good. But, even if you are not, believe me aptitude can certainly be improved. All that you need is the determination and commitment to work on it regularly for some days.
Just take the next steps as I say
i.) Club the related chapters together - If you get the list of all the chapters together on your desk, you may start sweating. Break down the task. Club the related chapters together and make a priority list. Now take one chapter at a time. Remember, the concepts you learn in one chapter will get you ready for the next one.
I have clubbed the related chapters for you here. Start with chapters in Group 1 and go on with other groups. Group 1 chapters set the base for you. Don’t skip them.
Going by this list will help you finish your syllabus very easily. You can also save this list on your phone or laptop from my website for easy reference later on. The link is provided in the comments box below.
ii.) Focus on developing concepts - Just knowing the shortcuts and tricks will set you up for failure.
By the time you finish your QA section, you’ll have hundreds of formulae and shortcuts. And, remembering them without understanding is a herculean task.
I’m not against short cuts &tricks. You must know them. But, if you want to use them without challenging your memory, the trick is to get your concepts right first.
iii.) Work smartly - Just taking the notepad and solving the questions for hours isn’t going to help either. Find out how many varieties of questions are possible from that particular chapter. And then, work objectively.
iv.) Practice - Once you have learnt the chapter, don’t run away from practice. If you want a good placement, you’ll have to work for it. There’s no shortcut to success.
v.) Work on your calculations - Ditch the calculator in your mobile phone and laptop. Perform daily mathematical calculations while buying grocery, paying your bills or calculating your marks. All these activities are going to be tremendously useful. Do it religiously for a month and tell me the impact it has on you.
If you work with this approach honestly for 2 months, there’s nothing that can stop you from performing well in your Aptitude test. All the best!
