How to Prepare for LRDI with EduRev | Logical Reasoning (LR) and Data Interpretation (DI) - CAT PDF Download

The purpose of EduRev making this document is to help you understand how to study DILR as a subject for not just CAT but also other B School entrances like SNAP, XAT, NMAT, etc and by the end of this document, you will have clarity on how to tackle the DILR section.

"Unseen questions are difficult to answer, one should not have a clouded mind, practice as many different questions as possible. Practicing will make you perfect in this section."

What is DILR section in CAT?

• Data Interpretation is the process of reviewing data through some predefined processes which will help assign some meaning to the data and arrive at a relevant conclusion. It involves taking the result of data analysis, making inferences on the relations studied, and using them to conclude.
• Logical Reasoning consists of aptitude questions that require a logical level of analysis to arrive at the correct solution. Most of the questions are constructed based on concepts and the rest are out-of-the-box thinking ones.
  Logical reasoning is classified into two types:
  • Verbal Reasoning: It is the ability to logically understand the concepts and solve problems expressed in words. Verbal reasoning tests the ability to extract information and implications in a sentence.
  • Non-Verbal Reasoning: It is the ability to logically understand the concepts and solve problems expressed in numbers/letters/figures in combination with words. 
• Many topics of Quantitative Aptitude form the base of questions in data interpretation. Hence a thorough knowledge of the basics, and a fair amount of practice of the quant section, is very crucial for your preparation of data interpretation.

How to Prepare for DILR from EduRev?

Given below are the major tips from experts and toppers which are important for the candidates who are preparing for CAT. These are the major strategies that, if followed will give fruitful results in CAT.

Step 0: Habits you should Adopt in your Daily Schedule

1. Puzzles and Sudoku: If you have never solved the puzzles, logical reasoning questions, or sudoku, you must begin by solving the sudoku in the newspapers, playing puzzles of any kind including word games and mathematical problems.
2. Mental Maths: You should start learning to calculate quickly and efficiently. The objective is to train your mind to do basic calculations instantly without pen & paper. You can start by learning Vedic Mathematics in Quantitative Ability course on EduRev from here.
3. Familiarize yourself with Tables and Graphs: Articles in newspapers are also supplemented with different types of data tables or graphs like pie charts, bar graphs, column graphs, or even sometimes line graphs. When you read such articles containing intricate tables and graphs, your mind will start thinking about the potential questions or insights that can be deciphered out of those illustrations.

Step 1: Decode the Exam Pattern & Understand the Syllabus of DILR

• Consists of 4 sets usually which individually have 5 questions each.
• DI: These questions can be based directly on data that can be extracted from tables/graphs shown in the set or may require further calculation.
• LR: Based on Blood Relations, Arrangements, and combinations of topics.
• There is a combination of MCQs and TITA questions with one TITA question being part of each set.

Step 2: Attempt Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

• Unseen questions are difficult to answer, you should not have a clouded mind, do practice more and more practice as many different types of questions as you can. 
• Practicing the questions that have already come in the exam will make you perfect in this section.

Lakshay Kumar Jha (CAT Topper 2019, 99.99 Percentile) says:

• There is no special book of reasoning so go through the PYQs to solve them and practice reasoning questions from there extensively. 
• From those PYQs analyze first which questions are easy which are medium and which are tough. Start to practice with easy questions first and then start attempting reasoning part.

• It is recommended to go for a source that gives you Topicwise questions from previous year papers. So that you can have a complete understanding of each topic and the type of questions asked. Click on the link to access the course of  Topicwise DILR questions from past year papers on EduRev.
• You can get the last 10-years of the CAT exam from here: Previous Year Papers (PYQs).

Step 3: Strengthen the Basics

• CAT DILR section assesses a candidate’s ability in problem-solving. The only way to strengthen your basics is to attempt a lot of questions and learning their concepts.
• Questions based on Arrangements and Graphs, Tables & Caselets form the core of cracking DILR. Other topics that are important include Blood Relations and Data Sufficiency.

Some of the important steps to solve the DILR questions are:

• Analyze the type of questions: Know the essential topics of DILR sections before starting your CAT  planning.
• Know the tricks to solve different types: There is a trick to solving each type of set. Take note of these tricks and make sure to use them when answering CAT questions of any kind.
• Build mental legends: The DILR section contains questions such as plans, puzzles, and Venn diagrams, among other things. Such topics contain a lot of detail, which becomes very difficult to remember when attempting the question.  So, to avoid being puzzled, students can take note of the keys to all of the abbreviations and symbols.
• Decode constraints: DILR questions reveal more than meets the eye, and so students are often tricked by them. As a result, it is critical to find the hidden meaning or information while solving the questions of this section. If you're having trouble answering the question, there's a chance you're missing some details.
• Accuracy over speed: Your focus should be on the accuracy over speed or the quantity of the questions that you solve. Your objective here should be to get every question that you attempt right. 
• Go back to your goal: When you’re getting lost in the middle of a set, your goal is to understand and develop that test-taking rigour that allows you to maintain the focus upon solving a multitude of DILR sets. This can happen through the regular practice of different types of tests.

3.1 Perfect Your Concepts through Video Lectures & Detailed Notes

• You should refer to a single source of notes & video lectures that will help you to strengthen the concepts and understand the topics clearly.
• You should watch a few quick videos with examples and start practicing the questions. Practice is what will make you really good at this section. You can watch topic-wise videos with examples and practice online tests for each topic on EduRev.
• Regular revisions through notes and video lectures can help strengthen the basics and boost one’s confidence in the subject. You can get topic-wise notes & video lectures in the Logical Reasoning course on EduRev, available at this link.

3.2 Practice topics Tests and Revision of the topics

• The DILR section is considered one of the most time-consuming CAT sections. It consists of questions that involve a high level of calculations and logic. To score well in the CAT DI section, practice is very much important.
• Once you have completed the basic levels of preparation, attempting tests that are planned level-wise will help you in sharpening your concepts.
• EduRev provides you with topic-wise tests of every topic to boost your preparation. You can also mark questions for review and get back to them later. 
• An analysis report is created at the end of each exam, which not only tells you all the questions you attempted right and wrong, but it also compares the time taken by you to attempt each question with the average time taken by other students. This analysis helps you not only improve your accuracy but also your speed, which is equally important in CAT.  You can also see your progress in a particular area by applying a course and time filter.
• You can attempt the test in the DILR course from here.
• With our bifurcation of easy, medium and hard questions, you can easily get to know how good you are in each topic, and how much more you have to improve. This helps in narrowing down the revision topics and ensures that your time is spent wisely.
• The probability of success increases with the revision of concepts. There is no topper of CAT who aced the exam without revising the concepts.
• During revision you can also make use of our dynamic tests to attempt questions of a particular level of difficulty, this feature allows you to create a test for yourself, you can select the number of questions, the topic, the time, and the level of difficulty.

Step 4: Practice Mock Tests Regularly

• CAT Mock Tests are very crucial as the test acquaints the candidates with the real exam scenario and helps to analyze the actual level of preparation. EduRev provides you with a complete series of CAT mock tests, to practice, Click here.
• The past year's papers are beneficial to examine the paper pattern and difficulty level of questions. We have provided the past year's papers at EduRev, for practice Click here.
• It is also recommended that you attempt the section-wise mock tests for DILR here. This will give you an idea of how the final DILR section in the exam would look like.

You should take care of the following points while attempting the DILR section in the exam:

• Scan the test: Don't just start with the first set of practice papers or mock tests while you're solving them. Give yourself 4-5 minutes to read through all of LRDI's questions and choose the few sets that you can answer quickly. Select 1-2 sets that are simple to solve first, and then move on to more complicated sets.
• Set selection: There are sets ranging from simple to difficult in any paper. Identify the easier sets and begin with them. Make sure you don't skip the simple sets in favor of the more challenging ones. You will be able to determine the difficulty level by practicing lots of sets on a regular basis. For example, choose sets with fewer people or fewer variables in the questions, and leave questions with a lot of information for later.
• Move ahead: It is critical to leave the questions which you are unable to solve while working on the questions. Not all questions are meant to be answered as some of them are tricky questions.  If you can't finish the question in the time allotted, move on to the next one without wasting any time.

After giving any test you should do the following:

• Analyze: Now that you've solved a number of previous year papers or mock tests, it's time to analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Make a list of the different types of problems you've encountered and decide which questions you're comfortable answering and which you're not. By doing this, you will be able to determine which topics need more focus.

EduRev gives you analysed result of the mocks you give, you will get to know your rank, your strong and weak areas and time you spent to solve each question.

• Improve: After analyzing your performance now, you should work upon your weaknesses so that you can increase your accuracy as well as precision while solving DILR questions. 

Other Important Links

1. Overall Understanding of Exam: 

Check out these documents and prepare your strategy for CAT accordingly.

• CAT Syllabus 2022, Important topics & Changing trends of Exam
• Details about the CAT exam (Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Syllabus)
• How to attempt CAT on D-Day
• How to Prepare for CAT with EduRev
• FAQs about CAT Exam

2. Check out Subject- Wise Strategies 

• How to Prepare for Quant with EduRev
• How to Prepare for VARC with EduRev

Happy Learning with EduRev!