‘Aptitude Tests’ is a vital part of the selection process for various companies. A tool to assess a candidate’s general logic, problem-solving and language abilities, and aptitude tests generally forms the first step for selection. For you to land a job in your dream company, this is the first step of the ladder that you would need to climb for sure, and for that, you would need to prepare for these exams in a specific way.
Exam Areas
Before the actual tips and strategies to prepare for these exams, let us have a cursory look at the different areas of the exam that a student has to face:
Verbal ability:
The aim of this section is to check your language and communication skills. Above average vocabulary, good grammar and a habit of regular reading can ensure that you ace this part of the exam easily. The nature of questions in this is pretty broad, and generally all areas of the language are covered. Common questions types are:
Vocabulary questions: Sentence Completion, Synonyms, Antonyms, Paragraph Completion etc.
Grammar questions: Basic error identification in sentences.
Reading Comprehension questions: Questions based on passage reading.
Quantitative Aptitude:
This section of the exam tests the basic fundamentals of mathematics and your comfort levels with the same. The section acts as a guide to check your problem solving skills. This section includes questions from the topics as given below:
- Arithmetic (averages, speed distance time, work, ratio proportion etc.)
- Algebra (progression, inequalities, function, quadratic equation etc.)
- Geometry (basic geometry and mensuration)
- Misc. topics such as probability, permutation & combination etc.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning:
The third section of the exam, though not a regular on all exams, focuses on the logical and analytical abilities of a student. In the data-interpretation part, questions appear in the form of evaluating graphs, charts, pie-diagrams and then performing the necessary calculations/evaluations put forward by the questions. Logical reasoning includes sets and puzzle-based questions that require logical thinking. These questions revolve around indentifying the correct relationships or the correct logical order/sequence etc.
Preparation tips:
The first part of this article focused on individual exam areas and the different types of questions that are probed in these areas. In this part of the article, we outline the various things you should keep in mind for preparing for these sections.
Verbal ability:
A look at the questions types in this section would highlight the need of general reading. A newspaper of quality would suffice for the same and should give you sufficient practice to help you solve reading comprehension questions. On the other hand, along with RC questions, general reading helps a lot by helping build your vocabulary at a sub-conscious level.
Speaking of vocabulary, make sure you explore the ‘Vocab Builder’ Section and its ‘Basic Word List’ section for sure. The section takes care of your vocabulary needs and makes sure that you are aware of all the words that can be asked in your exams.
For grammar, make sure that you start with the basics, and clarify the fundamentals before you move on to rules. Learning rules and common grammar errors without conceptual clarity can land you in a soup. The above form some of the general guidelines that you need to keep in mind while preparing for the language section of the exam.
Quantitative Aptitude:
As we said above, this section explores the basics of your mathematical ability and checks your learning levels for the same. Even though the range of topics might appear to be vast, the types of questions asked in this section are conceptual in nature, and if your school-level basics are clear, you would surely do well in this part of the examination. In a nutshell, the best approach for this section of aptitude tests is to prepare and clarify the basics of Quantitative Ability. Along with that, you are recommended to work on your calculation speeds and use methods for quicker calculation.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning:
For data interpretation, there are a couple of key skills that you would need to keep in mind. Part one is about making sure that you understand the different kinds of data, and how they are represented. Part two is about being good in calculation and basic arithmetic skills. These are the two key mathematical skills that are used to solve data-interpretation questions, and you would gain greatly if you work on these. For logical reasoning questions, regular practice of puzzles, brain teasers and logical reasoning sets can go a long way in improving your attempt in this section. Exposure to the different style of reasoning acquaints the brain with these reasoning patterns and helps you identify the logic operating behind these questions easily.
Keep in mind that the overall rating of aptitude tests during the interview process is generally very important and for most of the companies, it is mandatory to pass such tests. If you have read the above closely, you would realize that the preparation for such tests is not a hard at all and all you need to do is focus on core concepts and be regular with your studies.
