Data Interpretation for CAT 2012: Past 5 years' trend & preparation basics

June 21, 2012 - PRLog -- Ever since the division of the CAT sections has been merged from three to two in 2011, the CAT aspirants have to focus on each of the areas of the exam. Apart from Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, the areas which remain are Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. In today’s article, we will discuss the past trends and basic preparation strategy for Data Interpretation for CAT 2012.


CAT 2007 – This section had 25 questions out of 75 questions. This section did not ask any question on Logical Reasoning. While 21 questions were from Data Interpretation, four questions were from Data Sufficiency. The overall difficulty level was Easy to Moderate.

CAT 2008 – Out of 90 questions in total, 25 questions were on this section. Majority of the questions were on Data Interpretation. The Logical Reasoning questions were also there. Data Interpretation, Data Sufficiency and Logical Reasoning were the areas from where the questions were asked. The difficulty level of the section was Moderate.

CAT 2009 – This section had 20 questions out of 60 in total. The difficulty level was tougher than the other two sections. The DI section was dominated with Data Sufficiency questions, which were verbose and lengthy and hence needed much concentration to solve them. The difficulty level was moderate to difficult.

CAT 2010 – CAT 2009 had 20 questions and followed similar pattern as CAT 2009. This section was tough compared to others. After the first few days of the section got even tougher. The questions were tough and calculation intensive which have the candidates a hard time.

CAT 2011 – In the new pattern, Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability had 10 questions each. While the Data Interpretation area was clubbed with Quantitative Ability section, the Logical Reasoning area was clubbed with the Verbal Ability section.  While the Data Interpretation area had questions on graphs, charts, caselets, the Logical Reasoning area had analytical reasoning, puzzles, caselets etc. The question types were on the expected lines.

Topics of Data Interpretation

The Data Interpretation section of CAT consists of graphs, charts, tables etc. for calculating data. Though some questions need calculation, others can be solved without calculation. To have a closer view, this area consists of questions on Tables, Bar Charts, Pie Charts, Line chart/Scatter diagrams; Caselet/Logic based DI, Network Diagram etc.  

Preparing for Data Interpretation for CAT 2012

In order to get a good grip of the Data Interpretation part, you should be good with numbers and fast mental calculation. Vinayak Kudva, Product Head, IMS Learning says, “Improve your ability to work with numbers. You need to be as good as possible in mental calculations viz. additions, subtraction, multiplications, divisions, percentages and ratios. This can only be achieved through consistent practice.” Like other section, this section also needs thorough practice. Observing numbers in different forms and ways is a simple way to improve your speed with numbers.

Solving previous years’ CAT questions of Data Interpretation is the best way to start your practice. Reading can also boost your preparation meter for DI area. As Gejo Sreenivasan, Principal Consultant, Career Launcher says, “You must practice a lot in order to interpret the data. Solve at least one DI problem every day. You must read articles, especially on business which are heavy on data and analyze them. This will keep your 'DI cells' on toes.” Kudva says in a similar tone, “Refer to the graphs and data provided in various business papers and magazines. You need to identify techniques to solve questions which require big and time consuming calculations.”

Books & Preparation Material for CAT 2012 Data Interpretation

Some of the books, which will help you in preparing for the Data Interpretation part of the Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation section are, ‘How to prepare for the Data Interpretation for CAT’ by TATA-McGraw Hill publications, ‘How to prepare for the Data Interpretation for CAT’ by Arihant Prakashan, ‘Course In Mental Ability and Quantitative Aptitude’ by Edgar Thorpe.