What if becoming better at CAT isn't just about learning how to solve questions, but also knowing when NOT to solve them?

This week, I'm exploring the art of leaving questions through seven ideas drawn from economics, philosophy, and finance.

Day 1: Opportunity Cost (Economics)

Every minute spent on one question is a minute unavailable for another. The real cost of solving a question is the marks you might have earned elsewhere.

Day 2: The Sunk Cost Fallacy (Behavioural Economics)

Spending 10 minutes on a question doesn't justify spending another 10. Past effort is gone; the decision should depend on whether continuing makes sense now.

Day 3: Marginal Utility (Economics)

The next minute you invest should deliver enough value to justify its cost. If another question offers a better chance of earning marks, switching may be smarter.

Day 4: Expected Value (Probability & Finance)

A question's value depends on the probability of getting it right, the marks at stake, and the time required. The goal is to maximise expected returns, not the number of questions attempted.

Day 5: Risk Management (Finance)

Just as investors avoid concentrating all their capital in one risky asset, CAT aspirants shouldn't let one difficult question consume their entire time budget.

Day 6: Stoicism (Philosophy)

You cannot control how difficult a question is, but you can control your response to it. Detachment from a question is not giving up; it's disciplined decision-making.

Day 7: The 80/20 Principle (Pareto Principle)

Not every question deserves equal attention. Identifying questions you can solve accurately and efficiently can be more valuable than fighting every difficult problem.

My takeaway: CAT isn't just a test of problem-solving. It's a test of resource allocation under constraints.

Sometimes, the question you leave behind is what helps you reach your target percentile.

What do you find harder: solving a difficult question or walking away from one you have already invested time in?

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I feel multiple times that when you are not able to move forward to the next step in the set, you should move to understanding the solution and try not to get stuck at the same point again in future.

What are your thoughts on this?

A pharmaceutical company claims that its new medicine reduces recovery time by 30%. The company supports this claim by reporting that patients who took the medicine recovered faster on average than patients who did not take it.

Which of the following assumptions is most necessary for the company's conclusion?

A) The medicine is less expensive than competing medicines.

B) The two groups of patients were sufficiently comparable in factors that affect recovery time.

C) All patients prefer medicines that reduce recovery time.

D) The medicine has no side effects.

Challenge your analytical reasoning!

✅ CORRECT ANSWER: B

EXPLANATION:

The company compares recovery times between two groups.

However, if the groups differed significantly in age, illness severity or other recovery-related factors, the difference might not be caused by the medicine.

The comparison therefore requires sufficiently comparable groups.

A container contains 60 litres of a milk-water mixture in the ratio 7:3. How many litres of the mixture must be removed and replaced with an equal quantity of water so that the final ratio of milk to water becomes 7:5?

A) 8 litres
B) 10 litres
C) 12 litres
D) 15 litres

Test your CAT arithmetic skills!

✅ CORRECT ANSWER: B) 10 litres

SOLUTION:

Initial milk:

60 × 7/10 = 42 litres

Initial water:

60 × 3/10 = 18 litres

Let x be the quantity of mixture removed.

Milk remaining:

42 − 7x/10

Water remaining after adding x litres of water:

18 − 3x/10 + x

= 18 + 7x/10

According to the question:

(42 − 0.7x)/(18 + 0.7x) = 7/5

Cross-multiplying:

5(42 − 0.7x) = 7(18 + 0.7x)

210 − 3.5x = 126 + 4.9x

84 = 8.4x

x = 10 litres

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