1. Solve Previous CAT papers

First things first, the best source of question sets for LR and DI for CAT are the previous years’ CAT papers. I know it’s a cliche and you’ve probably already heard this multiple time, but it is the single most important thing that any serious CAT aspirant MUST do religiously!

CAT papers can not only familiarize you with the kind of questions and the difficulty level you can expect in the actual paper, but it is also an excellent question bank with a large number of good questions.

You can get the previous CAT papers

• Either online for free, which most people prefer (Here is the link: CAT Previous Question Papers with solution 20 Years free download pdf)
• Or buy a book like this one – ‘Previous Years Solved CAT papers’ by Arun Sharma. Although you will have to buy this, it is a preferred option as it allows you to have all the questions compiled topic-wise, so that whenever you need to focus on a particular area, you can solve questions from that topic itself, rather that searching from the complete set of previous CAT papers. Remember, the book is not just for LR-DI. It is for all the sections (Especially useful for QA and VA, not RCs since the RCs of yesteryear papers were too long)

2. Analyse

Having solved a decent number of question sets from previous CAT papers as well as mock tests, you’d realize where you’re falling short.

The usual scenario is:

• DI can be solved, but it sometimes takes too much time
• LR can sometimes take too much time, or you just don’t get the logic at all.

It is recommended to make categories of problem types in each of these sections and then identify which ones you are comfortable & not comfortable with. This can help you recognize which are the ones you need to work more on.

Examples of categories can be:

• LR: Cubes, Rankings, Arrangements (Linear/Circular), Table based LR sets, Games, SET theory based etc.
• DI: Line and bar charts, Pie charts, Tables based etc.

3. Improve

DI: To improve your speed, you have to be quick with you calculations. This is possible through.

1. Learning:

• Squares at least till 30
• Cubes at least till 20
• Sq. roots till 10
• Fractions to percentage conversions

2. These will help you increase your calculation speed and save a good amount of time.

3. Try options or do approximate calculations wherever possible. Remember, you just have to tick the right answer.        CAT is not a subjective exam.

4. Choose your question set wisely

LR Improvement areas:

1. Invest some seconds over a question and study the question carefully. A brief explanation of why each choice is correct or incorrect should run through your mind. If you can practice this tip in sample reasoning questions, you will do well on the actual assessment.
2. NEVER assume or use any information that the question fails to give you. This is NOT an assessment of how much you know about a subject in general! Consider ONLY the information given in each reading passage when choosing among the alternative responses.
3. Read both the factual passage and the sentence completion instructions carefully. Both must be considered when making a choice.
4. Be sure to read all the response choices carefully before eliminating or choosing one of them.
5. In questions that ask you to select a valid conclusion, always choose the one conclusion that must definitely follow from the information you are given. In questions that ask you to find the invalid alternative, choose the one conclusion that does not definitely follow from the information.
6. Pay special attention to words like “all,” “some,” or “none” when you read the factual information each question gives you. Other qualifying words such as “other than,” “only” or “unless” are important, too. These words can play a critical part in precisely specifying the facts to be used when reasoning.
7. Pay attention to negative prefixes such as non-, un-, or dis-. These can be crucial to specifying the basic facts in the paragraph.
8. You should also be very careful of any response choices that contain the quantifiers “all” or “none”. Generally, in both the sample practice questions and in the actual CAT assessment, these words are NOT signs of incorrect response choices. They will appear in both correct and incorrect response choices.
9. Pay close attention to the word “ONLY” and to the phrase “IF AND ONLY IF”.  Saying “The car lock will open IF AND ONLY IF original keys are used” sets up a highly specific condition that must be met. There is exactly one way to open the car lock – you must use the original keys of the car. By contrast, if the sentence says, “The car lock will open if the original key is used,” there may be several ways to open the car lock beside by using the original key.
10. The questions in the assessment will vary in difficulty level, and difficult questions will be mixed in with easier ones throughout the CAT Paper. When you encounter a question that is difficult for you, try to draw diagrams or other schematic notes on your “scratch” paper that is provided to support and confirm your thought process. Also, bear in mind that you can stop working on a difficult question temporarily and return to it later but that’s possible only if you have not changed sections.