GATE 2018 is approaching and its’ high time you gather awareness of the shortcuts and tricks for the General Aptitude section.

General Aptitude section is undoubtedly the most scoring section of the GATE exam and learning some Effective Shortcuts and Tricks for this section could really help you to ace the General Aptitude section.

In order to assist you in your preparation of General Aptitude section, we bring forth this article which will acquaint you with Effective Shortcuts & Tricks for General Aptitude section of GATE.

 

 

Download In PDF

 

Subscribe for free  shortcuts and tricks , exam updates and tutorials at your personal email id.

 

Here, we provide Topic-wise Shortcuts & Tricks for General Aptitude section of GATE 2018.

 

1. Shortcuts for Data Interpretation

 These are one of the most scoring set of questions.  

 

Trick 1: Use Visual Approximation for Elimination

For questions based on Line Graphs and Bar Graphs, you can rely on visual clues and eliminate a few options based on visual clues. This would help you to arrive at correct solutions without putting in much effort and at a faster pace.

 

Trick 2: Interpret the Data before Commencing Calculation & Catch Hold of the Correct Data

Prior to Commencing calculation, make sure to read and interpret each and every statement very cautiously and avoid spending time on unnecessary calculations.

Also, ensure to copy numbers correctly onto the sheet while solving the questions.

  

Must Read : What is GATE 2017 Guarantee Pack? What is the Benefit of Availing It?

 

2. Tricks for Problem on Ages

 

If the Present Age of P is x years
n years ago, Age of P would be	(x - n) years
n years hence, Age of P would be	(x + n) years

   

3. Shortcuts for Profit & Loss

 

Important Formulae
Profit	S.P. – C.P.
Loss	C.P. – S.P.
Profit%	[(SP - CP)/CP] x 100
Loss%	[(CP - SP)/CP] x 100
S.P.	C.P. x [(100 + profit%)/100]
S.P.	C.P. x [(100 - loss%)/100]

 

Trick 1: In case most of the information is given in the form of percentages, start by assuming C.P. = 100

Trick 2: Do not get confused between Marked Price and Selling Price. Discount is generally given on the Marked Price. Therefore, in this case, Marked Price will be higher than the final Selling Price.

 

4. Shortcuts for Pipes & Cisterns

 

Trick
If Pipe A can fill a tank in	x hours
Pipe B can fill a tank in	y hours
Time Taken by both the Pipes to Fill the Tank Together	xy/(x+y)

 

   

 5. Tricks for Speed, Distance and Time

 

Trick 1	Speed = Distance/ Time   Unit of Speed is Km/hr or m/s
Trick 2	If an object travels a certain distance with ‘m’ Km/hr and again travels the same distance with ‘n’ Km/hr,   Average Speed for the Entire Journey =  2mn/(m + n)

 

Important Article : Strategy to Prepare for GATE by Self-Study/Without Coaching by experts

 

6. Shortcuts for Boats & Streams

 

Trick

If the Speed of Stream is ‘m’ Km/hr and Speed of Boat in Still Water is ‘n’ Km/hr, Then   Speed of Boat Upstream = (n - m) Km/hr   Speed of Boat Downstream = (m + n) Km/hr

 

 

 7. Tricks for Mixture & Alligation

 

Trick

When two different commodities are mixed in a way such that one is cheaper than the other,    =  Quantity of cheaper / Quantity of costlier  = (C.P of Costlier - Mean price) / ( Mean Price - C.P of cheaper)

 

 

8. Tricks for Quadratic Equations

 

The Standard form of a Quadratic Equation is

  ax² + bx + c = 0

Majority of questions are usually based on finding the Relationship between the roots of two equations:

Trick

Sum of Roots = -b/a   Product of Roots = c/a

 

 

 

9. Tricks for Approximation

 

Trick 1: Always solve the Simplification Questions using the BODMAS rule

Trick 2

You must Round off Decimal numbers to the nearest Whole numbers in order to obtain approximate value of the equation.

 

10. Tricks for Simple & Compound Interest

 

Trick 1	Formula to Compute the Simple Interest   S.I. = PTR/100
Trick 2	If Rate of Interest is R1, R2, R3 in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year respectively, then,   Amount after 3 years =   A = P (1 +R1/100) (1 + R2/100) (1 + R3/100)

 

 

 Must read : Sure Shot Questions Expected in Engineering Maths in GATE 2017

 

11. Shortcuts for Time & Work

 

If P can complete a piece of work in X days and Q can complete a piece of work in Y days, Then
Trick 1	Work Done by P & Q together in 1 day = (1/X + 1/Y)
Trick 2	Number of Days P and Q together take to complete the work   = XY/(X + Y)

 

12. Shortcuts for Number Series

The only difficulty which is being encountered in solving these questions is identifying the pattern.Practicing 40-50 questions on this topic would provide you awareness of 90% of the patterns.

 

Trick 1	Compute the differences between Immediate or Alternate numbers and analyze the Pattern in their Differences
Trick 2	Analyze the sequence for Prime Number Series
Trick 3	Analyze the Sequence for Geometric Series, Perfect Squares/Cubes

 

General Shortcuts

 

• Learn Tables and Squares up to 20, Cubes up to 10 and fractions up to 1/20 in order to speed up your calculations in the exam.
• Work on Speed and Accuracy by attempting Online Mock Test Series.

 

We are sure that the Valuable Tips listed above would surely help you to boost your score in General Aptitude section of GATE 2018.

Enroll in Mentor Program and Avail your Personalized Mentor for GATE 2017 Preparation and Doubts Clarification!

What aspirants need is the right approach along with concrete strategies to reach their goals. GATE GUARANTEE PACK has been the choice of successful GATE toppers all over India.

It is the perfect online tool to check your level of preparedness among st students preparing all over the country where you study under guidance of mentors.