XAT- Xavier Aptitude Test 2026
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Hello CAT 2024 aspirants,
The CAT 2024 exam for MBA admissions from 2025-2027 is set for November 24. In this 60-day preparation guide series from Careers360, we’ll explore strategies for day 25 to help you prepare effectively and succeed in the CAT entrance test.
This article will cover CAT questions related to allegations and mixtures, CAT puzzle questions, and CAT reading comprehension questions.
When we combine two or more substances to form a single homogeneous entity, it is called a mixture. Whereas alligation is a rule that helps in finding the mean value of a mixture when the quantities and prices of the ingredients are known.
Mixture and Alligation involves combining two or more quantities with different prices, concentrations, or values to achieve a desired mixture.
The rule of alligation is used to find the ratio in which two or more ingredients at different prices (or concentrations) must be mixed to produce a mixture at a given price (or concentration).
If a Container contains ‘x’ units of pure liquid, and we replace the liquid with ‘y’ units of water, then after ‘n’ successive replacements, the units of pure liquid left are x(1- y/x)n
The weighted average method can be useful as well.
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Getting an idea from CAT's previous year's questions helps in our preparation.
Q1. If a certain weight of an alloy of silver and copper is mixed with 3 kg of pure silver, the resulting alloy will have 90% silver by weight. If the same weight of the initial alloy is mixed with 2 kg of another alloy which has 90% silver by weight, the resulting alloy will have 84% silver by weight. Then, the weight of the initial alloy, in kg, is [CAT exam 2021]
3
2.5
4
3.5
Solution: (A)
Case 1:
Let the weight of Silver = x; the weight of copper = y in the initial alloy.
According to the first condition:
(x+3+y) x 90/100 = (3+ x)
On solving, 9y = 3 + x
According to the second condition:
Quantity of silver = x + 90% of 2 Kg = 84 % of (x+ y+ 2)
On solving, 4x + 3 = 21y
Solve the two equations in two cases, we get x = 2.4 Kg and y = 0.6 Kg
Therefore, the total weight of the initial alloy = 3 Kg.
Q2. Two alcohol solutions, A and B, are mixed in the proportion 1:3 by volume. The volume of the mixture is then doubled by adding solution A such that the resulting mixture has 72% alcohol. If solution A has 60% alcohol, then the percentage of alcohol in solution B is [CAT exam 2020]
94%
92%
90%
89
Solution: (B)
Let Volume of A =100; Volume of B = 300; Volume of A +B = 400
On adding 400 litre volume of the mixture becomes 800 litres (According to question)
Alcohol in new mixture = 72% of 800 = 576
Alcohol in A = 60% of 500 = 300
Alcohol in B = 576 – 300 = 276
Percent of alcohol in B = 276x 100/ 300 = 92%
CAT exam: Prerequisite:
How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma (7th Edition: Page No 177- 180)
Mission CAT (YouTube Channel)
How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma (7th Edition: Page No 181- 189)
CAT Previous year Papers.
CAT Sample Papers.
CAT 2024 Syllabus Topic: Strategy to prepare Problem-Solving/Puzzle (Selection) for CAT
Such questions are solved by considering pre-conditions and a few essential conditions for the selection of a group.
Comprehension (CAT Puzzle Questions):
A new game show on TV has 100 boxes numbered 1, 2, . . . , 100 in a row, each containing a mystery prize. The prizes are items of different types, a, b, c, . . . , in decreasing order of value. The most expensive item is of type a, a diamond ring, and there is exactly one of these. You are told that the number of items at least doubles as you move to the next type. For example, there would be at least twice as many items of type b as of type a, at least twice as many items of type c as of type b and so on. There is no particular order in which the prizes are placed in the boxes. [CAT exam 2019]
Q1. What is the minimum possible number of different types of prizes?
Case Sensitivity: No
Answer Type: Equal
Possible Answer: 2
Explanation: If type a is 1 in number and Type b is 99 in number. Therefore, a minimum of 2 different types are possible.
Q2. What is the maximum possible number of different types of prizes?
Case Sensitivity: No
Answer Type: Equal
Possible Answer: 6
Explanation: If type a is 1 in number and type b is 2, type c is 4, type d is 8, type e is 16, and type f is 32 in number. If we proceed further type g should be at least 64 and the total count will be more than 100.
Therefore, a maximum of 6 different types are possible.
Q3. Which of the following is not possible?
There are exactly 75 items of type e.
There are exactly 45 items of type c.
There are exactly 60 items of type d.
There are exactly 30 items of type b.
Ans: (2)
Go through options:
Option 1:
If e is 75, we cannot have f (min 150 > 100)
So, the sum of a, b, c and d should be 25 where a is 1.
a = 1; b =2; c= 4; d = 18; e = 75, is a valid solution.
Option 2: If c is 45, we cannot have d (min 90 and sum will be > 100)
So, the sum of a and b should be 55 where a is 1. This is not possible at all.
In a similar way, we can check for option 3 and option 4 but it is not required now since we got our answer.
Find the criteria for selection
Formation of groups on the basis of criteria
A group is arranged in a table
Go through the options and eliminate the wrong option
Go through CAT previous year papers to analyze the types of questions asked on selection
Practice different types of problems
LRDI for CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
https://online.2iim.com › blogs › cat-preparation-strategy
Cat preparation-iQuanta (YouTube Channel)
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R S Agrawal
CAT Previous year Papers.
CAT Sample Papers.
CAT Exam Important Topic: Reading Comprehension Part-2 (CAT reading comprehension questions) for CAT Exam
In this section, we will make strategies for Reading Comprehension with the help of CAT previous years' questions based on CAT RC questions
Comprehension:
Scientists recently discovered that Emperor Penguins—one of Antarctica’s most celebrated species—employ a particularly unusual technique for surviving the daily chill. As detailed in an article published today in the journal Biology Letters, the birds minimize heat loss by keeping the outer surface of their plumage below the temperature of the surrounding air. At the same time, the penguins’ thick plumage insulates their body and keeps it toasty. . . .
The researchers analyzed thermographic images . . . taken over roughly a month during June 2008. During that period, the average air temperature was 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit. At the same time, the majority of the plumage covering the penguins’ bodies was even colder: the surface of their warmest body part, their feet, was an average of 1.76 degrees Fahrenheit, but the plumage on their heads, chests and backs was -1.84, -7.24- and -9.76-degrees Fahrenheit respectively. Overall, nearly the entire outer surface of the penguins’ bodies was below freezing at all times, except for their eyes and beaks. The scientists also used a computer simulation to determine how much heat was lost or gained from each part of the body—and discovered that by keeping their outer surface below the air temperature, the birds might paradoxically be able to draw very slight amounts of heat from the air around them. The key to their trick is the difference between two different types of heat transfer: radiation and convection.
The penguins do lose internal body heat to the surrounding air through thermal radiation, just as our bodies do on a cold day. Because their bodies (but not surface plumage) are warmer than the surrounding air, heat gradually radiates outward over time, moving from a warmer material to a colder one. To maintain body temperature while losing heat, penguins, like all warm-blooded animals, rely on the metabolism of food. The penguins, though, have an additional strategy. Since their outer plumage is even colder than the air, the simulation showed that they might gain back a little of this heat through thermal convection—the transfer of heat via the movement of a fluid (in this case, the air). As the cold Antarctic air cycles around their bodies, slightly warmer air comes into contact with the plumage and donates minute amounts of heat back to the penguins, then cycles away at a slightly colder temperature.
Most of this heat, the researchers note, probably doesn’t make it all the way through the plumage and back to the penguins’ bodies, but it could make a slight difference. At the very least, the method by which a penguin’s plumage wicks heat from the bitterly cold air that surrounds it helps to cancel out some of the heat that’s radiating from its interior. And given the Emperors’ unusually demanding breeding cycle, every bit of warmth counts. . . . Since [penguins trek as far as 75 miles to the coast to breed and male penguins] don’t eat anything during [the incubation period of 64 days], conserving calories by giving up as little heat as possible is absolutely crucial.
Explanation:
Paragraph 1: About the discovery of Emperor penguins in Antarctica.
Paragraph 2: About the behaviour of the body parts of penguins at very low temperatures.
Paragraph 3: About the heat transfer by penguins for their survival through radiation.
Since their outer plumage is even colder than the air, the simulation showed that they might gain back a little of this heat through thermal convection—the transfer of heat via the movement of a fluid (in this case, the air).
Paragraph 4: Given the Emperors’ unusually demanding breeding cycle, every bit of warmth counts, conserving calories by giving up as little heat as possible is absolutely critical.
On the basis of this analysis, we will solve the questions related to this passage. Strategies to solve an RC will be discussed in the next article.
Tenses and Parts of Speech
Each paragraph indicates a different point.
Summarize each paragraph in a word or phrase
Skimming Text
No facts or figures need to be memorized (Just know where they are)
Look for transition words to connect the ideas.
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension for CAT by Meenakshi Upadhyay and Arun Sharma (9th Edition)
TCY Online
CAT Previous year Papers.
Bodhee Prep CAT Preparation (YouTube)
We will be back with Day 26 of the CAT exam preparation guide 2024 for 60 days tomorrow. Do practice and be focused.
Hello aspirant,
The question papers for CAT MGU University can be found on their official website, or you can also visit careers360 website for the same.
The link of which, I am attaching here,
https://university.careers360.com/articles/mgu-cat-2025
Regards
Hello Anshuman!!!
You have gotten 86% in 10th, which is a good score. 70% in graduation is not the best but decent. But the main problem is your 12th score which is 62%.
You would be already aware that the Top IIMs (BLACKI) give a big emphasis on your academic score. Let me tell you one example of IIM Ahmedabad,
According to a research i read a few days ago, in IIM Ahmedabad,
70.8%
of students has 90+ percent in 12th,
25.8%
has 80-90 percent and around
3.8%
has less than 80% with the bracket of 60-69 having only
0.26%
students of the total batch. Nearly same is the case of the other top IIMs like IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Indore.
Statistically, getting into these TOP IIMs is possible with 62% in 12th is possible (0.26% has done it) but practically you cannot get into these TOP IIMs unless you top the CAT exam.
See, I don't wish to dishearten or demotivate you but I wish to tell you the truth. Although the probability of you getting into these TOP IIMs is very less, but trying is better than doing nothing. You have a good score in 10th which will certainly help you. The least you could do is try your best.
My advice would be that you should not focus on these things like "Will I get top IIM" or negative talk like " I got low marks I won't qualify" etc.
The main focus should be on your preparation.
Give 100% in your preparation because that's the only thing in your hand. You can't change your 10th/12th/Graduation scores but you can put some more effort in your preparation which would certainly help to get better percentile.
Keep working hard and give your best. You might surprise yourself!!! And if not BLACKI, there are many other good colleges like FMS, MDI, newer IIMs etc.
Hello,
Yes, with a 622 rank in IPU CET for MBA and being a Delhi candidate, you have a good chance of getting admission in MAIT (Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology).
You don’t need to worry about not giving the CAT exam. IPU CET rank is enough for admission in MAIT under the CET quota.
Just make sure to keep MAIT high in your preference list during counselling.
Hope it helps !
Hello,
A NEET 2025 score of 333 marks, an All India Rank (AIR) near 3,56,000, and belonging to the SC category from Andhra Pradesh suggest a fair possibility of obtaining an MBBS seat within the state quota, especially in private medical colleges under Category A (government quota seats in private institutions).
In Andhra Pradesh, SC category cut-offs for Category A seats in private institutions generally vary from 320 to 370, influenced by the college and the counselling round. Government medical colleges tend to be more competitive, with the SC cut-off for MBBS frequently rising, often exceeding 400 marks.
Although obtaining a government MBBS seat is improbable, you stand a feasible opportunity in private medical colleges within A category (which offer lower tuition than B and C categories). In Round 2 or the Mop-Up round, you can anticipate improved opportunities, since cut-offs generally decrease when other students move to superior colleges or vacate seats.
Colleges such as NRI Medical College (Guntur), Katuri Medical College (Guntur), Great Eastern Medical School (Srikakulam), Alluri Sitarama Raju Academy of Medical Sciences (Eluru), and Fathima Institute of Medical Sciences (Kadapa) are among those where seats could become available for SC students in subsequent rounds under Category A.
Hope this helps. All the best!
Yes, candidates who qualify in CUSAT CAT can gain admission to various participating institutes based on their rank. These include engineering colleges associated with CUSAT, such as its own School of Engineering in Kochi, Model Engineering College, and over 20 government and private engineering colleges across Kerala like College of Engineering Thrikkaripur, Co-operative Institute of Technology Vadakara, and MG College of Engineering Thiruvallam. The final seat allotment is based on your rank and your choice of program during the counselling process.
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