Quantitative aptitude¶
Used by more exams in this list than almost any other module: SSC, railways, banking, defence, CAT and CLAT, state exams and the GATE general aptitude section. The overlap map has the full list.
What it covers¶
- Arithmetic: number system, simplification, percentages, ratio and proportion, averages, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, time and work, time–speed–distance, mixtures.
- Algebra: linear and quadratic equations, identities, inequalities.
- Geometry and mensuration: lines, triangles, circles, areas and volumes.
- Trigonometry (SSC and defence), data interpretation (banking, CAT).
Depth by exam family¶
| Family | What the exam rewards |
|---|---|
| SSC, railways | Wide syllabus including geometry and trigonometry, at speed |
| Banking | Arithmetic, number series and heavy data interpretation, under sectional time limits |
| CAT and other MBA exams | Fewer questions but deeper reasoning, especially algebra and arithmetic |
| GATE, ESE Paper I | A small numerical-ability section |
Free resources¶
- NCERT Mathematics, Class 6–10 (the base of all arithmetic and geometry): https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php
- NIOS Secondary Mathematics (self-study material): https://www.nios.ac.in
- Khan Academy arithmetic and pre-algebra: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/arithmetic
How to practise¶
Learn each chapter from NCERT, then solve official previous papers of your target exam topic by topic. Track two numbers per topic: accuracy and seconds per question. Speed comes after accuracy.