1. Think Like Sherlock, Not a Parrot

Instead of asking, “What’s the formula for this?” start asking, “What’s happening in this question?”

Let’s say you’re solving a question on averages. Instead of panicking and thinking, What’s the shortcut?, ask yourself:

• What does average mean?
• Can I break this down step by step?

When you understand the core concept, you don’t need a formula; you’re building it yourself from logic. And guess what? That sticks way better than memorization. If a train is moving and there's a monkey on top (classic CAT setup), pause. Visualise. Walk through it like a scene in a movie, not a dry math problem. Understanding is more important than memorisation.

2. Use Dummy Numbers

Can’t recall the percentage formula? Cool, just assume something easy. Say the original price is ₹100. Add 20%, boom, it’s ₹120.

Replace X and Y with your own numbers and watch the question unfold like an easy question. CAT questions love logic more than your memorised equations.

3. Draw, Visualise, and Break It Down

Especially for Geometry and Mensuration, forget formulas for a second. Just draw the figure. Label the sides. Think about what’s happening.

A question about a triangle? Sketch it. See what the question is really saying.

A circle is involved? Mark the radius, the chords, and look at the angles.

When you see things visually, the need for rote memorization vanishes. You start spotting relationships and patterns intuitively.

4. Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

Ever tried speed-solving and ended up marking the exact wrong option you were trying to avoid? Yeah, me too.

Here’s a secret: go slow during practice. Understand every move. Later, when it’s game time, you’ll go fast without even trying. It’s muscle memory, like learning a dance routine or hitting that perfect cricket shot.

5. Keep an “Oops” Journal

Every time you mess up, jot it down. Not just the error, but why it happened. Was it panic? Misread? Silly calculation?

It’s like a blooper reel. And trust me, reviewing it before mocks is 10x more helpful than rereading your formula notes for the 100th time.

6. Work on Mental Math and Estimation

A lot of CAT Quant isn’t about exact values. It’s about spotting the right range, eliminating options, and making smart guesses. Train your brain to do fast multiplication, basic squares, cubes, and quick divisions. Not for speed, but to reduce your reliance on pen and paper. Accuracy goes up when you reduce silly calculation errors.

At the end, I would say, formulas have their place. But if you’re someone who dreads memorising pages of them, don’t worry, you’re not doomed. CAT rewards understanding more than memory. If you train your brain to think, spot patterns, and break questions down logically.

So ditch the formula FOMO. Grab a notebook, go slow, and trust your brain.