Tricks to Increase Quants Score in IPMAT

The Quantitative Aptitude (Quants) section of the IPMAT (Integrated Programme in Management Aptitude Test) is often perceived as the toughest barrier by many aspirants and rightly so. It tests not just your mathematical knowledge, but your speed, accuracy, and strategic decision-making under pressure. However, with the right tricks, mindset, and consistent practice, you can turn this section into one of your strongest.

Here are proven strategies and tricks to increase Quants score in IPMAT, curated especially for AceIPM aspirants.

1. Build a Strong Foundation First

Return to using NCERTs as your foundation; a firm foundation is essential. The majority of the Quantitative Aptitude problems in the IPMAT exam involve applying concepts rooted in Arithmetic, Algebra, Number Systems, and Geometry. Older textbooks, such as NCERT Class 9 to Class 12 Math, are an excellent resource for developing a solid grasp of these underlying concepts. Clarity in your basic concepts is more important to him than shortcuts without understanding. Instead of just memorizing formulas, take the time to learn how these formulas are derived and where they are applicable. By developing a deeper understanding of the concepts, you will be able to approach problems with greater flexibility and creativity. Organize your study timetable by topic-wise preparation.  Focus on a specific section for a week, such as percentages and ratios, Algebra, or Geometry. This makes your preparation systematic and thorough.

2. Master Shortcuts and Mental Math

When taking the IPMAT entrance exam, your ability to solve math problems quickly will certainly be an advantage. While good scores depend on how accurately you solve math questions, you will also benefit if you can perform calculations quickly or without having to do much math.

Here’s a list of some useful methods to help you complete your calculations faster. 

• Memorizing numbers up to 30: Use the formulae for squares and identities to help with your calculations.
• Use the breaking down method for difficult multiplications. For example: 5 X (divide by 2) = 10, which will reduce many multiplication calculations.
• Knowing divisibility rules allows you to quickly determine if a number can be divided evenly into two equal parts, such as knowing the rule for even numbers is to divide by 2; knowing this will make working with larger numbers much easier for you.
• When calculating percentages, you can save time by just moving the decimal point: for 10% = (move decimal point left one), for 1% = (divide by 100 or shift decimal point left two). 
• As an estimate, you may not have to provide an exact answer on every question quickly enough to eliminate answer choices. When using this technique, an estimated answer should allow you to eliminate potential choices from consideration.

3. Use the 80/20 Principle

Different topics in IPMAT have different levels of importance. You should determine which topics will yield the most points and put your best effort into those.To ascertain this you should look at the past year of papers and mocks and discern patterns of recurring topics and assess which topics hold the most scoring potential.

• You should allocate approximately 70% of your time to mastering these primary topics, leaving 30% for topics that occur infrequently or have low-scoring potential. You’ll be employing the Pareto principle (the 80-20 principle).
• While developing your understanding of these key topics, create and maintain a formula book that contains all the formulae, identities, and tricks you deem essential. You’ll then use this formula book for micro-revision (we will address micro-revision later on).

4. Micro-Revision: Smart & Regular

Regularly completing small bits of revision will yield greater results than doing it just a few times over a long period. If you set up a mini-revision period of 10 to 15 minutes each day, that is enough time to scan through your formula notebook, attempt two or three tricky problems again, and/or review your shortcuts. 

Utilize any dead time (i.e., travel, waiting, breaks) to quickly recap your formulas. The small chunks of time will help reinforce your memory, keep your shortcuts readily available, and aid you in recalling them during your exam.

5. Take & Analyze Mock Tests Religiously

Mock tests are tools used for diagnostic assessment as opposed to simply practice.

FREQUENCY: 

• When you begin your preparation, consider taking one full-length mock test every week. 
• As your examination date approaches, you will want to increase the number of mock tests completed every week to 2–3.

At the end of each mock test, take the same amount of time to analyse your performance as you did completing the test itself. 

You should also log every mistake from each mock test (e.g., misreading a question, miscalculation, gaps in understanding) and how to correct that mistake e.g., what the correct method should have been to solve that question. 

AceIPM recommends spending twice the amount of time analyzing a mock test as you do completing it.

• Track the amount of time it takes to complete each portion of each mock test. This will help you identify which types of questions cause you to take too long to complete. 
• Develop an optimal strategy for yourself as to how to approach your mock test so that you can make intelligent decisions as to which questions to attempt first, which questions to mark for later review, and which questions you should skip altogether.

6. Adopt a Smart Attempt Strategy

Your strategy on exam day will have just as much of an effect on your success as your preparation. When approaching an exam, pay attention to the following points:

• Begin with the easy questions: This will help you gain confidence and momentum. Set aside the medium and hard questions to complete later.
• Implement a time guideline: For quantitative-type questions, use the “one-minute rule”. If you haven’t completed a question or aren’t reasonably confident with an answer within approximately one minute (or your predetermined time), you will need to flag that question and move on to another question. (This is a time-saving IPMAT strategy!)
• Do not guess what you are uncertain of: Negative scoring on the IPMAT means that you should rule out all possibilities before taking a guess. You must be reasonably sure before taking a guess.
• Be wary of SA (short answer) questions: Many students choose to ignore them because they do not have any answer selections available in the IIM Indore IPMAT exam. However, SA is just as crucial as other questions, and the more practice you get with those types, the quicker and more accurate you will become.

7. Develop Exam Temperament and Mental Strength

In order to score high in Quantitative Reasoning, focus on both the skills you will need to do well in this area, as well as the psychological factors affecting how you perform. When taking mock exams, become accustomed to simulating stress by remaining calm and not panicking when you see a difficult question (flagged).  When stuck on a question, it is best to skip over it and come back to it later, assuming you have enough time remaining to complete the exam.

Mindfulness and concentration can be practiced using breathing exercises or taking short pauses between mock exams, which can help you remain calm and focused.

8. Leverage Multiple Methods for Problem Solving

There is seldom a single “right way” to approach quantitative problems; flexibility is an asset. Multiple methods should be practiced to increase your ability to solve for unknowns. When you encounter an algebra problem, for instance, learn both substitution and elimination methods. When working through geometry problems, visualize by sketching, breaking shapes apart, and using symmetry.

To make progress with challenging word problems, quickly translate the given information into the necessary equations. Use mental math to solve for the missing values whenever possible.

9. Identify and Avoid Common Mistakes

Recognizing the most common mistakes may save you points. 

• Focusing Too Intensely on One Area: Many students become overly focused on the Quant section and neglect the Verbal or LR sections completely.  It’s important to find a balance between all sections. 
• Ignoring Retention of Formulas: While it is essential to learn the formula, it’s equally important to continually review it.  Creating a formula notebook and applying micro-revision is helpful. 
• Blindly Guessing: If you guess blindly, you are likely to miss points.  Always use elimination strategies to guess. 
• Time Management Problems: If you do not have a strategy for how long to spend on the questions, you will likely spend too much time on the more difficult questions and not enough time on the easier questions.

10. Customize Based on Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Each student’s learning is unique; therefore, your approach must match the learner’s learning pattern(s).

• Strengths-first: If you are skilled with arithmetic operations, then use your knowledge of arithmetic operations to achieve quick wins.
• Weakness targeting: Using mocks and topic tests identifies your weakest topics; therefore, you should focus on developing those topics with dedicated effort (strategy loops: learn → practice – easy → medium → difficult → prepare to resit). AceIPM recommends following this strategy loop for each topic.
• Non-maths students: Using a commercial degree, or non-maths subjects from the previous two school years, would not provide the mathematical basis for the preparation of either the pre-university or licentiate examinations. You would need to focus more on understanding the basics of mathematics and performing regular practice sessions.
• Do not neglect the revision of formulas. Many candidates have written forums stating that continually analyzing their mocks and creating a notes file with formulas has greatly assisted in improving their marks.

11. Track Progress and Set Benchmarks

• On a Weekly basis: Use the end of topic-wise practice to assess your after-completion levels of Accuracy, Speed, and Comfort in completing that area of study.
• Monthly Goal(s): Example: A 3-month Goal will include completing 70% to 80% of the Quantitative Section in the Mock Test within the time allotted for that section. (This is included in AceIPM’s plan.) 
• Final 1-2 Months: 1st 3-4 weeks should include 2-3 Mock Tests per week, along with Daily Micro-Revision, Formula Review, and Time Strategy Refinement. 
• Celebrate Small Successes: Whenever you experience an increase in your mock exam scores, acknowledge that achievement. Building on that momentum is important to staying focused and encouraged.

12. Stay Healthy

Making sure your brain is healthy means taking care of both your body & mind. Get at least 7 hours of sleep. If you’re tired, you can’t focus on anything, especially on the difficult parts of the Quantitative sections, which need to be completed under time pressure. Take short, frequent breaks while studying; this allows you to avoid total exhaustion and allows your brain to recharge between studying sessions.

Do some form of meditation or physical activity; even just doing something daily can increase your ability to concentrate & decrease the feelings of anxiety associated with studying.

13. Use peer-assisted learning 

Find someone to work together with in groups. Teaching a fellow student about a particular concept helps solidify your understanding of that same concept.

If you’ve learned a new trick for solving a problem or have found a way to make a problem easier to solve, take time out before school starts to teach that concept to someone else. You get to reinforce the concept and identify areas in which you need to improve your reasoning skills.

Also, obtain feedback from fellow students on how you did on your last practice test, what errors you made, and how you plan to improve those errors.

14. Stay Consistent and Adapt

• Stick to a routine: Quant prep should not be “on and off.” Even if you practice just an hour daily, consistency beats last-minute cramming.
• Adapt based on mock performance: Use your mistake journal to refine which tricks are working, which topics remain weak, and where time is leaking.
• Be okay with skipping sometimes: Not every tough problem in mocks needs to be solved perfectly. The goal is to maximize the total score, not to solve every question.

Conclusion: Tricks to increase Quants Score in IPMAT

The Quantitative Aptitude section of IPMAT is not just a math-focused area; it’s all about being intelligent. The quickest way to improve your quant score is to build yourself a solid mathematical foundation, along with being able to quickly apply these mathematical principles through clever shortcuts and efficient revisions through disciplined preparation and systematic mock-test practices.

At AceIPM, we believe that with the right mindset and a structured approach to quantitative aptitude preparation, this section can become a superpower, rather than a barrier. Consider these methods as a roadmap on your way to becoming a better-prepared candidate for the examination, and keep adjusting the methods you find useful, continuing to fine-tune them as your performance improves.

Good luck! Stay focused and believe in yourself; Allow numbers to enhance your abilities, rather than becoming obstacles to them!