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Tips to Solve TITA/ Non-MCQ Questions in CAT 2022: Check Difficulty Level, Preparation

CAT Question Paper has two types of questions i.e. MCQ and TITA/ Non-MCQ. Based on previous years' paper analysis we can conclude that around 17-20 questions will be of TITA type CAT Question Paper 2022. There are no options provided in TITA Questions and Answers to be typed in through the virtual keyboard. 

There will be no negative marking for TITA questions in CAT 2022 and the correct answers will get you +3 marks. With no options to choose from, TITA questions tend to be slightly more time-consuming than MCQ-type questions. Read the article to know more about CAT TITA Questions, the right approach to solve the TITA questions, and much more. 

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What are TITA Questions in CAT?

What are TITA/Non-MCQ Questions in CAT?

  • IIM Ahmedabad, choose to introduce non-MCQs/ TITA in the CAT 2015. Non-MCQs are termed as TITA Type in the answer type questions are the ones that do not present 4 options before the candidates. Instead, CAT aspirants have to type in the correct answers in a text box provided on the screen using a keyboard on their own.
  • In the absence of negative marking in case of TITA questions, top-scorers, as well as experts, suggest attempting as many such questions as possible, though while keeping an eye on the watch is also suggested at the same breath.
  • The catch of the TITA question is that due to low accuracy and lack of options to help guesswork, it could just cost the candidates very valuable time. You must ensure not to get carried away by the lure of scoring a neat 45-60 marks without the fear of negative marking and spend more time on TITA questions that leave you very little time to answer the rest of the paper.
Number of TITA Questions in CAT

Number of TITA/Non-MCQ Questions in CAT

  • To give you a fair idea as to how many TITA questions to expect in the upcoming CAT session, in the table below, we tabulate the section-wise number of TITA questions that have been asked in previous year CAT question papers. 
  • It is worthwhile to mention here that as per last year’s trend, out of 66 questions in CAT exam, there are 24 questions in VARC, 22 in QA,  and 20 in DILR. Also Check CAT Paper Analysis 
  • Each question carries 3 marks while each wrong answer to multiple-choice questions attracts a penalty of -1/4 mark.

TITA/Non-MCQs Previous Years Analysis

Year VARC DILR QA % of TITA Questions
CAT 2021 5 5 8 18
CAT 2020 4 5 8 17
CAT 2019 10 8 7 25
CAT 2018 10 8 10 28
CAT 2017 7 6 7 20
CAT 2016 10 8 7 25
CAT 2015 10 24 14 32

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How to Attempt TITA Questions?

How to Attempt CAT TITA Questions?

The difficulty level of the TITA questions in CAT varies from section to section. Also, there is no uniform strategy to tackle such questions. You would do well to select questions based on your expertise as well as those that are less time-consuming. In the table that follows, we present an analysis of TITA questions based on experts’ views and previous years’ paper analysis:

Section Difficulty Level Topics Strategy
VARC Lengthy & tough Para jumbles, Summary, Odd Sentence Out Attempt RC first, and leave VA for the last to attempt
DI & LR Moderately difficult Tables, Arrangements, and Venn Diagrams Attempt only if you identify the correct approach to answer
QA Easier than MCQs Arithmetic, Algebra, Numbers Attempt only if the concept is clear. Follow instructions like answers up to decimal places.

Approach For CAT VARC TITA Questions

Topic Expected Number of Questions Approach to Solve Questions
Para jumbles 3
  • Careful with the time management while solving TITA questions in Para Jumbles
  • Experts advise leaving the TITA questions on Para Jumbles for the last minutes. 
Summary 3
  • Critical reasoning skills required
  • Practice & understanding of various question types is required
Odd Sentence out 3-4
  • Solve like normal MCQs.
  • Do not get confused as no separate approach is required here.

Read How to Prepare for CAT VARC?

Approach For CAT DILR TITA Questions

Set of Questions Expected Number of Questions Approach to Solve Questions
Set 1 All TITA Questions (6)
  • Visualize or draw the diagrams as per the questions. 
  • Take the help of a virtual calculator. 
Set 2 TITA + MCQ Questions (2+4)

Read How to Prepare for CAT DILR?

Approach For CAT QA TITA Questions

Topic Expected Number of Questions Approach to Solve Questions
Various Topics 8-9
  • Use the same methods or approach that you will use for MCQ-type Questions. 
  • The only difference in TITA QA Questions is that you cannot estimate answers by checking the options. 
  • Attempt only if you are sure about the concepts. 

Read How to Prepare for CAT QA? 

Expert Tips to Solve TITA Question

Expert Tips to Solve TITA/ Non-MCQ Question

Now, take a look at an expert opinion as to how to tackle to challenges of TITA questions, using previous years' analysis.

  • TITA questions in Quant and DI sections are difficult to solve owing to lengthy, time-consuming calculations. Though TITA questions do not penalize you directly for wrong answers, the prospect of your answer turning out to be wrong costs you crucial time which is not affordable in an exam like CAT. So the strategy should be, set yourself a time limit to attempt TITA questions and most importantly, stick to the limit.
  • Most CAT veterans vouch for the elimination method to answer multiple-choice questions. However, in the case of TITA, there is no scope for deploying this method. Only if your concept is clear will you be able to deduce the answer. So if you are unsure about the question, don’t bother to waste your time on it.
  • Experts suggest that TITA questions be attempted the last after you are done with answering all other questions in a particular section since they can be time-consuming and difficult to solve.
  • Please ensure that you read carefully the instructions to answer TITA questions as not answering the questions in the prescribed format could render it wrong.
  • While preparing for CAT, if you practice solving regular questions, say from QA or VARC, without checking the options, then you would be simultaneously practicing for the TITA questions as well. Let say, if you solve a para jumble without looking at the options, then you will be prepared to tackle a probable TITA para jumble question in CAT.

TITA questions are the trap that can induce you to spend more time on them than you can afford thus leading to a low accuracy rate and lower overall percentile. Also, TITA questions are not a single category, rather they should be treated flexibly, as per the question type. Moreover, despite the lure of no negative marking, answer only the questions, that you are sure of and have rock-solid expertise in.

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CAT TITA Question Samples

CAT 2022 TITA Question Samples

Each section in CAT 2022 has its own set of TITA questions. Candidates are required to fill in the answers by typing it out by keypad. Given below are some samples for CAT 2022 TITA Questions

Ques 1:

A: Despite the strong performance of the economy in 2010-11, the outlook for 2011-12 is clouded by stubborn and persistently high inflation, and rising external risks.

B: The three key macroeconomic concerns before the Union Budget 2011-12 were high inflation, high current account deficit (CAD), and fiscal consolidation.

C: Additionally, there was an expectation that the government would restart the reform process.

D: While the Budget sets a lower nominal gross domestic product (GDP) growth target of 14%, we believe that the real GDP growth target of 9% factored in the Budget is on the optimistic side.

E: The Budget has made an attempt to address all these issues, albeit through small steps.

  1. BCEAD
  2. CBAED
  3. DACEB
  4. ADCEB

Ans: Option A

Ques 2:

The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the author's position.

North American walnut sphinx moth caterpillars (Amorpha juglandis) look like easy meals for birds, but they have a trick up their sleeves — they produce whistles that sound like bird alarm calls, scaring potential predators away. At first, scientists suspected birds were simply startled by the loud noise. But a new study suggests a more sophisticated mechanism: the caterpillar's whistle appears to mimic a bird alarm call, sending avian predators scrambling for cover. When pecked by a bird, the caterpillars whistle by compressing their bodies like an accordion and forcing air out through specialized holes in their sides. The whistles are impressively loud — they have been measured at over 5O dB from 5 cm away from the caterpillar — considering they are made by a two-inch long insect.

  1. North American walnut sphinx moth caterpillars will whistle periodically to ward off predator birds - they have a specialized vocal tract that helps them whistle.
  2. North American walnut sphinx moth caterpillars can whistle very loudly; the loudness of their whistles is shocking as they are very small insects.
  3. The North American walnut sphinx moth caterpillars, in a case of acoustic deception, produce whistles that mimic bird alarm calls to defend themselves.
  4. North American walnut sphinx moth caterpillars, in. a case of deception and camouflage, produce whistles that mimic bird alarm calls to defend themselves.

Ans 2: Option 3

Ques 3:

A: These were mainly bulwarks against winter, the hoarded dregs of more plentiful seasons.

B: The first were the earliest mince pies, which saw cooked, shredded meat, dried fruits, alcohol with its preservative qualities and perhaps a few spices or herbs, all encased in large pies.

C: Subsequently, people baked this into a kind of pie, adding bread-crumbs for bulk, eggs to bind it, and upping the dried fruits and called it 'plum pudding'.

D: The pudding seems to have had two principal forerunners.

E: The second main pudding was a pottage or soup called frumenty, a fast dish involving cracked wheat, currants and almonds which was ladled out at the start of a meal.

  1. ECDAB
  2. BAECD
  3. DACEB
  4. DBAEC

Ans 3: Option D

Ques 4: How many pairs of integers (x, y) exist such that x2 + 4y2 < 100?

  1. 95
  2. 90
  3. 147
  4. 180

Ans 4: 

y will lie in the range [-4, 4]

When y = 4 or – 4, x will lie in the range [-5, 5] = 11 values. Total pairs = 22

When y = 3 or – 3, x will lie in the range [-7, 7] = 15 values. Total pairs = 30

When y = 2 or – 2, x will lie in the range [-9, 9] = 19 values. Total pairs = 38

When y = 1 or – 1, x will lie in the range [-9, 9] = 19 values. Total pairs = 38

When y = 0, x will lie in the range [-9, 9] = Total 19 pairs.

Total pairs = 22 + 30 + 38 + 38 + 19 = 147 Option 3.

Ques 5: A test has 20 questions, with 4 marks for a correct answer, –1 mark for a wrong answer, and no marks for an unattempted question. A group of friends took the test. If all of them scored exactly 15 marks, but each of them attempted a different number of questions, what is the maximum number of people who could be in the group?
[1] 3
[2] 4
[3] 5
[4] more than 5

Ans 5: 

c + w + n = 20

4c – w = 15

Adding the two equations, we get 5c + n = 35

c(max) = 7, when n = 0 & w = 13

c(min) = 4, when n = 15 & w = 1

Maximum number of people who could be in the group = Number of possible values of ‘c’ = 4. Option B

Ques 6:

How many integers x with |x|< 100 can be expressed as x=4−y34x=4−y34 for some positive integer y?

  1. 0
  2. 3
  3. 6
  4. 4

Ans 6: 

x=4−y34=1−y34x=4−y34=1−y34
y3 = 4(1-x) = 4 – 4x
x = 0 or -3 or -15 or -53
No. of valid values of x = 4. Option D

Ques 7: Reading Comprehensions (Topics provided below)

  • Different Types of Aggression
  • Piracy
  • Visual Culture
  • Renewable Energy

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