A quant plan for IBPS PO

In the prelims, quant gives you 20 minutes for 35 questions, about 34 seconds each. In the mains, Data Analysis & Interpretation has 40 questions for 60 marks, most of them built on tables, charts and caselets. The two stages look different, but both reward the same two things: fast, accurate calculation and smart question selection. This plan builds both.

How the prelims section usually looks

Recent prelims papers and most mock series build the section from a few recurring blocks. The exact mix varies, so treat this as a guide to what to practise, not a promise.

In the mains, most questions are DI in different forms: tables, charts, caselets, missing data, data sufficiency and arithmetic built into DI.

Topic priorities

Start with the "Highest" row because it pays fastest. But do not stop there: DI and arithmetic are where the mains is decided, and they rest on percentages and ratios.

A six-week order

After week 6, move to one sectional test a day and one full mock a week, and keep one mains-level DI set a week going even before the prelims.

Shortcuts that save minutes, and why they work

1. Fraction–percentage pairs. 1/7 = 14.29%, 1/8 = 12.5%, 1/9 = 11.11%, 1/11 = 9.09%, 1/12 = 8.33%, 1/16 = 6.25%. Why: DI is full of percentages of awkward numbers. 14.29% of 490 is slow; 490 ÷ 7 = 70 is instant.

2. Successive percentage change. A change of a% followed by b% is a net change of a + b + ab/100 percent. Why: (1 + a/100)(1 + b/100) = 1 + (a + b)/100 + ab/10,000. Use negative values for decreases.

3. Squares near 50. (50 + k)² = 2,500 + 100k + k². So 53² = 2,500 + 300 + 9 = 2,809, and 47² = 2,500 − 300 + 9 = 2,209. Why: it is just the expansion of (a + b)².

4. Products near 100. 97 × 96 = (100 − 3)(100 − 4) = 10,000 − 700 + 12 = 9,312. Why: (100 − x)(100 − y) = 10,000 − 100(x + y) + xy.

5. Difference of squares. 96 × 94 = (95 + 1)(95 − 1) = 95² − 1 = 9,025 − 1 = 9,024. Why: (a + b)(a − b) = a² − b².

6. Percentage growth. Growth % = (new − old) ÷ old × 100. Why it needs saying: most DI errors come from dividing by the wrong base.

Five worked questions

Q1. Successive change. The price of a book rises 20% and then falls 10%. What is the net change?

• Net = 20 − 10 + (20 × −10)/100 = 10 − 2 = 8% increase.
• Check: 100 → 120 → 108.

Q2. DI-style growth. A company sold 480 units in 2024 and 552 in 2025. What was the percentage growth?

• Increase = 552 − 480 = 72.
• Growth = 72 ÷ 480 × 100 = 15%.

Q3. Profit with discount. A shopkeeper marks goods 25% above cost and gives a 12% discount. What is the profit percentage?

• Selling price = 1.25 × 0.88 = 1.10 times the cost.
• Profit = 10%.

Q4. Time and work. A can finish a job in 12 days and B in 18 days. How long do they take together?

• Take the total work as the LCM of 12 and 18, which is 36 units. A does 3 units a day and B does 2.
• Together: 5 units a day, so 36 ÷ 5 = 7.2 days.

Q5. Trains. A 240 m train passes a pole in 12 seconds. How long does it take to cross a 360 m platform?

• Speed = 240 ÷ 12 = 20 m/s, which is 20 × 18/5 = 72 km/h.
• To cross the platform it covers 240 + 360 = 600 m, so 600 ÷ 20 = 30 seconds.

Question selection in 20 minutes

1. Start with quadratic equations or simplification: sure marks in about 30 seconds each.
2. Number series next, but only the patterns you see within about 20 seconds.
3. One DI set with friendly numbers. Scan both sets for a few seconds and pick the one with rounder figures.
4. Arithmetic word problems of familiar types. Skip anything that needs a long setup.
5. If time is left, return to the questions you marked.

How to analyse a quant mock

After each mock, sort every question you got wrong or skipped:

After four or five mocks, the largest type tells you where to focus.

Common mistakes

• Doing only topic-wise practice and never full sectionals with a timer.
• Starting with the hardest DI set because it comes first on the screen.
• Writing every step on paper instead of building mental calculation.
• Ignoring arithmetic because "DI is more important". DI questions are built on percentages, ratios and averages.
• Dividing by the new value instead of the old one in growth questions.

Practice set

1. Work out 17 × 18 in your head.
2. What is 56²?
3. Write 7/8 as a percentage.
4. Find 36% of 450.
5. A price rises 25% and then falls 20%. What is the net change?
6. One pipe fills a tank in 10 hours and another empties it in 15 hours. With both open, how long does it take to fill the empty tank?
7. Find the simple interest on ₹8,000 at 7.5% a year for 4 years.
8. Work out 96 × 94.

Answers:

1. 306. 17 × 18 = 17 × 20 − 17 × 2 = 340 − 34.
2. 3,136. (50 + 6)² = 2,500 + 600 + 36.
3. 87.5%. 1/8 = 12.5%, so 7/8 = 7 × 12.5%.
4. 162. 36% of 450 = 450 × 36/100 = 162. Or 10% is 45, so 30% is 135, plus 6% (27) gives 162.
5. No change. 25 − 20 + (25 × −20)/100 = 5 − 5 = 0. Check: 100 → 125 → 100.
6. 30 hours. Net rate = 1/10 − 1/15 = 3/30 − 2/30 = 1/30 of the tank per hour.
7. ₹2,400. SI = 8,000 × 7.5 × 4 ÷ 100.
8. 9,024. (95 + 1)(95 − 1) = 9,025 − 1.

What to do next

• Fifteen minutes of calculation every day: tables to 30, squares to 50, the fraction–percentage pairs above.
• Follow the six-week order, one block at a time, with a topic test at the end of each.
• From week 3, one 20-minute quant sectional a day.
• Start with the fastest block: quadratic equations.