How to attempt the DILR section for a 99+ percentile?

Main ideas / lessons conveyed (DILR strategy for CAT aiming 99+ percentile)

• DILR is highly selective, and “set quality” matters

  • Sets typically fall into easy / moderate / hard categories.
  • Usually, you’ll see roughly:
    • 1–2 easy sets
    • 1–2 moderate sets
    • remaining 1–2 hard sets
  • (Example mentioned: when there are ~4–5 sets in total.)
  • Your score depends on choosing the right sets and executing them efficiently.

• Aim for consistent high performance, not perfection

  • The strategy is meant to help you perform well in most mocks.
  • It’s not guaranteed to produce the absolute best outcome in every attempt.

• CAT paper difficulty is uncertain

  • Patterns can vary across years—questions may be easier, or the number/structure of sets may change.
  • Therefore, you need a strategy that works under uncertainty.

• Target approach: secure enough marks rather than “all 99+” from DILR alone

  • The speaker suggests aiming for about 98/97/99 across sections overall.
  • Your DILR goal is to reliably pick easy-to-moderate sets and complete them correctly.

Core takeaway: reliably score well by selecting the best sets, not by attempting everything.

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Step-by-step methodology (as presented)

1) “Wait” first, then scan the entire DILR section (first 4–5 minutes)

• Do not attempt any questions for the first 4–5 minutes.
• Use this time to scan the whole DILR paper (not just headlines/format).
• While scanning, for each set:
  • Read the entire set (not only the first lines).
  • Spend about 1 to 1.5 minutes per set during scanning.
  • Estimate whether it looks easy / moderate / difficult.
  • Check for:
    • familiarity with the question type
    • complexity level
    • what kind of work it requires (data handling, tables, calculations, etc.)

2) Build a “rough ranking order” of sets

• Create an ordered list like:
  • 1st = easiest
  • then 2nd, 3rd, 4th… in decreasing perceived difficulty
• Clarification:
  • This ranking is intentionally not perfect.
  • It’s based on educated guesses from scanning, since true difficulty may only be confirmed after starting.

3) Attack strategy: start from easiest sets and move gradually to harder ones

• Start solving with the easiest set first.
• Then move to moderate, and only later attempt harder sets.
• Rationale:
  • Hard sets can consume 10–15 minutes (or more).
  • There’s no bonus for completing difficult sets—prioritize the marks you can score reliably.

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Rules / guardrails during execution

• Keep ego out of it

  • Don’t get emotionally attached to a set after starting.
  • If the set becomes harder than expected, adapt quickly—staying attached can damage performance.

• Time limit rule when stuck

  • Don’t spend more than ~10 minutes on a question/set if you’re not making progress.
  • Ask: Am I moving toward the solution or not?
  • If not, move on.

• Expect deliberate difficulty later in a set

  • Some sets may become difficult in later questions (e.g., the 4th/5th question within the set).
  • Difficulty may come from:
    • more calculations
    • rebuilding tables
    • unfamiliar steps
  • Strategy:
    • Re-check quickly: Can I do it accurately and fast enough?
    • If not, switch sets to protect your overall scoring opportunities.

• Be aware of negative marking

  • Avoid leaving answers that could lead to negative marks from incorrect attempts.
  • In the final minutes, be especially cautious about actions that could reduce your score.

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Quick recap of the strategy (end summary from the speaker)

• Scan first, create a rough set order, and keep mental peace.
• Start easiest → then harder.
• Don’t get stuck: if no progress, don’t exceed ~10 minutes; move on.
• Don’t stay attached to any one set—better options likely remain.
• Overall goal pattern:
  • consistently pick 1–2 easy/moderate sets
  • and possibly 2–4 additional sets depending on what fits the pattern and your assessed difficulty

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Speakers / sources featured

• Aditya (speaker) — Second-year student at IIM Bangalore; CAT qualifier who reported improving from 92% in CAT 2023 to 99.6 in CAT 2024.