Aptitude
If this were a book, this page is the table of contents. Each Part below is a chapter; unwritten chapters are listed as stub rows, not empty files.
Parts
00 — Foundations
Before drilling any section, the reader needs to know what these tests actually gate, how they’re scored, and how to practice without wasting reps. This Part sets up vocabulary and strategy the other four Parts assume.
- What Aptitude Tests Actually Assess — (stub) — why aptitude rounds still exist in MAANG-adjacent pipelines (NQT, off-campus OAs, vendor-run screens) even when the core loop is DSA/system-design
- Test Format & Scoring — (stub) — sectional cutoffs, negative marking math, adaptive vs. fixed-form tests
- Study & Practice Strategy — (stub) — spaced practice, keeping an error log, the speed-vs-accuracy tradeoff
01 — Quantitative Aptitude
The math section: a small set of formula families that cover the large majority of quant questions across vendors (AMCAT, CoCubes, Mettl, in-house Google/Amazon-style screens).
- Number Systems, HCF & LCM — (stub) — divisibility rules, remainders, factors, LCM/HCF shortcuts
- Percentages, Profit-Loss & Interest — (stub) — percentage change chains, discount/markup, simple vs. compound interest
- Ratios, Averages & Mixtures — (stub) — ratio-proportion, weighted averages, alligation/mixture problems
- Time-Speed-Distance & Time-Work — (stub) — relative speed, trains/boats-streams, work-rate combination problems
- Permutations, Combinations & Probability — (stub) — counting principles, arrangement vs. selection, basic probability; distinct from Data Structures & Algorithms, which covers the algorithmic generation of permutations/combinations rather than exam-speed counting shortcuts
- Data Interpretation — (stub) — tables, bar/line/pie charts, caselets — speed-reading a dataset under time pressure
02 — Logical Reasoning
Pattern recognition and structured deduction — the section that most reliably separates prepared candidates from unprepared ones, because the patterns are learnable but rarely taught in a CS curriculum.
- Blood Relations, Direction Sense & Coding-Decoding — (stub) — family-tree notation, compass-direction tracking, letter/number coding schemes
- Syllogisms & Statement-Based Reasoning — (stub) — Venn-diagram method for syllogisms, statement-conclusion, statement-assumption
- Series & Analogies — (stub) — number/letter series patterns, verbal and non-verbal analogies, odd-one-out
- Puzzles & Seating Arrangement — (stub) — linear/circular arrangement, grid puzzles, data-sufficiency framing
03 — Verbal Ability
English-language proficiency under time pressure — grammar correctness, vocabulary precision, and reading speed.
- Grammar & Sentence Correction — (stub) — error-spotting categories, sentence improvement, common subject-verb/tense traps
- Vocabulary: Synonyms, Antonyms & Usage — (stub) — one-word substitution, idioms, contextual usage vs. rote memorization
- Reading Comprehension — (stub) — passage-first vs. question-first strategy, inference vs. explicit-detail questions
- Para Jumbles & Sentence Ordering — (stub) — spotting the mandatory pair/opening sentence, coherence signals
04 — Mock Tests & Exam Strategy
Turning section-level competence into a full-length score — timing discipline, negative-marking calculus, and the vendor-specific patterns that show up in actual MAANG-adjacent pipelines.
- Full-Length Mock Test Format — (stub) — simulating real sectional timing and interface constraints, not just untimed practice
- Timing & Section Strategy — (stub) — time-boxing per section, skip/return heuristics, expected-value math on negative marking
- Error Log & Review Framework — (stub) — post-mock root-causing: careless vs. conceptual vs. time-pressure errors
- Company-Specific Patterns — (stub) — Amazon OA, Google NQT/STEP, Microsoft, and the AMCAT/CoCubes/Mettl vendor screens that gate off-campus MAANG-adjacent pipelines in India — genericize any real screening details before publishing, this is a public site
Metadata
| Author | Amit Singh |
| Scope | aptitude |
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Linked from 23 notes
Notes — Library Index
The front page of the notebook — every book-shaped domain, the applied Projects and flat Inbox folders, and how they cross-link into one wiki instead of duplicating content across each other.
Study & Practice Strategy
Spaced practice, error logging, and the speed-vs-accuracy tradeoff for aptitude prep.
Test Format & Scoring
Sectional cutoffs, negative marking math, and adaptive vs. fixed-form test formats.
What Aptitude Tests Actually Assess
Why aptitude rounds still gate MAANG-adjacent hiring pipelines even when the core interview loop is DSA and system design.
Data Interpretation
Reading tables, bar/line/pie charts, and caselets accurately under time pressure.
Number Systems, HCF & LCM
Divisibility rules, remainders, factors, and LCM/HCF shortcuts for speed-solving.
Percentages, Profit-Loss & Interest
Percentage-change chains, discount and markup, and simple vs. compound interest problems.
Permutations, Combinations & Probability
Counting principles, arrangement vs. selection, and basic probability for exam-speed solving.
Ratios, Averages & Mixtures
Ratio-proportion reasoning, weighted averages, and alligation/mixture problems.
Time-Speed-Distance & Time-Work
Relative speed, trains and boats-streams problems, and work-rate combination problems.
Blood Relations, Direction Sense & Coding-Decoding
Family-tree notation, compass-direction tracking, and letter/number coding-decoding schemes.
Puzzles & Seating Arrangement
Linear and circular seating arrangements, grid puzzles, and data-sufficiency framing.
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