Statistics and GMA for Civil services

How many of you have competitive-exam ARITHMOPHOBIA (fear of numbers)?

-Are you that person who chose pure science group only to avoid maths?

-Do you feel like bashing the person who invented calculus?

-Do you shudder like you have committed a sin on seeing sin, cos and tan?

-Do you shiver at the sight of General Mental Ability problems?

-Do you hate the alphabet 'x' just because it comes in algebra?

-And are you finally that person who hates civil service exam for its GMA section?

Yes. Then this blog is definitely dedicated to you, my friend. Why are you afraid of numbers? Or of logical puzzles? If you say you hate solving puzzles or detest even the thought of problem-solving, then how can the country believe in your ability and award you with one of the most coveted services in India? You have to take the initiative to fall in love with numbers and to live with numbers.


Life is in itself a complex puzzle. We live a life that unfolds mysteriously before our eyes.

# Can you predict the character of a stranger you meet on the road? He is an 'x'. An unknown. Algebra!

# How large is your living room? Area!

# How huge is your water tank? Capacity!

# How fast can you drive on a traffic free road? Time and distance!

# You eat a family pack ice-cream in one hour. You share it with a friend and it is gone in forty minutes. Time and work!

# More friends mean less time to finish the family-pack. Inverse proportion!

# How will you share it equally? Fractions!

# Your marks in exams. Profit in business. Percentages!

# You love someone. What are the chances that he/she loves you back? Probability!

# Find your place on an atlas and express it latitude-longitude-wise. Graphs!

# All mothers are affectionate to their babies. This needs no proof, yet true. Axiom!

# How long can you live on earth? Approximation theory!

# On an average, what is your monthly electricity bill? List it out for the past one year. Statistics!

So can you hate life now, since it incorporates so many mathematical concepts? No. You can't. Mathematics was not thrown from the sky. It is no alien flying saucer. It is not gifted only to a few. It belongs to everyone. And is present in everyone's life. That we do not comprehend this fact creates problems.

Only a person who solves problem knows the joy of it. Take a question from your GMA section. Do not look at its answer. Solve it and then go to answers page. The moment you see that your answer and the given answer are the same, you will feel that joy. For some it may last a bit longer, but there cannot be anyone who does not enjoy that little success. Keep thinking and I'll get back to you with tips on easy-puzzle-solving...