CAT 2025 Slot 1 · DILR · Question 7

CAT 2025 Slot 1 previous year question on Quant Based Puzzles and Optimisation, with the answer and a step-by-step solution.

Quant Based Puzzles and OptimisationLOGICAL REASONING - High LevelType in the answer (TITA)Medium

Set 2: InnovateX — Elite and Novice Ratings — this question belongs to a set. Read the full set with all 5 questions →

At InnovateX, six employees, Asha, Bunty, Chintu, Dolly, Eklavya, and Falguni, were split into two groups of three each: Elite led by Manager Kuku, and Novice led by Manager Lalu.

At the end of each quarter, Kuku and Lalu handed out ratings to all members in their respective groups. In each group, each employee received a distinct integer rating from 1 to 3.

The score for an employee at the end of a quarter is defined as their cumulative rating from the beginning of the year. At the end of each quarter the employee in Novice with the highest score was promoted to Elite, and the employee in Elite with the minimum score was demoted to Novice. If there was a tie in scores, the employee with a higher rating in the latest quarter was ranked higher.

Asha, Bunty, and Chintu were in Elite at the beginning of Quarter 1. All of them were in Novice at the beginning of Quarter 4.

Dolly and Falguni were the only employees who got the same rating across all the quarters.

The following is known about ratings given by Lalu:

• Bunty received a rating of 1 in Quarter 2.

• Asha and Dolly received ratings of 1 and 2, respectively, in Quarter 3.

How many employees changed groups more than once up to the beginning of Quarter 4?

Answer & solution

Answer: 0

Exactly one promotion and one demotion happen at the end of each quarter, so three quarters produce three of each.

Clue 1 says Asha, Bunty and Chintu all begin in Elite and are all in Novice by Quarter 4.

Three demotions are available and three people must each be demoted at least once, so each of them is demoted exactly once and never comes back.

The three promotions therefore all go to Dolly, Eklavya and Falguni, one each.

Every one of the six employees thus changes group exactly once.

So no employee changed groups more than once, and the answer is 0.

Shortcut. Counting the moves settles it without any ratings: three quarters give three demotions, and three named people must each use one. There is nothing left over for a second move by anybody.

CAT 2025 Slot 1 · DILR · Question 7

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