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CAT Syllabus 2024 (New Update): Download PDF With Weightage

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a computer-based test held in India that has a moderately fixed pattern and CAT syllabus. The syllabus consists of topics varying from Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability (VA) Reading Comprehension (RC), Data Interpretation (DI) and Logical Reasoning (LR). The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) conducts this exam and uses the test for selecting students for their business administration programs. The exam is conducted every year by one of the IIMs based on a policy of rotation. In this article, we have shared a brief overview of the CAT Syllabus, and have also attached the syllabus pdf at the end.

CAT Community

Therefore, it becomes crucial for you to thoroughly understand the CAT syllabus, for which we have provided details below.

ParticularsCAT Exam Details
CAT Conducting BodyIIM (Indian Institute of Management)
CAT Official Websiteiimcat.ac.in
CAT Exam ModeOnline CBT (Computer Based Test)
Sections in CAT3 Sections
– Quantitative Ability (QA)
– Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
– Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI)
CAT Exam Duration2 Hours (40 mins. for each section)
Question TypesMCQ & TITA
CAT Exam Total Questions66
– QA: 22
– VARC: 24
– LRDI: 20
Total Marks198
Marking Scheme+3 for correct answer
-1 for incorrect answer

CAT Syllabus and Exam Eligibility Criteria

To appear for the CAT exam, a candidate should have at least 50% marks or an equivalent GPA in graduation. SC/ST/PWD candidates should have at least 45% marks.

Start Your CAT 2025 Journey Today with iQuanta

  • You can also apply if you have completed a professional degree (CA / CS / ICWA) with 50% marks or equivalent.
  • Final-year students are also eligible to apply for the CAT Exam.
  • If you are preparing for the CAT exam, then you need to check the following CAT eligibility criteria:

CAT Exam Reservation

15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. 27% of seats are reserved for OBC candidates belonging to Non-Creamy Layer (NC – OBC).

Non Creamy layer OBC Classification

As per the official classification, the sons and daughters of a person (belonging to an OBC) with a gross annual income of 8 Lakh INR or above for three consecutive years fall into the creamy layer and are not eligible to avail of the benefits of reservation entitled to other OBC categories. They are treated as general-category candidates.

CAT 2024 Important Dates

The important dates for the CAT 2024 exam should be taken care of so that you do not miss the deadlines.

EventsCAT Important Dates 2024
CAT 2024 notification release30th July 2024
CAT 2024 registration starts2nd August 2024
CAT 2024 Registration ends13th September 2024
CAT 2024 admit card25th October 2024
CAT 2024 exam date26th November 2024
Release of CAT 2024 Response Sheet & Question Paper2nd week of December 2024
Last day to challenge answer keySecond week of December 2024
CAT 2024 ResultSecond week of January 2025

CAT Syllabus Overview

Complete CAT Syllabus for CAT Exam. While it is a popular notion amongst students that CAT is unpredictable, the syllabus for CAT has in fact been somewhat unpredictable, especially in the DILR section. CAT exam underwent some changes in the year 2020, wherein the duration of the test was reduced to 2 hours from 3 hours duration. The number of questions in each of the sections was reduced too. The exam is usually held in 3 slots; morning, afternoon & evening.

The CAT Exam is divided into 3 sections, spanning 40 minutes long each, making it a 2-hour exam

DetailsCAT 2022 Pattern
Test duration2 hours
Test slots3
Total number of questions in CAT66 (varies)
Total marks198
No. of questions in VARC section of CAT24 (varies)
No. of questions in CAT DILR section20 (varies)
No. of questions in CAT QA section22 (varies)

As per previous years, the sections and question split are

  • Section 1: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension – 24 Questions (19 non-MCQs)
  • Section 2: Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation – 22 Questions (6-8 non-MCQs)
  • Section 3: Quantitative Aptitude – 20 Questions (14 non-MCQs)

The tricky part of the above pattern is that CAT does not allow you to toggle between sections, i.e. you have to complete the section within 40 minutes to move on to the next one as per the above order.

Now, let’s discuss the syllabus for each of these sections in detail.

Read More: CAT Exam Pattern 2024 | Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, & LR

Section-Wise CAT Syllabus for MBA

1. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

A. Verbal Ability (VA)

  1. Total Questions: 8
  2. Sectional Weightage: 30%

Topics:

  • Para Summary: Here you are given a paragraph, with 4 summary options and you need to choose an option that summarises the given paragraph best.
  • Para jumbles: Arrange the jumbled sentences to be arranged logically/sequentially correct paragraph.
  • Odd One Out: Pick the out-of-context sentence, from the given set of sentences.
  • Para Completion/Fill in the blanks: Here you will be given a sentence and a paragraph with 4 blanks in between and you need to choose the blank in which the given sentence would fit to make the best sense.

Half of the VA questions are generally NON-MCQ with no penalty for the wrong answer.

B. Reading Comprehension (RC)

  1. Total Questions: 16
  2. Sectional Weightage: 70%

Format:

  • 4 RCs
  • There are 4 Questions in each RC
  • RC Areas – Business, Social Sciences, Economics, Humanities, Science, Current Affairs, Literature, History, Abstract and Mixed Genres.

Type of Questions – Tone of the passage, Critical Reasoning Questions, author’s view of a particular matter, the main idea of RC, the purpose of the passage, inference-based questions.

2. Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI)

20 questions, with 4-6 non-MCQs (TITA-based), in recent year’s CAT exams one can observe that the sets given in the CAT Exam cannot be categorized into any particular segment, but are given as a mix of LR and DI topics.

A. Data Interpretation

Topics:

  • Data Table
  • Bar diagrams
  • Pie charts
  • Graphs
  • Quant Based Caselets

Format:
The questions utilize – text, tables, graphs (line, area), charts (column, bar, pie), and Venn diagrams, are asked. Data could be given in the form of tables, charts or graphs.
The motive is to test a candidate’s ability to interpret data and derive insights from it.

B. Logical Reasoning

Topics:

  • Venn Diagram and Venn Diagram Optimization
  • Games and Tournament
  • Logic Based Puzzles
  • Linear and Matrix Arrangement
  • Network Flow Diagram

3. Quantitative Aptitude (Quants)

Quant undoubtedly has the widest syllabus when it comes to CAT. But the good part is that, despite being wide, it is well-defined thus allowing candidates to take a structured approach

Total Questions: 22 questions (4-6 Non-MCQs)

Quant is divided into 5 major pillars:

– Algebra:
  • 6-7 Questions
  • Topics: Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Inequalities, Logarithms Functions, Sequence & Series, Binomial Theorem, and Maxima & Minima.
– Arithmetic:
  • 8-9 Questions
  • Topics: Percentages, Profit & Loss, Interest (SI & CI), Averages, Ratio & Proportions, Speed Time & Distance, Mixtures & Allegations, Time & Work.
– Modern Math:
  • 1-2 Questions
  • Topics: P&C, Set Theory and Probability.
– Number System:
  • 1-2 Questions
  • Topics: Divisibility Rules, Factors, Remainders, HCF & LCM, Factorials, Last digits, Last 2 digits, and Property of Numbers.
– Geometry:
  • 4-5 Questions
  • Topics: Triangles, Circles, Mensuration, Co-ordinate Geometry, Trigonometry, Solids, 3D Geometry, Lines & Angles.

Detailed CAT Syllabus

1. Quantitative Ability

TopicsDuration of the TopicSub-TopicsApplication SessionsConceptual SessionsTotal VideosTotal Practice Questions
Numbers3 weeks
  1. Numbers Basics
  2. Divisibility
  3. Remainders
  4. HCF & LCM
  5. Tips, Shortcuts & Practice
6499290
Arithmetic4 weeks
  1. Percentages
  2. Profit & Loss
  3. Dishonest Seller
  4. Simple & Compound Interest
  5. Instalments
  6. Averages
  7. Ratio & Proportion
  8. Mixture & Alligation
  9. Time & Work
96176585
Time, Speed & Distance2 weeks
  1. TSD: Basics
  2. Relative Speed
  3. Circular Motion
  4. Tricks to Solve TSD Questions
5553215
Modern Maths3 weeks
  1. Permutations & Combinations: Basics
  2. Arranging Distinct and Identical Things
  3. Finding the Number of Solutions to Equations
  4. Balls & Boxes Practice Questions
  5. Probability
64102250
Algebra4 weeks
  1. Algebra Basics
  2. Quadratic Equations
  3. Inequalities
  4. Maxima Minima
  5. Logarithm & Modulus
  6. Graphs
  7. Functions
  8. Integral Solutions
86155365
Progressions & Series1 week
  1. Sequence & Series (AP, GP, A.G.P)
  2. Special Series & Function
213680
Geometry3 weeks
  1. Lines & Angles
  2. Triangles & Other Polygons
  3. Circles
  4. Quadrilaterals
  5. 3-D Mensuration
55106230
Total20 weeks40317272015

2. Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation

TopicsDuration of the TopicApplication SessionsLive SessionsTotal Videos in Application SessionsTotal Practice Sets With Video Solutions
Data Interpretation
  1. Intro & Tools
  2. Tables - 1
  3. Tables - 2
  4. Line & Bar Graphs
  5. Pie Charts
  6. Misc. Graphs - 1
  7. Misc. Graphs - 2
  8. Misc. Graphs - 3
4 weeks8440152
Cubes1 week211028
Linear Arrangements1 week311533
Circular Arrangements1 week211028
Venn Diagrams2 weeks422048
Distribution1 week211028
Selection1 week211028
Binary Logics1 week211028
Games & Tournaments2 weeks422048
Network Flow Diagrams1 week11523
Quant Based DI1 week12526
Total16 weeks2916155470

3. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

TopicsDuration of the TopicApplication SessionsLive SessionsTotal VideosTotal Practice Questions
Grammar
  1. Parallel Errors
  2. Adverbs
  3. Subject-Verb Agreement
1.5 week3136116
Reading Comprehension
  1. Science & Tech.
  2. Business & Economics
  3. Arts, Society & Culture
  4. History & Politics
  5. Philosophy & Psychology
  6. Mixed
10 weeks201090214
Para Summary1 week212481
Para Completion0.5 week111246
Odd One Out1 week212481
Para Jumbles1 week2124183
Critical Reasoning & FIJ1.5 weeks3136103
Total16.5 weeks3316246824

Important links:


Where to Prepare For CAT 2024?

In order to get into these top colleges one needs to clear MBA Entrance Exams. If you are looking for structured CAT preparation along with 24*7 doubt-solving, you can rely on iQuanta’s CAT 2024 Course. Practice the most relevant CAT-level content with iQuanta.

CAT 2024

Indrajeet Singh
Indrajeet Singhhttps://www.iquanta.in/
The mastermind behind IQuanta, Indrajeet Singh is an expert in Quant and has devised some ingenious formulae and shortcuts to significantly cut down on the time taken to solve a problem

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