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.
Therefore, it becomes crucial for you to thoroughly understand the CAT syllabus, for which we have provided details below.
| Particulars | CAT Exam Details |
|---|---|
| CAT Conducting Body | IIM (Indian Institute of Management) |
| CAT Official Website | iimcat.ac.in |
| CAT Exam Mode | Online CBT (Computer Based Test) |
| Sections in CAT | 3 Sections – Quantitative Ability (QA) – Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) – Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI) |
| CAT Exam Duration | 2 Hours (40 mins. for each section) |
| Question Types | MCQ & TITA |
| CAT Exam Total Questions | 66 – QA: 22 – VARC: 24 – LRDI: 20 |
| Total Marks | 198 |
| 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.
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- 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.
| Events | CAT Important Dates 2024 |
|---|---|
| CAT 2024 notification release | 30th July 2024 |
| CAT 2024 registration starts | 2nd August 2024 |
| CAT 2024 Registration ends | 13th September 2024 |
| CAT 2024 admit card | 25th October 2024 |
| CAT 2024 exam date | 26th November 2024 |
| Release of CAT 2024 Response Sheet & Question Paper | 2nd week of December 2024 |
| Last day to challenge answer key | Second week of December 2024 |
| CAT 2024 Result | Second week of January 2025 |
CAT Exam Pattern
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
| Details | CAT 2022 Pattern |
|---|---|
| Test duration | 2 hours |
| Test slots | 3 |
| Total number of questions in CAT | 66 (varies) |
| Total marks | 198 |
| No. of questions in VARC section of CAT | 24 (varies) |
| No. of questions in CAT DILR section | 20 (varies) |
| No. of questions in CAT QA section | 22 (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.
Section-Wise CAT Syllabus for MBA
1. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
A. Verbal Ability (VA)
- Total Questions: 8
- 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)
- Total Questions: 16
- 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
| Topics | Duration of the Topic | Sub-Topics | Application Sessions | Conceptual Sessions | Total Videos | Total Practice Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers | 3 weeks |
| 6 | 4 | 99 | 290 |
| Arithmetic | 4 weeks |
| 9 | 6 | 176 | 585 |
| Time, Speed & Distance | 2 weeks |
| 5 | 5 | 53 | 215 |
| Modern Maths | 3 weeks |
| 6 | 4 | 102 | 250 |
| Algebra | 4 weeks |
| 8 | 6 | 155 | 365 |
| Progressions & Series | 1 week |
| 2 | 1 | 36 | 80 |
| Geometry | 3 weeks |
| 5 | 5 | 106 | 230 |
| Total | 20 weeks | 40 | 31 | 727 | 2015 |
2. Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation
| Topics | Duration of the Topic | Application Sessions | Live Sessions | Total Videos in Application Sessions | Total Practice Sets With Video Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Data Interpretation
| 4 weeks | 8 | 4 | 40 | 152 |
| Cubes | 1 week | 2 | 1 | 10 | 28 |
| Linear Arrangements | 1 week | 3 | 1 | 15 | 33 |
| Circular Arrangements | 1 week | 2 | 1 | 10 | 28 |
| Venn Diagrams | 2 weeks | 4 | 2 | 20 | 48 |
| Distribution | 1 week | 2 | 1 | 10 | 28 |
| Selection | 1 week | 2 | 1 | 10 | 28 |
| Binary Logics | 1 week | 2 | 1 | 10 | 28 |
| Games & Tournaments | 2 weeks | 4 | 2 | 20 | 48 |
| Network Flow Diagrams | 1 week | 1 | 1 | 5 | 23 |
| Quant Based DI | 1 week | 1 | 2 | 5 | 26 |
| Total | 16 weeks | 29 | 16 | 155 | 470 |
3. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
| Topics | Duration of the Topic | Application Sessions | Live Sessions | Total Videos | Total Practice Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grammar
| 1.5 week | 3 | 1 | 36 | 116 |
Reading Comprehension
| 10 weeks | 20 | 10 | 90 | 214 |
| Para Summary | 1 week | 2 | 1 | 24 | 81 |
| Para Completion | 0.5 week | 1 | 1 | 12 | 46 |
| Odd One Out | 1 week | 2 | 1 | 24 | 81 |
| Para Jumbles | 1 week | 2 | 1 | 24 | 183 |
| Critical Reasoning & FIJ | 1.5 weeks | 3 | 1 | 36 | 103 |
| Total | 16.5 weeks | 33 | 16 | 246 | 824 |
Important links:
- CAT Exam Syllabus PDF Download link
- Top B-Schools in India for MBA
- Top 10 CAT Exam Myths Debunked
- All About CAT Exam
Where to Prepare For CAT 2024?
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