Quantitative Aptitude section carries an importance weightage in the CAT exam. The CAT QA syllabus is widely divided into 5 major areas such as Arithmetic, Algebra, Modern Maths, Geometry and Number System. Time, Speed & Distance topic belongs to the Arithmetic section and every year you can see good number of questions from this particular topic. Every single number in the CAT exam leads to your overall percentile and increase scores. In CAT 2025 exam, there are 4-5 asked from TSD in total 3 slots.
As per the past year trends, this topic comprises moderate to difficult level of questions and a very very important topic that aspirant shouldn’t skip while preparing for the CAT 2026 examination. This blog covers an important PDF of TSD questions from 2017-2025 which you can download for free.
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Important Formulas for Time, Speed & Distance
General formula:
Distance = Speed × Time
Unit conversion:
Unit of speed = km/hr
1 km/hr = 5/18 m/sec
1 m/sec = 18/5 km/hr
Proportionality:
- When distance is constant: s₁ × t₁ = s₂ × t₂
(Speed ∝ 1/Time) Example table:
Speed: 3, 4, 6
Time: 4, 3, 2
Note: If speed is being multiplied by a factor x, then time will be multiplied by 1/x.
- When speed is constant:
D ∝ t or D₁ : D₂ = t₁ : t₂ - When time is constant:
D ∝ s or D₁ : D₂ = s₁ : s₂
Average Speed:
Total Distance / Total time taken
Relative speed:
The relative speed of two objects moving with speeds S₁ & S₂ when they are moving in:
- Same direction:
S₁ − S₂ (or S₂ − S₁) - Opposite direction:
S₁ + S₂
Special Cases for Trains
- When a train passes a pole (or, any stationary object of negligible length), it covers a distance which is equal to its own length.
- When a train passes a platform, it covers a distance which is equal to the sum of the length of the platform and its own length.
- When a train A passes a moving train B, it covers a distance which is equal to the sum of the length of both the trains A and B with relative speed.
- When a train A crosses a stationary train B, it covers a distance which is equal to the sum of the length of both the trains.
Special Cases for Boats
Speed of Boat = B
Speed of river or stream = R (in still water)
Speed in downstream (D) = B + R
Speed in upstream (U) = B − R
In the case of boats and streams, as the distance is constant in upstream and downstream movements, time taken is inversely proportional to the upstream and downstream speeds.
Here are few questions which are asked previously in the CAT examination, so that you will get a clear idea about what kind of questions are being asked in the Final CAT exam
CAT 2024 Slot 1
“Two places A and B are 45 kms apart and connected by a straight road. Anil goes from A to B while Sunil goes from B to A. Starting at the same time, they cross each other in exactly 1 hour 30 minutes. If Anil reaches B exactly 1 hour 15 minutes after Sunil reaches A, the speed of Anil, in km per hour, is:”
A. 14
B. 16
C. 12
D. 18
Eventually if you want most important TSD questions with the detailed solutions which have already been asked in the CAT exam, then you have to click on a button specified below to get a complete PDF (2017-2025 TSD Questions) for free.
Conclusion
Last year, almost 4-5 questions in total 3 slots are being asked from the TSD section in the CAT exam. This number is quite high and preparing well will help you get good scores in the Quantitative Aptitude section
