CAT 2017 : Syllabus, Previous Year’s Exams Analysis

CAT is one of the most competitive exams of the country. This year the Common Admission Test ( CAT- 2017 ) is being conducted by IIM Lucknow.

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In this article we would cover : CAT 2017 syllabus and CAT 2016, 2015, 2014 ( Overview, score v/s percentile ) Analysis. This would help you set targets for yourself.

CAT 2017 : Syllabus ( section-wise ) 

As CAT scores act as a primary criterion used by the IIMs and other reputed colleges MBA institutes such as S.P. Jain, FMS etc. for admission into their MBA programs, the exam syllabus is designed in a way that tests a candidates aptitude for management studies. There isn’t any official syllabus released by the IIMs, but based on the previous year exams, the general syllabus followed by everyone is as follows:-

1. CAT 2017 : Quantitative Ability

• Number Systems
• LCM and HCF
• Percentages, Profit Loss and Discount, Partnerships
• Speed, Time and Distance
• Time and Work
• Geometry
• Mensuration
• Simple and Compound Interest
• Ratio, Proportion & Variation
• Averages, Mixtures & Aliigations
• Linear & Quadratic Equations, Inequalities
• Sequences and Series
• Indices and Surds
• Probability, Permutation and Combination
• Set Theory, Functions ; Mixtures and Alligations
• Trigonometry & Coordinate Geometry

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2. CAT 2017 : Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

• Paragraph Completion
• Odd Sentence
• Critical Reasoning ( Fact – Inference – Judgement )
• Grammar & Usage (Grammatical errors, Pair of commonly confusing words & Phrasal Verbs)
• Vocabulary Based

CAT generally tests knowledge of high school level grammar and includes areas like use of articles, prepositions, use of modifiers, subject-verb agreement, parallel construction, phrasal verbs, redundancy etc.

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3. CAT 2017 : Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation

• Caselets, Tables, Bar Graphs, Column Graphs, Line Charts, Venn Diagrams, Pie Charts
• Combination of two or more types linked to each other
• Logical Reasoning : Deductions, Puzzles, Games & Tournaments, Number and Letter Series, Calendars; Cubes, Clocks, Venn Diagrams, Binary Logic, Seating Arrangement; Syllogisms; Input-Output, Logical Connectives; Blood Relations etc.

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we bring to you a Score v/s Percentile Analysis of CAT – 2014, CAT – 2015 and CAT – 2016, to give you a better idea of percentile that can be expected at a certain score.

Score v/s Percentile Analysis: CAT 2016

Scores v/s Percentile Analysis: CAT 2014, CAT 2015, CAT 2016 (Past 3 years)

The following table will help you observe the trend over the last three years. One should note that the difficulty level of each paper was different and is as follows:

CAT 2014 – Easy (Overall)

CAT 2015 – Verbal (Moderate); LR + DI (Difficult); Quant (Easy)

CAT 2016 – Verbal (Moderate); LR + DI (Difficult); Quant (Easy to Moderate)

CAT – 2015 had introduced a major pattern change (from a 2 section paper to a 3 section paper with sectional time limits). CAT -2016 followed the same pattern. Though the verbal and DI + LR sections remained same in terms of the level of difficulty, the quantitative ability section was more difficult when compared to the previous year.

We hope this post gives you a better insight on CAT scores and thus helps you strategize better for CAT – 2017.

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Hope this helps.

All the best!