CAT Syllabus

CAT conducts online examinations to shortlist candidates for the MBA and postgraduate programs in the IIMs and other Business Colleges. The syllabus and Exam pattern plays a very important role in the preparation for any examination. It is good to have updated information on the syllabus for any competitive exam. Proper information regarding the CAT Syllabus and Exam Pattern will help candidates create an effective preparation strategy. This section will help you with complete details of the CAT exam covering the detailed exam syllabus and the exam pattern.

CAT Syllabus 2024

Candidates who are preparing to appear in the CAT 2024 examination must have all the updates regarding the latest exam pattern and the syllabus. CAT consists of only one stage of the Computer Based Examination which is conducted in various test centers all over India. It is an objective-type test and the final result is decided based on the candidates’ performance in this computer-based test. We have mentioned below the CAT 2024 Syllabus and Exam Pattern to give a better idea to the candidates.

CAT Syllabus Latest Changes

Syllabus & Pattern for CATChanges in CAT 2019 to 2020Changes in CAT
Total Questions76 instead of 100Decrease from 76 to 66
Total scoreDecrease from 100 to 76Decrease from 228 to 198
Total questions in the VARC sectionDecrease from 34 to 26Decrease from 26 to 24
Questions asked overall in the DILR sectionDecrease from 32 to 24Decrease from 24 to 20
Total Questions in the QA sectionDecrease from 34 to 26Decrease from 26 to 22

CAT 2024 exam syllabus has three distinct sections which are:

CAT Exam Pattern 2024

The CAT 2024 exam pattern is as follows

CAT SectionQuestionsMCQsNon-MCQsMaximum Marks
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)2618878
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)2418672
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)2618878
Total765422228

Note: There will be a negative marking of 1 mark for the MCQ while no negative marking in Non-MCQ questions.

CAT Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2024 – CAT Exam Guidelines 2024

As per the previous year’s notification, IIMs conducted the CAT 2024 in the exam pattern for CAT 2021 entrance examination. The revised duration of the test will be 120 minutes. There will be three sections:

Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Section III: Quantitative Ability

  • Candidates will be allotted exactly 40 minutes for answering questions in each section and they will not be allowed to switch from one section to another while answering questions in a section.
  • Some questions in each section may not be of multiple-choice type. Instead, direct answers will have to be typed on the screen. Also, they will allow the use of a basic on-screen calculator for computation.

CAT 2024 Syllabus

  • QA or Quantitative Aptitude
  • DILR or Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
  • VARC or Verbal and Reading Comprehension

Once you have familiarized yourself with the CAT exam pattern, take a look at the syllabus for each section. Here’s the detailed syllabus you need to know.

CAT Syllabus 2024 – Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

The first section in the CAT exam is VARC, which stands for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. This section has two parts. Let’s go through some essential topics and key points of this section.

Fill in the blanksPara Completion and inferenceVerbal Logic
Verbal ReasoningSubject-verb agreementPara jumbles
Sentence completionForeign language words used in EnglishDifferent usage of the same word
GrammarReading ComprehensionIdioms
SyllogismsAnalogiesAntonyms
Jumbled paragraphsSentence correctionOne word substitution
Parts of speechPrepositionTypes of Clauses
Phrases ModifiersErrors in tensesArticles usage

Topic Wise Questions in CAT VACR

TopicsNumber of questions expected
Para-Jumbles2-4
Sentence Completion & Correction2-3
Odd Sentences1-2
Others (Fill in the blanks, Vocabulary Based, etc.)1-2

CAT Syllabus 2024 – Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

The second section in the CAT exam is DILR, which stands for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. This section is split into two parts: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Here are the important topics you should focus on for this section.

Blood RelationsClocks and CalendarsSyllogism
SeriesStatementsVenn Diagram
PropositionData ArrangementData Structures
Direction SenseFamily TreeTables
Coding-DecodingBinary LogicPie Charts
AssumptionsSeating ArrangementData Sufficiency
PuzzlesSets & CaseletsBars & Line Graphs

The number of expected questions from the topics in the CAT DILR Section is given below:

TopicsTotal Number of Questions
Graph, Bar diagram6-8
Tables & Charts5-8
Graphs, Charts7-10
Tables, Pie chart4-5

CAT Syllabus 2024 – Quantitative Aptitude

The last section of the CAT question paper is Quantitative Aptitude. It should be completed in the final 40 minutes of the exam. Let’s take a look at the important topics and key points for this section.

GeometryRatios and ProportionInequalities
TrigonometryIn-equations Quadratic and linear equationsWork and Time
AlgebraSurds and IndicesPercentages
MensurationTime-Speed-DistanceLogarithms
Partnership (Accounts)Number SystemSquare Root and Cube Root
Profit & LossGeometric ProgressionProbability
Mean, mode, medianBinomial theoremSimple interest and compound interest

Number of Topics and Expected Questions in CAT QA Section 

TopicsTotal Number of Questions
Arithmetic Questions10-12
Geometry & Mensuration7-8
Algebra6-7
Number System4-5
Others2-3

CAT Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2024 – Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How many sections are there in the CAT exam?

Ans. The CAT exam consists of three sections, namely quantitative ability, verbal ability, and data interpretation and logical reasoning.

Q2. What is the time provided for each section in the CAT exam?

Ans. In the CAT exam, candidates are given 40 minutes for each section. Once the 40 minutes are over, the test for that section will be completed.

Q3. How many questions are asked in each section of the CAT exam?

Ans. The CAT exam comprises a total of 76 questions. The distribution of questions in each section is as follows:
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section: 26 questions.
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section: 24 questions.
Quantitative Ability (QA) section: 26 questions.

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