Updated On : November 2, 2023
Summary: Understanding CAT Syllabus 2024 is important in planning your preparations smartly. The CAT exam syllabus pdf download helps you with what to expect in the exam, the weightage of each topic, and the difficulty level. Let's explore these factors in the article below.
IIMs don't publish a specific syllabus; instead, they anticipate candidates to deduce crucial subjects from previous year's papers.
The subjects have basically stayed the same in the past few years.
Most questions in the CAT entrance exam are application-based, assessing applicants' problem-solving speed rather than memorisation skills.
Without further delay, let's check the CAT Syllabus 2024!
Before the COVID pandemic, CAT was a three-hour paper, but for the past three years (2020, 2021, 2022), CAT has been a two-hour exam.
Though the CAT exam pattern has changed over the years, the three subject areas have remained the same. So, even though there is no officially prescribed CAT syllabus based on the CAT exams conducted over the past many years, we can logically infer a few things.
Having said this, solving previous years' CAT questions papers can increase the probability of scoring well in CAT 2024, even if the authorities decide to throw a little surprise at you.
In this article, we discuss the syllabus for CAT 2024 based on the analysis of CAT conducted over the years.
What is the syllabus for CAT exam?
CAT 2022 consisted of a total of 66 questions divided into three timed sections.
Around 75% of the questions are MCQs (Multiple-Choice Questions), while the rest are TITA (Type in the Answer). The table here gives a quick overview:
CAT Syllabus 2024 - Section | CAT Syllabus 2024 - Duration | CAT exam syllabus for MBA - Number of MCQs | CAT entrance exam syllabus - No. of TITA Qs. | CAT exam pattern and syllabus - Total |
VARC | 40 minutes | 21 | 3 | 24 |
DILR | 40 minutes | 14 | 6 | 20 |
QA | 40 minutes | 14 | 8 | 22 |
Total | 120 minutes | 49 | 17 | 66 |
Check the highlights for CAT Exam Syllabus 2024 tabulated below:
CAT Syllabus 2024 - Key Components | CAT Syllabus 2024 - Details |
Time allotted | 2 hours |
Total No. of Questions | 66 |
No. of Questions Section-wise | VARC: 24 DILR: 20 QA: 22 |
Time allotted per section | 40 minutes each |
Mode of Examination | Computer-based |
Medium of Examination | English |
What is the syllabus of CAT exam for MBA?
The official site does not release any CAT exam syllabus pdf.
The analysis of the CAT exam aptitude syllabus, CAT exam quantitative aptitude syllabus, CAT exam subjects and syllabus is based on previous year's papers.
There are 3 sections for the MBA CAT syllabus 2024.
1. Quantitative Aptitude (CAT Exam Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus): Number System, Geometry, Algebra, Mensuration, Time and Work
2. Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (CAT Exam Reasoning Syllabus and CAT Exam Logical Reasoning Syllabus): Seating Arrangement, Blood Relation, Syllogism, Tables, Graphs, Data Caselets
3. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (CAT Exam English syllabus): Para-Jumbles & Para-Summary, Sentence Completion, Inferences, RC Passages-Based Questions
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is an all-India entrance exam that tests a candidate's aptitude and skills for admission to various post-graduate management programs offered by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top business schools in the country.
The exam is conducted in multiple slots over a period of two days in more than 400 cities across India.
The exam is considered one of the toughest, so sticking to the syllabus in this article can help you plan your preparation strategy.
Check: CAT Exam Pattern 2024
Samples to download the CAT syllabus pdf and CAT exam syllabus in Hindi can be found on various websites.
The CAT exam syllabus for MBA, important topics and respective weightage are listed below:
The CAT exam maths syllabus/CAT 2024 QA Syllabus is as follows:
Check: Why CAT Exam is Important?
In CAT 2022, out of the 22 questions, 8 were TITA questions, and the remaining were MCQs. Over the years, the maximum number of questions in the QA section of CAT have been from Arithmetic.
Here is the classification of key topics of the four broader areas in QA:
IIM CAT Exam Syllabus - Broad Area | CAT Syllabus 2024 - Key Topics |
Arithmetic | Time, Speed and Distance, Ratio, Proportion and Variation, Time and Work, Pipes and Cisterns, Simple and Compound Interest, Percentage, Profit and Loss, Averages, Mixtures |
Algebra | Linear and Quadratic Equations, Special Equations, Inequalities and Modulus, Surds and Indices, Logarithm, Functions and Graphs, Polynomials, Arithmetic Progression (AP), Geometric Progression (GP), Harmonic Progression (HP) |
Number Theory and Modern Math | Permutation and Combination, Probability, Set Theory, Factorials, Remainders, Base System, Factor Theory, LCM, HCF, Divisibility, Units Digit, Last 2 digits, Statistics |
Geometry | Lines and Angles, Triangles, Quadrilaterals and Polygons, Circles, Trigonometry, Co-ordinate Geometry |
Here is an overview of the four broad areas (in %) covered over the years in the QA section.
CAT exam subjects and syllabus are as follows:
Weightage:
CAT Exam Maths Syllabus | CAT Syllabus 2024 - Expected Number of questions |
Arithmetic | 9-10 questions |
Algebra | 7-8 questions |
Geometry | 3-4 questions |
Mensuration | 3-4 questions |
Modern Mathematics | 1-2 questions |
CAT 2024 DILR Syllabus is provided below:
Under DI Topics: Prepare the following topics which are as follows:
Tables, Scatter Plots, Venn Diagrams, Radar Charts, Line Charts, Column Graphs, Pie Charts, Bubble Charts, Bar Graphs, Routes and Networks, Data Caselets - Reasoning-Based DI
Under LR Topics: Prepare the following topics which are as follows:
Team Formation, Arrangements, Games and Tournaments, Order and Ranking, and Binary Logic
Check: How to prepare for logical reasoning for CAT
Weightage:
CAT Syllabus 2024 - CAT Syllabus for DILR | CAT Syllabus 2024 - Total Number of Questions |
Graph, Bar diagram | 6-8 |
Tables & Charts | 5-8 |
Graphs, Charts | 7-10 |
Tables, Pie chart | 4-5 |
In CAT 2022, 4 sets with 5 questions each were asked. From a total of 20 questions, 6 were TITA questions.
Here is an overview of the topics (in %) covered over the years in the DILR section.
Check: CAT Exam Preparation Books 2024
CAT 2024 VARC Syllabus is provided below:
Here are the important topics for the CAT Exam English syllabus
Check: What to do after the CAT exam?
Weightage:
CAT Exam Syllabus 2024 for VARC | CAT Syllabus 2024 - Expected Number of questions |
Reading Comprehension | 16-18 questions |
Para Jumbles | 5-6 questions |
Odd One Out | 1-2 questions |
Fill in the blanks, Vocab-based, etc. | 1-2 questions |
Among the three sections, describing the syllabus for VARC is the simplest. Reading Comprehension dominates the section with a little more than 65% of the question weightage.
The remaining questions are from Para Summary, Para Jumble, Odd One Out, and Missing Sentence (introduced in CAT 2022). So, building a reading habit is the key to covering the VARC syllabus.
In CAT 2022, 4 passages with a total of 16 questions were asked. 3 Para Summary Questions, 3 Para Jumble Questions and 2 Missing Sentence Questions completed the section. From a total of 24 questions, 3 were TITA questions.
Here is an overview of the RC genres (in %) covered over the years in the VARC section.
Here is the number of questions asked in each section:
CAT Exam Syllabus Sections | CAT Exam Syllabus PDF - Questions | CAT Exam Preparation Syllabus - MCQs | Non-MCQs |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 19 | 5 |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 20 | 15 | 5 |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 22 | 14 | 8 |
Total | 66 | 48 | 18 |
You can prepare for the CAT Exam Syllabus 2024 using the CAT books below.
CAT Books For Quantitative Ability
Check: How to prepare for quantitative aptitude for CAT
CAT Books for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
CAT Books for Verbal Ability
Check: CAT Exam Eligibility 2024
The CAT exam syllabus 2024 is comprehensive and covers many topics. It is important to be thorough in your preparation and to cover all the topics mentioned in the syllabus. With the right amount of dedication and hard work, you can definitely crack the CAT exam and pursue your career goals.
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