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CAT Subjects 2026 PDF Download Section Wise Important Topics [Official]
November 24, 2025
Overview: Knowing the CAT subjects thoroughly is one of the key factors that can help you score well in the CAT exam. Read on to get the complete details about the CAT exam subjects here!
- The CAT exam pattern trend analysis indicates that the subjects on the CAT have remained the same for the past nine years.
- These are the subjects in CAT exam for MBA consisting of three main sections: Quantitative Ability (QA), Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR).
- The CAT 2026 Subjects for MBA will help you understand the whole CAT 2026 exam curriculum and, hence, will help increase your chances of succeeding in the CAT entrance examination.
Scroll down to find out what the subjects are in CAT exam and explore the complete details
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Check | CAT 2026 Admission process
CAT Subjects List 2026 - Overview
| S.No | Section | Duration | No. of MCQs | No. of non-MCQs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | VARC | 40 minutes | 20 | 4 | 24 |
| 2. | DI LR | 40 minutes | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| 3. | QA | 40 minutes | 14 | 8 | 22 |
| 4. | Total | 2 hours | 46 | 20 | 66 |
- The CAT Exam is a 2-hour exam, which will likely stay that way for CAT 2026.
- Like last year, the CAT exam will be conducted in three sessions: morning, afternoon, and evening.
- While the papers vary in these sessions, the scores are normalized to ensure fairness. The exam comprises three CAT subjects: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI/LR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).
Check | CAT 2026 Slot Timings
How Many Subjects in CAT Exam 2026?
The Common Admission Test is the most well-known and popular MBA entrance exam among the aspirants. The following are the CAT exam subjects list (sections) from which the questions are asked in the CAT exam:
- Quantitative Ability (QA)
- Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
CAT Subjects 2026 - Quantitative Aptitude
According to CAT exam analysis, the MBA entrance test includes a Quantitative Ability section, which evaluates your math skills.
To excel in this section, you need to understand the concepts and be able to solve math problems quickly. The aptitude topics covered in the CAT exam include Algebra, Arithmetic, and Geometry.
Here is the list of topics that you must cover in the CAT subjects in Quantitative Aptitude:
| S. No. | CAT Subject Maths Topics | CAT Subject Maths Sub-Topics |
| 1 | Number System | Prime Factorization, |
| Divisibility Rules, | ||
| Finding the Units place and the tens place of a number, | ||
| LCM and HCF, | ||
| Indices and Surds, | ||
| Cyclicity, | ||
| Remainders, | ||
| Base Change | ||
| Factorial. | ||
| 2 | Arithmetic | Simple Interest and Compound Interest, |
| Time, Distance and Speed, | ||
| Mixtures and Allegations, | ||
| Ratios, Proportions and Variations, | ||
| Time and Work, | ||
| Pipes and Cisterns, | ||
| Percentages | ||
| Averages, | ||
| Profit and Loss | ||
| 3 | Geometry | Circles, |
| Polygons, | ||
| Triangles, | ||
| Trigonometry, | ||
| Lines and Angles, | ||
| Coordinate Geometry | ||
| 4 | Algebra | Functions and Groups, |
| Inequalities and Modulus, | ||
| Logarithms, | ||
| Maxima and Minima, | ||
| Polynomials, | ||
| Linear and Quadratic Equations, | ||
| Algebraic Identities | ||
| 5 | Modern Mathematics | Probability, |
| Permutations and Combinations, | ||
| Set Theory | ||
| Venn Diagram, | ||
| AP, GP, HP | ||
| Binomial theorem |
Refer to | CAT Preparation Books 2026
Use SuperGrads Free Resources 2026 Strategically
| CAT VARC Mock Test 2026 | |
| CAT DILR Mock test 2026 | |
| CAT QA Mock Test 2026 | |
| CAT VARC Prep Videos 2026 | |
| CAT DILR Prep Videos 2026 | |
| CAT QA Prep Videos 2026 | |
| CAT Syllabus 2026 | |
| CAT PYQs | |
| CAT VARC Questions |
Topic-Wise General Trend in QA over the Past 5 Years in QA
Each section categorizes the trends under the four primary CAT subjects:
| Segment | Topic | 2024 Slot 1 | 2024 Slot 2 | 2024 Slot 3 | 2024 Total | 2023 Total | 2022 Total | 2021 Total | 2020 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Ratios, Mixtures, Averages | 5 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
| Percents, Profits, SICI | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 9 | |
| Speed, Time, Distance, and Races | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 11 | |
| Pipes, Cisterns, Work, Time | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| Algebra | Linear and Quadratic Equations | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Progressions | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Polynomials | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | |
| Inequalities | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| Geometry | Geometry | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Coordinate Geometry | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Mensuration | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Refer | CAT Exam Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Solution
CAT Subjects for MBA 2026 - Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation
DILR is one of the three CAT exam subjects for MBA that tests your analytical skills by challenging you with different kinds of puzzles, graphs, images and charts.
This CAT exam subject is also designed so that you are tested with various real business-oriented cases to check your logic.
Know the CAT subjects 2026 list and subtopics in Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation as per the CAT Syllabus 2026:
| LRDI Topics | LRDI Sub-Topics |
| DI Topics | 1. Tables |
| 2. Data Caselets – Reasoning-Based DI | |
| 3. Column Graphs | |
| 4. Bar Graphs | |
| 5. Venn Diagrams | |
| 6. Line Charts | |
| 7. Pie Charts | |
| 8. Scatter Plot | |
| 9. Radar Chart | |
| 10. Routes and Network | |
| 11. Bubble Chart | |
| LR Topics | 1. Binary Logic |
| 2. Games and Tournaments | |
| 3. Arrangements | |
| 4. Team Formations | |
| 5. Order and Ranking |
Check | List of CAT Exam Centres
General Trend of Past 5 Years in DILR- Topic Wise
Here are the general trends of the past 4 years in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section:
| Topics | CAT 2020 | CAT 2021 | CAT 2022 | CAT 2023 | CAT 2024 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | |
| Routes and Networks | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Tables | - | 10 | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Scheduling, Optimization and Allocation | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | - | - | 5 | - | 5 | 10 | - | - | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Bar Graphs | - | - | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Grids | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Arrangements | - | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Word Puzzle | - | - | 4 | - | 4 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Pie Charts/Doughnut Charts | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Scatter Plot | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Learn More | How to Prepare Data Interpretation For CAT 2026 Exam?
CAT Subjects for MBA 2026 - Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
The VARC is one of the CAT exam subjects for an MBA, which evaluates a student's reading comprehension, verbal reasoning, and grammar skills.
It includes the English language, Reading Comprehension, Grammar, etc. A good hold in this CAT 2026 subjects list for MBA requires you to improve VARC, have a keen understanding of language, and have critical reading skills.
Know More | Subjects to be Covered in CAT 2026
The topics you need to study and practice for the CAT subjects 2026, specifically for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, are:
| S.No. | Important Topics for CAT Subjects |
| 1 | English Usage or Grammar |
| 2 | Vocabulary-Based (Synonyms/ Antonyms) |
| 3 | Fill in the blanks |
| 4 | Sentence Correction |
| 5 | Cloze Passage |
| 6 | Jumbled Paragraph |
| 7 | Meaning-Usage Match |
| 8 | Analogies or Reverse Analogies |
| 9 | Summary Questions |
| 10 | Verbal Reasoning |
| 11 | Facts-Inferences-Judgments |
| 12 | Reading Comprehension |
Also Know | How to download CAT Response Sheet?
General Trend of Past 5 Years in VARC- Topic Wise
| Topics | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Reading Comprehension | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Para Summary | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Para Jumble | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Odd One Out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sentence Placement | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
|---|
Read more: CAT Cut Off Marks
Learn More | How to improve reading comprehension for CAT Exam 2026?
Conclusion
Understanding the important CAT 2026 subjects list, along with reviewing CAT previous year questions, is a great way to prepare for the exam. The list thoroughly covers the topics tested and offers valuable advice on approaching them. With the right preparation and dedication, anyone can ace the CAT exam.
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Lalita Vishwakarma
Content Writer
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