CAT Bar Graph Questions 2026 (DILR): Solved Sets, Shortcuts & Set Selection

• DILR carries 22 questions in 4 to 5 sets. You will realistically solve three, at roughly 12 minutes each.
• Around 9 to 12 correct attempts have been enough for a 99th percentile in DILR in recent papers. You do not need every set.

What Are CAT Bar Graph Questions 2026?

CAT bar graph questions - also called a bar chart or bar diagram, shows data as rectangular bars whose length is proportional to the value represented.

A CAT Bar Graph Questions set typically gives you one or two charts, 4 or 5 questions, a mix of MCQ and TITA, and at least one question that cannot be answered from the chart alone. So the set is less a calculation exercise than a triage exercise. You are being asked how fast you read an axis, how well you approximate, whether you notice when data is insufficient, and whether you can walk away.

Download CAT Bar Graph Question and Answer PDF

The chart type tells you what will be asked. Bar charts compare categories, so expect highest, lowest, ratio and growth. Line graphs show trends.

Pie charts and stacked bars show composition, so expect share questions. Identify the type before reading a single value.

How to Read a Bar Graph: Axes, Scale, Legend and Units

The axes. One carries categories: years, companies, sectors. The other carries values. Horizontal bar graphs swap them, and reading the wrong direction under pressure is a standard error.

The scale. How far apart are the gridlines? That interval sets your estimation precision, and it is the difference between reading a bar as 190 and losing twenty seconds deciding whether it is 187.

The legend. In grouped and stacked charts, legend order is the most common misread when bars sit close in height.

The unit. Crore or lakh. Rupees or percentage. Charts inside a single set can differ, and often do deliberately.

Where CAT Bar Graphs Questions Fit in the CAT 2026 Pattern 

CAT 2026 will be conducted by IIM Indore on 29 November 2026. Registration runs 3 August to 15 September 2026.

Pattern confirmed against the CAT 2026 Information Bulletin.

An on-screen calculator is provided, sectional timing is strict, and TITA questions carry no negative marking - which matters in the final two minutes.

Your 40 Minutes, Realistically

The working figure is 12 minutes per set for three sets, not 8 across five. The 8-minute mark is a separate rule: if you are 8 minutes in with nothing locked, you are probably in the wrong set. That is a warning marker, not an allocation. DI sets are usually faster than pure puzzle sets, which makes them reasonable first picks.

CAT Bar Graph Questions Weightage: What the Data Actually Shows

There is no fixed number. The IIMs release no topic-wise breakdown of any section, so every annual figure you find online including ours is an estimate derived from candidate response sheets and post-exam analyses.

What those analyses consistently indicate: of the 22 DILR questions, roughly 8 to 10 come from Data Interpretation, with graph-based sets bar, line, column — typically accounting for 2 to 3. In a given year, bar data might drive one set, two, or none at all as a clean standalone chart.

The more useful observation is that the format has changed more than the frequency. Since 2021, bar data has tended to arrive embedded in a mixed set rather than as a clean standalone chart. Prepare for bar data as an input, not a set type. Topic-level detail: CAT DILR syllabus.

Types of Bar Graph Questions in CAT and the Trap in Each

Two errors sit above all of these. Percentage versus percentage point: 20% to 15% is 5 percentage points and a 25% fall, and CAT bar graph questions offers both as options. A percentage axis read as absolute values: if bars total 100, you cannot compare counts without the totals.

Expect Chart Formats You Have Never Seen

Bar Graph Questions in CAT has used chart types that appear in no textbook, sometimes with the defining formula in the question text rather than on the chart. Assume at least one DI set will look unfamiliar. That changes what you practise not a catalogue of chart types, but the habit of reading any axis, legend and unit from scratch in sixty seconds.

And novelty is not difficulty. When an unfamiliar chart appears, a large share of the cohort skips it on sight. Because percentile is relative, a set half the hall avoids is worth more per question than a conventional set everyone attempts. Spend your scan on it. The question is whether the axes are readable, not whether you have seen the format before.

Crack CAT 2026 With 100 Days Crash Course

CAT Bar Graph Questions With Answers

Attempt each with a timer before reading the solutions reading values off a chart is the skill being trained, and you lose it the moment you look at the answer.

Q1. A bar graph shows the number of students enrolled in five coaching institutes.

Q1. A bar graph shows the number of students enrolled in five coaching institutes.

Which institute has the highest number of students?

• A. Institute B
• B. Institute C
• C. Institute D
• D. Institute E

Answer: C. Institute D

Q2. The bar graph below represents the annual sales (in ₹ lakh) of five companies.

What is the average annual sales of the five companies?

• A. ₹68 lakh
• B. ₹70 lakh
• C. ₹72 lakh
• D. ₹75 lakh

Answer: B. ₹70 lakh

Q3. A bar graph represents the number of books sold by a bookstore from Monday to Friday.

How many more books were sold on Friday than Monday?

• A. 60
• B. 70
• C. 75
• D. 80

Answer: B. 70

Q4. The bar graph shows the production (in tonnes) of a factory.

What is the percentage increase in production from January to May?

• A. 50%
• B. 55%
• C. 60%
• D. 65%

Answer: C. 60%

Q5. A bar graph shows the number of employees in different departments.

How many employees work in Marketing and Sales together?

• A. 90
• B. 100
• C. 110
• D. 120

Answer: C. 110

Q6. A bar graph shows the monthly electricity consumption (in units).

Which month recorded the second-highest electricity consumption?

• A. February
• B. March
• C. April
• D. May

Answer: C. April

Q7. A bar graph shows the number of cars sold by five dealers.

How many fewer cars did Dealer A sell than Dealer D?

• A. 60
• B. 65
• C. 70
• D. 75

Answer: C. 70

Q8. A company's annual profits (in ₹ crore) are shown below.

What is the percentage increase in profit from 2022 to 2025?

• A. 60%
• B. 65%
• C. 70%
• D. 71.43%

Answer: D. 71.43%

Q9. The bar graph shows the marks obtained by five students.

Who scored the second-highest marks?

• A. Student B
• B. Student C
• C. Student D
• D. Student E

Answer: D. Student E

Q10. A bar graph represents the daily attendance in a class.

What is the average attendance during the week?

• A. 43
• B. 44
• C. 45
• D. 46

Answer: B. 44

Q11. The bar graph below shows the number of books sold by five bookstores.

How many more books did Store C sell than Store A?

• A. 150
• B. 180
• C. 200
• D. 250

Answer: C. 200

Q12. The following bar graph represents the number of buses operated by five cities.

What is the average number of buses operated across all five cities?

• A. 220
• B. 240
• C. 250
• D. 260

Answer: B. 240

Q13. A bar graph shows the monthly production (in tonnes) of a factory.

By what percentage did production increase from January to April?

• A. 80%
• B. 90%
• C. 100%
• D. 120%

Answer: C. 100%

Q14. The bar graph represents the number of laptops sold by four companies.

What is the ratio of laptops sold by Company B to Company D?

• A. 5 : 7
• B. 3 : 4
• C. 5 : 6
• D. 2 : 3

Answer: A. 5 : 7

Q15. The bar graph below shows the annual revenue (₹ crore) of five startups.

If Startup D's revenue decreases by 20% next year, what will be its new revenue?

• A. ₹34 crore
• B. ₹35 crore
• C. ₹36 crore
• D. ₹38 crore

Answer: C. ₹36 crore

Which institute has the highest number of students?

• A. Institute B
• B. Institute C
• C. Institute D
• D. Institute E

Answer: C. Institute D

Q2. The bar graph below represents the annual sales (in ₹ lakh) of five companies.

What is the average annual sales of the five companies?

• A. ₹68 lakh
• B. ₹70 lakh
• C. ₹72 lakh
• D. ₹75 lakh

Answer: B. ₹70 lakh

Q3. A bar graph represents the number of books sold by a bookstore from Monday to Friday.

How many more books were sold on Friday than Monday?

• A. 60
• B. 70
• C. 75
• D. 80

Answer: B. 70

Q4. The bar graph shows the production (in tonnes) of a factory.

What is the percentage increase in production from January to May?

• A. 50%
• B. 55%
• C. 60%
• D. 65%

Answer: C. 60%

Q5. A bar graph shows the number of employees in different departments.

How many employees work in Marketing and Sales together?

• A. 90
• B. 100
• C. 110
• D. 120

Answer: C. 110

Q6. A bar graph shows the monthly electricity consumption (in units).

Which month recorded the second-highest electricity consumption?

• A. February
• B. March
• C. April
• D. May

Answer: C. April

Q7. A bar graph shows the number of cars sold by five dealers.

How many fewer cars did Dealer A sell than Dealer D?

• A. 60
• B. 65
• C. 70
• D. 75

Answer: C. 70

Q8. A company's annual profits (in ₹ crore) are shown below.

What is the percentage increase in profit from 2022 to 2025?

• A. 60%
• B. 65%
• C. 70%
• D. 71.43%

Answer: D. 71.43%

Q9. The bar graph shows the marks obtained by five students.

Who scored the second-highest marks?

• A. Student B
• B. Student C
• C. Student D
• D. Student E

Answer: D. Student E

Q10. A bar graph represents the daily attendance in a class.

What is the average attendance during the week?

• A. 43
• B. 44
• C. 45
• D. 46

Answer: B. 44

Q11. The bar graph below shows the number of books sold by five bookstores.

How many more books did Store C sell than Store A?

• A. 150
• B. 180
• C. 200
• D. 250

Answer: C. 200

Q12. The following bar graph represents the number of buses operated by five cities.

What is the average number of buses operated across all five cities?

• A. 220
• B. 240
• C. 250
• D. 260

Answer: B. 240

Q13. A bar graph shows the monthly production (in tonnes) of a factory.

By what percentage did production increase from January to April?

• A. 80%
• B. 90%
• C. 100%
• D. 120%

Answer: C. 100%

Q14. The bar graph represents the number of laptops sold by four companies.

What is the ratio of laptops sold by Company B to Company D?

• A. 5 : 7
• B. 3 : 4
• C. 5 : 6
• D. 2 : 3

Answer: A. 5 : 7

Q15. The bar graph below shows the annual revenue (₹ crore) of five startups.

If Startup D's revenue decreases by 20% next year, what will be its new revenue?

• A. ₹34 crore
• B. ₹35 crore
• C. ₹36 crore
• D. ₹38 crore

Answer: C. ₹36 crore

Practise Bar Graph Questions as a Timed Quiz

Bar graph reading is a screen skill. In the exam you estimate off a rendered chart at fixed zoom under a locking timer, and paper practice trains a different reflex. Take a free CAT mock test

Using Previous Year CAT Bar Graph Questions

Papers before 2015 carry heavier arithmetic than current CAT use them for calculation speed only. Papers from 2021 onward are what you want for set structure and selection. Most bar graph PDFs circulating online are pre-2010: they train your hands rather than your judgement. Current-format sets: CAT DILR questions and CAT previous year papers.

How to Solve Bar Graph Questions Quickly: Tricks and Shortcuts

Quick answer: Estimate to the nearest gridline CAT bar graph DI questions PDF rather than reading exact values, compare ratios by cross multiplication instead of dividing, use the successive-change formula a + b + ab/100, and memorise common fractions as percentages. Most bar graph questions need no calculator.

1. Percentage change = change ÷ original. The original is the earlier or stated base, never the larger number.
2. Compare ratios by cross multiplication. For 180/220 against 210/250, compare 180 × 250 with 210 × 220 - 45,000 against 46,200. No decimals.
3. Successive change = a + b + ab/100. Two successive 10% rises give 21%, not 20%.
4. Estimate to the nearest half gridline. If gridlines sit 50 apart, read to the nearest 25. Never read a bar as 187 - read 190, then check the options tolerate it. They almost always do.
5. Watch for constant increments. A series rising by the same absolute amount each year must show falling percentage growth, because the base keeps growing. That answers a whole class of questions with no arithmetic.

Fraction to Percentage Table

On the calculator: multi-digit multiplication and long division only. Everything else costs more in mouse movement than it saves..

Check Full Details About CAT 2026 Syllabus

The 30-Second Set Selection Framework

This is where most of the gap between a middling and a top DILR percentile actually sits. Not in what you can solve, but in what you choose to attempt. You are not scored on the sets you solve well. You are scored on the sets you correctly refuse for the CAT bar graph DI questions PDF.

Score every set on five signals before starting.

On question count: a five-question set returns 15 marks for the same setup cost as a four-question set's 12. When two sets look equally tractable, the longer one pays more.

Act on the score. Four or five green - attempt immediately, this is your anchor. Three green attempt second, after banking one clean set. Two or fewer, skip on the first pass.

Read all questions before solving any. Thirty seconds here often reveals that three questions need the same intermediate table. Build it once.

Hold the line. If you are 8 minutes in with no answer locked, leave. Sunk cost destroys more CAT bar graph DI questions PDF scores than difficulty does, and chained sets are the most dangerous because partial progress feels like progress. Know in advance what this will feel like: you will be two-thirds through a table you built by hand, and walking away will feel insane. Aspirants who have not rehearsed that moment do not manage it.

Why the "cannot be determined" signal works: several such options usually mark a deliberately under-specified set, built to trap strong students who cannot accept that the data is insufficient.

How Many DILR Questions Do You Need for a 99 Percentile?

In recent CAT papers, roughly 9 to 12 correct attempts in DILR have been enough for a 99th percentile in the section two or three fully solved sets. Attempting all 22 is neither necessary nor advisable.

Accuracy outweighs volume because of negative marking and the 40-minute limit. These figures come from published post-exam analyses rather than official data- the IIMs release no score-to-percentile tables- and they shift by slot and year, so treat the range as indicative. For an estimate against your own mock, use the CAT percentile predictor.

Is CAT Bar Graph Questions Practice Your Actual Bottleneck?

Use your mock data, not your instinct for CAT bar graph questions:

For repeaters, directly: if your DILR percentile sat between 80 and 92 last year, the gap is almost never conceptual. It is selection and time discipline. Another 500 questions will not move it. Practising refusal will.

Practice rhythm: one week each on simple and grouped types, stacked and percentage types, then growth rate and hybrid sets. Log every error by type, not just right or wrong. Build it into a schedule with the CAT exam study plan, or talk to a CAT mentor if you are unsure which profile fits you.

Conclusion

Why This Skill Outlives the Exam Case discussions at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and comparable schools open with exhibits, and most exhibits are bar charts. Consulting case interviews hand you a chart and ask what you notice exactly what Set 2 Question 4 tested in CAT bar graph questions.

IIM shortlists also apply minimum sectional percentiles alongside overall cut-offs, so a weak DILR percentile can block a call. Requirements differ by institute and change most cycles, so verify on official websites and check the CAT cut-offs for IIMs before deciding what score you are chasing.