CAT does not publish an official syllabus. What exists is a pattern, stable for years, reconstructed from past papers — and a set of skills the exam actually tests, which is a different thing from a list of topics. Both are below.
Exam Pattern
| Section | Questions (approx.) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 40 minutes |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 20 | 40 minutes |
| Quantitative Ability (QA) | 22 | 40 minutes |
Three things follow from this table and they matter more than any topic list:
- Sectional timing is locked. You cannot return to VARC once its 40 minutes are gone. A bad opening section cannot be repaired.
- There is negative marking on MCQs but not on non-MCQ (type-in-the-answer) questions. That changes which questions are worth a guess.
- Roughly 66 questions in 120 minutes. Nobody attempts all of them. CAT is a selection test disguised as a knowledge test.
VARC
Reading Comprehension dominates — typically four passages carrying the majority of the section’s questions. Topics range across economics, philosophy, science, history and literary criticism, and the passages are dense by design.
Verbal Ability — para jumbles, para summary, odd sentence out. Note what is absent: CAT has not tested vocabulary or grammar directly for years. Students preparing from old word lists are preparing for an exam that no longer exists.
What it really tests: reading speed with retention, and the discipline to answer from the passage rather than from what you already believe.
DILR
Sets rather than topics — typically four or five sets of four to six questions each. Common forms: tables and caselets, bar and line graphs, pie charts, Venn diagrams, arrangements and sequencing, team selection, tournament and scheduling puzzles, network and route problems, games and quantitative reasoning.
What it really tests: set selection. In a 40-minute section with five sets, the candidate who correctly identifies the two solvable sets in the first three minutes beats the stronger candidate who spends twenty minutes on an unsolvable one. DILR decides most CAT percentiles.
Quantitative Ability
| Area | Topics |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Percentages, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, averages and mixtures, time speed distance, time and work, simple and compound interest |
| Algebra | Linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, functions and graphs, logarithms, surds and indices, maxima and minima |
| Geometry & Mensuration | Lines and angles, triangles, circles, polygons, coordinate geometry, solids and surface areas, trigonometry basics |
| Number System | Factors, divisibility, remainders, HCF and LCM, base systems, last digits |
| Modern Maths | Permutation and combination, probability, set theory, progressions |
Where the marks are: arithmetic. It is the largest share of the section and the most reliably solvable, which is exactly why aspirants who chase exotic number-theory problems while their percentage work is shaky score badly.
After the Exam — GD, WAT and PI
A strong CAT percentile gets you a call, not a seat. Group discussion, written ability test and personal interview carry real weight in the final selection, alongside academic profile and work experience. We run mock GD-PI sessions once results are out.
How CAT Differs From MH CET
CAT rewards selective accuracy under negative marking. MH CET has no negative marking and roughly 200 questions in 150 minutes, so it rewards volume. Preparing for one and walking into the other with the wrong reflexes costs marks — we cover this properly in CAT vs MH CET MBA.
Related Pages
CAT course, MH CET MBA, NMAT, XAT, and the combined MBA and Law entrance coaching page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an official CAT syllabus?
No. The IIMs do not publish one. Everything above is reconstructed from the pattern of past papers, which has been stable for several years.
Which section is hardest?
DILR for most candidates, and it is also the section that separates percentiles most sharply. It is worth a disproportionate share of your practice time.
Is there negative marking?
Yes on multiple-choice questions, and no on type-in-the-answer questions. Attempt every non-MCQ you can make a reasonable attempt at.
Do I need to be an engineer to do well?
No. Engineers often start faster in QA and DILR, but VARC is where many of them lose ground. The exam does not favour a degree, it favours a way of working.
How long should I prepare?
Ten to twelve months is comfortable for a working professional or final-year student. Six months is workable if your quantitative base is already sound.
Should I prepare for CAT and MH CET together?
Most Maharashtra students should. The quant and verbal base is shared; what needs separate work is Abstract Reasoning and a different attempt strategy.
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