In this guide
CAT does not publish a topic-by-topic syllabus. The bulletin names the three sections and stops there. For a first-time candidate, that can feel like preparing for an exam with no map.
In practice, the map exists. Years of papers show which question types appear, which topics carry most of QA, and what kinds of sets turn up in DILR. The content is mostly school-level. What makes CAT hard is how that content is used: long passages read under time pressure, puzzles with several interlocking conditions, and quant questions that need one clever step rather than ten mechanical ones.
VARC: reading, and a little more
VARC has 24 questions in the recent pattern. Most come from reading comprehension; the rest are verbal ability questions.
| Area | Question types | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Reading comprehension | Main idea, inference, specific detail, author's tone, application, "which of these would weaken the argument" | MCQ |
| Para jumbles | Arrange four or five sentences into a coherent paragraph | Usually TITA |
| Para summary | Choose the option that best captures the paragraph | MCQ |
| Odd sentence out | Find the sentence that does not fit the paragraph | Usually TITA |
| Sentence placement | Choose where a given sentence fits in a paragraph | MCQ |
Passages are drawn from serious non-fiction: economics, philosophy, science, history, sociology, art and culture. They are dense but not technical. Grammar and vocabulary are not tested as separate questions in recent papers, but a weak vocabulary will slow your reading and trip you on inference questions.
What to build: reading speed with understanding, the habit of identifying the author's main point, and the discipline to answer from the passage rather than from your own opinions. Our guides on the RC approach and para jumbles go deeper.
DILR: sets, not single questions
DILR usually has around four sets, each with four to six questions. You solve the set once and then answer its questions, so a good start pays several times over and a wrong start costs several questions.
| Area | Typical sets |
|---|---|
| Data interpretation | Tables, bar and line charts, pie charts, caselets (data given in a paragraph) |
| Logical reasoning | Arrangements (linear, circular, grids), scheduling, games and tournaments, Venn diagrams, networks and routes, binary logic (truth-tellers and liars) |
| Mixed sets | Data with logical constraints: for example, a table with missing entries you must fill using conditions |
Recent papers lean heavily on mixed sets. Pure calculation-heavy DI is less common than it once was. Instead, the challenge is usually to organise information into a grid or table and deduce the missing parts.
What to build: the habit of drawing a clean structure before solving, comfort with a wide range of set types, and, above all, the judgement to pick the right sets in the first few minutes. See DILR set selection.
QA: school maths, used cleverly
QA has 22 questions in the recent pattern, a mix of MCQ and TITA.
| Area | Topics |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Percentages, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, mixtures and alligation, averages, time and work, time speed and distance, simple and compound interest |
| Algebra | Linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, functions and graphs, logarithms, progressions |
| Geometry and mensuration | Triangles, circles, polygons, coordinate geometry, areas and volumes |
| Number system | Divisibility, remainders, factors, HCF and LCM, unit digits |
| Modern maths | Permutations and combinations, probability, set theory |
Arithmetic and algebra together usually account for the largest share of QA questions, which is why they come first in most study plans.
What a CAT-style question feels like
Here is the level of thinking to expect, using short examples.
Arithmetic. A price rises by 20% and then falls by 20%. What is the net change?
- After the rise: 100 × 1.2 = 120.
- After the fall: 120 × 0.8 = 96.
- Net change: 4% decrease. The fall is applied to a larger base.
Algebra. If x + 1/x = 3, find x² + 1/x².
- Square both sides: x² + 2 + 1/x² = 9.
- So x² + 1/x² = 7.
Number system. What is the remainder when 2¹⁰⁰ is divided by 3?
- 2 leaves remainder 2, which behaves like −1 when dividing by 3.
- So 2¹⁰⁰ behaves like (−1)¹⁰⁰ = 1.
- Remainder: 1.
None of these needs more than school maths. Each rewards recognising the right idea quickly. That is the essence of CAT QA.
Section comparison
| Feature | VARC | DILR | QA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge needed | Low; reading skill matters | Very low; organisation matters | School maths up to Class 10, some Class 11–12 |
| How it improves | Slowly, through daily reading | In jumps, through varied sets | Steadily, topic by topic |
| Main risk on the day | Misreading, choosing by opinion | Picking the wrong set | Getting stuck on one long question |
| TITA questions | Some verbal ability | Several | Several |
A study order that works
- Arithmetic first. It builds speed with numbers and underpins DI and much of QA. See our QA plan.
- Reading every day from day one. VARC improves slowly, so start early and keep going.
- DILR sets from the second month, two or three a day across different types.
- Algebra, number system and geometry once arithmetic is solid.
- Modern maths last. It has fewer questions and builds on counting skills you will have by then.
Practice set
- A number increases by 25%. By what percentage must it fall to return to the original value?
- If x − 1/x = 2, find x² + 1/x².
- Which DILR skill matters most in the first five minutes of the section?
- Name two VARC question types that are usually TITA.
Answers:
- 100 becomes 125. To get back to 100 it must fall by 25, which is 25 ÷ 125 = 20%.
- Square both sides: x² − 2 + 1/x² = 4, so x² + 1/x² = 6.
- Choosing which sets to attempt.
- Para jumbles and odd sentence out.
What to do next
- Download two recent CAT papers and read every question, without solving, to see the style.
- Start a daily reading slot of at least 30 minutes.
- Begin arithmetic with percentages and ratio this week.
- Use our six-month CAT plan to turn this syllabus into a schedule.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Indian Institutes of Management website .
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