Key Difference Between XAT Quant vs CAT Quant: Syllabus, Questions, Difficulty Level

Key Difference Between XAT Quant vs CAT Quant: Syllabus, Questions, Difficulty Level

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Shruti
Shruti Garg
Assistant Manager- Editorial
Updated on Nov 28, 2025 13:37 IST

CAT and XAT entrance examinations are conducted for admission to B-Schools in India. Candidates preparing for CAT 2025 or XAT 2026 can check the key difference between XAT quant and CAT quant sections. Check detailed comparison of syllabus, type of questions, nature of questions and other features here.

Difference Between CAT and XAT Quant Sections

Difference Between CAT and XAT Quant Sections

MBA aspirants preparing for XAT 2026 or CAT 2025 often wonder which has the tougher Quantitative Ability (QA) Section and how this section differ in both exams? With the syllabys overlaps, the difficulty level, type of questions and pattern vary significantly between two exams. CAT QA and XAT QA sections requires understanding of Mathematical concepts. CAT Quant section focuses on pure mathematics including Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Number Systems etc. Whereas, QA section in XAT exam is a combined section called Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, which includes quant questions along with charts, graphs, tables, caselets and logical DI problems.

Read this article below to know the difference between XAT Quant and CAT Quant. Check syllabus, exam pattern and type of questions here.

Table of contents
  • CAT Quant Vs XAT Quant- Key Differences
  • CAT Quant Vs XAT Quant Syllabus
  • XAT Quant Vs CAT Quant Questions

CAT Quant Vs XAT Quant- Key Differences

Candidates preparing for CAT quant and XAT quant sections can check the key differences between both exam in the table below:

Features

CAT Quant

XAT Quant

Section

Standalone

Combined QA and DI

Difficulty

Moderate

Moderate to tough

Question Type

MCQ and Non-MCQ

MCQ

Sectional Time duration

40 minutes

Not fixed

Negative marking

Yes

Yes

Number of questions

22

28

Number of options

Four

Five

CAT Quant Vs XAT Quant Syllabus

Candidates preparing for CAT exam 2025 or XAT 2026 must check the detailed syllabus of CAT quant and XAT quant below:

CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus

CAT Quantitative Aptitude sylabus includes following topics:

CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus

Geometry

 Ratios and Proportion

Inequalities

Trigonometry

In-equations Quadratic and linear equations

Work and Time

Algebra

Surds and Indices

Percentages

Mensuration

Time-Speed-Distance

 Logarithms

Partnership (Accounts)

Number System

Square Root and Cube Root

Profit & Loss

Geometric Progression

Probability

Mean, mode, median

Binomial theorem

Simple interest and compound interest

XAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus

XAT Quantitative Aptitude syllabus also includes Data Interpretation questions. The important topics in this section are:

XAT syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation

Percentage

Tables and Caselets

Linear and Quadratics Equations

Profit and Loss

Probability

Surds and Indices

Ratio and Proportion

Critical Path

Inequalities

Variation

Averages and Partnerships

Logarithms

Time and Work

Alligations and Mixtures

Numbers

Time, Speed and Distance

Algebra

Mensuration

LCM and HCF

Simple and Compound Interest

Geometry

Pure Maths

Venn Diagram

Trigonometry

Data Tables

Data Charts

Bar Diagrams

Graphs

Pie Charts

Data Analysis

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XAT Quant Vs CAT Quant Questions

CAT quantitative aptitude section includes mathematical concept questions, whereas, XAT quantitative aptitude section is a mix of mathematical concepts of Data Interprepatation. Check the type of questions asked in CAT and XAT exam below:

CAT Quantitative Aptitude Questions

CAT Quantitative Aptitude section will include 22 questions. Check below to know the type of questions asked in CAT exam:

Question: In a group of 250 students, the percentage of girls was atleast 44% and at most 60%. The rest of the students were boys. Each student opted for either swimming or running both. If 50% of the boys and 80% if the girls opted for swimming while 70% of the boys and 60% of the girls opted for running, then the minimum and maximum possible number of students who opted for both swimming and running are?

Options:

  1. 72 and 88 respectively
  2. 72 and 80 respectively
  3. 75 and 90 respectively
  4. 75 and 96 respectively

Question: A certain amount of water was poured into a 300 litre container and the remaining portion of the container was filled with milk. Then an amount of this solution was taken out from the container which was twice the volume of water that was earlier poured into it, and water was poured to refill the container again. If the resulting solution contains 72% milk, then the amount of water, in litres, that was initially poured into the container was?

Question: Aman invests INR 4000 in a bank at a certain rayte of interest, compounded annually. If the ratio of the value of the investment after 3 years to the value of the investment after 5 years is 25:36, then the minimum number of years required for the value of the investment to exceed INR 20000 is?

Question: The number of distinct integer solutions (x, y) of the equation |x+y| + |x-y| = 2, is

Question: The number of all positive integers up to 500 with non-repeating digits is

Download CAT Quant Questions With Solution

CAT Quant_Easy-Test_1 CAT Quant_Easy_Test_1_Solutions
CAT Quant_Medium_Test_1 CAT Quant_Medium_Test_1_Solutions
CAT Quant_Diffiult_Test_1 CAT Quant_Difficult_Test_1_Solutions
CAT Quant_Easy_Test_2 CAT Quant_Easy_Test_2_Solutions
CAT Quant_Medium_Test_2 CAT Quant_Medium_Test 2_Solutions
CAT Quant_Difficult_Test_2 CAT Quant_Difficult_Test 2_Solutions
CAT_Quant_Easy_Test_3 CAT Quant_Easy_Test_3_Solutions
CAT_Quant_Medium_Test_3 CAT Quant_Medium_Test_3_Solutions
CAT_Quant_Difficult_Test_3 CAT Quant_Difficult_Test_3_Solutions
CAT_Quant_Easy_Test_4 CAT Quant_Easy_Test_4_Solutions
CAT_Quant_Medium_Test_4 CAT Quant_Medium_Test_4_Solutions
CAT_Quant_Difficult_Test_4 CAT Quant_Difficult_Test_4_-Solutions
CAT_Quant_Easy_Questions_5 CAT Quant_Easy_Test_5_Solutions
CAT_Quant_Medium_Questions_5 CAT_Quant_Medium_Test_5_Solutions
CAT_Quant_Difficult_Questions_5 CAT_Quant_Difficult_Test_Set 5_Solutions

Also Read:

XAT Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation Questions

XAT question paper will include 28 questions on Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, Check below to know type of questions asked in XAT Quant section:

Question: Amit has forgotten his 4-digit locker key. He remembers that all the digits are positive integers and are different from each other. Moreover, the fourth digit is the smallest and the maximum value of the first digit is 3. Also, he recalls that if he divides the second digit by the third digit, he gets the first digit. How many different combinations does Amit have to try for unlocking the locker?

Options :

  1. 2
  2. 1
  3. 4
  4. 5
  5. 3

Question: ABC is a triangle and the coordinates of A, B and C are (a, b-2c), (a, b+4c) and (-2a,3c) respectively where a, b and c are positive numbers. The area of the triangle ABC is:

Options :

  1. 6abc
  2. 9abc
  3. 6bc
  4. 9ac
  5. None of the above

Question: The Guava club has won 40% of their football matches in the Apple Cup that they have played so far. If they play another n matches and win all of them, their winning percentage will improve to 50. Further, if they play 15 more matches and win all of them, their winning percentage will improve from 50 to 60. How many matches has the Guava club played in the Apple Cup so far? In the Apple Cup matches, there are only two possible outcomes, win or loss; draw is not possible.

Options :

  1. 50
  2. 40
  3. 30
  4. Cannot be determined, as the value of n is not given
  5. 60

Question: There are three sections in a question paper and each section has 10 questions. First section only has multiple-choice questions, and 2 marks will be awarded for each correct answer. For each wrong answer, 0.5 marks will be deducted. Any un-attempted question in this section will be treated as a wrong answer. Each question in the second section carries 3 marks, whereas each question in the third section carries 5 marks. For any wrong answer or un-attempted question in the second and third sections, no marks will be deducted. A student’s score is the addition of marks obtained in all the three sections. What is the sixth highest possible score?

Options :

  1. 92.5
  2. 94
  3. 95.5
  4. 95
  5. None of the above.

Download XAT Quant Questions With Solution

XAT_Mock_Test_1 XAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions
XAT_Mock_Test_2 MAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions

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About the Author
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Shruti Garg
Assistant Manager- Editorial
Shruti is a graduate in Education and Literature with expertise in exam preparation, admissions, and higher education content. She creates reliable guides and resources to help students acheive their academic and ca Read Full Bio
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