Important formulas for CAT exam (Quantitative Aptitude) are listed here. Make sure you are thorough with these CAT formulas in order to solve the Quantitative Aptitude accurately and score above 99 percentile.
If you are preparing for CAT 2025, you must know that there will be tough Quants questions in the exam. To score will in this section you need to be thorough with important Mathematics concepts and formulas. So, your exam preparation plan must have a dedicated slot for understanding, memorising and revising CAT important formulas for Quants. If you wish to attempt 90 percent of the CAT questions you will need to do this.
CAT Quantitative Aptitude topics include Number Systems, Profit, Loss and Discount, LCM and HCF, Time and Work, Averages, Logarithm, Surds and Indices, Probability, Set Theory & Function, Trigonometry, Permutation & Combination, Co-ordinate Geometry, Mensuration, etc. All these topics have certain formulae on the basis of which the questions can be solved. Give yourself about 2-3 months to complete the CAT Quant syllabus.
Since CAT 2025 is scheduled on November 30, you may have completed the exam syllabus by now. So, this is the time to put theory into practice. By solving sample practice questions and CAT mock tests you will know how well versed you are with CAT quants formulas.
- CAT Quantitative Aptitude formulas
- CAT Important Formulas: Mensuration
- CAT Quantitative Aptitude formulas: Trigonometry
- CAT Important Formulas: Coordinate Geometry
- CAT Important Formulas: Number Systems
- CAT Important Formulas: Profit, Loss and Discount
- CAT Important Formulas: LCM and HCF
- CAT Important Formulas: Speed, Time and Distance
- CAT Important Formulas: Percentages
- CAT Important Formulas: Time and Work
- CAT Important Formulas: Averages
- CAT Quantitative Aptitude formulas: Simple and Compound Interest
- CAT Important Formulas: Probability
- CAT Quantitative Aptitude formulas: Logarithm
- CAT Important Formulas: Set Theory and Function
- CAT Important Formulas: Mixtures and Alligations
CAT Quantitative Aptitude formulas
All the CAT exam topics included in Quant can be mastered only by understanding their application which is possible only with practicing questions regularly. But for that, you need to understand and memorise important Quant formulas. The CAT Quantitative Aptitude questions cannot be solved without applying formulas correctly. When only a few days are left for CAT 2025 exam, as part of your revision process, you will need a CAT formulas cheat sheet. So you must prepare a CAT formula sheet. You can also purchase a CAT formula book. However, to make it easier for you, we have listed below the most important formula (s) for CAT exam. Also find a CAT formula sheet PDF for download (free), for CAT 2025 preparation.
CAT Important Formulas: Mensuration
There are a number of questions in CAT which belong to Mensuration. Thus, you need to know and memorise the following important CAT formulas for Mensuration
Triangle
Area = (1/2) × b × h
or
√[s(s – a)(s – b)(s – c)], where s = (a + b + c)/2
Square
Area = a × a
Perimeter = 4a
Rectangle
Area = lb
Perimeter = 2(l+b)
Cube
Volume: V = a3
Lateral surface area = 4a²
Surface Area: S = 6a2
Diagonal (d) = √3 a
Cuboid
Volume of cuboid: lbh
Total surface area = 2 (lb + bh + hl) or 6l2
Length of diagonal =√(l² + b² + h²)
Circle
Area = πr² or πd²/4
Circumference = 2πr or πd
Area of sector of a circle = (θπr² )/360
Also Read:
Explore colleges based on CAT
CAT Quantitative Aptitude formulas: Trigonometry
Here are important formulas for CAT Trigonometry section. Understand and memorise these formulas for solving Trigonometry questions of CAT Quantitative Aptitude.
Trigonometric Identities:
- Sine = Opposite/Hypotenuse
- Secant = Hypotenuse/Adjacent
- Cosine = Adjacent/Hypotenuse
- Tangent = Opposite/Adjacent
- Co−Secant = Hypotenuse/Opposite
- Co−Tangent = Adjacent/Opposite
The reciprocal identities are given as:
- cosec θ = 1/sin θ
- sec θ = 1/ cos θ
- cot θ = 1/tan θ
- sin θ = 1/cosec θ
- cos θ = 1/sec θ
- tan θ = 1/cot θ
Also Read: CAT Quant topic-wise weightage in exam over the years
CAT Important Formulas: Coordinate Geometry
Given below are the important CAT formulas for Coordinate Geometry. You need to be thorough with these formulas to be able to solve the problems accurately.
The Distance Between two Points A(x1, y1) and B(x2, y2):
AB² = (x2 – x1)² + (y2 – y1)²
The Midpoint of a Line Joining Two Points
The midpoint of the line joining the points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) is:
[(x1 + x2)/1, (y1 + y2)/2]
The Equation of a Line Using One Point and the Gradient
The equation of a line which has gradient m and which passes through the point (x1, y1) is:
y – y1 = m(x – x1)
CAT Important Formulas: Number Systems
Check below important CAT formulas for Number Systems. The questions on Number Systems asked in the Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT are based on these formulas.
- 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + … + n = n(n + 1)/2
- (1² + 2² + 3² + ….. + n²) = n ( n + 1 ) (2n + 1) / 6
- (1³ + 2³ + 3³ + ….. + n³) = (n(n + 1)/ 2)²
- Sum of first n odd numbers = n²
- Sum of first n even numbers = n (n + 1)
Mathematical Formulas:
- (a – b)² = (a² + b² – 2ab)
- (a + b)² = (a² + b² + 2ab)
- (a + b)(a – b) = (a² – b²)
- (a + b + c)² = a² + b² + c² + 2(ab + bc + ca)
- (a³ – b³) = (a – b)(a² + ab + b²)
- (a³ + b³) = (a + b)(a² – ab + b²)
- (a³ + b³ + c³ – 3abc) = (a + b + c)(a² + b² + c² – ab – bc – ac)
- When a + b + c = 0, then a³ + b³ + c³ = 3abc
- (a + b)n = an + (nC1)an-1 b + (nC2)an-2 b² + … + (nCn-1)abn-1 + bn
CAT Important Formulas: Profit, Loss and Discount
Check below important CAT formulas for Profit, Loss and Discount. Memorizing these formulas will be helpful to you for solving CAT questions based on the topic.
- Profit (or) Gain = SP – CP
- Profit % = (Profit/CP) × 100
- SP = (100 + gain % )/100 × CP
- CP = 100/(100 + gain %) × SP
- Loss = CP – SP
- Loss % = Loss/(CP) × 100
- SP = (100 – loss %)/100 × CP
- CP = 100/(100 – loss %) × SP
CAT Important Formulas: LCM and HCF
Given below are the important CAT formulas you need to know to solve LCM and HCF questions of Quantitative Aptitude section of the exam.
LCM × HCF = Product of the numbers
LCM of co-prime numbers = Product of the numbers
CAT Important Formulas: Speed, Time and Distance
Given below are the important CAT formulas that you should memorise to solve Speed, Time and Distance questions of the Quantitative Aptitude section.
Distance = Speed × Time
Time = Distance/Speed
Speed= Distance/Time
CAT Important Formulas: Percentages
To solve Percentages questions of CAT exam, you need to know the following formulas:
To find what percentage of x is y: (y/x) × 100
Increase N by S % = N(1+ S/100 )
Decrease N by S % = N (1 – S/100)
CAT Important Formulas: Time and Work
To solve Time and Work questions of CAT exam, understand and memorise the following formula:
If X can do a piece of work in n days, then X’s 1 day’s work = 1/n
If X’s 1 day’s work =1/n, then X can finish the work in n days.
CAT Important Formulas: Averages
Given below is the formula for Averages. To solve CAT questions based on Averages, you must know these formulas.
Average = (Sum of observations/Number of observations)
CAT Quantitative Aptitude formulas: Simple and Compound Interest
Simple and Compound Interest questions are always there in CAT. To solve the Simple and Compound Interest questions accurately, you should memorise these formulas.
Interest compounded Annually:
Amount= P (1+ R/100)n
Interest compounded half-yearly:
Amount= P (1+R/2) 2n
100
Interest compounded quarterly:
Amount= P (1+R/2) 4n
100
When interest is compounded annually but time is in fraction:
Amount= P (1+ R)3 X P (1+R/2) 4n
100 100
When rates are different for different years, say R1%, R2%, R3% for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year, respectively.
Amount= P (1+R1) + P (1+R2) + P (1+R3)
100 100 100
Present worth of Rs. x due n years hence is given by:
Present worth= _______x_________
P (1+R3)
100
CAT Important Formulas: Probability
Given below is the formula that you must memorise for solving CAT questions on Probability.
Sample Space: When we perform an experiment, then the set S of all possible outcomes is called the sample space.
Event: Any subset of a sample space is called an event.
The probability of Occurrence of an Event:
Let S be the sample and E be an event.
Therefore, P(E) =n(E) / n(S)
CAT Quantitative Aptitude formulas: Logarithm
To crack the questions based on Logarithm, here are the important CAT formulas you need to know:
- loga (xy) = loga x + loga y
- loga (x/y) = loga x – loga y
- logx x = 1
- loga 1 = 0
- loga (xn) = n(loga x)
- loga x = 1/(logx a)
- loga x = (logb x)/(logb a) = (log x)/(log a)
CAT Important Formulas: Set Theory and Function
Given below are the important CAT formulas for Set Theory and Function. If you are thorough with these formulas, you can solve all the questions.
De Morgan’s Law:
(A ∩ B) ‘ = A’ U B’ and (A U B)’ = A’ ∩ B’
The relation R ⊂ A × A is said to be called as:
- Reflexive Relation: If aRa ∀ a ∈ A.
- Symmetric Relation: If aRb, then bRa ∀ a, b ∈ A.
- Transitive Relation: If aRb, bRc, then aRc ∀ a, b, c ∈ A.
If any relation R is reflexive, symmetric and transitive in a given set A, then that relation is known as an equivalence relation.
Permutation Formula: A permutation is the choice of r things from a set of n things without replacement. Order matters in permutation.
Combination Formula: A combination is the choice of r things from a set of n things without replacement. The order does not matter in combination.
CAT Important Formulas: Mixtures and Alligations
To solve questions on Mixtures and Alligations, you must be thorough with the formula given below:
Rule of Alligation:
If two ingredients are mixed, then
(Quantity of cheaper / Quantity of dearer) = (C.P. of dearer – Mean Price / Mean price – C.P. of cheaper)
Check below PDF for CAT formulas cheat sheet:
Download CAT Formula Sheet PDF |
Get free CAT mock tests by Shiksha below:
CAT_Mock_Test_1 | CAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
CAT_Mock_Test_2 | CAT_Mock_Test_2-Solutions |
Read More:
- CAT Quantitative Aptitude Questions and Answers for Practice - 1
- CAT 2025 Preparation Plan for Quantitative Aptitude
- How To Prepare For Quantitative Aptitude For CAT Exam
- Master The Secret of Acing Quantitative Aptitude In CAT Exam
- How To Approach Quant Section of CAT Exam
- Six Strategies for CAT Quant Preparation

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