CAT Syllabus - Free Latest CAT Exam Syllabus PDF

CAT syllabus is prescribed by IIM and it includes all the important topics of business aptitude and communication such as Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). The CAT exam syllabus has remained the same for over the years even though the exam pattern has changed several times. 

The syllabus CAT exam is vast thus those planning to appear for CAT 2021 must work towards it with utmost dedication. The VARC section of CAT syllabus covers various topics of English grammar, verbal reasoning and reading comprehension. The QA section of CAT syllabus includes all the topics of Maths from Class 9 to 10 such as Arithmetic, Geometry, Trigonometry and Mensuration. The DILR syllabus of CAT exam includes topics that require analytical interpretation of data like puzzles, tables and bar graphs. Take a look at the CAT syllabus and best books for CAT preparation below.   

CAT Syllabus: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

VARC section is the first section of the CAT question paper and is to be solved first. The section is divided into two sub-parts, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Take a look at important topics and some key points of this section.

Verbal Ability (VA): Key Points

• Number of questions on Verbal Ability are less than that of Reading Comprehension

• In CAT 2020, there were only eight questions from Verbal Ability

• The type of questions are all non-MCQs, which means the candidates have to type in the answer (TITA)

• There is no negative marking in VA since the questions are non-MCQ type

• Types of questions range from para-jumbles, out of context sentence in a para, error correction in a para, vocabulary usage and sentence completion to analogies and critical reasoning

Reading Comprehension (RC): Key Points

• This section of CAT exam is dominated by RC questions.

• The type of questions are all MCQs, hence there is negative marking of -1

• RC section of CAT on an average 4-3 long passages and 2-3 short passages

• In CAT 2020 however, there were only four passages

• The long passages are of 900 word and short passages are of 600 words

• Topics of these RCs range from science, history, politics, environment, society to literature, mythology and abstract topics

Also Read:

• CAT Preparation Plan For VARC
• Make These 7 Guys Your Companion For VARC
• CAT Preparation: Your Love For Reading Can Get You Desired Result
• Types of Reading Comprehension Questions in CAT

CAT Syllabus: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

DILR is the second section of CAT question paper and is to be solved after the VARC section. This section is further divided into two sub-sections - Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Take a look at important topics and some key points of this section.

Logical Reasoning (LR): Key Points

• LR questions dominate this section of CAT exam
• LR contains both MCQ and non-MCQ type questions
• Number of MCQs and non-MCQs may vary
• There is negative marking for MCQs
• There is no negative marking for non-MCQs

Data Interpretation (DI): Key Points

• The number of DI questions are less than LR
• DI questionsare usually moderate to difficult
• DI contains both MCQ and non-MCQ type questions
• Number of MCQs and non-MCQs may vary
• There is negative marking for MCQs
• There is no negative marking for non-MCQs

Also Read:

• CAT Preparation Plan for DILR
• How to Crack Logical Reasoning
• Time Management in QA and DI
• Challenges of Data Interpretation

CAT Syllabus: Quantitative Aptitude

Quantitative Aptitude is the last section of CAT question paper and is to be solved in the last one hour of the exam. Take a look at important topics and some key points of this section.

Quantitative Aptitude (QA): Key Points

• QA contains both MCQ and non-MCQ type questions
• Number of MCQs and non-MCQs vary every year.
• Past trends suggest mostly Arithmetic questions dominate this section of CAT
• There is negative marking for MCQs
• There is no negative marking for non-MCQs

Also Read:

• CAT Preparation Plan For Quantitative Aptitude
• How To Prepare For Quantitative Aptitude For CAT Exam
• Master The Secret of Acing QA In CAT Exam
• How To Approach Quant Section of CAT Exam
• Six Strategies of Quant Preparation
• CAT 2020 Question Paper: Download Free PDF

Best Books for CAT Preparation

There is a wide range of books on CAT preparation available in the market. The candidates must take due care in selecting the right books to study. Experts recommend that preparation books for CAT syllabus should be comprehensive, have updated exam pattern and topics and must also have question bank. Take a look at the following list of best books for CAT exam which have been carefully curated by Shiksha after looking at all the options in the market and consulting our CAT experts.

CAT Books for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

Given below is the list of books recommended to prepare DILR topics of CAT syllabus.

CAT Books for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

Given below is the list of books recommended to prepare VARC topics of CAT syllabus.

CAT Books for Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

Given below is the list of books recommended to prepare QA topics of CAT syllabus.

CAT Exam Pattern 2021

Besides having an understanding of the CAT syllabus 2021, you also need to be well aware of the CAT exam pattern before you start preparing for the exam. The CAT exam pattern was revised in 2020. The most important things you need to keep in mind are: 

• CAT exam mode is online
• Each question carries three marks
• There is negative marking of minus one for wrong attempts

The section-wise distribution of questions and marks in CAT 2020 question paper is tabulated below:

Download:

How to Prepare for CAT VARC, DILR and QA

Expert Tips and Topper Interviews

Go through the articles listed below for expert tips and topper interviews for CAT preparation:

To know the CAT preparation strategy of toppers, click on the links given below:

Also Read: 

• How to prepare for CAT in six months
• How To Prepare for CAT in three months
• CAT exam: Last month preparation tips
• Last week preparation tips for VARC
• Last week preparation tips for DILR
• Last week preparation tips for QA
• Verbal Ability (VA) solved questions
• Data Interpretation (DI) solved questions
• Data Interpretation (DI) solved questions - Part 2
• Logical Reasoning (LR) solved questions
• Quantitative Aptitude (QA) solved questions