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CAT Syllabus 2024 PDF, Download Now Subject wise Syllabus with Weightage

CAT syllabus 2024 is divided into three sections; VARC, LRDI, and QA. Know the topics candidates must cover in each of these sections to clear CAT 2024 exam with a high score.
authorImageAnil Solonki20 Nov, 2024
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CAT Syllabus 2024

CAT Syllabus 2024: CAT 2024 syllabus has three main sections: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) sets the syllabus, and it is considered one of the toughest for MBA entrance exams in India.

The key topics in the CAT 2024 syllabus include Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Percentages, Graphs, Coding-Decoding, and Series Completion , as many questions are based on these areas. In the VARC section, Reading Comprehension plays a major role, so having strong English skills is very important. Well, to prepare well for CAT 2024, it's essential to focus on studying the entire syllabus carefully, as it is vast and needs time for thorough preparation.

Also Read: CAT 2024 Notification OUT

CAT Syllabus 2024 Overview

The CAT 2024 question paper will focus on three main areas: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). Here are the key points of the CAT 2024 syllabus to guide your preparation:
  • VARC Section: This part includes topics like English Grammar, Verbal Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension.
  • Quantitative Aptitude Section: It covers math topics from Class 9 and 10, such as Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry, and Mensuration.
  • DILR Section: This section involves solving problems based on Puzzles, Pie Charts, Tables, and Bar Graphs to analyze data.

Also Read:
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CAT 2024 Syllabus PDF Download

CAT 2024 syllabus is divided into three main sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). Each section tests different skills that are important for MBA aspirants. The VARC section focuses on English language skills, including reading comprehension, verbal reasoning, and grammar.

  • The DILR section assesses candidates' analytical skills through data interpretation tasks and logical puzzles. The QA section covers a wide range of math topics, including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and graphs.
While the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) doesn’t provide a detailed syllabus PDF, candidates can find various resources online that list the important topics and subtopics to focus on for effective preparation.
CAT 2024 Syllabus PDF Download
Topic Download Link
CAT Syllabus PDF 2024 CAT Syllabus PDF PW

CAT Syllabus 2024 for VARC

The VARC section is the first part of the CAT question paper. Candidates are given 40 minutes to complete this section. It has two sub-parts: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, with Reading Comprehension questions being the most common. Here’s a quick overview of the important VARC topics covered in the CAT 2024 syllabus:
CAT Syllabus 2024 for VARC
Fill in the blanks Idioms
Para completion and inference Syllogisms
Verbal logic Analogies
Verbal reasoning Antonyms
Subject-verb agreement Jumbled paragraphs
Parajumbles Sentence correction
Sentence completion One-word substitution
Foreign language words in English Parts of speech
Different usage of the same word Preposition
Grammar Types of clauses
Reading comprehension Phrases modifiers
Errors in tenses Articles usage

CAT Syllabus 2024 for VARC: High-Yielding Topics

CAT 2024 syllabus for the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section covers important topics that you need to focus on to do well in the exam. This section has 24 questions, which are mainly divided into two parts: Reading Comprehension (RC) and Verbal Ability (VA). The table below shows the difficulty level and importance of the VARC topics based on last year's CAT paper:

Also Read: CAT Exam Date 2024

CAT Syllabus 2024 for VARC: High-Yielding Topics
VARC Topics for CAT No. of Questions Level of Difficulty
Reading Comprehension 16 Moderate to Difficult
VA-Para jumbles 3 Moderate to Difficult
VA-Odd Sentence 2 Easy to Moderate
VA-Summary 3 Easy to Moderate
Overall 24 Moderate to Difficult

CAT Reading Comprehension Passages of Previous Years

In the CAT exam, Reading Comprehension (RC) questions make up about two-thirds of the first section of the question paper. There are usually four to five RC passages with 12 to 14 questions. These passages can be from any subject and are often long and difficult to read. Below are the Reading Comprehension topics from CAT 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.
CAT Reading Comprehension Passages of Previous Years
CAT RC Passages Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3
CAT 2023
  • Wolf → Environmentalists vs Farmer
  • Philosophy → Change in Work Culture
  • Indian Ocean-based Geographical Literature
  • Human Behavior
  • Garments, Fashion Industry & Pollution
  • Netflix Dubbing of titles for Europe→ Good or Bad for Europe?
  • Liberalism is Dying
  • Facts & Interpretation in History
  • Romantic Aesthetics/ Philosophy
  • Cultural Property Law → Exploration of Sites
  • Nutmeg Curse→ Environment Degradation
  • Rational Thinking
CAT 2022
  • Ghosts & their mysteries how we can’t find their history
  • Chinese Copy of articles
  • Two levels of emotional thinking
  • STOICS
  • Music
  • Engineering technology
  • Octopus
  • Philosophy
  • Social reorganization increasing crime rate
  • Software if more easy humans are not capable to get solutions)
  • Indian history
  • American migration / urbanization increasing
CAT 2021
  • Mayan Civilization
  • Utopia and Dystopia
  • Marshmallow Experiment
  • Evolution of Tea as a Drink
  • Language/ Indigenous People
  • Why Fiction Trumps Truth
  • Colonialism/Nationalism
  • Knowledge and Problems of Knowledge is a Scandal to Philosophy
  • Nanotechnology
  • Language Instinct
  • Time Accuracy Entropy
  • Unconscious and Psychoanalysis
CAT 2020
  • Anarchism
  • Migration of Northern Seals
  • Currency of Tang Dynasty
  • Grammar/Vocabulary
  • Investing in Renewable Energy Technologies
  • Piracy in International Trade
  • Freudian Models of Aggression
  • A Study of Visualisation
  • Travel Writing and Feminism During Colonial Times
  • The Need for Economic Literacy in the General Population
  • Screen Time and Undercurrents of Social Class
  • An Analysis of Human Nature
CAT 2019
  • British Folk Music
  • Topophilia
  • Emperor Penguins
  • Internet Shopping and Choice Anxiety
  • Origin of Story of Alladin
  • Dense Cities
  • Google and Archaeology
  • Distributing Bureaucracy
  • Language & Culture
  • British Colonial Policy
No exam
CAT 2018
  • Genetics
  • India’s View on its Legacy of Second World War
  • Plastic Pollution
  • Elephant Society
  • Consumer Behaviour Studies
  • Grover Snails
  • Meritocracy and Diversified Teams
  • Use of Technology in Essential Services
  • Rings of Saturn and Their Age
  • Human Resource and Learning
No exam

CAT Syllabus 2024 for DILR

Following the completion of the VARC section in the CAT exam, candidates need to solve the DILR section. Candidates are allotted 40 minutes for the DILR section, comprising 20 questions, with 10 questions dedicated to each Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Here is the detailed list of topics candidates must cover in the CAT 2024 syllabus for DILR:
CAT Syllabus 2024 for DILR
Blood Relations Puzzles
Clocks and Calendars Sets & Caselets
Syllogism Bars & Line Graphs
Series Data Arrangement
Statements Data Structures
Venn Diagram Direction Sense
Proposition Family Tree
Data Sufficiency Tables
Assumptions Coding-Decoding
Seating Arrangement Binary Logic
Pie Charts

CAT Syllabus 2024 for DILR: High Yielding Topics

As mentioned, the DILR section comprises two types of questions; Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. The following is the fundamental outline of the DILR section in CAT, along with the difficulty levels based on the previous year's question paper:

Also Read: MBA Entrance Exam

CAT Syllabus 2024 for DILR: High Yielding Topics
No. of Questions No. of Questions Level of Difficulty
Set 1 (Data Interpretation) 5 Easy
Set 2 (Data Interpretation) 5 Moderate
Set 3 (Logical Reasoning) 5 Moderate to Difficult
Set 4 (Logical Reasoning) 5 Moderate
Overall 20 Moderate to Difficult

CAT Syllabus 2024 for QA

The CAT 2024 syllabus for the Quantitative Aptitude section requires candidates to have a thorough understanding of the mathematical topics and formulas covered in classes 9 and 10. This segment predominantly focuses on Arithmetic and Algebra.

Here are the significant topics candidates should prepare to score well in the CAT 2024 QA section:
CAT Syllabus 2024 for QA
Geometry Inequalities
Ratios and Proportion Trigonometry
Quadratic and linear equations Work and Time
Algebra Surds and Indices
Percentages Mensuration
Time-Speed-Distance Logarithms
Partnership Number System
Square Root Cube Root
Geometric Progression Probability
Mean, mode, median Binomial theorem
Simple interest and compound interest Profit & Loss

CAT 2024 Syllabus for QA: High Yielding Topics

The QA section in the CAT exam includes 22 questions. The most prominent topics of the CAT Quantitative section incorporate questions from areas like Modern Maths, Numbers, Arithmetic, Algebra, etc. The QA section topics weightage and question distribution for the CAT exam are outlined below:

Also Read: CAT Exam Pattern 2024

CAT 2024 Syllabus for QA: High-Yielding Topics
CAT Quantitative Aptitude Topics No. of Questions Difficulty Level
Arithmetic 8 Moderate to Difficult
Algebra 7 Moderate to Difficult
Geometry 3 Moderate to Difficult
Modern Maths 2 Moderate to Difficult
Number System 2 Moderate to Difficult
Overall 22 Moderate to Difficult

Physics Wallah offers online coaching for the Common Admission Test (CAT) through their CAT Online course . This batch includes online classes for management examinations for 2024, including CAT. Join now to enhance your preparation journey.

CAT Syllabus 2024 FAQs

Does the CAT syllabus remain consistent each year?

Yes, the CAT exam syllabus remains consistent every year. Additionally, the questions asked in the CAT exam typically follow the same topics each year.

What are the major sections for the CAT 2024 exam?

The CAT 2024 syllabus includes three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, and Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning.

How many attempts are allowed for CAT?

There is no specific limit on the number of attempts for CAT. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria can appear for the CAT exam as many times as they want. However, it is recommended to check the eligibility criteria of IIMs where candidates want to apply for admission.

Q4. Is the CAT exam considered challenging?

The CAT exam is one of the most challenging MBA entrance exams. The syllabus for the CAT exam includes questions from VARC, DILR, and QA sections. However, with diligent preparation candidates can score high percentile in the CAT exam.

Can I qualify for the CAT 2024 exam by focusing only on the QA and DILR sections?

To qualify for the CAT exam 2024, candidates need to score well in all the sections because the cut off is set for all the individual sections. Candidates who don't meet the sectional cut off percentile are not considered eligible for IIM admissions.
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