CAT Syllabus 2024: Important Topics for VARC, DILR & QA

CAT 2024 Syllabus: The CAT test syllabus is divided into three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude. (QA). These sections address all of the fundamental subtopics covered in school. The IIMs do not officially release a detailed syllabus for the MBA exam. Hence, we have provided the exam syllabus based on the previous year’s pattern, with questions asked for all three sections on this page.

**Steps to take the CAT mock test series are mentioned below in this article.

The first and foremost thing in preparation is going through the latest syllabus. It will ensure that candidates don’t miss out on any important topics which can hinder their performance in the exam. So, familiarising with the syllabus is imperative and that can gap the distance between the candidates and the top IIMs. Scroll down to get the detailed syllabus.

CAT Exam Syllabus 2024

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level management aptitude test for admission to MBA courses at 20 IIMs and over 1,200 B-schools in India. The Written Ability Test 2024 will be held on November 24, 2024. Knowing the syllabus will help candidates to come up with an effective study plan which can create a lot of difference in their preparation.

Graphs, Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Coding-Decoding, Percentage, English Grammar, Series Completion, and so on are the main topics of the syllabus. The syllabus includes 3 subjects: 

• Quantitative Aptitude
• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
• Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

CAT Exam Pattern Latest Changes

For over a decade, the CAT Exam Syllabus has remained constant. The only change is that the number of questions on the syllabus has been reduced from 100 to 66 in the previous two years. Check out the table below to know the changes that occurred in the CAT exam pattern:

How To Attempt Embibe’s CAT Mock Test?

Know the steps to take the CAT mock test series below:

• 1st Step: Visit Embibe’s official website, i.e., embibe.com.
• 2nd Step: Use the mobile number/email to log in.
• 3rd Step: Select the Goal “Management” from the Dropdown and click on “Next”.
• 4th Step: Search and Select “CAT” on the search bar and click on “Next”.
• 5th Step: Select the preferred language and click on “Done”.
• 6th Step: Click “Test” from the Header Section.
• 7th Step: Scroll down to the “Subjects” section.
• 8th Step: Click on any CAT subjects.
• 9th Step: Scroll down to click on the chapters from the selected subject to begin the test.

CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus

The Quantitative Aptitude section, for a long time, has proved to be challenging for CAT aspirants. However, candidates can ace this section by having a good idea of the syllabus and making an effective study plan.

Important Tips for Quantitative Aptitude

Know some of the important points related to the Quantitative Aptitude section below that will help candidates improve their scores:

• The Arithmetic questions are basic and easy to prepare so candidates will not face many problems here.
• The Geometry questions are tricky as there are many formulas and rules, so candidates have to keep them in mind while solving them.
• Trigonometry is crucial in solving this section, and it is one of the main parts of this section.
• There will be both MCQ and non-MCQ questions, and MCQ questions will have negative markings.
• There will be a total of 18 MCQ questions and 8 non-MCQ questions.

CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Syllabus

Candidates will get 40 minutes to solve the VARC section. It is the first section that they will encounter in the question paper. Check the syllabus for the VARC section below:

Important Tips for Verbal Ability

The Verbal Ability section is scoring and with good preparation, candidates will be able to score good marks. Check the important points for this section below:

• Most of the questions for this section will be focused on jumbled paragraphs, summary questions, and odd sentences in paragraph jumbles.
• In the jumbled paragraph questions, 4 to 5 sentences will be jumbled, and candidates will need to put them in order. The best way to solve these questions is by identifying the first and the last sentences.
• For summary questions, candidates will get 4 options of small passages consisting of 80 to 100 words. Candidates have to find the best option that depicts the summary of the paragraph.
• For odd sentence questions, candidates will have to identify the sentences that do not match the theme of the remaining paragraph.

Important Tips for Reading Comprehension

Some of the must-know that candidates don’t want to miss for Reading Comprehension are listed below.

• The reading comprehension section mainly contains questions that are based on the reading passages.
• Questions that candidates will be facing are inference-based, fact-based, assumption-based, and vocabulary-based.
• Candidates will have to focus extra on assumption-based questions as they are the trickiest in this section.

CAT Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) Syllabus

The DILR section is one of the trickiest in the exam. Candidates will get a total of 40 minutes to solve this section. The aim of this section is to test applicants’ problem-solving skills, which is why it is one of the toughest sections they will face. Check the syllabus for DILR below:

Important Tips for Data Interpretation

Get to know some of the important points for Data Interpretation below:

• This part will have both MCQ and Non-MCQ questions.
• There will be negative markings for MCQ questions. However, there is no negative marking for non-MCQ questions.
• Try to attempt mock tests regularly to master this section.

Important Tips for Logical Reasoning

Some of the important points for the Logical Reasoning section:

• The logical reasoning section will include questions from topics such as arrangements, numbers and sequences, logical sequence, syllogisms, calendars, clocks and cubes, and blood relations.
• Spend more time on logical reasoning than date interpretation, as this is a much trickier section.
• There will be 15 to 20 questions from this part.

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FAQs on CAT Syllabus 2024

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the CAT syllabus for MBA that people usually ask.

We hope that this article on CAT Syllabus 2024 has helped you. If you have any doubts or queries, feel to contact us by downloading our app, and we will be happy to get back to you.

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