Common Admission Test (CAT) 2023 Syllabus

CAT Syllabus Overview

The syllabus for the Common Admission Test or CAT is quite wide. To simplify, we can divide it into three sections namely:

• Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
• Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation
• Quantitative Aptitude

The three-hour CAT exam is divided into these three sections. Let us dive deeper into each one of them. Although this is a more generalized assumption of the CAT syllabus it can be considered most accurate based on the conclusions drawn from previous years.

Common Admission Test or CAT is one of the toughest and highly competitive management entrance exams in India. Every year Lacs of aspirants prepare and appear in this exam to get admission in the top B-schools of the country. CAT is clearly the most popular management entrance exam and the first choice of most aspirants as it is the gateway to IIMS and premier non-IIMs.

The actual CAT cut-off requirements show how tough the competition is. Having said that, a well-begun is half done. Yes, nothing is impossible. Hence, the proper understanding of the exam syllabus and structure followed by the right preparation strategy, practice, continuous learning, and consistency will lead you to success.

Understanding the syllabus and exam structure hence becomes the most important primary objective.

Analysis of CAT 2020:

The Common Admission Test 2020 consisted of three sections namely VARC, QA, and LR&DI. However, the total exam duration was 120 minutes, and the time allotted for each section was 40 minutes. The total number of questions was reduced from 100 to 76 with a reduction of total marks to 228 from 300.

With the change in a total number of questions asked, the big picture still remains the same. You have to carefully understand the syllabus in order to prepare a great strategy.

Section-wise CAT 2023 Exam Syllabus:

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension:

We will list the most important topics to cover in the VARC section.

• Reading Comprehension
• Sentence Correction
• Para Jumbles
• Cloze Passage
• Synonyms and Anonyms
• Fill in the blanks
• English Grammar in usage
• Meaning-usage match
• Analogies and reverse analogies
• Inferences
• Summary-based questions, etc.

Tip: Approximately almost three-fourth of the VARC section may comprise of questions for reading comprehension. Hence, it can be considered the most dominant topic in the VARC section every year. The best advice would be to prepare for each sub-topic. Practicing and regular reading will help a lot in getting good marks in this section.

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Quantitative Aptitude (QA) Syllabus

This is another important section with a huge scope of good marks. However, accuracy and timing are quite important here for best results.
Some of the most important topics for the Quantitative Aptitude Section are:

• Number Systems
• LCM and HCF
• Ratio and Proportion
• Percentages
• Complex Numbers
• Averages
• Mixtures and Allegations
• Speed, Distance, and Time
• Profit and Loss
• Work and Time
• Linear Equations
• Quadratic Equations
• Simple Interest
• Compound Interest
• Sequence and Series
• Logarithms
• Surds and Indices
• Probability
• Set Theory and Function
• Permutation and Combination
• Inequalities
• Geometry and Coordinate Geometry
• Mensuration
• Trigonometry, etc.

Remember, if you aspire for a good percentile, you must not leave any weak spots. Cover each topic in great detail. Practice!! Practice!! Practice!! And you will achieve success.

Tip: Accuracy is more important than speed in the learning phase. However, both become equally important by the time of the exam. Another important point to note about this section is that some topics are more important as compared to others as they are asked every year. Keep practicing for accuracy and speed.

Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI) Syllabus

• Series
• Blood Relations
• Syllogism
• Logical Matching and Sequence
• Seating Arrangement
• Calendars
• Cubes
• Vein Diagrams
• Binary Logic
• Graphs and Charts
• Connectives, etc.

The LRDI section is equally important and hence requires good knowledge and understanding. This can be the deciding factor for your overall percentile. Why? Because most aspirants find it the most difficult to solve when it comes to questions’ complexity and solving in the stipulated time.

The syllabus mentioned here is for a brief understanding of the topics from which questions are asked CAT exam every year. Wish you good luck!

Common Admission Test (CAT) 2023 Important Dates