The CAT is a highly known and renowned MBA entrance exam for students all over the country. The entrance exam is usually accessible to all the students who want to pursue their management degrees further. The exam is conducted once a year by the reputed IIMs. CAT is a computer-based test that is conducted in online mode at various allotted examination centres. Students usually can see their examination centre on the admit card, and according to that, they have to appear for the exam at the various allocated examination centres. One of the important things for the preparation of the CAT exam is the CAT syllabus. Students usually try to have all the knowledge possible about the CAT exam syllabus so that it can help them to prepare better for the exam. The CAT syllabus includes all the details that are necessary for the students to keep in mind about the various topics that are going to be a part of the main CAT exam.

CAT Exam Pattern

CAT is a national-level entrance exam conducted for admission to MBA and other postgraduate courses offered by IIMs. The exam is conducted by one of the older Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) on an annual basis, usually in the month of November or December. It is a Computer-Based Test (CBT) conducted in online mode at various examination centres. The time duration of the exam is 120 minutes (2 hours), which is divided into three sections. 

• The first section is Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), consisting of Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Odd Sentences, etc.

• The second section is of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), consisting of analysing charts, tables, graphs, puzzles, arrangements, groupings based on logic, etc.

• The last section is Quantitative Ability (QA), consisting of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, number systems, etc.

Breakdown of Each Section of the CAT Exam

While the students are studying the CAT examination syllabus, it is also important for them to kind of have a breakthrough in each section of the exam. Having details about all three sections of the exam will help the students to find themselves feeling better equipped with the information regarding the exam pattern.

1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

This is the first section of the CAT exam. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section mainly assesses the understanding, grammar and vocabulary knowledge of the students. There are around 4 reading comprehensions that have 18 questions in total. Students have to solve these reading comprehensions using their knowledge about vocabulary and understanding. There are various other questions based on parajumbles, sentence completion, summary-based questions, odd ones out, etc. that are included in this section. The basic motive of the section is to assess the language efficacy of the students. The students who have a better grasp of the English language will probably find the section a little easier to solve than the others.

2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

This is the second section of the CAT exam. Usually this section assesses the analytical skills of the students and how well students are able to understand patterns and make logical judgements. The reasoning ability of the students is tested in the second section. There are various graphs, tables, charts, arrangements, etc., that students are presented with, and they have to use their own understanding and brain to decipher what the answer to the question can be. There are usually 4 sets within the section, and each set contains around 5 questions each that students have to solve.

3. Quantitative Reasoning

This is the last section of the CAT exam, and this is usually considered to be the most time-taking section for the students. This section is entirely based on mathematical ability questions that the students have to solve. There are generally questions based on various mathematical topics like percentages, combinations, permutations, mensuration, profit and loss geometry,  arithmetic, ratio equations, etc. All of these questions are mainly there to test the calculation speed of the students. There are only 40 minutes to solve this section of the exam, and students have to be quick.

Important Information Regarding the CAT 2026 Syllabus

The CAT 2026 exam pattern will have MCQ type questions in the following format. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section will cover the English grammar section, Verbal reasoning and reading comprehension, which are crucial for the MBA syllabus. Then the quantitative aptitude section will focus on mathematical topics ranging from class 8th to 10th that will include all the topics that are covered from geometry and trigonometry to menstruation, etc. Then the data interpretation and logical reasoning section will involve all the higher-order thinking questions that will assess the analytical interpretation skills of the students and will have various puzzles, pie charts, tables, etc.

Conclusion

It is extremely essential for the students to know about the CAT syllabus when they are preparing for the exam. The syllabus forms the most important aspect that students need to work on when they are thinking of preparing for an exam. It is the syllabus that the students prepare for. If the students do not have clarity on what all aspects are included in the syllabus, they won't be able to perform better for the exam. Therefore, it becomes extremely essential for the students to realise what all the actual exam includes, and students should work accordingly to prepare for the CAT exam. In the same sense, when students prepare the CAT syllabus in a very holistic manner, they're able to see their performance shine. Students can actually score good percentiles in the exam and make sure that they're able to do better. When students have a solid CAT preparation with the CAT examination syllabus, then they're able to score great percentiles in the exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How is the CAT exam conducted?

The CAT is a computer-based exam conducted in online mode.

2. How many questions are there in total in the CAT exam?

There are a total of 68 questions in the CAT exam.