CAT 2025: Syllabus, Exam Pattern, and Marking Scheme

Introduction to CAT

The Common Admission Test (CAT) exam does not require any formal introduction, as it is an inevitable choice among management students looking to enter into the renowned national and international colleges offering premium management studies. Since more than two decades, the CAT exam has been testing the skills of enormous aspirants, and only smart ones manage to crack it and pave into the business college of their choice. The sole purpose of the CAT syllabus is to assess a candidate's aptitude for management education (MBA), and the CAT exam acts as a gateway for seeking admission in top business schools across the country, including the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).

Each year, different IIM acts as the conducting body to conduct nationwide CAT exams. The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Calcutta first introduced the Common Admission Test (CAT) in the year 1990. The sole intention behind introducing CAT was to provide a standardized entrance examination for admission to the various IIMs across India. It is expected that IIM Kozhikode will conduct CAT 2025.

CAT Syllabus

The entire syllabus of CAT is divided among three section, namely:

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

Let us explore important sub-topics that usually appear each year in different sections:

Table 1: CAT Syllabus
Section / Main Topic	Sub Topics
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	Analogy Antonym Change of Speech Change of Voice Critical Reasoning Deductive Reasoning Idiom and Phrases Odd One Out One Word Substitution Paragraph Completion Paragraph Summary Spotting Errors Verbal Reasoning Vocabulary
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	Data Interpretation Sub Topics: 2-set Venn Diagram 3-set Venn Diagram 4-set Venn Diagram Bar Graphs Line Charts Pie Charts Area Charts Histogram Scattered Plots Selection with Condition Data Sufficiency Analytical Reasoning Logical Data Analysis Sufficiency Conditions DI with Connected Data Sets Data Table Profit and Loss Tables Data Change over Period Tables with Missing Data Logical Reasoning Sub Topics: Linear Arrangements Circular Arrangements Complex Arrangements Seating Arrangements Scheduling Floor Puzzles Blood Relations Family Tree Relationships Direction Sense Clocks and Calendars Time Calculations Date Calculations Binary Logic Cubes with Visual Reasoning Cubes with Logical Connectives Team Selecting Routes and Networks Scheduling Truth and Lie Logical Matching Coin Picking Games and Tournaments 2D and 3D Logical Reasoning Permutation and Combination (P&C)
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	Averages Profits and Loss Simple & Compound Interest Mixtures & Allegations Percentages Speed, Time & Distance Pipers and Cisterns Ratio & Proportion Simplification Graphs Linear Equations Quadratic Equations Higher Order Equation Logarithms Modulus Inequalities Maxima and Minima Sequence and Series Base System Divisibility LCM & HCF Complex Numbers Factors Remainders Digits Higher Powers Surds and Indices Circles Polygons Trigonometry Coordinate Geometry Quadrilaterals Angles Mensuration Triangles Parallel Lines Permutations & Combinations Geometric Arrangements Sequences & Series Probability Progressions Roots Binomial Theorem Set Theory

What is the right approach to prepare for the CAT exam?

Let us take the modest approach to answering this question. Recent revelations showed that every year, 5000 average-graded students from non-technical backgrounds managed to crack the CAT exam. Moreover, the entire curriculum required to prepare and appear for the CAT exam is neither rocket science nor complicated. We have learned its entire stuff at the school level. What you need is training on how to apply your thinking, reasoning, and analytical skills effectively.

The only difference lies in how questions are put to confuse you and yet at the same time check your overall aptitude. A simple BODMAS question in a CAT exam can be framed in such a manner that I might appear to you as some missing part of the String Theory or the answer to the 500 words of reading comprehension lies in the last lines of the paragraph. It is all about tricking you.

To master tricks, you have to encapsulate as much as possible from all possible reading and practice sources – be it practicing a question on a rough paper, reading daily newspapers, leveraging expert advice, or putting technology to work. Stay positive and confident. Talk to people who have taken the CAT to get their insights. This will boost your spirits and help you manage stress and anxiety about the exam. Typically, the entire study plan for preparing to appear in the CAT exam falls into three slots. Each slot has its own distinct advantage and disadvantage, depending upon your strategies, availability of resources, and prior experience with some other competitive exams. The following table might help you to draft your preparation plans:

Rush Slot	Optimum Slot	Ideal Slot
Exam date: 6 months away	Exam date: 9 months away	Exam date: 12 months away
Start solving practice tests	Daily self-study plan, group study, or by mentorship	Adopt an easy-difficult detailed study plan with mentorship
Quick self SWOT	Detailed self SWOT	Work on vocabulary and RC
Ideal for professionals or earlier aspirants	Solve one RC and a mock or previous year paper daily	Complete studies in 6 months
	Attempt at least 15-20 last year and mock papers

CAT Study Plan

A systematic study plan that involves multiple sources of reading and practicing regularly are key to success for the CAT exam. Few suggestions for an effective study plan are listed here under:

• Past Year Questions: There are numerous websites and study material available in the market to look and analyze the pattern of difficulty level and type of questions asked in the previous year. The past year question papers offer good guidance in understanding the CAT exam and assessing your skills.
• Free Mock Tests: Go after at least one mock test per day. You can find numerous mock tests designed in accordance to the real time exam center environment. These mock tests help you check your section-wise ability to solve the questions. If possible then enroll for some good CAT mock test series. Believe or not, mock test simulates best to the real-time CAT exam environment.
• Identifying Mistakes: Whatever source of preparation you opt for mastering the CAT, you will always found some mistakes done by you. Analyze the mistakes and try to avoid them in future. If possible then make a list of your mistakes, as they might turn very useful while doing the revision just couple of months before the exam day.
• Working Hard on Weaker Areas: By identifying your mistakes, you easily realize in which areas you are doing well and where you are lagging behind. Try to put some extra efforts either by devoting more time or by attempting questions of your weaker side.
• Regular Practice: There is famous saying – practice makes the man perfect. Make a dedicated schedule of study and practice and adhere to it without any excuses. Split your practice into daily and weekly targets. You can opt a coaching center if you are uncertain how to make a practice plan. Alternatively, you can also seek mentorship from candidates who had earlier attempted or cleared the CAT exam. Their advice will provide you real-time opinion on formulating and following practice plan.

Exam Pattern of CAT

As mentioned earlier in this blog, CAT exam comprises of three section – VARC, DLIR, and QA. The catch lies in the sectional limit, which means candidate have to attempt the exam in pre-defined order and complete each section in specified limit. Unlike few other exams, you cannot choose QA at first place instead of VARC. Thus, if the CAT exam is appearing in the sequence of VARC-DILR-QA then you have to attempt questions in same serial order of sections.

Table 2: CAT Exam Pattern
Mode of Exam	Online
Total Duration of Exam	2 hours (120 minutes)
Total Number of Questions	66
Types of Questions	MCQs and Non-MCQs
Total Marks	198
Exam Sections	Three; annual shuffle in number of questions per section
Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC)	24
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)	20
Marking Scheme	3 marks for correct answer -1 mark for incorrect answer No negative marking on skipping a question
Frequency	Once a year
Date of Exam	November of every year
Date of Result	Second week of January

Expected Exam Pattern of CAT 2025

Table 3: CAT Exam Pattern
Sections	MCQs	Non-MCQs	Total Questions	Details
VARC	20	4	24	4 passages of RC with 4 questions each. 8 para jumbles, para completions, para summary, odd sentence out.
DILR	14	6	20	4 sets of 5 questions each covering topics like bar graphs, missing data, and puzzles.
QA	15	7	22	Dominated by arithmetic and algebra with 4 questions of geometry.
Total	49	17	66

Conclusion

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the most prestigious exam to seek entry into the MBA program offered by reputable colleges and universities. Besides Indian institutes, CAT score is valid in management institutes spread across South Asia, Middle East Asia, North America, and many more countries. The entire syllabus of CAT comprises three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA. Total, there are 66 questions in the CAT exam that appear section-wise, and the candidate needs to complete the entire exam in 2 hours. For every right answer, three marks are awarded, and for every wrong answer, minus one is allocated. A consistent study plan with a dedicated routine towards practicing previous year's question papers, attempting mock tests, and identifying your weak areas helps you strategically improve performance in the CAT exam. If you are uncertain on how to devise your study plan, then opt for some coaching or mentorship from previous CAT aspirants.