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CAT 2025 Syllabus PDF Download Here [Section Wise & Important Topics]

Author : Lalita Vishwakarma

January 24, 2025

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Overview: Understanding the CAT Syllabus 2025 is the first step in making the study plan for the CAT 2025 exam. Here, let’s scroll down and learn the section-wise CAT 2025 syllabus and weightage for the CAT exam!

  • The CAT exam 2025 will be conducted on 30th November 2025 across various centres in the country.
  • The MBA CAT syllabus 2025 includes Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA).
  • The Indian Institute of Management provides the CAT 2025 syllabus and the respective exam dates.

Read the CAT exam pattern and syllabus here and download the CAT exam syllabus 2025 PDF below!

IIM CAT Syllabus 2025 Highlights 

What is the CAT exam Syllabus for an MBA? The Indian Institute of Management conducts the CAT exam every year in November. The CAT 2025 is all set to be conducted on 30th November 2025 by IIM Kozhikode

Along with the CAT notification 2025, the IIM also releases the CAT Exam Syllabus for MBA aspirants. This CAT detailed syllabus 2025 revolves around the three sections including:

  • VARC: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
  • DILR: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
  • QA: Quantitative Aptitude

You can download the CAT Syllabus PDF and prepare for the important topics for CAT 2025.

 cat toppers list 2024

 cat toppers list 2024

CAT VARC Syllabus 2025

The VARC is the first section of the CAT syllabus 2025, with around 24 questions. The difficulty level of this section is moderate to difficult. To clear the sectional and overall cutoff, you need to be familiar with the key topics of the CAT English Syllabus 2025.

Here are some of the main CAT VARC syllabus topics to focus on:

S.No.

Important Topics

1

English Usage or Grammar

2

Vocabulary-Based (Synonyms/ Antonyms)

3

Fill in the blanks

4

Sentence Correction

5

Cloze Passage

6

Jumbled Paragraph

7

Meaning-Usage Match

8

Analogies or Reverse Analogies

9

Summary Questions

10

Verbal Reasoning

11

Facts-Inferences-Judgments

12

Reading Comprehension

Also Read: CAT QA Question with Answers

CAT Syllabus 2025: VARC Topics & Weightage

The CAT VARC section comprises four key areas: Reading Comprehension, Parajumbles, Verbal Ability, and Sentence Completion. It's important to note that this VARC Syllabus for CAT has no grammar-based questions.

The format and composition of the VARC section typically remain consistent each year. Based on last year's CAT paper, the weightage and difficulty levels of these areas can be summarised as follows:

VARC Topics for CAT

No. of Questions in the CAT Exam

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

Know More: CAT Exam Fees for Different Categories

 CAT Percentile Predictor Tool

 CAT Percentile Predictor Tool

Check | What to do after the CAT exam?

CAT Reading Comprehension Passages of Previous Years

Familiarity with the passages from the previous year will help you prepare for the CAT 2025. Each slot asks about four to five RC passages, asking 12-14 questions. The passages are asked from different fields like economy, current affairs, history, entertainment and more.

Here are some of the previous year's RC passages to know:

MBA CAT Exam 2024

  • RC on Behavioral Economics
  • RC on Streaming
  • RC on Culture Bandicoots 
  • RC on Crafts and Craftsmen
  • RC on Spices and its trade and its importance in colonisation
  • RC on Technological Advancement
  • RC on Academic Peer Review
  • RC on Violent Confrontation between human and animals
  • RC on Space Community
  • RC on Languages
  • RC on AI and its Influence on Language
  • RC on the Success of Moutai Liquor in China

Read More: CAT Marking Scheme Distribution

MBA CAT Exam 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: Is it 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 

Check | How to prepare for logical reasoning for CAT 2025?

MBA CAT Exam 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 reorganisation increasing crime rate
  • Software is easier for humans who are not capable of getting solutions)
  • Indian history
  • American migration/urbanisation is increasing

MBA CAT Exam 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

Know More: CAT Score vs Percentile

 CAT Online Coaching

 CAT Online Coaching

CAT DILR Syllabus 2025

What is the CAT Syllabus for the DILR section? Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning is the second section of the CAT syllabus 2025. Although, till 2023, around 20 questions were asked from this section, in 2024, the total number of questions changed to 22. These questions need to be completed in 40 minutes.

To get a good score in the DILR section, take a look at the important topics for CAT 2025: 

DI Topics

Tables

Data Caselets – Reasoning-Based DI

Column Graphs

Bar Graphs

Venn Diagrams

Line Charts

Pie Charts

Scatter Plot

Radar Chart

Routes and Network

Bubble Chart

LR Topics

Binary Logic

Games and Tournaments

Arrangements

Team Formations

Order and Ranking

Check: CAT Previous Year Cut off Marks

CAT DILR Syllabus 2025: Important Topics & Weightage for CAT DILR

Data Interpretation (DI) questions focus on tables and graphs, while Logical Reasoning (LR) encompasses a variety of topics, including verbal, non-verbal, and abstract reasoning. Below is the basic structure of the DILR section of CAT, along with the difficulty levels from previous papers.

Section

No. of Questions

Level of Difficulty

Data Interpretation

4

Easy

Data Interpretation

6

Moderate

Logical Reasoning

6

Moderate to Difficult

Logical Reasoning

6

Easy to Moderate

Overall

22

Moderate to Difficult

MBA CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus for 2025

The QA is the most difficult yet scoring section of the CAT syllabus 2025. Grabbing a good hold on the topics of the CAT Quant Syllabus will help you score well in the CAT 2025 exam. 

Here are some of the major topics of the CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus 2025

Quants Syllabus for CAT 2025

CAT 2025 Syllabus for Quants Sub-Topics

CAT Number System Syllabus

Prime Factorization

Divisibility Rules

Finding Units place and tens place of a number

LCM and HCF

Indices and Surds

Cyclicity

Remainders

Base Change

Factorial

CAT Arithmetic Syllabus

Simple Interest and Compound Interest

Time, Distance and Speed

Mixtures and Allegations

Ratios, Proportions and Variations

Time and Work

Pipes and Cisterns

Percentages

Averages

Profit and Loss

CAT Geometry Syllabus

Circles

Polygons

Triangles

Trigonometry

Lines and Angles

Coordinate Geometry

CAT Algebra Syllabus

Functions and Groups

Inequalities and Modulus

Logarithms

Maxima and Minima

Polynomials

Linear and Quadratic Equations

Algebraic Identities

CAT Modern Mathematics Syllabus

Probability

Permutations and Combinations

Set Theory

Venn Diagram

AP, GP, HP

Binomial theorem

Also, Check: How to download CAT Admit Card

CAT QA syllabus 2025: Topic-wise weightage

The CAT Quantitative Aptitude section usually has tough questions that involve a lot of calculations. Since the CAT is a timed test, good mental math skills can really help candidates solve problems faster and more accurately. 

So, along with general CAT study prep, candidates need to practice their mental math to do well in this part of the exam.

Topic

No. of Questions

Level of Difficulty

Arithmetic

8-10

Moderate to High

Algebra

5-7

Moderate to High

Geometry

1-3

Moderate to High

Modern Maths

2-4

Moderate to High

Overall

22

Moderate to High

Explore: CAT Exam Centres

CAT Exam Pattern 2025 [Marking Scheme]

After knowing the CAT 2025 syllabus, it is important to familiarise yourself with the CAT paper pattern. The CAT exam structure 2024 has shown some minor changes, which are also expected for the CAT 2025 exam. 

There are majorly three major sections asked in the CAT question paper 2025: 

CAT Exam Sections

Number of Questions

Weightage (Marks)

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

24

72

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

22

66

Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

22

66

Find Out: List of CAT Subjects

 CAT Online Coaching

 CAT Online Coaching

Free Resources For CAT 2025 Preparation

To ace your CAT exam 2025 with good marks and percentile, it is essential to have a good preparation strategy and study material.

Here are some good free resources that you can choose and help form to boost your preparation:

  • Exclusive video lectures from our best CAT mentors
  • High-quality study materials and formula booklets
  • Full-length mock tests and previous year exam papers
  • Basic and advanced tests for each topic in all three sections
  • Expert-led knowledge and mentorship sessions

Check | CAT 2025 Exam Maths Syllabus

Expert Strategy to Prepare for CAT Syllabus 2025

The CAT 2025 syllabus is very vast. Thus, the candidates need to be specific and should have good strategies to prepare for the CAT syllabus 2025:

  • To build a strong foundation for the CAT exam, choose the right books that clarify key concepts. Once you grasp the basics, tackle questions of varying difficulty.
  • Make it a habit to solve previous years' question papers. This will help you understand the exam format and improve your accuracy.
  • Keep a dedicated notebook for tricks and formulas; regular revision will make a difference. Stick to the IIM CAT syllabus to avoid wasting time on irrelevant topics.
  • After you finish each topic, test your readiness with online mock exams. Be sure to analyse your performance afterwards to learn from your mistakes and refine your skills.

Read More: CAT Slot Timings

 CAT Online Coaching

 CAT Online Coaching

Conclusion

Finally, knowing the CAT syllabus 2025 and sectional topics will help you prepare accordingly. The CAT 2025 exam syllabus for all three sections is vast and needs a proper study plan to prepare for the main exam day.

We have listed the significant topics of the CAT 2025 syllabus for MBA and their weightage. You can make a good study plan based on it. Good luck with your exam!

Also Read: CAT Previous Year Question Papers with Solutions

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