March 10, 2025
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!
Read the CAT exam pattern and syllabus here and download the CAT exam syllabus for MBA 2025 PDF below!
What is the CAT exam Syllabus for 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:
You can download the CAT Syllabus PDF and prepare for the important topics for CAT 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. The CAT exam syllabus for VARC 2025 plays a crucial role in understanding the important concepts required to ace this section.
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
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 |
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Check | What to do after the CAT exam?
Familiarity with the passages from the previous year and the CAT syllabus for MBA 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:
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Read More: CAT Marking Scheme Distribution
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Check | How to prepare for logical reasoning for CAT 2025?
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What is the CAT Syllabus for the DILR section? The CAT 2025 syllabus pdf for DILR covers essential topics that test analytical and reasoning abilities. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning is the second section of the CAT exam syllabus for MBA 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 |
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Column Graphs |
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Bar Graphs |
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Venn Diagrams |
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Line Charts |
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Pie Charts |
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Scatter Plot |
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Radar Chart |
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Routes and Network |
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Bubble Chart |
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LR Topics |
Binary Logic |
Games and Tournaments |
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Arrangements |
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Team Formations |
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Order and Ranking |
Check: CAT Previous Year Cut off Marks
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, aligned with the CAT syllabus for MBA.
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 |
Another CAT exam syllabus scoring section is Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. This includes solving questions based on tables, graphs, charts and series. Worry not; preparing for the DILR section is not difficult. Here are the tips you can follow:
Learning and memorising tables up to 25 will help you solve square, square, cube, cube roots and other mathematical values to speed up your calculation.
Data interpretation largely depends on your mathematical ability. You should be proficient in mathematical calculations.
Solving mocks is one of the best practices to improve your marks and CAT percentile. Download the previous year's papers for the CAT exam or solve full-length mock tests to boost your prep.
The QA is the most difficult yet scoring section of the CAT syllabus 2025 pdf. 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 |
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Finding Units place and tens place of a number |
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LCM and HCF |
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Indices and Surds |
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Cyclicity |
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Remainders |
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Base Change |
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Factorial |
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CAT Arithmetic Syllabus |
Simple Interest and Compound Interest |
Time, Distance and Speed |
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Mixtures and Allegations |
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Ratios, Proportions and Variations |
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Time and Work |
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Pipes and Cisterns |
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Percentages |
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Averages |
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Profit and Loss |
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CAT Geometry Syllabus |
Circles |
Polygons |
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Triangles |
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Trigonometry |
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Lines and Angles |
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Coordinate Geometry |
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CAT Algebra Syllabus |
Functions and Groups |
Inequalities and Modulus |
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Logarithms |
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Maxima and Minima |
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Polynomials |
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Linear and Quadratic Equations |
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Algebraic Identities |
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CAT Modern Mathematics Syllabus |
Probability |
Permutations and Combinations |
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Set Theory |
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Venn Diagram |
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AP, GP, HP |
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Binomial theorem |
Also, Check: How to download CAT Admit Card
The CAT exam syllabus quantitative aptitude (QA) section is one of the scoring sections. A good preparation can help you grab good marks. Here are the key preparation tips for the CAT Quantitative Aptitude section:
Be smart if you want to get good marks on the CAT exam. Try to memorise all the formulae and theorems of algebra, geometry, arithmetic and trigonometry.
The CAT exam is all about speed and accuracy, so invest your time in solving full-length mock tests in the real exam condition.
A good and effective way to improve your speed and accuracy is to solve CAT exam previous year papers. This will give you an idea of the exam pattern and the difficulty level of the questions asked.
Practice by dividing your session into easy, moderate and high. Start solving easy CAT questions first, then move to moderately high and tough questions.
The more you solve, the more you get clarity about the question. Try to solve the question at least three times. It will definitely improve your speed and accuracy.
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. The CAT syllabus for QA 2025 includes important topics that candidates should focus on to improve their performance.
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
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
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:
Check | CAT 2025 Maths Syllabus
The CAT 2025 syllabus pdf is very vast. Thus, the candidates need to be specific and should have good strategies to prepare for the CAT syllabus 2025 pdf:
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Finally, knowing the CAT syllabus 2025 pdf 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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