The Common Admission Test, or CAT, is among the most sought-after entrance exams for aspirants who desire to join the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management, or IIMs, and other top business schools in India. As CAT 2025 approaches, it’s imperative to understand the syllabus to prepare effectively. Even though the CAT doesn’t have a predefined syllabus, a detailed analysis of previous years’ question papers gives an idea about what topics are usually covered.
This article shall cover the entire CAT 2025 syllabus, which has three major sections:
VARC or Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, DILR or Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and QA or Quantitative Ability.
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Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
This is the section that tests the proficiency of the candidate in using English language skills, comprehension skills, and logical reasoning in language. This section is usually 24-26 questions in number, with a division between Reading Comprehension (RC) and Verbal Ability (VA).
Key Areas Covered:
Reading Comprehension (RC):
- Focus: The RC component is the backbone of this section, usually accounting for 70% of the questions.
- Topics: Passages are taken from diverse fields such as economics, philosophy, history, science, current affairs, and abstract ideas.
- Skills Evaluated: Comprehension, inference, tone and style identification, and main idea analysis.
Verbal Ability (VA):
- Para Jumbles: Rearrange sentences to form a coherent paragraph.
- Odd Sentence Out: Identify the sentence that doesn’t fit in a given set.
- Para Summary: Choose the option that best summarizes a given paragraph.
- Preparation Tips for VARC:
- Develop a Reading Habit: Read newspapers, novels, and editorials regularly to improve comprehension and vocabulary.
- Practice: Complete at least 2-3 RC passages a day to enhance your speed and accuracy.
- Mock Tests: Take section-specific mocks to know your weaknesses.
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- The DILR section tests a candidate’s ability to make sense of complex data and to solve logical puzzles. In general, this section is set with 20-24 questions divided into sets with 4-6 questions in each set.
Key Areas Covered:
Data Interpretation (DI) of CAT 2025 syllabus :
- Types of Data: Table, Pie Chart, Bar graph, Line Graph, Caselet and Scatter plot.
- Important Skills for DILR:
- Calculation efficiency is essential for quick comparison with other data. Percentage Changes must be evaluated. Important Trend analysis
Logical Reasoning (LR) of CAT 2025 syllabus :
- Puzzles
- Seating arrangement linear circular grid.
- Family Trees.
- Rankings
- Connections and Flow
- Any kind of logical sequence involving blood relations and syllogism
- Games and Tournaments
- Problem Based on Rule and Conditions
Important Preparation Tips for DILR CAT 2025 syllabus
Daily Practice: Work at least 2-3 sets of DI and LR per day to get accustomed with patterns.
Develop Analytical Reasoning: Play Sudoku, chess, etc, which develop logical reasoning skills
Mock Tests: Simulate full-length mocks; do practice of full mock; hence, manage the paper, just like that day.
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QA-Quantitative Ability
The QA section is about mathematics and requires a good concept of the basic topics. Generally, it contains 22-26 questions that aim at testing the speed and accuracy of problem-solving.
Key Areas Covered
- Arithmetic:
- Percentages
- Profit and loss
- Ratios
- Averages
- Mixtures and alligations
- Time and work
- Time-speed-distance
- All these topics form an important part of the QA section as they are so very useful in real life.
- Algebra:
- Linear and quadratic equations
- Inequalities
- Functions
Progressions.
Skills Used: Ability to simplify the equations and also understand relations between variables.
Geometry and Mensuration:
- Subject Matter: Circle, Triangle, Quadrilaterals, Polygons and 3D Figures.
- Skills Tested: Concepts relating to Area, Volume, and spatial reasoning.
- Number System
- Subject Matter: Divisibility, factors, LCM and HCF and modular arithmetic
- Skills Used: Conceptual clarity related to basic mathematics
Modern Mathematics
- Subject Matter: Permutation and Combinations, Probability, Set Theory and Logarithms
- Skills Used: Advanced problem solving skills
Preparation Strategy for QA:
- Strengthening Fundamentals- Revise the NCERT textbooks of Mathematics, class-wise and subject-wise.
- Practice Topic-Wise: Concentrate on weaker areas and attempt 20-30 questions in a day.
- Shortcut Techniques: Learn Vedic mathematics and shortcut methods to save time in calculation.
General Preparation Strategies for CAT 2025
Understand the Exam Pattern:
Know about the three-hour format of the CAT exam, which has been divided into one hour for each section.
- Develop a Study Plan:
- Plan your schedule in a balanced way, including time for concept learning, question practice, and mock test analysis.
Mock Tests and Analysis:
Take full-length mock tests every week and analyze your performance to know where you are strong and weak.
- Time Management:
- Practice answering questions within a given time limit so that you can deal with the pressure of the real exam.
- Accuracy
CAT has negative marking for incorrect answers. Avoid guesswork to maintain a high accuracy rate.
Conclusion
Though the syllabus of CAT 2025 syllabus remains unofficially defined, one can derive it with help from an analysis of past years’ question patterns. A strong understanding in all the key areas- in VARC, DILR, and QA, will set a rock-strong foundation for preparation. All aspiring candidates should practice, prepare strategically, and periodically assess themselves through mock tests to reach their respective targets.
The right mindset and proper preparation make cracking CAT 2025 possible. Embrace the journey, stay disciplined, and aim for excellence!
