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Candidates who wish to enrol in post-graduate management programmes must take the CAT, or Common Admission Test. The tentative date for the CAT 2023 test is November 26. The registration period for the CAT exam 2023 will begin during the first week of August on iimcat.ac.in. To sign up for the CAT in 2023, candidates will need to create a login ID, complete the application, and pay the exam fee. The IIM that is hosting the exam will officially announce the CAT 2023 exam date in the last week of July 2023. The CAT syllabus is divided into three sections, each with a number of topics. To achieve a good percentile, it’s critical to perform well in each section.
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CAT Syllabus 2023
CAT 2023 exam syllabus include 3 subjects i.e., Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension and Quantitative Aptitude. The Quantitative Ability section of the CAT syllabus covers the topics of mathematics up to class 10/12 such as arithmetic, numbers, geometry, algebra, and mensuration, while the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section covers the important topics of verbal reasoning and reading comprehension. Under the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning syllabus, the topics like tables, bar graphs, puzzles and reasoning-based data will be concluded.
CAT 2023 will be a CBT, or a computer-based test, as normal. The amount of questions, total time allotted, total marks, number of sections, and sectional time allotment have all altered numerous times in the CAT design. The sections of CAT 2021 each had a 40-minute time restriction.
Check the complete overview in the below-provided table
Total Questions | 66 |
Section-wise Questions | Quantitative Aptitude: 22
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation: 20 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension: 24 |
Time allotted per section | 40 minutes each |
Mode of Examination | Computer-based |
Medium of Examination | English |
CAT Syllabus: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
The CAT’s Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) part is crucial, and you’ll have 40 minutes to complete the problems. The questions on the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) test are a little challenging. The portion on reading comprehension has the highest weighting and hence calls for more concentration.
VARC Topics | No. of Questions in CAT Exam | Difficulty Level |
Reading Comprehension | 16 | Moderate to Difficult |
VA-Parajumbles | 3 | Moderate to Difficult |
VA-Odd Sentence | 2 | Easy to Moderate |
VA-Summary | 3 | Easy to Moderate |
Total | 24 | Moderate to Difficult level |
There are summary-based, bizarre sentence, and para jumbled questions in the CAT. The amount of questions in each set has changed throughout the last few years. There are now 24 questions in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section.
The detailed syllabus is listed below.
Grammar | One-word substitution | Verbal reasoning |
Sentence completion | Idioms | Syllogisms |
Fill in the blanks | Preposition | Parts of speech |
English Usage | One word substitution | Phrases modifiers |
Synonyms and Antonyms Vocabulary | Types of clauses | Subject-verb agreement |
Jumbled paragraphs | Articles usage | Foreign language words used in English |
Sentence correction | Errors in tenses | Analogies |
Verbal logic | Para jumbles | Different usage of same word |
CAT Syllabus: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
Your ability to read and analyse visual representations of data will be put to the test in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) component of the exam. It will also put your capacity for reason to the test. It’s possible that unstructured data will also need to be organised. It is very challenging to complete the entire Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section. This is so that candidates may demonstrate that they have strong skills in logical thinking and data representation. The questions in this area can be changed and cover a wide range of topics.
DILR Sections | No. of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
Data Interpretation | 4 | Easy |
Data Interpretation | 4 | Moderate |
Logical Reasoning | 6 | Moderate to difficult |
Logical Reasoning | 6 | Easy to Moderate |
Total | 20 | Moderate to Difficult level |
Data arrangement, number-based reasoning, missing data, set theory, games and competitions, abstract data, and other topics may be covered in the questions.
The amount of questions on the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) exam has recently changed. In the CAT 2021, there were 20 questions spread throughout 4 LRDI sets, including 2 sets of 4 questions and 2 sets of 6 questions. The following subjects may be covered by the LRDI questions:
Clocks and Calendars | Series | Syllogism |
Statements | Blood Relations | Venn Diagram |
Data Arrangement | Proposition | Data Structures |
Family Tree | Direction Sense | Tables |
Binary Logic | Coding-Decoding | Pie Charts |
Seating Arrangement | Assumptions | Data Sufficiency |
Sets & Caselets | Puzzles | Bars & Line Graphs |
CAT Syllabus: Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
The CAT syllabus contains a lengthy part on this subject. The difficulty levels of the questions in the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) segment range from moderate to high. Arithmetic, Geometry and Mensuration, Algebra, Modern Mathematics, and Number Systems will all be topics covered in the questions. Arithmetic has received the most weight in the previous few years, whereas Modern Mathematics and Number Systems have received the least. The overall number of questions in the complete Quantitative Aptitude (QA) segment has changed in recent years. Now, there will only be 22 questions for candidates.
QA Sections | No. of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
Arithmetic | 10 | Moderate |
Algebra | 5 | Moderate |
Geometry | 3 | Moderate |
Modern Maths | 4 | Moderate |
Total | 22 | Moderate Level |
Here is the syllabus for exam preparation:
Geometry | Ratios and Proportion | Inequalities |
Trigonometry | In-equations Quadratic and linear equations | Work and Time |
Algebra | Surds and Indices | Percentages |
Mensuration | Time-Speed-Distance | Logarithms |
Partnership (Accounts) | Number System | Square Root and Cube Root |
Profit & Loss | Geometric Progression | Probability |
Mean, mode, median | Binomial theorem | Simple interest and compound interest |
Latest Changes in CAT Exam Syllabus
There have been some adjustments to CAT over the past few years. These modifications were made to the exam syllabus and pattern. The table below is a list of the most recent changes.
Syllabus and Exam Pattern | Changes (2019-2020) | Changes (2020-2021) |
Total Number of Questions | Reduced to 76 from 100 | Reduced to 66 from 76 |
Raw Score | Reduced to 228 from 300 | Reduced to 198 from 228 |
Total Number of VARC Questions | Reduced to 26 from 34 | Reduced to 24 from 26 |
Total Number of DILR Questions | Reduced to 24 from 32 | Reduced to 20 from 24 |
Total Number of QA Questions | Reduced to 26 from 34 | Reduced to 22 from 26 |