Candidates preparing for the CAT Exam must have a clear picture of topic-wise weightage in CAT exam. The CAT exam consists of three sections- Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Each section in CAT Exam consists of MCQ and Non-MCQ questions. Candidates should know the important topics in order to ace the exam.
As we all know there is no defined syllabus for the CAT exam, thus based on the past year's trend analysis, some important topics and their estimated weightage have been listed below in the article. The list of such topics is prepared by our team of experts who have years of experience in mentoring students for CAT and other MBA exams.
The aspirants need to know what they should study to ace the CAT exam. They must prepare from a very basic level. For this, the BYJU'S Exam Prep team has compiled a list of important CAT topics (keeping in mind the trend from previous years) from all three sections of the CAT exam to help candidates focus more on important topics rather than just covering every topic.
CAT 2022 Exam Pattern
CAT exam has seen a lot of changes in the exam pattern over the previous years however, the pattern remained the same for CAT 2021 and CAT 2022. The CAT question paper consists of both MCQ and Non-MCQ questions but there is no negative marking for the Non-MCQ questions. As per the analysis given by BYJU'S Exam experts the CAT exam difficulty level was Moderate. The CAT 2022 exam pattern is summarized below.
Section | Number of Questions | Number of Non-MCQ Questions | Time (in minutes) | Difficulty Level |
VARC | 24 | 3 | 40 | Moderate |
DILR | 20 | 6 | 40 | Moderate |
QA | 22 | 8 | 40 | Easy - Moderate |
Total | 66 | 17 | 120 | Moderate |
- Section wise time limit was 40 minutes
- Marking Scheme is given below:
- +3 marks for every correct answer
- -1 marks for every incorrect answer
- 0 marks for unattempted questions
CAT 2023 Expected Paper Pattern (Our Take)
Section | MCQ | Non-MCQ Questions | Total |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 19-21 | 3-5 | 24-26 |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 15-18 | 5-6 | 20-24 |
Quantitative Ability (QA) | 16-18 | 6-8 | 22-26 |
Total | 50-57 | 14-19 | 66-76 |
Important Topics for CAT
The following table consists of topics from which the questions have been asked in the CAT exam previously.
VARC | DILR | QA |
Reading Comprehension | Seating Arrangement | Arithmetic |
Para Jumbles | Venn Diagrams | Algebra |
Odd One Out | Charts | Number System |
Para Summary | Tables | Geometry and Mensuration |
| Para Completion
| Graphs | Modern Maths
|
Data Caselets- Reasoning Based DI | ||
Binary Logic | ||
Games and Tournaments | ||
Arrangements | ||
Team Formation | ||
Order and Ranking |
CAT VARC Topics
VARC Topic-Wise Distribution from 2019-2022
| Particulars | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Reading Comprehension | 16 | 16 | 18 | 24 |
| Para Jumbles | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Para Summary | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Odd One Out | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Para Completion | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* 23 out of 56 passages in the last 5 years (2018-22) were from Aeon, NYT, The Guardian & Smithsonian Magazine
*27 out of 56 passages in the last 5 years (2018-22) are from 3 Genres - Sociology and Anthropology, Zoology/Biology & Philosophy and Psychology
*Biology, Linguistics, and Science & Technology are important topics to study with respect to Para Jumbles, Para Summary & Odd one out.
*Sources for Para Jumbles, Para Summary & Odd one out: These questions are made from a variety of sources. The examiners have been fond of taking excerpts from books in the past few years. Some questions were also there from online sources like Aeon & Economist.
☛ Check out Preparation Tips for the VARC Section of CAT 2023
CAT DILR Topics
Given below is the topic-wise weightage of the DILR topics from the year 2017-2022:
Topic | Number of Sets in PYQP 2017-22 |
Reasoning Based DI | 10 |
Matrix and Grid | 7 |
Matrix Arrangement | 7 |
Venn Diagram | 7 |
Scheduling and Matrix | 6 |
Unconventional and Hybrid Games and Tournament | 6 |
Mathematical AR | 4 |
Order and ranking | 3 |
Missing Data | 3 |
Arithmetic Caselet | 3 |
Logic Based Table | 3 |
Routes and Networks | 3 |
Gantt Chart | 2 |
Maxima-Minima Concept | 2 |
Algebra Caselet | 2 |
Arithmetic Based DI | 2 |
Misc | 11 |
Note: Matrix, Reasoning-based DI, Venn Diagrams & Unconventional Games & Tournaments make up 2/3 of the CAT DILR section. Acing these will help you solve 8-12 questions easily.
Slot-1
As per CAT Exam Analysis 2022, the level of difficulty of Slot-1 of the DILR section was Moderate. It was interesting to note that the DILR section did not consist of DI sets but only LR-based sets. All 4 sets consisted of 5 questions each.
The CAT 2022 DILR Question wise breakup was as below
Section | Topic | No. of Questions | Doable |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | Arrangement | 5 | Moderate |
Analytical Grid Based | 5 | Doable | |
Routes and Networks | 5 | Doable | |
Numerical LR | 5 | Difficult |
Slot-2
The overall difficulty level of the DILR section of Slot 2 was moderate. The 2 sets of DILR were asked and these questions were easy as compared to Slot 1 of the CAT 2022 exam. The total number of questions asked in Slot 2 was 20. Out of the 4 sets, 1 set was based on DI and 3 were based on LR. The topic-wise segregation of DILR along with the level of difficulty is given below:
Section | Topic | No. of Questions | Doable |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | DI (Scatter Plot) | 5 | Doable |
LR (Routes & Networks) | 5 | Doable | |
LR (Salesmen) | 5 | Doable | |
LR (FDA & EU) | 5 | Difficult |
☛ Check out Preparation Tips for the DILR Section of CAT 2023
Slot-3
In DILR, there were 4 sets of 5 questions each. Note the table below to have an idea of the topic-wise distribution of this section.
Section | Topic | No. of Questions | Doable |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | Bar Graph | 5 | Easy- Moderate |
Unconventional Games (Number Arrangement) | 5 | Moderate | |
Matrix and Grid | 5 | Moderate | |
Venn Diagram | 5 | Moderate - Difficult |
CAT Quantitative Ability Topics
The candidates can find below the topic-wise weightage of the quantitative ability topics for the upcoming CAT exam by following the past year's trend.
Here is a topic-wise distribution of the CAT QA section:
Topics | CAT 2022 | CAT 2021 | CAT 2020 | CAT 2019 |
Arithmetic | 8-9 | 7-10 | 10 | 14 |
Algebra | 4-9 | 6-8 | 6-8 | 11-13 |
Geometry & Mensuration | 3-4 | 3-5 | 5-6 | 4-6 |
Number System | 1-3 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 2-3 |
Modern Math | 0-3 | 1 | 0-2 | 0-1 |
Overall | 22 | 22 | 24 | 32 |
** Arithmetic & Algebra makes up 70% of the Quantitative Ability section
☛ Check out Preparation Tips for the QA Section of CAT 2023
How to Prepare Important Topics for CAT?
The candidates must work on accuracy and should practice the Important Topics for CAT. Note the below points on the preparation strategy for Important Topics for CAT.
- Practice a lot and keep on revising the formulas that are required to solve QA questions.
- Revise the chapters you have completed. As revision is very important otherwise you will forget what you have prepared.
- Avoid all types of distractions like social media, TV, and mobile phones so that you can prepare well.
- Attempt mock tests regularly.
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