CAT Syllabus 2023

CAT Syllabus 2023 for VARC, DILR, and QA is tabulated below. The list of all topics and
sub-topics that are included in CAT syllabus 2023 irrespective of the weightage is
provided here:
Section CAT Syllabus 2023

CAT Verbal Verbal Ability: Para Jumbles, Summary, Sentence

Ability and Completion, Odd Sentence Out, Antonyms & Synonyms,
Reading Error Detection, Phrase Modifiers, Idioms, Analogies, Cloze
Comprehension Test, Word Usage, Reading Comprehension:
Syllabus Facts-Inference-Judgement, Critical Analysis of Passage,
Themes of the RC passage

CAT Arithmetic: Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Time Speed &
Quantitative Distance, Mixtures, Ratio & Proportion, Percentage,
Aptitude Averages, Simple & Compound Interest, Chain Rule
Syllabus Geometry & Mensuration: Lines & Angles, Circles,
Triangles, Polygons, Area & Volume of 2D and 3D figures,
Coordinate Geometry
Algebra: Quadratic Equations, Series, Inequalities,
Functions, Surds & Indices, Logarithm
Numbers: Real Numbers, Irrational Numbers, Complex
Numbers, HCF, LCM, Unit’s Digit, Remainders, Zeroes
Modern Math: Permutation and Combination, Probability,
Set Theory

DILR CAT Syllabus Caselets, Tabular Data, Pie Charts, Line Graphs, Bar
Graphs, Column Graphs, Combination Graphs/ Charts,
Syllogisms, Puzzles, Blood Relations, Coding-Decoding,
Seating Arrangement, Ranking, Direction sense test, Logical
Sequence

CAT Topic Wise Weightage

On observing the question papers of the last 3 years, it is evident that IIMs have started
giving higher weightage to some topics over the others. Reading Comprehension and
Arithmetic alone account for more than 40% weightage in CAT syllabus. Some topics
have not been asked in the last 2 years like calendars, clocks, trigonometry, error
detection, cloze tests, etc. CAT topic wise weightage is provided below for the CAT
2023 aspirants.

CAT Syllabus for MBA CAT

Weightage

Reading Comprehension 24%

Arithmetic (Profit & Loss, Mixtures, Time Speed & Distance,

Averages, Interest) 17%

Data Interpretation Sets (Combination, Bar Graphs, Tables) 16%

Logical Reasoning Sets 16%

Verbal Ability (Summary, Parajumbles, and Odd Sentence Out) 12%

Geometry, Mensuration, Number System, Modern Math 9%

 Algebra 8%

VARC Syllabus for CAT

VARC Syllabus for CAT is now primarily focused on 5 topics- para jumbles, para
completion, para summary, odd sentence out, and reading comprehension. Your
preparation should be focused around these 5 topics of VARC CAT syllabus 2023- know
the type of questions asked in previous years, how to approach these questions for
accuracy, and the important CAT english syllabus topics required to attempt these
questions. The topic wise weightage of VARC syllabus for CAT is provided here:
VARC Weightage in CAT Weightage in CAT Difficulty
Syllabus 2022 (No. of 2021 (No. of Level
Questions) Questions)

Reading 16 16 Moderate
Comprehens to Difficult
io n

Para Jumbles 2-3 3 Moderate

Para

Completion 2-3 - Moderate Odd Sentence

Out - 2Easy to Moderate

Para Summary 3 3 Moderate

CAT Verbal Ability Syllabus

All the topics that form part of CAT Syllabus for Verbal Ability are provided below:
CAT Verbal Ability Syllabus
Subject-verb agreement Antonyms and Synonyms Parallelism

Idioms and Phrases

Article Usage Error Detection (Tenses &
Prepositions)

Sentence Foreign language words

completion
(Vocabulary) used in English One word substitution

Parts of speech Word Usage and Phrases

modifiers Types of clauses

Reading Comprehension Syllabus for CAT

There is no specific topic that you need to study in CAT syllabus 2023 for reading
comprehension. Practicing more reading comprehension passages is the only way to
master this section. With 67% weightage in the VARC section, it is extremely important
to score well here. Given below is the list of topics on which RC questions were asked
in 2020, 2021, and 2022. You can find the links to download and practice reading
comprehension questions that have appeared in the last few years.
Slo Reading Reading
t Comprehension Reading
Topics in CAT 2022 Comprehension Topics
Comprehension Topics
in CAT 2021
in CAT 2020

Slot ● Chinese art of ● Anarchism

1 writing ● Mayan Civilisation
● Stoicism + ● Grammar and
Greek Philosopher ● Evolution of Tea
Vocabulary
● Ghost & their
● Utopia and
mysteries ● Migration of Seals
 Dystopia
● Currency of Tang
● Marshmallow
Dynasty
Experiment

● Levels of
emotional
thinking

Slot ● Music ● Language and

2 ● Technology ● International Trade
● Octopus Indigenous
and Piracy
● Philosophy
People
● Renewable Energy
● Colonialism and
Technologies
Nationalism
● Freudian Models of
● Knowledge is a
● Crime Rate Aggression
Slot Scandal to
● Philosophy
● Study of
3 ● Indian History Philosophy
● Human Visualization
Automation and ● Why Fiction
Technology Trumps Truth?

● The Need for

Economic Literacy
● Travel and
● Language Instinct
Feminism during
● Time-Accuracy
Colonialism
● Nanotechnology
● Screen Time and
● Unconscious and
Undercurrents of
Psychoanalysis
 Social Class
● Analysis of Human
Nature

DILR Syllabus for CAT

DILR Syllabus for CAT is further divided into 2 sections- logical reasoning and data
interpretation. To cover the DILR Syllabus for CAT, daily practice is the most important
aspect. In CAT 2023, you can expect 2 question sets of 4-6 questions each from DI and
LR. Buy Arun Sharma CAT Books, see youtube videos, and solve previously asked
DILR CAT questions to develop speed and accuracy.
CAT Syllabus for Logical Reasoning
CAT syllabus for logical reasoning includes the topics tabulated below. In CAT 2023
question paper, you will find question sets from 2-3 of these 10 topics. The most
prominent among these are seating arrangement, blood relations, and logical puzzles.
Seating Arrangement Blood Relations

Data Arrangement Logical Puzzles

Syllogisms Direction-sense

Coding-Decoding Binary Logic

Logical Matching Logical Connectives

CAT Syllabus for Data Interpretation

CAT Syllabus for Data Interpretation includes a basic understanding of the types of
graphs, charts, diagrams and how to calculate the required values from the given data.
 ● DILR CAT questions are also framed on the basis of data presented in tables and
paragraphs.
● The most asked form of question is a combination of 2 or more types of data
representation.

Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus for CAT

CAT Syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude is based on the topics of maths syllabus.
Arithmetic accounts for more than 50% of the questions asked from CAT QA Syllabus.
The major topics included are profit, loss & discount, time speed & distance, mixtures,
average, work, percentage, ratio & proportion, and SI/ CI. The topic wise weightage of
QA syllabus for CAT is provided here:

Topic Weightage in CAT Weightage in CAT Difficulty

2022 (No. of 2021 (No. of Level
Questions) Questions)

Arithmetic 8-9 10-11 Easy to

Moderate
 Algebra 7-8 5-6 Moderate
to Difficult

Numbers 1 1-2 Moderate

Geometry & Moderate

3-4 3-4
Mensuration to Difficult

Modern Math 1-2 1-2 Moderate

CAT Exam Pattern

CAT Exam Pattern has undergone major changes in the last 3 years. From 2015-19,
CAT exam had 100 questions to be attempted in 180 minutes.

In 2020, the pattern of CAT question paper was revised due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of questions was reduced to just 76 and time to 120 minutes.

● In 2021, the number of questions was further reduced by 10 to 66.

● CAT exam 2022 was also as per the revised pattern of 2021.

The latest CAT exam pattern which will be followed for the year 2023 is provided
below:
Section CAT Questions CAT Duration CAT Total Marks

VARC 24 40 minutes 72

Quantitative Aptitude 22 40 minutes 66

DILR 20 40 minutes 60
CAT Questions

Solving CAT Questions forms an indispensable part of completing CAT syllabus 2023.
Candidates are advised to solve CAT previous year papers as sample papers to get
hold of which topic of CAT exam syllabus they need to focus more on. Given below are
the links to get CAT questions of previous years for VARC, DILR, and Quant.

CAT Study Material 2023

CAT Study Material 2023 is available here. You can download CAT Study Material from
the links provided below for the important topics of CAT syllabus 2023. The study
material for CAT 2023 include concepts, shortcut methods, sample questions, and
more.

Best Books to cover CAT Syllabus 2023

Referring to books for CAT syllabus completion is vital. Given below is the list of CAT
books by Arun Sharma, Nishit K Sinha, R S Aggarwal and more recommended
authors.