Will There Be Any Changes in CAT Syllabus 2025? Well, major changes have been introduced in the CAT exam pattern from time to time, but the CAT 2025 syllabus has not seen any significant changes. The CAT 2025 syllabus will consist of RC passages, parajumbles, a parasummary, and an odd-one-out in the VARC section; Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry & Mensuration, and Modern Maths in the Quant section; and various types of Graphs and AR in the DILR section.
The official syllabus for the CAT 2025 exam will be made available once the official CAT 2025 Notification is released on the CAT official website. In CAT 2024, there were a few changes in the exam pattern. The total number of questions has been increased from 66 to 68. In the DILR section, the number of questions has increased from 20 to 22. Let us now dig deeper to understand what changes can be expected in the syllabus based on the type of questions and different topics asked in the CAT exam over the past few years.
Changes in CAT Syllabus Over the Last 10 Years
Since 2014, several noteworthy alterations have been made to the CAT exam pattern. However, the CAT syllabus doesn't change, technically! The syllabus is more or less the same as it was 10 to 15 years ago. To anticipate the changes in the CAT 2025 syllabus, we must take a look at the type of questions and topics that appeared in the CAT exam over the last 10 years. Given below are the CAT syllabi from 2014 to 2024 to provide you with an idea of the topics you can expect in the CAT 2025 exam:CAT 2014
- There were two sections, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning, with 50 questions from each section.
- VA questions were based on Grammar part error, Para Jumble, Critical reasoning, Misfit, and LR questions were based on Circular Arrangement, Venn Diagram, Simple Linear Arrangement, and Distribution of Objects.
- In DI, questions were asked from Bar Graph and Table-based questions, and in QA, questions were from Number System, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and P&C.
CAT 2015
- Unlike CAT 2014, the paper comprised three sections: namely, 'Quantitative Aptitude (QA)', 'Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)' and 'Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC).
- There were 34 questions from VARC, 34 questions from QA, and 32 questions from DILR.
- The VA section had questions on parajumbles, summary, and Critical Reasoning (Misfit), and DILR had questions on Venn Diagrams and sets related to cubes.
CAT 2016
- No notable changes were observed in the CAT 2016 question paper, and there were three sections: VARC, QA & DILR.
- There were Parajumbles in VA and questions based on Percentage, Profit & Loss, Ratio, Probability, Permutation and Combination, Time and Distance, Number System, Algebra & Geometry in the QA section.
CAT 2017
- There were no major surprises in the CAT 2017 syllabus .
- In VA, questions were based on RC passages, rearrangement, odd sentence out & para-summary.
- DILR had questions on Analytical Reasoning and Data & Reasoning
- QA had questions from Profit & Loss, Algebra & Geometry, Puzzles, Logs, Chain Rule, Permutation & Combination, Number System, etc.
CAT 2018
- The syllabus remained unchanged.
- From VA, questions included: Misfit, Summaries, Para Jumbles.
- From Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), questions covered: Pie chart data sets, Number grid system.
- From Quantitative Aptitude (QA), topics included: Number system, Venn diagrams, Higher-level maths and probability, Algebra, Geometry, Ratio, Time & Distance, Time & Work and Permutations and combinations.
CAT 2019
- There were no alterations to the CAT 2019 syllabus and questions asked from RC, sentence rearrangement, para-jumbles and summary in the VARC section
- Bar Graph, Venn Diagram Distribution, Distribution of People in Teams, Tournament, Radar Graph, Revenue Profit Dotted Graph in the DILR section.
- Number System & Average, Algebra, Commercial Maths & Arithmetic, Geometry & Mensuration, Time & Speed/ Time & Distance/ Venn, Clocks & Logs, P&C, Probability, and Function from the QA section.
CAT 2020
- No major changes were made to the CAT 2020 syllabus, but changes were noticed in the CAT exam pattern .
- The total number of questions was reduced to 76 from 100 in 2019, with 26, 24 and 26 questions from QA, DILR, and VARC, respectively.
- The duration of the exam was reduced to 2 hours from 3 hours in 2019, and VARC was moderate, DILR was difficult, and Quant was moderate to difficult.
- In VA, questions were from Parajumbles, Summary, and Odd One Out.
- In DILR, questions were from the Venn diagram, data reasoning sets with tables.
- In QA, questions were based on percentage, profit & loss, quadratic and linear equations, inequalities and APGP, geometry & mensuration and modern maths.
CAT 2021
- The CAT 2021 syllabus essentially remained the same , with the total number of questions reducing to 66 from 76 in 2020, which included 24, 20 and 22 questions from QA, DILR, and VARC, respectively.
- The VA syllabus comprised Parajumbles, Para Summary, and odd one out, etc.
- The DILR section comprised Bar Graph, data reasoning, AR, etc.The
- The QA section covered Profit & Loss, TSD, Time & Work, Alligation, Linear Algebra, APGP and Inequalities, etc.
CAT 2022
- The CAT 2022 syllabus remained unchanged.
- The VA section consisted of Para jumbles, Para Summary, and a new category of questions wherein fill-in-the-blanks were given in the para, and you were required to choose the sentence that perfectly fits to fill them.
- DILR had pure DI-based sets. AR-based blocks on scenarios like Hockey Game: Goals & Score, Train: Schedule, Routes, Judges Interviews, Tokens, Venn Diagram-based: Get-together planning.
- QA had questions on Profit & Loss, TSD, Time & Work, Average, Percentage, Interest, Number System, Alligation, Geometry based on trapezium, Permutation and combinations and Venn diagrams.
CAT 2023
- The topics asked from QA include Number & System, Algebra-Functions, Roots, Tangent, Mode, Arithmetic, Ratio, Algebra, Profit/Loss, Logs, Geometry, and Mensuration.
- The VARC section comprised topics like Para Summary, Best fit, Sentence Rearrangement, and Parajumbles.
- The DILR consisted of topics like Arrangement, Median, Scheduling (Amusement Park), and Missing Values Based Table→ Company Starting/ Closing Years.
CAT 2024
- In the DILR section, sets were found on Tournaments and Games, Candlestick graphs of the stock market, Set Theory Based Bar Graph, Blogger Based Bar Graph, and Percentage Based Caselet.
- Reading Comprehension, Para Summary, Odd One Out, and Para Completion dominated the VARC section.
- QA had questions on Algebra, Number System, Modern Math, Arithmetic and P&C.
Also Read: CAT Predicted Question Paper 2025
CAT 2025 Verbal Ability Syllabus (Expected)
Reading comprehension passages, grammar, vocabulary, and reasoning dominate the CAT VARC section. After an analysis of the most-asked topics in the CAT exam from 2014-2024, it can be anticipated that the CAT 2025 VARC syllabus will contain the topics mentioned below:
Topic Area | Description |
|---|---|
Description |
|
Para Summary |
|
Odd One Out |
|
Sentence Completion (Fill in the Blanks) |
|
Critical Reasoning (Inference-Based Questions) |
|
Grammar-Based Questions |
|
Reading Comprehension | Questions will be based on:
|
Also Read:
CAT 2025 DILR Syllabus (Expected)
It can be expected that the DILR section will include questions from Tables, charts, graphs, and diagrams, as well as logical reasoning and data analysis. Find the topic-wise detailed CAT 2025 DILR syllabus in the table below:
CAT DILR Topics | Syllabus |
|---|---|
Data Interpretation – Types of Graphs |
|
Percentages and Ratios |
|
Logical Reasoning |
|
Also Read:
CAT Quant Syllabus 2025 (Expected)
Maximum questions are asked from Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Probability, Permutations and Combinations, Number System, Mensuration, and Modern Math, etc., in the CAT QA section every year. Find the topic-wise detailed CAT 2025 syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude in the table below:
CAT Quant Topics | Syllabus |
|---|---|
Arithmetic |
|
Algebra |
|
Geometry |
|
Modern Math |
|
Number System |
|
Also Read:
It is worth noting that the core syllabus and topics are expected to remain unchanged in CAT 2025. To build strong conceptual clarity and gain expertise over the topics highly repeated in the exam, you must solve CAT previous year question papers and CAT sample papers to crack the CAT 2025 exam in first attempt and understand the difficulty levels. This will assist you in understanding how to approach the CAT 2025 question paper correctly and solve the maximum number of questions with high accuracy.
Related Articles:
| 50+ Important Formulas for CAT 2025 Preparation | |
|---|---|
If you have further doubts regarding what new to expect in CAT 2025 syllabus , post your queries in our CollegeDekho QnA Zone ! Also, fill out the Common Application Form (CAF) for assistance with MBA admission in India.
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FAQs
Considering the subtle changes in the CAT syllabus over the last 10 years, it can be concluded that the core areas will remain unchanged in CAT 2025 with DILR, VARC & QA being the 3 main sections from which 22, 24, and 22 questions will be asked respectively. However, the total number of questions has been increased to 68 instead of 66 and the total marks for 68 questions will be 204.
The CAT 2025 exam will be conducted in the Computer-based test mode. The CAT 2025 syllabus has been divided into three parts, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA), and five sub-sections. Out of a total of 68 questions, 24 questions will be asked from VARC, 22 questions from DILR, and 22 questions from QA. The total marks for the CAT 2025 exam will be 204. Both multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and non-MCQs will be asked from all three sections.
Yes, the difficulty level of the CAT 2025 exam can be expected to range from moderate to high. The CAT exam is more difficult compared to other MBA entrance exams since a large number of aspirants compete for limited seats and it is a speed-based test with sectional time limits.
The CAT 2025 question paper will include 3 sections: Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. The syllabus for VARC encompasses Fill in the blanks, Para Jumbles, Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Sentence completion, Jumbled paragraphs, Verbal Logic, Different usage of the same word, Syllogisms, and Parts of speech. DILR covers Seating Arrangement, Venn Diagram, Coding-Decoding, Binary Logic, Blood Relations, Syllogism, Direction Sense, Tables, Bars and Line Graphs, Puzzles, Family Tree, Assumptions, Pie Charts, Data Sufficiency, Clocks and Calendars. Topics under QA include Geometry, Ratios and Proportion, Work and Time, Algebra, Percentages, Mensuration, Time, Speed and Distance, Square Root and Cube Root, Number System, Simple interest and compound interest, Mean, mode, median, Binomial theorem, Geometric Progression, Surds and Indices.
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