CAT Exam Syllabus 2026 and Exam Pattern, Check VARC, DILR, and QA Syllabus Topics
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CAT is a computer-based test that is conducted every year by one of the IIMs on a rotation basis. In the case of the CAT exam, there is no set syllabus announced by IIMs, but most questions tend to be drawn from middle school mathematics and English comprehension. This article gives a brief overview of the common areas tested by the CAT examination by analyzing previous years’ trends.
CAT Exam Syllabus 2026
Candidates planning to appear for the exam should be aware of the structure of the exam and should prepare for the exam by studying each topic deeply to have clarity of concepts. In this article, we have discussed the CAT Exam 2026 Syllabus for MBA (VARC, DILR, and QA) and the Exam Pattern. CAT Exam consists of a total of 66 questions for 198 marks. The time duration to complete the exam is 2 hours (120 minutes).
| CAT Syllabus 2026- Highlights | |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | Common Admission Test (CAT 2026) |
| Examination Mode | Online Computer-Based Test |
| Courses Offered | Post Graduate and Fellow/Doctorate programmes |
| Name of the Section |
|
| CATE Exam Date 2026 | 29th November 2026 |
| Duration of the CAT Exam | 2 Hours (120 Minutes) |
| Section-wise Duration | 40 Minutes for Each Section (VARC, DILR, QA). 53 Minutes 20 Seconds for PwD candidates for each section. |
| Slot-wise Session |
|
| Number of Questions | 66 Questions |
| CAT exam total marks | 198 marks |
| Marking Scheme |
|
| Validity of CAT score | 1 year |
CAT Exam Pattern 2026
Before getting into the CAT Exam Syllabus, let us have a look at the CAT Exam Pattern. Check out the table for the general points of the exam pattern of the CAT Exam below.
| CAT Exam Pattern 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Number of sections | 3 |
| Duration of exam | 40 minutes per section |
| Number of questions | 66 |
| Total marks | 198 |
| Language of question paper | English |
| Number of answer choices | 4 |
CAT Section-Wise Exam Pattern
Check the section-wise exam pattern of the CAT exam in the table below:
| CAT Section | Questions | Maximum Marks |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 22 | 66 |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 20 | 60 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 24 | 72 |
| Total | 66 | 198 |
CAT Exam Syllabus 2026
After familiarizing yourself with the exam pattern of the CAT exam, you can have a look at the section-wise syllabus of the CAT exam. Check the detailed syllabus below. The CAT Exam Syllabus consists of subjects like Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension and Quantitative Aptitude.
CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Syllabus 2026
This section has two sub-parts, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension.
| CAT VARC Syllabus 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fill in the blanks | Para Completion and inference | Verbal Logic |
| Verbal Reasoning | Subject-verb agreement | Para jumbles |
| Sentence completion | Foreign language words used in English | Different usage of the same word |
| Grammar | Reading Comprehension | Idioms |
| Syllogisms | Analogies | Antonyms |
| Jumbled paragraphs | Sentence correction | One word substitution |
| Parts of speech | Preposition | Types of Clauses |
| Phrases Modifiers | Errors in tenses | Articles usage |
The topic-wise questions in CAT VACR are given in the table below.
| Topics | Number of questions expected |
| Para-Jumbles | 2-4 |
| Sentence Completion & Correction | 2-3 |
| Odd Sentences | 1-2 |
| Others (Fill in the blanks, Vocabulary Based, etc.) | 1-2 |
CAT Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Syllabus 2026
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) is the second section of the CAT exam. This section is divided into two sub-sections: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Check the important topics of the section.
| CAT DILR Syllabus 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Blood Relations | Clocks and Calendars | Syllogism |
| Series | Statements | Venn Diagram |
| Proposition | Data Arrangement | Data Structures |
| Direction Sense | Family Tree | Tables |
| Coding-Decoding | Binary Logic | Pie Charts |
| Assumptions | Seating Arrangement | Data Sufficiency |
| Puzzles | Sets & Caselets | Bars & Line Graphs |
The number of expected questions from the topics in the CAT DILR Section is given below:
| Topics | Total Number of Questions |
| Graph, Bar diagram | 6-8 |
| Tables & Charts | 5-8 |
| Graphs, Charts | 7-10 |
| Tables, Pie chart | 4-5 |
CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus 2026
Quantitative Aptitude is the last section of the CAT question paper and is to be solved in the last 40 minutes of the exam. Take a look at important topics and some key points of this section.
| CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Ratios and Proportions | Inequalities |
| Trigonometry | Inequalities, 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 |
| CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Topics | Sub Topics |
| Arithmetic |
|
| Algebra |
|
| Number System |
|
| Geometry |
|
| Modern Maths |
|
The number of topics and expected questions in CAT QA Section
| Topics | Total Number of Questions |
| Arithmetic Questions | 10-12 |
| Geometry & Mensuration | 7-8 |
| Algebra | 6-7 |
| Number System | 4-5 |
| Others | 2-3 |
CAT Exam Pattern 2026 - Click to Check
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Click to Check