The Common Admission Test (CAT), held annually by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta, is a crucial exam for candidates aspiring to secure admission into India’s top business schools. The CAT admit card has recently been released and with just weeks remaining for this management entrance test, aspirants are racing against time to fine-tune their preparations. As the exam day approaches, candidates are focusing on revisiting essential concepts and refining their skills to face one of the most competitive management entrance exams in the country. While revising, candidates must adopt a strategic approach and take up topics that carry the maximum weightage and are frequently asked in the exams. Here, we share exam pattern, important topics, and preparation tips that will assist aspirants in solidifying their preparations and outshine in the upcoming exam.
CAT 2024 Exam Pattern
It is essential for candidates to familiarize themselves with the detailed CAT 2024 exam pattern before starting their preparation. Understanding the section-wise weightage will help tailor the preparation strategy effectively.
CAT 2024 Syllabus
Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the CAT 2024 subject-wise syllabus here. Check the important topics and streamline your preparation for the exam accordingly.
CAT VARC Syllabus 2024
The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section is the first part of the CAT exam and includes 24 questions. This section is split into two parts: Verbal Ability (VA) and Reading Comprehension (RC). RC dominates the section with 12-14 questions, while VA includes questions on parajumbles, sentence completion, para completion, odd-sentence-out, and similar areas. Here’s an overview of the key topics covered in the CAT VARC syllabus for 2024:
Important topics for Reading Comprehension:
Topics of the reading comprehension passage might differ, however here are a few topics that were asked in previous years’ VARC section.
- Environmental Issues and Human Impact
- Philosophy and Social Change
- Geography and Regional Literature
- Human Behavior and Psychology
- Fashion Industry and Environmental Concerns
- Media Influence and Cultural Impact
- Political Ideologies and Liberalism
- Historical Interpretation and Objectivity
- Aesthetics and Romantic Philosophy
- Cultural Heritage Laws and Site Conservation
- Environmental Degradation and Agriculture
- Rational and Critical Thinking
CAT DILR Syllabus
The Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) section is the second part of the CAT exam, consisting of 20 questions with a time limit of 40 minutes. It includes two main subsections: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Here are the important topics of the CAT DILR syllabus:
CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
The Quantitative Aptitude section is the final part of the CAT exam. To excel in this section, candidates must have a strong grasp of the basic concepts in Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Mensuration. Below are the key topics from the CAT Quantitative Aptitude syllabus along with important points to focus on:
- Geometry
- Ratios and Proportion
- Inequalities
- Trigonometry
- Inequations, 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 2024 Revision Strategy
Revision is the key to success. Like preparation, revision also demands a well-structured strategy. Ensure revising important concepts that are frequently asked in the exam, brush up on the core concepts, and keep practising to know your strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few more preparatory tips that can help you revise the right way to enhance your probability of cracking the exam.
- Daily Practise Sets: Solve 2–3 practise sets each day, focusing on Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), along with exercises for Quantitative Aptitude (QA) and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC). Consistent practice will enhance your speed and accuracy in all sections.
- Prioritize High-Weightage Topics: Identify high-weightage areas in each section—such as pie charts and blood relations in DILR, algebra and percentages in QA, and reading comprehension and sentence correction in VARC—and focus on them to boost your score.
- Regular Mock Tests: Take timed mock tests regularly to simulate exam conditions, improving both time management and strategy for answering questions efficiently across sections.
- Analyze Mistakes: After each practise session or mock test, review your mistakes carefully. This will help you target your revision to areas needing improvement.
- Daily Reading and Vocabulary Enhancement: Make daily reading a habit from a variety of sources to enhance comprehension skills for VARC. Additionally, revise vocabulary, idioms, and phrases to perform better in verbal reasoning sections.
- Mental Math and Shortcuts: Practise mental math techniques and shortcut strategies for calculations in QA and DILR. Familiarizing yourself with formulas and quick calculation methods will increase your speed and accuracy.
- Formulae and Shortcuts: Review essential formulas and shortcut methods for each section. This will allow you to solve questions more quickly and efficiently during the exam.
- Discussion Groups: Join study groups with fellow aspirants to share insights and different problem-solving approaches. Collaborating with others can deepen your understanding.
