CAT 2021 syllabus: Know important topics to prepare for VARC, DILR, & QA

IIM CAT exam syllabus is very general yet broad. Here are the important topics to be studied from each section to crack CAT 2021 with a 99+ percentile.

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Representational Image (Source: Shutterstock)
Representational Image (Source: Shutterstock)

Sundararajan | August 4, 2021 | 08:03 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The CAT exam syllabus 2021 will not be released officially. However, based on the important topics from which questions have been asked in the past, the CAT syllabus is devised. Experts and toppers suggest preparing for the exam as per the syllabus of CAT to get a high percentile. CAT exam syllabus includes important topics from the three sections - Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). The questions often asked in the CAT question paper are mostly taken from the middle school mathematics books of class 9th and 10th, and English topics.
CAT registration 2021 started: Apply Here

CAT exam date 2021 is November 28. The duration of the Common Admission Test (CAT) is two hours (120 minutes), and for each CAT section, the time limit is 40 minutes (for PwD candidates, 53 minutes and 20 seconds). The CAT exam pattern 2021 remains unchanged and is similar to last year. A total of 76 questions are expected to be asked in the CAT 2021 question paper. It is expected that there will be 26 questions in the VARC and QA section and 24 questions in the DILR section.

CAT 2021 exam pattern: Expected no of questions

CAT Sections

Total questions

MCQs

Non-MCQs

Maximum marks

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

26

18

8

78

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

24

18

6

72

Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

26

18

8

78

Total

76

54

22

228

CAT 2021: Marking Scheme

  • For every right answer, +3 will be awarded.

  • For every wrong answer in MCQs, -1 will be deducted.

  • No negative marks for Non-MCQs.

Section-wise CAT Exam Syllabus 2021

The CAT syllabus 2021 gives a good idea of how to prepare for the CAT exam 2021. The topics under the IIM CAT exam syllabus 2021 are given below in detail.

Sections in CAT 2021

CAT 2021 important topics

Important topics for CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

  • Inferences

  • Para-jumbles

  • Sentence completion

  • Questions based on reading comprehension, etc

CAT important topics for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

  • Graphs

  • Syllogism

  • Blood Relation

  • Tables

  • Seating Arrangement

  • Data Caselets, etc

CAT topics for Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

  • Algebra

  • Time and Work

  • Geometry

  • Mensuration

  • Number System, etc

CAT 2021: Important topics to prepare VARC section

The number of topics and expected questions in CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension.

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

4 to 5 Passages

At least 24 questions

CAT 2021: Important topics to prepare DILR section

The number of topics and expected questions in the CAT 2021 DILR section

Topics

Total number of questions

Graph, Bar diagram

6-8

Tables & Charts

5-8

Graphs, Charts

7-10

Tables, Pie chart

4-5

CAT 2021: Important topics to prepare QA section

The number of topics and expected questions in the CAT exam 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

Best Books for preparation of CAT 2021 VARC, DILR, and QA sections

Best books for CAT 2021 preparation

Author/ Publication

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

How to Prepare for the VARC for the CAT

Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay (Tata McGraw-Hill)

The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VARC)

Nishit Sinha

Word Power Made Easy

Norman Lewis

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT

Nishit K. Sinha

Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency

Ananta Ashisha

How to Prepare for DILR for CAT (Tata McGraw-Hill)

Arun Sharma

Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

The Complete CAT Digest, by Tata McGraw-Hill

Arun Sharma

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations

EAbhijit Guha (Tata McGraw-Hill)

How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT

Arun Sharma

QA for CAT and Other MBA Entrance Exams

Trishna Knowledge Systems (Pearson)

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