CAT Syllabus 2021-2022

CAT Syllabus 2021 must be thoroughly understood for comprehensive and result-oriented preparation. CAT 2021 Syllabus is not defined by the IIMs, however, we have compiled the list of topics under each section for your reference. Before starting the exam preparation, applicants must analyse the CAT 2021 syllabus to plan the study routine accordingly. 

Applicants preparing for CAT 2021-2022 can refer to the detailed CAT Syllabus below. The CAT Syllabus include three sections:

• Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
• Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation
• Quantitative Aptitude

Note all the topics of the CAT syllabus under all three sections. Evaluate your proficiency in each section and prepare accordingly. The CAT 2021 exam pattern has been altered over the years; like in CAT 2020, there were a total of 76 questions to be solved in 2 hours. This was a major change in the exam pattern which was done mainly due to the pandemic situation spread across the nation. CAT 2021 Exam Pattern is expected to be similar to what we have seen in CAT 2020 (76 questions, 2 hours). 

The CAT exam pattern 2021 will furnish the marking scheme as well as the subject matter/topics from which questions would be asked along with the exam mode and test duration. This year, CAT 2021 would be conducted as a computer-based exam in three shifts, on 28th November 2021. The current pattern comprises 76 MCQ and Non-MCQ questions.

CAT exam or the Common Admission Test is a computer-based entrance test for admissions into the IIMs and several other prestigious B-Schools in the Country. CAT exam is conducted every year by the IIMs on a rotational basis. It is still unclear which IIM will be conducting the CAT 2021 this year. Below is the detailed overview and the section-wise syllabus and exam pattern. At the end of this post, you can also download the CAT Syllabus 2021 PDF. 

Also, check CAT Exam Pattern 2021 in detail for better understanding.

Some important points to remember-

• You are not allowed to shuffle across sections.
• The calculator will be provided to the students on the screen itself.
• Every section will have non-MCQ type questions that have to be typed in directly on the screen.
• CAT does not have descriptive types of questions.

IIMs have not released any official syllabus for CAT 2021. The section-wise syllabus given below for the CAT exam 2021 is tentative in nature and based on an analysis of past year question patterns. While a tentative syllabus is given below, a candidate has to be prepared for any surprise element as well.

All the details about the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section including exam pattern and syllabus are mentioned below. The CAT VARC Section mainly contains two sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

CAT Verbal Ability Exam Pattern 2021

CAT Reading Comprehension Exam Pattern 2021

CAT Syllabus 2021-2022: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

Check the VARC Syllabus for CAT 2021. 

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Syllabus

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Paper Analysis

This section is usually relentless and really challenging. Passages are unpredictable, non-obvious, options are real close and lengthy. The error rate is quite higher in this section. A lot of candidates were unprepared for the difficulty level of this section in CAT 2020. This section is undoubted to be taken seriously when it comes to preparation. In CAT 2020, VARC was the toughest section in all the 3 slots.

A good attempt of 19-23 questions in this section with 85+ per cent accuracy can fetch you a good percentile.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Syllabus for CAT 2021-22 is divided into two sections: Data Interpretation (DI) and Logical Reasoning (LR). 

CAT Data Interpretation Exam Pattern 2021

*This is just a prediction based on the past years’ trend. The actual difficulty level may vary

CAT Logical Reasoning Exam Pattern 2021

*This is just a prediction based on the past years’ trend. The actual difficulty level may vary.

CAT Syllabus 2021-2022: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

The DILR Syllabus for the CAT exam consists of the following topics. The following sections are as per the past year question papers. 

Data Interpretation

Logical Reasoning

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Exam Paper Analysis

Clear conceptual knowledge will help you ace this section. It is also essential for candidates to select the right questions, given the difficulty level of the sets and the time involved to organise data. Getting entangled in the wrong questions could result in a wastage of time and a reduction in scores. DILR section was a moderately difficult section compared to the other 2 sections of CAT 2020.

The pattern of questions in the section has been very similar. Attempting 4-5 sets with 85+ per cent accuracy will give you a good percentile.

Check the Quantitative Ability exam pattern and syllabus in detail below. Candidates preparing for CAT 2021-2022 must go through the previous year questions of Quant and analyse the topic weightage as per the syllabus. 

*This is just based on the past years’ trend. The actual difficulty level may vary. Check CAT 2020 Analysis for details

CAT Syllabus 2021-2022: Quantitative Ability 

The Quant section of the CAT Syllabus is divided into 5 sections. It is one of the most scoring section and required the most practice. 

1. Number System
2. Arithmetic
3. Geometry and Mensuration
4. Algebra
5. Modern Mathematics

Quantitative Ability Exam Pattern Analysis

This section tests students’ aptitude in various areas of Mathematics. The topics are not divided explicitly in terms of the mark weightage they carry; hence candidates must be thorough with all the topics given in the CAT quant syllabus. In CAT 2020, most of the questions in the QA Section were asked from Algebra and Arithmetic topics and this section was Moderate (tougher than 2019). Arithmetic and Algebra usually dominate this section.

As per experts, this section provides ample opportunities to score if the candidates are able to segregate the questions well on the basis of their difficulty level before attempting them.

A good attempt of 25-30 questions in this section with 85+ per cent accuracy can fetch you a good percentile.

Candidates can also download the CAT syllabus pdf which also includes detailed exam pattern and each section is explained in detail. It is important to refer to the latest CAT syllabus as it will help you plan your exam preparation in a comprehensive manner. 

CAT Syllabus 2021 PDF