CAT Syllabus 2026: Section-wise Topics and Weightage

The CAT syllabus is not published by the IIMs. The official CAT 2026 FAQs state clearly that the exam "does not have a defined syllabus". Yet the three sections of CAT, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA), have tested the same core topics for years.

This guide builds the CAT 2026 syllabus from past papers, especially CAT 2025. It lists every important topic in each section, shows how many questions came from each area, and explains how to plan the remaining weeks before the exam on 29 November 2026. Question counts below come from the CAT 2025 paper analysis published by leading coaching institutes, since IIMs do not release topic-wise data.

Table of Contents

CAT Syllabus 2026

The CAT syllabus rests on school-level mathematics and English (up to Class 10) and on general reasoning. What makes CAT hard is not new topics but the level of application, the speed required and the fixed 40-minute limit for each section.

Is There an Official CAT Syllabus?

No. IIM Indore, which is conducting CAT 2026, has not released a syllabus, and no IIM has done so in the past. The official FAQs advise candidates to take the CAT mock test to understand the pattern and types of questions. The official mock test for CAT 2026 will be available on iimcat.ac.in from 12 November 2026.

Because there is no fixed syllabus, the most reliable guide is the list of topics that have appeared repeatedly in previous papers. The tables in this article follow that approach.

CAT Syllabus vs CAT Exam Pattern

Students often mix up the two. The syllabus is what is tested: the topics within VARC, DILR and QA. The exam pattern is how it is tested: the number of questions, the 40-minute sectional limit, the fixed section order, MCQ and TITA formats and the +3/–1 marking scheme. You need both. Knowing the topics helps you prepare, and knowing the pattern helps you decide which questions to attempt and which to leave on exam day.

CAT VARC Syllabus

VARC has the most questions of the three sections: 24 in CAT 2025. Around two-thirds of them come from reading comprehension.

VARC Question Split in CAT 2025

Reading Comprehension Topics

CAT passages are usually 400–600 words long and come from serious non-fiction. Common themes include:

• Economics, business and public policy

• Philosophy, psychology and sociology

• Science, technology and environment

• History, culture, art and literature

In CAT 2025 Slot 1, passages covered topics such as complex systems, economics, mental disorders and electronic music. Questions test the main idea, inference, the author's tone, specific details and statements the author would agree or disagree with.

Verbal Ability Topics

Grammar, vocabulary and fill-in-the-blank questions have not appeared as separate question types in recent CAT papers. They still matter, because they affect reading speed and understanding.

CAT DILR Syllabus

DILR has 22 questions in five sets. In CAT 2025, there were two sets of five questions and three sets of four questions. Half the questions (11) were TITA.

Data Interpretation Topics

Logical Reasoning Topics

CAT 2025 Slot 1 had one set each on bar graphs, circular arrangement, a table with missing values, games and tournaments, and quant-based LR. DILR sets are rarely of a standard type, so recognising the easier sets in the first few minutes is a key skill.

CAT Quant Syllabus

QA has 22 questions. Arithmetic is the largest area, followed by Algebra.

QA Topic-wise Questions in CAT 2025

Sub-topics in Each QA Area

Arithmetic alone accounted for roughly a third of QA questions in every slot of CAT 2025. Arithmetic and Algebra together made up half or more of the section.

Section-wise Topic Priority for CAT 2026

With about eight weeks left, candidates should give the most time to topics that appear every year.

"Lower" does not mean "skip". Each topic can bring 2–4 questions, and even one correct answer is worth 3 marks.

How the CAT Syllabus Has Changed in Recent Years

The topics have stayed stable, but the structure around them has changed:

Two trends matter for CAT 2026. First, fewer questions in the same 40 minutes means each question carries more weight. Second, TITA questions now form a large part of the paper. In CAT 2025, half the DILR questions (11 of 22) had no answer options.

Is the CAT Syllabus Difficult for Non-Engineers?

The QA syllabus does not go beyond Class 10 mathematics, so it is open to students from any stream. Candidates from commerce, arts or science backgrounds often find QA harder at first because they have practised less maths since school. Engineers, on the other hand, often find VARC harder.

The fix is the same for both groups: spend extra time on your weaker section early, and use sectional tests to track improvement.

8-Week CAT Syllabus Plan (October–November 2026)

How to Prepare Each Section

VARC Preparation

• Read one or two long articles every day from editorials, science magazines and essays.

• Practise at least two RC passages daily and review why each wrong option is wrong.

• Solve para jumbles and odd sentence out questions regularly. They are TITA, so wrong answers carry no penalty.

• Build accuracy first. In VARC, careless errors in MCQs cost marks through negative marking.

DILR Preparation

• Solve at least two full sets every day, from a mix of set types.

• Practise choosing sets. Spend the first 3–4 minutes of every sectional test scanning all sets before starting.

• Keep neat, structured notes while solving. Many DILR errors come from messy working.

• Aim to solve two to three sets fully rather than attempting all five partly.

QA Preparation

• Revise Arithmetic and Algebra formulas weekly using a one-page formula sheet.

• Practise mixed-topic sets instead of chapter-wise drills, since CAT does not group questions by topic.

• Learn to use the on-screen calculator only when needed. It is slower than mental calculation for simple steps.

• Attempt TITA questions whenever you have a clear method, as they carry no negative marks.

Role of Mock Tests in Covering the CAT Syllabus

A topic list tells you what to study. Mock tests tell you how well you can apply it under time pressure. From now until the exam:

• Take one full-length mock test a week, rising to two or three a week in November.

• Take 40-minute sectional tests to practise each section on its own.

• After every mock, list the topics where you lost marks and revise them before the next test.

• Take the official CAT mock from 12 November to get used to the real interface.

On Testkart, you can practise CAT-pattern full-length mock tests and sectional tests for VARC, DILR and QA, and track your topic-wise progress over time.

The CAT syllabus 2026 is not officially defined, but past papers make it clear. VARC is built around reading comprehension, DILR around five data and reasoning sets, and QA around Arithmetic and Algebra. Cover the high-priority topics first, practise with timed sectional tests, and use full-length mocks to find and fix weak areas before 29 November 2026.