Are you ready to ace the CAT exam but unsure of where to start? The first and the most critical step is to understand the CAT exam syllabus. Prior information about the syllabus can be of immense help for those who are on the path to preparation.
This blog will give you an exhaustive idea of what to look out for in that section and how one can prepare effectively for it. Keep reading for a complete guide on what to expect and how to prepare effectively!
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CAT Exam Syllabus: Everything You Need to Know
What is the CAT Exam?
Common Admission Test or CAT happens to be one of the highly competitive and sought-after entrance exams for aspirants who aim to seek admission to top management institutions in India, including IIMs, and other premier B-schools.
Multiple candidates attempt this exam every year to fetch a seat in these institutions. The CAT exam syllabus acts as guiding documents that outline insight into the type of questions asked and the focus areas that have to be addressed during preparation.
As the syllabus and the paper structure of the CAT exam hardly change from year to year, it is fundamental to know what the CAT exam syllabus 2024 entails in order to prepare in the right manner.
Why should you know about the CAT Exam Syllabus?
There are quite a few reasons why having proper knowledge of the CAT exam syllabus would be very essential for any student who is willing to crack the CAT exam syllabus:
- Better Planning: A thorough understanding of the CAT exam syllabus helps you prepare systematically and methodically allowing you to study in a way so that nothing is left behind.
- Time Management: Apart from that, with such awareness about the syllabus, you can allocate your time effectively to different sections, ensuring balanced preparation.
- Focused Preparation: Knowing the syllabus thoroughly keeps the distractions at bay and allows you to focus on what matters most.
- Improves Performance: Once you know the entire CAT exam syllabus 2024, you will surely get an idea of the areas in which you are weak and you will thus give sufficient time to work on those areas where improvement is needed.
CAT Exam Syllabus 2024 Detailed Breakup
The CAT exam syllabus 2024, is divided into three major sections each with a different set of topics. Let’s break up all three of them in detail.
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Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
This section tests your ability with the English language, reading comprehension skill combined with verbal reasoning are put to test. It is one of the most important sections since it tests the candidate’s reading, understanding, and inference from the written matter.
Key Topics
Reading Comprehension (RC)
- Types of passages that appear in the section: Business, Economics, Sociology, History, Science and Literature
- Types of Questions: Main Idea, Inference, Tone, Summary, and Fact vs. Opinion
Verbal Ability
- Sentence Correction
- Para jumbles (ordering paragraphs logically)
- Para summary (choosing the best summary for a paragraph)
- Fill in the blanks
- Odd sentence out from a jumbled set
Preparation Tips for VARC
- Start VARC preparation early with a main emphasis on RC.
- Learn all the CAT Exam syllabus and remember the essential grammar rules and definitions.
- Get vocabulary books and an English dictionary to increase the knowledge bank about new words and phrases.
- Since RC holds more than 50% weightage in VARC, do speed reading practice through books, novels, magazines, or data-heavy reports.
- Read as many genres as possible to extend knowledge.
- Keep practising passages from CAT mock tests so as to improve knowledge or comprehension and speed of selecting the right answers.
- Solve hundreds of practice questions on Verbal Ability questions that have appeared in the topics of the CAT syllabus 2024.
- Go through the past 10 years of CAT question papers so you know what kind of RC and parajumble questions are commonly asked.
- Follow this with improving your knowledge of English grammar, word usage, and idioms and phrases to score better in RC and para jumbles.
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Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
This section tests your ability as a candidate for being able to interpret data from more than one source and then use that logic to tackle problems. This is one of the most challenging sections of the test, as it demands both speed and accuracy.
Important Topics
Data Interpretation (DI)
- Tables, Pie Charts, Bar Graphs, Line Charts
- Caselets
- Venn Diagrams
- Data Sufficiency
Logical Reasoning (LR)
- Seating Arrangements, Linear and Circular
- Blood Relations
- Syllogisms
- Clocks and Calendars
- Puzzles
- Series and Sequences
Preparation tips for DILR
- Table, graph, chart and series are dealt in the DILR section of CAT.
- It will need high calculation ability along with attention to minute details
- Both DI and LR are divided into equal quantities of 20, so both have to be a priority
- To study the CAT syllabus for DILR, memorize tables up to 20, squares, square roots, cubes, cube roots, and other mathematical values in order to count quickly.
- Data Interpretation depends more on your mathematical skills hence be good with calculation.
- Maximise attempts on sample questions and sectional CAT mock tests when it comes to Logical Reasoning as there are no such fixed formulae or concepts that can be applied while solving puzzles and patterns.
- The more you practice interpreting charts and tables quickly the better your chances of getting a good score in the DILR section.
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Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
The Quantitative Aptitude is designed to test your mathematical ability. Skill development in the realm of problem-solving is kept under the spotlight.
This section consists of problems related to a wide variety of mathematical domains.
Important Topics
Number System
- Divisibility rules, HCF and LCM, Prime numbers
Arithmetic
- Percentages, Profit and Loss, Time and Work, Time-Speed-Distance, Ratio and Proportion, Simple and Compound Interest
Algebra
- Linear and Quadratic Equations, Inequalities, Logarithms
Geometry and Mensuration
- Circles, Triangles, Polygons, Coordinate Geometry
Modern Mathematics
- Probability, Permutations, Combinations, Set Theory, Functions
Preparation tips for QA
- Quantitative Aptitude of CAT is entirely about clarity and practice.
- Be absolutely thorough with formulas and theorems of Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, and Trigonometry
- Work on each topic one after the other of your CAT exam syllabus, making sure that you have a good understanding of every topic. Then attempt a few questions for each topic to test your understanding of how to apply every topic.
- Full-length and sectional CAT mock tests only after you have completed the syllabus.
- Divide your practice sessions into easy, moderate, and difficult levels. Start with easy questions, then go gradually to moderate and then to difficult ones.
- Time yourself for every question you attempt; ensure you solve every question three times: the first time you are solving to understand, the second time with 100% accuracy, and the third time with accuracy and speed.
- Mental arithmetic calculation is to be practised right up to CAT exam day.
Section-Wise Preparation Tips
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension: To do well in this section make sure you read and improve your comprehension ability by practising enough. Make sure to analyse the tone of the author and logically draw inferences from the passages.
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning: This section demands a logical and structured approach to solve the question. It’s important to practise various types of questions in order to deal with the complicated data suitably.
- Quantitative Aptitude: If you want to do well in this section you have to focus on improving the speed in calculation and should have a strong hold on the mathematical concepts. Expectedly, time again plays a vital role here.
Changes in the CAT Exam Syllabus 2024
The overall structure of the CAT exam syllabus 2024 has not changed; the paper pattern may see slight changes. It is advisable to keep an eye on any official notification regarding the changes in the exam pattern or syllabus.
However, the CAT has maintained a consistent format but these small changes may make a dent in your preparation strategy.
Points to Remember:
- Stay updated on official notifications regarding any changes in the CAT Syllabus.
- Be adaptable in your preparation to accommodate last moment changes in the exam format.
Conclusion
Since the CAT exam syllabus is very vast, the students need to be very focused and organized in their preparation. The detailed breakup of the CAT exam syllabus 2024 will help you to track your preparation. Understanding the detailed breakup of the VARC, DILR, and QA sections will help you plan the right preparation strategy, balancing all aspects of the exam.
REMEMBER that with day-to-day practice, proper time management, and a good understanding of the syllabus of the CAT exam success is yours. Stay motivated and prepared to take up the CAT.
By following the above, you’ll be more than perfectly able to grasp the CAT Exam Syllabus and land yourself a top percentile in the 2024 edition of CAT exams syllabus.
