CAT 2020 Exam Syllabus
IIM prescribes the CAT Syllabus that includes the significant topics such as Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). According to the official notification of CAT 2020 EXAM there is
no changein syllabus for CAT 2020. Nevertheless there are a few changes introduced in CAT exam pattern. The duration of exam has been reduced from 180 minutes to 120 minutes and there will be three exam slots instead of two slots.
The syllabus of each of the sections of CAT is vast and requires enthusiastic preparation. The
VARC section of CAT syllabus envelops various topics of English grammar, verbal reasoning and reading comprehension. The
QA section of CAT syllabus includes all the topics of Maths from Class 9 to 12 such as Arithmetic, Geometry, Trigonometry and Mensuration. The
DILR syllabus of CAT exam comprises of the topics that need analytical interpretation of data like puzzles, tables and bar graphs.
VARC section is the first section of the CAT question paper and is to be attempted first.
The section is segregated into two sub-sections these are VA and RC. In
CAT 2020, the sectional time limit for VARC will be 40 minutes. The significant topics and some key points of this section are given below:
- Fill in the blanks
- Verbal Reasoning
- Sentence completion
- Grammar
- Syllogisms
- Jumbled paragraphs
- Para Completion and inference
- Contextual usage
- Foreign language words used in English
- Reading Comprehension
- Analogies
- Sentence correction
- Verbal Logic
- Different usage of same word
- Idioms
- Parajumbles
- Antonyms
- One word substitution
Significant facts related to Verbal Ability (VA)
- There will be approximately 8 to 11 questions asked in this section.
- Sectional weightage of this section is approximately 8-12 per cent
- The type of questions are all non-MCQs, which states that the candidates have to type in the answer (TITA)
- VA section does not follow negative marking since the questions are non-MCQ type
- Types of questions asked in VA section arepara-jumbles, out of context sentence in a para, error correction in a para, vocabulary usage and sentence completion to analogies and critical reasoning
Significant facts related to Reading Comprehension (RC)
- There will be approximately 25 to 28 questions asked in this section
- Sectional weightage of this section is approximately 25-28 per cent
- The type of questions is in MCQs formattherefore there is negative marking where one mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.
- RC section of CAT has a blend of RC passages with 4-3 long passages and 2-3 short passages
- According to the pattern followed for the last three years, long passages are of 900 words and short passages with 600 words
- Topics of these RCs are generally based on science, history, politics, environment, society to literature, mythology and abstract topics
DILR is the second section of CAT question paper and is to be attempted after the VARC section.
This section is further segregated into two sub-sections - DI and LR. The sectional time limit for DILR in CAT 2020 is prescribed as 40 minutes. Some of the significant topicsof this section are:
- Blood Relations
- Series
- Proposition
- Direction Sense
- Coding-Decoding
- Assumptions
- Puzzles
- Clocks and Calendars
- Statements
- Data Arrangement
- Family Tree
- Binary Logic
- Seating Arrangement
- Sets &Caselets
- Syllogism
- Venn Diagram
- Data Structures
- Tables& Pie Charts
- Data Sufficiency
- Bars & Line Graphs
Significant Points related to Logical Reasoning (LR) Section:
- Total Number of questions asked in LR is 16
- Sectional weightage of this section is 16 per cent
- LR contains both MCQ and non-MCQ type questions
- Number of MCQs and non-MCQs may differ
- Negative marking will be followed for MCQs
- There is no negative marking for non-MCQs
Significant Points related Data Interpretation (DI) Section:
- Total Number of questions asked in DI is16
- Sectional weightage of this section is 16 per cent
- DI includes both MCQ and non-MCQ type questions
- Number of MCQs and non-MCQs may differ
- Negative marking is followed for MCQs
- There is no negative marking for non-MCQs
Detailed CAT Syllabus: Quantitative Aptitude
Quantitative Aptitude is the last section of CAT question paper and is to be attempted in the last one hour of the exam. Some of the significant topics of this section are:
- Geometry
- Trigonometry
- Algebra
- Mensuration
- Partnership (Accounts)
- Profit & Loss
- Ratios and Proportion
- In-equations Quadratic and linear equations
- Surds and Indices
- Time-Speed-Distance
- Number System
- Geometric Progression
- Inequalities
- Work and Time
- Percentages
- Logarithms
Significant Points related to Quantitative Aptitude (QA) Section
Total Number of questions asked in QA Section is 34
- Sectional weightage of this section is 34 per cent
- LR has both MCQ and non-MCQ type questions
- The Number of MCQs and non-MCQs may differ every year.
- Generally the number of MCQs in QA section range from 24-27 and non-MCQs range from 7-10
- Negative marking is followed for MCQs
- There is no negative marking for non-MCQs
After thoroughly understanding the entire CAT syllabus 2020, aspirants should be well versed with the latest exam pattern of CAT exam.
The CAT exam pattern has been changed this year. The most significant things you need to keep in mind are that
- CAT exam mode is conducted in online mode
- Each section will be given 40 minutes to attempt
- There will be a total number of questions in CAT exam carrying 100 with 3 marks for each question
Table showing the section-wise distribution of questions and marks in CAT question paper:
| Name of the Section |
No. of Questions |
Maximum Allotted Time |
| Quantitative Ability (QA) |
34 |
40 minutes |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
32 |
40 minutes |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
34 |
40 minutes |
| Total |
100 |
120 minutes |
Q: May I know the syllabus of CAT 2020?
A: The syllabus of CAT 2020 exam comprises of all significant topics of VARC, DILR and QA.
Q: Does CAT syllabus changes frequently?
A: The CAT syllabus does not change rather there are changes made in distribution of questions within each section of the question paper changes every year. Therefore it is advisable to go through the latest exam notification before starting for the exam preparations for CAT EXAM.
Q: Who decides the CAT syllabus?
A. IIMCAT is the exam conducting authority who decided CAT SYLLABUS.
Q: What is the marking scheme for CAT?
A: The total marks allotted for CAT exam are 300 and three marks are granted to each right question. For each wrong question there is a penalty of one mark.
Q: Does CAT have the same syllabus as other MBA entrance exams?
A: The syllabus of CAT is analogous to other MBA entrance exams as they too have VARC, DILR and QA but the difficulty level of CAT is higher than other exams.
Q: What is the maximum duration of CAT exam?
A: CAT 2020 exam will have a maximum duration of120 minutes (2 hours). For each section 40 minutes will be chosen. For PwD candidates the total time allotted is 180 minutes
.
Q: Which section of CAT exam is the toughest?
A: Although CAT exam is tough overall, it has been seen over the years that most test takers find VARC tough.
Q: Which section of CAT 2020 will have maximum marks?
A: VARC and QA sections have maximum marks of 102. DILR section carries 96 marks.
Q: Is it advisable to prepare from NCERT Mathematics books for quant section?
A: You can prepare for QA section of CAT from NCERT books for mathematics, but it is recommended to buy a book based on the latest syllabus of CAT EXAM to give you effective learning.