CAT Syllabus 2022: Check Syllabus & Exam Pattern

CAT Syllabus 2022: Common Admission Test or CAT exam is a national-level management aptitude test, that a candidate has to clear for admission to the MBA courses offered by 20 IIMs and over 1,200 B-schools in India. CAT 2022 will be held at IIM Bangalore. Applications for CAT 2022 will open on August 3 and will close on September 14, 2022. The exam is scheduled to be held on November 27, 2022.

Practice Free CAT Exam Questions with Hints & Solutions Here!

The syllabus for CAT exam 2022 includes three subjects: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). The difficulty level of the exam is moderate to high. In addition to MBA programmes, the CAT score is valid for admission to Executive MBA, PhD and FPM programmes.

CAT 2022 Overview

Let us have an overview of the CAT Exam 2022 before getting into other details:

CAT Syllabus 2022: Key Topics and Weightage

The topics listed below are those on which the most questions have been asked in the CAT exam in recent years.

CAT Syllabus 2022

The detailed syllabus topics from each chapter are given in the table below and comprehensive analysis of the weightage of each chapter is also given for better understanding. Go through the section-wise CAT 2022 syllabus from the section mentioned below:

CAT Syllabus 2022: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

The verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC) section is the first section of the CAT question paper and is to be solved within 40 minutes. The below table shows the type of questions asked in the CAT exam.

The verbal ability section is concentrated mainly on the three types of questions. These includes:

• Jumbled paragraph
• Summary questions
• Odd sentences in paragraph jumbles

Detailed Information on Jumbled Paragraphs

• In this, they form a paragraph and the candidate has to choose the most appropriate order for the sentence group for solving these questions.
• In these types of questions, 4 to 5 sentences are out of order.
• Candidates should identify the first and last sentence of a paragraph.
• This makes the question easier as the first sentence introduces a topic, therefore the last sentence makes some sort of judgement or decision.
• The second sentence should lead to the first one.

Detailed Information on Summary Questions

• Small passages of 80-100 words that have 4 options
• Candidate has to find the best option that depicts the summary of the paragraph.
• In these types of questions, it is important to find options that do not conflict with a passage.
• On eliminating the wrong options in the questions, the correct answers will appear.

Detailed Information on Odd Sentence in Paragraph

• The main motive of this type of question is to identify the sentences that do not match the theme of the remaining paragraph.
• The difficulty level of these questions may change from easy to difficult depending on how they are shown.
• One of the possible correct option is to have a sentence that introduces a topic within an unrelated theme.

Key Points Related to Verbal Ability

• The total number of questions asked in this part of section is between 8 to 10.
• This part mainly includes Non-MCQ type of questions.
• Negative marking does not prevails for this type of questions as it is Non-MCQ.
• As per the previous year exam, CAT syllabus in VA section includes questions from Para-jumbles, error correction in para, out of context sentence in para and vocabulary.

Question Weightage in Verbal Ability

In verbal ability, the weightage of questions according to the syllabus is shown in the below table.

Reading Comprehension

The reading comprehension section mainly contains questions that are based on the reading passages. Questions that mainly include questions of inference-based, fact-based, and vocabulary-based. Fact-based questions require answers based on the facts that is mentioned in the paragraph. These are one of the easiest questions in this section. Assumption-based questions are tricky questions and this will reduce the tone and theme of the candidate before answering the questions.

Key Points Related to Reading Comprehension

• Total amount of questions included are 22-26.
• As these questions are of MCQs type, so there is negative marking for wrong answers.
• This sections consists of four long paragraph and one short paragraph.
• As per the previous year trends, this section will have atleast 900 words and short passgae will have 500-600 words.
• Comprehension passage mainly involve around topics such as politics, environment and society.
• One mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.

Question Weightage in Reading Comprehension

In reading comprehension, the weightage of questions according to the syllabus is shown in the below table.

CAT Syllabus 2022: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

The Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section is the second part of the CAT exam. This section is divided into two sub-segments i.e. Data interpretation & logical reasoning. DILR is a tricky section for test-takers but., the level of difficulty has been reduced over the years. One of the difficult problems in this section is unpredictability of this section. The candidate must wrap up this section in 40 minutes whereas for PWD candidates the sectional duration is 53 minutes and 20 seconds. This section checks the problem-solving skills of the candidate and can know how well versed the candidate is with organized and unorganized data.

The below table shows what type of questions and what section-wise questions are asked in the CAT 2022 exam:

Key Points Related to Data Interpretation

• This segment of DILR involves questions that are multiple choice questions and non-multiple choice questions.
• There is no fixed numbers of MCQs and Non-MCQs.
• Negative marking occurs for incorrectly answered MCQs questions.
• No negative marking occurs for wrong Non-MCQs question.

Logical Reasoning

This segment of DILR sections includes topics from logical reasoning that are arrangements, numbers and sequences, logical sequence, syllogisms, calendars, clocks and cubes, and blood relations. The number of topics covered for rationality is numerous and the combination further leads to tricky compilations. This is one of the difficult sections of the CAT exam. Reasoning topics include more complex sets when linked to each other. Candidates must not spend more time solving LR questions. Solving a certain number of questions with utmost accuracy will suffice in scoring a good percentage. This section analyses the aspirant’s logical and analytical skills.

Key Points Related to Logical Reasoning

• The number of questions of LR in DILR section includes between 15 to 20.
• For every incorrect answer, negative marking persists.
• There are both MCQ and Non-MCQs question in this segment.
• For every wrongly answered MCQ, there will be negative marking.
• No negative marks for Non-MCQs questions.

Question Weightage in DILR Section

In DILR, the weightage of questions according to the syllabus is shown in the below table.

Quantitative Aptitude

Quantitative aptitude is the last section of the CAT exam paper and this section must be wrapped up within 40 minutes. Few topics that are asked in this section are very difficult and are repeated every year in the CAT exam. The total number of questions asked in the Quantitative aptitude section is 26 questions out of which 8-9 questions are TITA-based. Quantitative aptitude section includes questions that are from the topic of arithmetic, mathematics, trigonometry, and algebra. This section analyses the mathematical skills and calculation ability.

The below table shows what type of questions and what section-wise questions are asked in the CAT exam:

Note:

• Preparing commerical Maths is easy as the number of questions involved in this is small and the formulas to be implemented must be learned frequently.
• Arithmetic questions are very basic and easy to prepare and these topics are in arithmetic are class 10 and the only trick is to solve them fast.
• There are many rules and formulas while catering to geometry type questions and finding the most important geomtric rules is important as this will help candidate in solving the question frequently.
• Trigonometry are used in solving question, this is one of the main part of CAT test.
• Sequence and series is another topic that must be included in CAT exam and other management entrance exams. This will help in resolving questions that are based on this type of questions.
• Alligations & mixtures are almost likely to be similar. These type of questions are occassionally asked in CAT and are easy to solve if practiced well.

Key Points Related to Quantitative Aptitude

• This section mainly comprises of 26 questions.
• This section will have question type i.e. MCQs and Non-MCQs. The total MCQs question is 18 and there are 8 MCQs.
• Negative marking persists for MCQs. For every incorrect question, one marks is deducted.
• For Non-MCQs type question, there are no negative marks.

Question Weightage in Quantitative Aptitude

In the Quantitive Aptitude section, the weightage of questions according to the syllabus is shown in the below table:

CAT Exam Pattern

CAT aspirants must be familiar of the CAT Exam pattern 2022 as it serves as an effective tool for scoring good marks. The CAT exam pattern was revised in 2021, and the number of questions was reduced from 76 to 66. Following are the latest CAT exam pattern’s section-wise distribution of questions and marks:

CAT Preparation Books

CAT is a recognized management entrance exam in the country for admission to MBA courses. There are a lot of unique books that are available & helpful in preparing for CAT 2022. Some of the best books for CAT 2022 exam along with the CAT syllabus is mentioned in this article. By going through CAT preparatory exam books & syllabus, candidates can easily achieve well and seek admission in IIMs. With the help of accurate and effective books along with mock tests, students can easily clear the exam.

Below is a list of books mostly recommended for CAT preparation.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

Data Interpretation & logical reasoning

Quantitative Aptitude

CAT Preparation Tips

Some of the key points on how to begin CAT preparation are listed below:

• Make a list of topics according to strengths and weaknesses.
• Candidates must get in touch or join groups on the social media platform such as Facebook. YouTube, Telegram etc.
• Collect relevant study material and recommended CAT books for preparation.
• Make every day study plan and try to cover at least one topic per day from VARC, DILR & QA.
• Practice two-three questions for the topic studies on the same day to assess how much has been grabbed from the same.

FAQs on CAT Syllabus 2022

Following are some of the frequently asked questions on CAT syllabus:

Q1: Can a change be expected in the CAT Syllabus 2022?
Ans: CAT exam syllabus remains the same every year but, the distribution of questions in each section of the questionnaire changes frequently.

Q2: How much time is enough to complete the CAT syllabus 2022?
Ans: Completion of the CAT syllabus depends on the candidate’s time management skills & ability to understand the topics. Some candidates are able to complete the same within 4 months while some are able to complete the same by taking almost a year or more to cover CAT syllabus 2022.

Q3: What is the marking scheme of CAT 2022?
Ans: The total marks of the CAT exam are 198 marks i.e. 3 marks are awarded for every correct answer and one mark is deducted for every wrong answer.

Q4: How can I prepare for the CAT syllabus?
Ans: CAT requires constant practice and time management. To cover the complete CAT Exam Syllabus 2022 one must focus on all the 3 sections.

Q5: Can I prepare for CAT by just practising CAT mock tests?
Ans: No, candidates are advised to first go through the exam syllabus and get in detail about all the exam patterns, syllabus, and topics. Candidates must read the difficult topics too before preparing for the CAT mock tests.

Q6: What are the subjects included in the CAT syllabus?
Ans: CAT syllabus includes all the important topics in three sections that include verbal ability & reading comprehension, data interpretation & logical reasoning & quantitative ability. The candidate needs to focus mainly on topics such as Algebra, Geometry, tables, graphs, Venn diagram, blood relation, number series, coding-decoding.

Q7: Is the CAT syllabus for IIM the same as other MBA entrance exams?
Ans: Syllabus of CAT is similar to other MBA exams. MBA entrance exams have the verbal ability, reading comprehension, data interpretation, logical reasoning, and quantitative aptitude as key subjects. The difficulty level of CAT is higher than other exams.

Q8: Which section of the CAT exam is the toughest?
Ans: CAT exam is tough, it has been observed over the last few years that VARC is tough as reading comprehension passages are long and tricky. These are time-consuming therefore most candidates find this topic toughest.

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