CAT 2021 Syllabus

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CAT 2021: Detailed Syllabus & Exam Pattern CAT Syllabus and exam pattern are prescribed by IIM that provides an insight into the various sections and questions that would be asked for the exam. The CAT exam pattern has been altered over the years; as such, there is no prescribed CAT syllabus and the topics that are mentioned for different sections are based on the past year's trends. The Syllabus of CAT 2021 comprises of three main portions: 1. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning 3. Quantitative Ability 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 two shifts, tentatively on the last Sunday of November 2021. Hence, we can assume that there will not be any change in the exam pattern. However, the current pattern comprises 100 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 and CAT 2021 will be co-ordinated by IIM Indore. Below is the detailed overview and the section-wise syllabus and exam pattern.

CAT Syllabus 2021 Overview

Total Questions in CAT Exam Total Marks Total Sections Total Exam Duration Mode of Paper

Marking Scheme

76 228 3 2 Hours 40 min for each section Online Only MCQs

Non-MCQs

Correct

+3

+3

Incorrect

-1

0

Un-attempted

0

0

1. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) 2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DI-LR) Section Names 3. Quantitative Ability (QA)

Some important points to remember• • • •

You are not allowed to shuffle across sections.

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.

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CAT Exam Syllabus and Pattern 2021 CAT Quantitative Ability Exam Pattern Total Questions in Quantitative Ability Section

Total Marks in Quantitative Ability Type of Questions in Quantitative Section Total MCQs Total Non-MCQs Difficulty level

26 questions 78 marks MCQs and TITA (non-MCQ)

19-20 questions 6-7 questions Moderate-Difficult*

*This is just based on the past years’ trend. The actual difficulty level may vary. CAT Quantitative Ability Syllabus •

Number System 1. LCM and HCF 2. Divisibility Rules 3. Base Change

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4.

Finding Units place and tens place of a number

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Cyclicity Remainders Prime Factorisation Factorials Indices and Surds

Arithmetic 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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Geometry and Mensuration 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Circles Triangles Polygons Co-ordinate geometry Lines and Angles Trigonometry

Algebra 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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Time, Distance and Speed Time and Work, Pipes and Cisterns Simple Interest and Compound Interest Ratios, Proportions and Variations Percentages and Averages Profit and Loss, Discount Mixtures and Allegations

Modern Mathematics

Inequalities and Modulus Functions and Groups Linear and Quadratic Equations Polynomials Logarithms Algebraic Identities Maxima and Minima

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2.

3.

4.

Permutations and Combinations Probability Set Theory & Venn Diagram Binomial theorem

5.

Arithmetic progression, Geometric progression, Harmonic progression

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. QA Section 2017 and 2019 was observed to be slightly easier than in general. In 2019, lot of questions were from arithmetic (14 questions) and Algebra (11 questions). Arithmetic and Algebra usually dominates 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+ percent accuracy can fetch you a good percentile.

CAT Data Interpretation Exam Pattern 2021 Total number of questions 12-13 questions Total Marks in Data Interpretation 36-39 marks Type of Questions in Data Interpretation MCQs and TITA (non-MCQ) Section Total MCQs 8-9 questions Total Non-MCQs (TITA) 3-4 questions Difficulty Moderate-Difficult* *This is just a prediction based on the past years’ trend. The actual difficulty level may vary CAT Logical reasoning Exam Pattern 2021 Total CAT Logical Reasoning Questions Total Marks in Logical Reasoning For CAT Section Types of Question in CAT LR Section Total Non-MCQs (TITA) in Logical Reasoning Difficulty in Verbal Ability Section

11-12 33-36 MCQs and TITA 2-3 Moderate-Difficult*

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

DATA Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Syllabus 2021

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Data Interpretation 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

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Tables Data Caselets- Reasoning Based DI Column Graphs Bar Graphs Venn Diagrams Line Charts Pie Charts Scatter Plot Bubble Chart Routes and Network Radar Chart

Logical Reasoning 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Binary logics Games and Tournaments Arrangements Team Formations Order and Ranking

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 wastage of time and reduction in scores. The pattern of questions in the section have been very similar.

Attempting 5-7 sets with 85+ percent accuracy will give you a good percentile.

CAT Verbal Ability Exam Pattern 2021 Total CAT Verbal Ability Questions Total Marks Types of Question Total Non-MCQs (TITA) Difficulty level

10 30 Non MCQs 7-8 Moderately Easy

CAT Reading Comprehension Exam Pattern 2021

Total CAT Reading Comprehension Questions Total Reading Comprehension Passages Type of Questions Total Marks Passage Types in CAT RC Section Difficulty level

13-14 4 MCQs Only 39-42 2 Long & 2 Short Passages Moderately High

CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Syllabus 2021

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Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension 1. Para Jumbles (with and without options) 2. Para Summary 3. Odd One Out 4. Reading Comprehension

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. Error rate is quite higher in this section. A lot of candidates were unprepared for the difficulty level of this section in CAT 2019. This section is undoubted to be taken seriously when it comes to preparation.

CAT Previous Years Exam Analysis Before this format, the CAT exam has gone through several different CAT exam patterns and syllabus over the years.

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For CAT 2005 to 2008, there were three sections in the form of VARC, DILR and QA with no sectional time limit .

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From CAT 2009 to CAT 2013, there were only 60 questions with 150 minutes, again with no sectional time limit.

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For CAT 2011, 2012 and 2013, the number of questions was kept constant however the sections were modified to be converted into two sections: VARC-LR and QA-DI. The number of questions in each section was limited to 30 each.

In CAT 2014, there were only two sections: VARC-LR and QA-DI. Both sections consisted of 50 questions each and the total time being 150 minutes, with no sectional time limit.

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Conclusion • • •

The CAT Exam Pattern has been more or less similar over the years (since 2015) Syllabus also has not been changed. Also, not many new types of questions have been noticed.

An overall attempt of around 70 questions with 85 percent of accuracy is usually classified to be a good performance.

Though, CAT is very unpredictable & full of surprise in terms of difficulty level but at the end of the day that is surprise is for every aspirant therefore candidates are required to prepare for any such bouncer that comes their way.

Thanks Sahi Prep Hai Toh Life Set Hai!

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