IIM CAT Syllabus for MBA 2026: Download Subject-wise CAT Exam Syllabus PDF with Weightage

CAT syllabus 2026 is spread across the three sections of the question paper, i.e. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. Scroll down to know the complete IIM CAT syllabus for MBA. 

CAT Syllabus 2026

CAT syllabus 2026 has three subjects, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). CAT syllabus for MBA is vast, hence, it is crucial to have a good understanding of all the topics given in each subject. The CAT syllabus for IIM is considered to be one of the toughest exams in India. Thus, to crack CAT exam, one needs to have spontaneity and grip over all the subjects. Candidates should practice as many questions as possible to get a good grip to overcome their mistakes. This year, CAT 2026 exam date is scheduled for 24th November in various CAT exam centres. Get all details related to CAT syllabus for MBA in this post. 

CAT Syllabus 2026 Overview

CAT Syllabus 2026 Important Topics

As per the updates, the CAT syllabus topic-wise weightage has not changed for the past 10 years even though the exam pattern has been revised several times. Changes in CAT exam pattern have been made, though. Let us take a look at the important topics of the syllabus of CAT exam. The topics given below are those from where the maximum questions have been asked in the exam in the past few years. 

CAT 2026 VARC Syllabus

CAT Verbal Ability and Reasoning Comprehension (VARC) syllabus covers a wide range of topics from the English Language. The main aim of the CAT VARC syllabus is to test the candidate’s usage of vocabulary. This section is highly dominated by comprehension questions. In order to score in this subject, candidates are advised to read newspapers, magazines, etc. The important topics covered in CAT syllabus for VARC are as follows: 

CAT Syllabus for VARC: Weightage

Expected number of questions from each topic

Other topics in the CAT verbal ability section also focus on analyzing your overall ability:

• to understand and identify the core ideas,
• to predict and identify the supporting ideas which are envisaged in the texts,
• to check whether you are able to provide the details systematically and orderly manner.

CAT DILR Syllabus 2026

CAT DILR syllabus, i.e. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning syllabus has to be solved within 40 minutes. As the name suggests, this section is composed of two parts, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. Hence, candidates must be very good with numbers to complete the paper on time. The important topics covered in CAT syllabus for DILR are as follows: 

Expected number of questions under each topic

CAT QA Syllabus 2026

CAT QA syllabus is the quantitative aptitude syllabus that aims to test the candidate’s mental aptitude. All the questions will be based on class 10th standard. Candidates should have a good grasp of the topics as the paper has to be completed within 40 minutes of time duration. The important topics in CAT QA syllabus are as follows: 

Expected number of questions from each topic

IIM CAT Syllabus Subject Wise 

CAT 2026 examination will be conducted in online mode where students need to answer questions in under 180 minutes. When appearing for a highly competitive exam like CAT, time management is an essential skill since the questions asked will not be on the easier level. When preparing for the CAT 2026 exams, it is important that students learn how to manage time and answer the questions in each section within the time provided. This can be achieved only by constant practice and deep knowledge of the syllabus for the exams. 

How to prepare CAT Syllabus 2026 ?

The preparation of CAT syllabus 2026 requires consistent practice of questions. Candidates willing to crack CAT exam should have a proper preparation plan that will help them get spontaneity in the exam. Candidates should make themselves familiar with the topics and concepts on which it is based. One must practice as many questions as possible and do a detailed paper analysis after solving them.

Check other competitive exams below