The CAT 2024 exam is set for November 24, 2024, and is the entry point to 20 IIMs and many MBA colleges in India. To be managed by IIM Calcutta this year, the registration starts on 1st August 2024 and will extend till 13th September 2024.
As an aspirant, you must have the list of important topics at your fingertips to ensure there is no gap in your preparations. The syllabus for the CAT exam is huge, and knowing the essential issues will always be an added advantage.
We will first analyze the weightage of the three topics, keeping the last few years’ questions in mind for you to have a quick understanding of the entire structure. We will then proceed to discuss the favored topics when it comes to the prestigious exam.
Expected Weightage Of QA, DILR VRC
Before we jump into the critical topics, let us analyze the expected weightage for your quick reference, and then proceed. The CAT Exam includes 3 sections-
- Quantitative Aptitude(QA)
- Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC)
| CAT Exam Sections | Number of Questions | Weightage |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 72 |
| Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI) | 20 | 60 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 22 | 66 |
What you will see below is the expected weightage distribution for this year for you to have a quick understanding.
| CAT Section | CAT Important Topics | CAT Exam Topic Wise Weightage |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | Geometry, Algebra, Mensuration, Arithmetic, Number System | 34% |
| Reading Comprehension | Order of sentences, questions based on passages, and para meaning. | 24% |
| Verbal Ability | Para jumbles, Para summary, Inferences, and Sentence Completion | 10% |
| Logical Reasoning | Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism etc | 16% |
| Data Interpretation | Tables, Graphs, Pie Charts, Venn Diagram | 16% |
CAT Important Topic for Quantitative Aptitude 2024
Quantitative Aptitude has always been the bane of their existence for many students, owing to misguided preparation and assumptions. Even if you are someone who considers yourself unskilled in math, you can excel in Quant with the right preparation plan. We have prepared a list of the expected topics that be favored this year for you to have a quick glance and align your preparation accordingly.
| CAT Quantitative Aptitude | No. of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
| Algebra | 7 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Arithmetic | 8-9 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Geometry | 2-3 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Modern Mathematics | 4 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Number System | 1-2 | Moderate to Difficult |
You can check the entire quantitative aptitude syllabus here.
CAT Important Topic for DILR 2024
The data interpretation and logical reasoning part of the CAT section is one of the highest-scoring sections if you can apply your analytical skills accordingly. Any subject can be tough if you are not familiar with it or do not practice it enough. The best way to crack a section like this is to be familiar with the questions and be aware of the important topics that you have to encounter in the exam.
| CAT Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | No. of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
| Data Interpretation | 4 | Easy |
| Data Interpretation | 4-5 | Moderate |
| Logical Reasoning | 4-6 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Logical Reasoning | 6 | Easy |
| Overall | 20 | Moderate to Difficult |
The syllabus of this section is as follows. Logical Reasoning: The logical reasoning section of the CAT exam aims to test your analyzing and problem-solving skills using reasoning skills and consists of the following.
- Seating Arrangement
- Venn Diagrams
- Syllogism
- Blood Relations
- Order & Ranking
- Dices
- Clocks
- Data Sufficiency
- Directions and others
- Logical Sequence
- Coding and Decoding
- Calendars, Cubes, and Clocks
Data Interpretation: As the name suggests, the DI section of the CAT paper will test you on your ability to interpret and analyze data presented in various ways and will cover the below topics.
- Tables
- Bar Graphs
- Charts
- Caselets
- Line Graphs
- Pie Charts
CAT Important Topic for VARC 2024
The VARC or the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section is going to be a relief for you, even if you are skeptical about your English skills. Owing to the fact that half of the answer is in the question itself, all you have to do is focus on your reading and grammar skills. The reading comprehension part of VARC consists of 16 marks, where the answer is in the passage itself.
So brushing your reading skills can take you a long way when it comes to this section. Let us quickly see the expected important topics for this year.
| CAT VARC Topics | No. of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
| Reading Comprehension | 16 | Moderate to Difficult |
| VA-Parajumbles | 3 | Moderate to Difficult |
| VA-Odd Sentence | 2 | Easy to Moderate |
| VA-Summary | 3 | Easy to Moderate |
| Overall | 24 | Moderate to Difficult |
The allotted time for this section is 40 minutes to solve 24 questions, including both MCQs and TITA. Here is the quick insight of the syllabus below.
Verbal Ability:
- Grammar
- Synonyms, Antonyms
- Para Jumbles (Rearranging sentences to form a paragraph)
- Para Summary ( Summarising a paragraph)
- One word Substitution
- Sentence Correction
- Odd Sentence Out
- Parts of speech
- Preposition
- Idioms
- Articles usage
Reading Comprehension: For this section, you will have to answer questions after reading a passage. This can be a highly fruitful section, and the answers lie in your question paper itself. In 2023, there were 16 marks assigned to this section.
Conclusion
The idea of this article was to give you an insight into the expected important topics for this year. However, it doesn’t mean that you will be only dependent on these topics for your preparation. Your preparation plan should include all the topics with a dedicated focus on your weaker sections.
Discussing the critical topics is essential to aid your preparation the right way, and it is only meant to ensure that you do not miss out on these topics no matter what.
With the CAT just knocking around the corner, we wish you all the best in your preparation journey and the exam.
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