CAT Syllabus 2026 PDF Download - VARC, DILR, QA Topics | Bharatiya Pathshala

Updated for CAT 2026

CAT 2026 Syllabus & Exam Pattern

Complete topic-by-topic breakdown for all three sections — VARC, DILR, and QA. Based on analysis of CAT papers from 2015–2024 with up-to-date question distribution.

Note: IIM does not publish an official CAT syllabus. This breakdown is based on actual questions from CAT 2015–2024 and reflects the real exam accurately. Exam dates for CAT 2026 are tentative until the official notification is released.

CAT 2026 Exam Pattern

Total Questions

120

Minutes Duration

198

Maximum Marks

+3 / −1

MCQ Marking

Section	Questions	MCQ	TITA	Max Marks	Time
VARC	24	16	8	72	40 min
DILR	20	10	10	60	40 min
QA	22	14	8	66	40 min
Total	66	40	26	198	120 min

Sections are time-locked — you cannot switch sections before the 40-minute timer expires
TITA (Type In The Answer) questions have no options — type your answer directly
CAT is conducted in 3 slots on a single day; questions differ across slots
Scores are normalised across slots to account for difficulty variation
There is no official syllabus published by IIM — the above is based on past 10 years of paper analysis
A basic on-screen calculator is provided inside the exam interface
Question total was 66 in CAT 2023 and CAT 2024 (down from 76 in 2021); expect same in 2026

CAT 2026 Important Dates

CAT 2026 Notification Release

Last week of July 2026

Official notification published on iimcat.ac.in

Registration Window Opens

1 August 2026

Apply at iimcat.ac.in; one-time registration fee ₹1,250 (General) / ₹625 (SC/ST/PwD)

Registration Window Closes

20 September 2026

Late registrations not accepted; edit window closes ~3 days after

Admit Card Release

25 October 2026

Download from iimcat.ac.in; mandatory to carry to exam centre

CAT 2026 Exam Date

29 November 2026

Three slots: Morning (8:30–10:30 AM), Afternoon (12:30–2:30 PM), Evening (4:30–6:30 PM)

Provisional Answer Key

First week of December 2026

Challenge window open for 3 days at ₹1,000 per question

CAT 2026 Result Declaration

Second week of January 2027

Percentile scores published; individual score cards downloadable

IIM Shortlist Announcements

January – February 2027

Each IIM announces its own shortlist; check individual IIM portals

WAT / PI Process

February – April 2027

Written Ability Test + Personal Interview at respective IIM campuses

Final Admission Offers

April – May 2027

Final merit list, waitlists, and joining formalities

Section-wise Detailed Syllabus

Click a section tab to see every subtopic, question type, and preparation note.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

Tests ability to comprehend complex academic passages and arrange ideas logically. Post-2015, CAT completely shifted away from grammar and vocabulary — all 24 questions are reading-based or verbal-reasoning tasks.

24 Questions40 Minutes72 Marks16 MCQ8 TITA (No Negative Marking)

Reading Comprehension (RC)

4 passages × 4 questions each. All MCQ. Negative marking of –1 applies.

~16 Questions~67%

Passage Themes

·Social Sciences — politics, sociology, economics, culture, public policy
·Science & Technology — evolution, cognitive science, physics, climate, AI
·Business & Management — strategy, economics, leadership, markets
·Humanities — history, philosophy, literature, art, religion
·Abstract / Interdisciplinary — ethics, epistemology, metaphysics

Question Types

·Central Idea / Main Theme — identify the primary argument of the passage
·Inference — what can be logically concluded; what author implies
·Author's Tone & Attitude — critical, appreciative, neutral, sarcastic, etc.
·Vocabulary in Context — meaning of a word or phrase as used in the passage
·Agree / Disagree with Passage — statements that the author would support or contradict
·Application — applying the passage's idea to a new scenario
·Critical Reasoning — identify what strengthens or weakens the argument
·Title / Best Heading — choose the most appropriate title for the passage

Passage Characteristics

·Length: typically 400–700 words per passage
·Style: dense academic prose; rarely simple narrative
·Source: adapted from international journals, magazines (The Economist, NYT, Aeon, Nature), books
·No prior domain knowledge needed — all answers lie within the passage

Verbal Ability (VA)

All TITA (type-in-the-answer). No negative marking. Sequence-ordering type.

~8 Questions~33%

Para Jumbles (PJ)

·~4 questions per exam
·4–6 sentences given out of order; arrange to form a coherent paragraph
·TITA: enter correct sequence (e.g., DACBE) — no options given
·Strategy: identify the opening sentence (no pronoun/article reference), build logical flow, find pairs
·Common connector patterns: cause→effect, general→specific, problem→solution, contrast (however/but), time sequence

Odd Sentence Out (OSO)

·~2 questions per exam
·5 sentences provided; identify the 1 sentence that doesn't fit the theme
·TITA: enter the sentence number (1–5)
·Strategy: find the central theme connecting 4 sentences; the outlier shifts topic, introduces a different idea, or contradicts the flow

Para Summary (PS)

·~2 questions per exam
·A short passage (~100–150 words) followed by 4 answer choices
·MCQ: select the option that best summarises the paragraph
·Strategy: the summary must capture the main argument without adding new info; eliminate options that are too narrow, too broad, or contradictory

Take Section-Specific Mock Tests

Download the full syllabus PDF with weightage analysis for offline prep.