CAT Syllabus 2026 is based on the official notification released by IIM Indore at iimcat.ac.in on July 25, 2026. The Common Admission Test covers three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). CAT 2026 is scheduled for November 29, 2026 — use the topic-pattern breakdown below to sharpen your section-wise preparation.

  • CAT 2026 is divided into three sections: VARC (24 questions), DILR (22 questions), and QA (22 questions).
  • The IIMs do not publish an official topic-wise syllabus — the topic coverage in this article is derived from a five-year analysis of past CAT papers (2020–2025).
  • DILR carries 22 questions (66 marks), roughly 32% of the total score. Key areas include Puzzles, Games and Tournaments, Caselets, and novel set types.
  • In VARC, Reading Comprehension passages account for about 65–70% of the section (around 16 of 24 questions).
  • The QA section draws most heavily from Arithmetic and Algebra — these two areas together contribute around 60–70% of QA questions.
  • TITA (non-MCQ) questions carry no negative marking. Para Jumbles and Odd Sentence Out in VARC, and numerical answer questions in DILR and QA, are typically TITA.
  • The official CAT 2026 Information Bulletin is available at iimcat.ac.in.
... [full article continues through VARC, DILR, QA sections, weightage tables, exam pattern, best books, download steps, preparation tips, 12 FAQs, and disclaimer] ...