XAT- Xavier Aptitude Test 2026
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The CAT examination includes the Quantitative Aptitude section, one of the most challenging and score-defining parts of the test. This section demands strong conceptual clarity, quick calculations, and effective time management. Known for its vast and diverse syllabus, Quant covers topics ranging from Arithmetic and Algebra to Geometry and Modern Math. The candidates must identify and master the most important topics to tackle this section confidently in CAT 2025. In this detailed Careers360 article, we break down the complete CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude syllabus and discuss the high-weightage topics every aspirant should focus on to maximise their score and improve overall exam performance.
Some of the noteworthy information on the CAT quantitative aptitude section that all candidates must be aware of.
According to the recent CAT examination trends, the difficulty level of the CAT 2025 examination is expected to be moderate to difficult. The CAT examination exhibited a moderate difficulty, while the CAT 2023 examination was deemed to be slightly on the difficult side.
There will be 22 questions asked under this section, and there is no strict sectional weighting.
The questions from the CAT quantitative aptitude section will be based on concepts such as Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Modern Math, and Number Systems.
There is a sectional timing set for the CAT quant section. 40 minutes is allotted for answering all the sections. After the time limit, the window will close automatically and further responses will not be entertained.
As far as the CAT exam’s quantitative aptitude section is concerned, 14 MCQs and 8 TITA questions were asked. Here, TITA refers to Type in The Answer, and it would not have any options.
For the CAT 2025 examination, the candidates can expect 14-16 MCQs and 6-8 TITA questions as per the latest CAT exam analysis.
The CAT 2025 examination will be conducted by the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode. There is no official syllabus released for the CAT 2025 examination, but based on the analysis of the previous year's CAT question papers, we can devise a well-rounded CAT 2025 quantitative Aptitude Syllabus. The important CAT quantitative aptitude topics and the CAT quant syllabus 2025 are provided below.
Category | Topics |
Arithmetic | Percentages, Profit, Loss & Discount, Averages, Weighted Average, Speed, Time & Distance, Relative Speed, Time & Work, Mixtures & Alligations, Applications of Averages, Boats and Streams, Escalator Questions |
Algebra | Algebra, Linear and Quadratic Equations, Inequalities, Algebraic Identities, Simplification, Surds and Indices, Logarithms, Functions, Constant Product Rule |
Geometry | Geometry, Coordinate Geometry, Mensuration, Circles, Triangles, Polygons, Quadrilaterals, Angles, Points, Lines and Planes, Similar Triangles, Graphical Division Geometry |
Modern Math | Permutation and Combination, Probability, Conditional Probability, Set Theory & Function, Laws in Set Theory, Progressions & Series (AP, GP, HP), Derangement, Application of Power Cycle |
Number System | Number System, LCM & HCF, Remainder Concepts, Power Cycle, Factorials, Number System Shortcut Techniques |
Based on the CAT's previous year question papers and the recent CAT exam trends, the CAT exam pattern is provided below. The expected CAT 2025 quantitative aptitude difficulty level is moderate to difficult. The CAT 2025 examination pattern is provided below for the reference of the candidates.
Particulars | CAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus |
CAT exam time duration | 2 Hours (120 Minutes) & (160 Minutes for PwD) |
Name of the Section | - Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) - Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) - Quantitative Aptitude (QA) |
Section-wise CAT exam time duration | - 40 Minutes for Each Section (VARC, DILR, QA) - 53 Minutes 20 Seconds for PwD candidates for each section |
Number of Questions | 68 |
Total Marks | 204 |
Mode of the CAT 2025 exam | Computer-Based Mode (CBT) |
CAT Marking Scheme | - For every right answer, +3 will be awarded - For every wrong answer in MCQs, -1 will be deducted - No negative marks for Non-MCQs |
Since there is no official syllabus for the CAT quantitative aptitude section, covering the complete CAT quantitative aptitude syllabus can be challenging. It is important for the candidates to prioritise the CAT quantitative aptitude important topics. These important CAT quant topics are designed after analysing the CAT previous year question papers. Completely understanding the important CAT quant topics 2025 will help candidates to enhance their CAT quantitative aptitude performance.
The question distribution of the quantitative aptitude section of the CAT examination is provided below. Going through the analysis will help the candidates to gain a preliminary insight into the topics from which the questions are frequently asked.
Topic | Slot-1 | Slot-2 | Slot-3 |
Number System (Remainders, Floor Function, Integers, Factors and Exponents) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Surds, Indices and Logarithms | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Inequalities and Linear Equations | 0 | 2 | 1 |
PnC and Probability (Counting, P&C) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Quadratic Equations | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Averages, Percentages, Ratios and Proportions | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Time, Work and Distance (TSD, Time & Work) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Profit, Loss and Interest (SI, CI, P&L) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Geometry (Triangles, Circles, Mensuration) | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Progressions and Series (AP, Sequences) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Functions and Graphs (Modulus, Sets, Functional Eq.) | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Mixture and Alligation | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Almost 30-40% of the CAT quantitative aptitude section will comprise the CAT arithmetic section. While analysing the CAT previous year question papers, it can be observed that almost all the slots were arithmetic-dominated. Hence. It is beneficial for the candidates to begin with the arithmetic section during the candidate’s CAT quantitative aptitude preparation journey. Some of the important concepts that the candidates should prioritise under this section are listed below.
Across the three slots of the CAT 2025 examination, the candidates were asked 4 questions in total under the mixture and alligators topic, making it one of the most important topics under the arithmetic section for the candidates. Mixtures and Alligations is a topic in quantitative aptitude that deals with combining two or more items with different prices, concentrations, or qualities to form a mixture. The concept helps in determining the ratio in which the items should be mixed to get a desired average value. The rule of alligation provides a shortcut method to solve such problems without using complex equations.
Time, Speed and Distance is one of the most commonly asked topics and an important CAT quantitative aptitude topic. The variations of questions that can be asked under this section include questions on time, speed and distance concepts, boats and streams and questions on trains. This is relatively an easier section with more direct questions without involving a lot of difficult equations. At least one TSD question was asked in each slot of the CAT examination.
Ratio and Proportion are one of the go-to topics for any candidates preparing for the CAT quantitative aptitude section. This is largely because apart from the different forms of the questions that can be asked from this topic, the concepts of ratio and proportion is widely used in data interpretation questions, and other quantitative aptitude questions. Hence, the candidates need to be thorough with the concepts of ratio and proportion.
When a candidate is in search of the important CAT quant topics, they cannot forgo the time and work section. While analysing the previous year CAT question papers, it can be seen that across all the slots, one question is mandatorily asked under the time and work concept, making it an important CAT quantitative aptitude topic. Another version of the time and work concept, the pipes and cisterns question, is also frequently asked in the examination.
Similar to the ratio and proportion questions, percentages are also an essential CAT topic. The concepts of percentages can be used throughout the arithmetic topics such as profit and loss, averages, data interpretation, graphs and so on and due to this, the candidates should consider the topic of percentages to be one among the top 10 CAT quant topics.
After the arithmetic section, the algebra section constitutes most towards the CAT quantitative aptitude section. Together with the CAT arithmetic section, they constitute more than 50% of the CAT quantitative aptitude section. When the CAT previous year question paper is analysed, it was observed that a lot of candidates reported that they found the algebra section to be the most difficult than the arithmetic section. Due to this, the candidates should focus on the CAT quant important topics of the algebra section more to perform better in the examination.
Surds and indices were an important CAT quant topic of last year. The candidates were collectively asked 5 questions on this topic alone in the CAT examination. Going by the latest CAT exam trends, the candidates should study the various concepts of surds and indices in depth, as they are also widely used in questions involving simplification as well.
Similar to surds and indices, one question was compulsorily asked in all the slots of CAT, marking its significance. The questions asked about the logarithm topic were of a slightly higher level, which necessitated the need for the candidates to go in-depth about logarithms and their applications.
Linear and Quadratic Equations are key parts of Algebra. While analysing the previous year's questions, questions related to linear and quadratic equations appeared thrice across all the slots of the CAT examination. CAT toppers have also stressed the importance of studying the concepts of linear and quadratic equations, as a question can be expected from either of the topics with certainty in the CAT 2025 examination.
The CAT 2025 algebra topic, sequence and series, is also frequently asked in a lot of CAT sample papers and previous year question papers. Generally, the candidates are asked a moderately difficult question from this section involving the concepts of APs, GPs and HPs, making the sequence and series an important CAT quant topic to watch out for.
In the CAT 2025 examination, the candidates can expect 2-4 questions under the geometry section. While the weightage of the section is lower when compared to the sections such as algebra and arithmetic, scoring well under the geometry section can be a boost and help the candidates to enhance their CAT 2025 score. Some of the CAT 2025 quantitative aptitude important topics under the geometry section are:
Questions on triangles are one of the favourites of the CAT examiner. It can be undoubtedly said that the candidates can expect at least one question under the concept of triangles in the CAT 2025 examination, going by the past year trends. Questions on triangles in CAT 2025 may include concepts like properties of different types of triangles, Pythagoras' theorem, similarity and congruence, area and perimeter, angles, and application-based geometry problems. Hence triangle is the most important CAT quant topic under the geometry section.
The candidates can also expect questions based on coordinate geometry in the CAT 2025 examination because a few questions on this topic were asked frequently in the previous year's CAT question papers. Questions involving plotting points, finding distances, midpoints, slopes of lines, equations of lines, and analysing geometric shapes using the x-y coordinate plane can be expected from coordinate geometry.
The modern maths questions are the ones that show the least weightage in the CAT examinations. But due to the unpredictable nature of the examination, overlooking this section during the candidate’s CAT quantitative aptitude preparation may be one of the common mistakes made by the candidates during their CAT 2025 preparation. The most important CAT quant topics under the modern maths section are:
The most important CAT quant topic that the candidates should focus on under the modern maths section is the permutation and combination topic. Last year, almost all of the modern maths questions were asked from this topic alone, making it the go-to topic for prioritisation under the CAT modern maths section. The types of questions that can be asked in Permutations and Combinations include arranging letters or digits, forming numbers or words with or without repetition, selecting teams or groups from a set, distributing items among people, and solving problems involving restrictions like certain people always or never being together.
Number systems is another section of the CAT quantitative aptitude with a low weightage. Generally, 2-4 questions are asked under this section. The candidates are advised to keep this section for the final round of preparation. Some of the topics under the number systems section that must be prioritised by the candidates include:
In the CAT 2025 examination, 2 questions were asked under the reminders theorem topic. Hence, it is ideal to start with this topic under the CAT number systems topic of the quantitative aptitude. Questions can include division-based problems, application of the division algorithm, using properties of remainders, cyclicity, and solving problems using concepts like Fermat’s or Euler’s theorem in advanced cases.
Factors and Exponents is a topic in number systems where questions involve finding the number and types of factors of a number, prime factorisation, the highest common factor (HCF), the lowest common multiple (LCM), and applying the laws of exponents to simplify or solve expressions. It forms the base for solving various arithmetic and algebraic problems.
Some of the efficient CAT quantitative aptitude preparation tips that can be followed by the candidates to enhance their CAT 2025 preparation are:
Understand the syllabus clearly: The candidate should begin by understanding all the topics under Quantitative Aptitude, such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, number systems, and modern math.
Build strong basics first: It is important that the candidate focuses on strengthening basic concepts and formulas before moving to advanced-level problems.
Practice regularly: The candidate must solve different types of questions daily to develop accuracy and improve speed.
Focus more on Arithmetic and Algebra: Since these two areas are highly weighted in recent CAT exams, the candidate should allocate more preparation time to them.
Take topic-wise tests: After completing each topic, the candidate should take small quizzes or practice tests to check understanding and retention.
Work on weak areas: The candidate must identify and spend extra time on weaker topics to ensure balanced preparation.
Revise formulas and Quantitative Aptitude shortcuts: Keeping a separate notebook for formulas and quick tricks will help the candidate in regular revision.
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Quantitative Aptitude in CAT demands both speed and accuracy. With a wide range of topics, it’s essential to approach this section smartly. Here are some quick and effective tricks to solve CAT Quant questions more efficiently:
Focus on understanding concepts rather than rote formulas. Conceptual clarity makes solving tricky questions easier and faster.
Learn shortcut methods for percentages, ratios, and averages—they’re frequently asked and save a lot of time.
Practice mental calculations regularly to reduce dependency on rough work and improve speed.
Eliminate improbable options in MCQs to increase your chances of selecting the right answer quickly.
Memorise key squares, cubes, and multiplication tables to avoid unnecessary delays during calculations.
Prioritise easy questions first to secure marks quickly, then return to time-consuming or tougher problems.
Now that the candidate is aware of the most important CAT quant topics, it is time for the candidate to start their preparation. One of the best methods is to refer to the best CAT quantitative aptitude books written by experts. Careers360 have shortlisted a few of the necessary CAT quantitative aptitude books for the efficient preparation of the candidates.
Book Title | Author |
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R.S. Aggarwal |
Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT | Sarvesh Verma |
NCERT Mathematics books (Class 9–10) | NCERT |
How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT | Arun Sharma |
Careers360 offers a range of CAT 2025 preparation resources, including detailed syllabus guides, topic-wise study material, mock tests, and expert strategy articles. The candidates can access these resources using the links given below.
eBook Title | Download Links |
3000+ Most Important Words - Vocabulary Builder | |
500+ Most Important Idioms and Phrases | |
300+ Most Important Phrasal Verbs | |
Permutation & Combination - Video Lectures and Practice Questions | |
Mastering DILR Questions with Expert Solutions | |
CAT 2025 Exam's High Scoring Chapters and Topics | |
Mastering CAT Exam: VARC, DILR, and Quant MCQs & Weightages | |
CAT 2025 Mastery: Chapter-wise MCQs for Success for VARC, DILR, Quant | |
CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers | |
CAT DILR Questions with Solution, Download LRDI Questions for CAT | |
CAT 2025 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Study Material |
The Quantitative Aptitude section in CAT 2025 is expected to be of moderate to difficult level. You will have 40 minutes to answer around 22 questions. These questions will be a mix of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and type-in-the-answer (TITA) questions. For each correct answer, you will get 3 marks, and for every wrong MCQ, 1 mark will be deducted. There is no negative marking for TITA questions.
The most important topics for the CAT Quant section come mainly from Arithmetic and Algebra. In Arithmetic, topics like percentages, time and work, and ratios are commonly asked. In Algebra, questions often come from surds, logarithms, and equations. Other useful topics include triangles and coordinate geometry from Geometry, permutations and combinations from Modern Math, and remainders and factors from Number Systems.
To prepare well for the Quant section, you should start by building a strong foundation in the basics, especially in Arithmetic and Algebra. Regular practice is important to improve your speed and accuracy. After finishing each topic, try solving practice questions and take small topic-wise tests to check your understanding. Make sure to revise formulas often and spend extra time on the areas where you feel less confident. A structured six-month study plan can help you complete the syllabus on time.
For preparing the Quant section, some of the best books are RS Aggarwal’s Quantitative Aptitude, Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Verma, and How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma. NCERT Maths books from Class 9 and 10 are also helpful to strengthen your basics. Along with these books, you can use free study materials, video lessons, and mock tests provided by Careers360 for better preparation.
The syllabus includes Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Number System, and Modern Math, focusing on Class 10-level concepts and applications.
Arithmetic and Algebra dominate the section. Focus on percentages, time-speed-distance, equations, and progressions for better accuracy and scoring.
CAT Quant typically has 22 questions, a mix of MCQs and TITA, testing both speed and conceptual understanding.
Strong basics and consistent practice can make even tough questions manageable during the exam.
Start with basics, practice topic-wise questions, revise regularly, and solve previous year papers and mock tests to build confidence.
With a CAT rank of 5419, your percentile is around 95 to 97. This means you may not get into the top IIMs like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, or Calcutta, because they usually take students above 98 or 99 percentile. But you still have good chances at newer IIMs and other top MBA colleges.
You can get admission into IIMs like Amritsar, Raipur, Jammu, Udaipur, and Bodh Gaya. These IIMs accept students with lower percentiles, usually between 90 and 94.
Apart from IIMs, you can also get colleges like MDI Gurugram, IMI Delhi, Great Lakes Chennai, and maybe even FMS Delhi or JBIMS Mumbai depending on your category and performance in interview rounds.
You should now start preparing for the interview, group discussions, and written tests that most colleges will conduct after shortlisting you based on your CAT rank.
Here are websites you can check for cut-off and admission details:
https://www.imsindia.com/blog/cat-cutoff/
Hello Sahitya
For FMS Delhi, your percentile should be 99%+ and it should be 99.5%+ to be on the safer side.
Now coming to the academics:
1. 10th marks: 75%+ are given 10 out of 10
2. 12th marks: 75%+ are given 10 out of 10
3. Graduation marks: FMS doesn't considers graduation marks for screening.
So if you have 75%+ in both 10th and 12th, you will get full marks in academic score.
To know more about FMS: FMS
Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!
Hello Ayush
This is definitely a myth that with 0 work-ex you can't get IIM ABC because freshers still get into them although the competition is brutal but if you have good academics (9/9/9) and a good CAT (99.5%+), you have a chance.
These are some other good colleges except IIM ABC which you can aim for:
TIER 1:
Tier 2:
To know more about CAT: CAT by Careers360
Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!
Hello Aspirant,
With an AIR (All India Rank) of 1,60,000 in NEET and in the OC (Open Category) there is a very slim chance of getting an MBBS seat in a government medical college, especially in General Category seats through All India Quota (AIQ), but here are some options:
You can also participate in state counselling rounds, as sometimes, seats remain vacant/unfilled, including mop-up rounds.
Hello aspirant,
The question papers for CAT MGU University can be found on their official website, or you can also visit careers360 website for the same.
The link of which, I am attaching here,
https://university.careers360.com/articles/mgu-cat-2025
Regards
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