CAT English Syllabus 2025 (VARC): Topics, Weightage, Important Questions

CAT English Syllabus 2025 (VARC): Topics, Weightage, Important Questions

Team Careers360Updated on 05 Aug 2025, 04:30 PM IST

The CAT English syllabus for the CAT exam is designed in the form of a Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section. The CAT English syllabus for the VARC section of the CAT exam is spread across the crucial concepts of English grammar along with the ability to read large passages or pieces of information to answer the questions based on them. It tests the candidates on the grounds of their knowledge and command of the English language. VARC of the CAT English syllabus include topics like Idioms and Phrases, Synonyms and Antonyms, Logical Deductions, Paragraph Completion and other topics. The CAT English syllabus mentioned here is prepared based on the pattern of CAT previous year's question papers.

LiveCAT 2025 Analysis LIVE: IIMCAT slot 1, 2, 3 paper difficulty level; memory-based questionsDec 1, 2025 | 10:08 PM IST

The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM Kozhikode) will declare the CAT 2025 result in January 2026. As per the marking scheme, candidates will be awarded three marks for right answers, one mark will be deducted for wrong response. There will be no negative marking for non-MCQs.

Read More

This Story also Contains

  1. English Weightage in CAT 2025
  2. CAT English Syllabus Important Topics
  3. Weightage of Different Areas of English Syllabus
CAT English Syllabus 2025 (VARC): Topics, Weightage, Important Questions
CAT English Syllabus for MBA with Weightage, Important Topics

English Weightage in CAT 2025

The VARC section of the CAT exam contains the most questions and therefore holds the largest weightage among the three sections. The VARC sections are also considered to be the highest-scoring ones because of the reading passages. The total number of questions in the VARC section is 24. The detailed weightage and marks for the VARC section in the CAT exam are given below.

ParticularsDetails

CAT Exam Section

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

Total VARC Questions

24

Total Marks

72

Marking Scheme

  • 3 marks for every correct answer.
  • -1 mark for every incorrect answer.

Time

40 minutes

CAT English Syllabus Important Topics

Completing the English CAT syllabus can often seem like too much to study. Therefore, candidates need to get the important topics to study for the VARC section of the CAT exam. These important topics are the ones from which most of the questions are formulated in the VARC section. The list of the important topics from the CAT English syllabus for the VARC section of the CAT exam is provided in the table below.

CAT Exam Section

CAT English Syllabus Important Topics

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Synonyms and Antonyms
  • Word Usage and Contextual Meaning
  • Analogies
  • Idioms and Phrases
  • Grammar-based Questions (Parts of Speech, Tenses, Subject-Verb Agreement, etc.)
  • Para jumbles
  • Strengthening and Weakening Arguments
  • Assumptions, Inferences, and Conclusions
  • Logical Deductions
  • Cause and Effect Reasoning
  • Paragraph Completion
  • Summary
  • Reading and Comprehending Different Text Forms
  • Contextual Understanding

Weightage of Different Areas of English Syllabus

The entire CAT English syllabus can be divided into the following four parts:

  1. Reading Comprehension
  2. VA- Para Jumbles
  3. VA- Odd Sentence
  4. VA- Summary
Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026

Application deadline: 4th Dec | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025

IBSAT 2025-ICFAI Business School MBA/PGPM 2026

IBSAT 2025-Your gateway to MBA/PGPM @ IBS Hyderabad and 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR

The weightage of each of these areas of the CAT English syllabus in the CAT exam is given in the table below.

Areas of CAT English Syllabus

Weightage

Reading Comprehension

66.7%

VA- Para Jumbles

12.5%

VA- Odd Sentence

8.3%

VA- Summary

12.5%

Also See:

CAT 2025 Percentile Predictor
Use the CAT Percentile Predictor to estimate your score, gauge your performance, and know your chances of getting shortlisted by IIMs.
Use Now

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the English section of the CAT exam?
A:

The English section of the CAT exam is Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC). It consists of 24 questions with a total mark of 72. The VARC section consists of questions across topics like vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, sentence building, and reading ability.

Q: How many questions are there in the English section of the CAT exam?
A:

The total number of questions in the VARC section of the CAT exam is 24. Each question carries 3 marks. The total marks of the VARC section are 72 out of the 198 total marks of the CAT exam.

Q: Is CAT English difficult?
A:

The difficulty level of English in the CAT exam can be considered between moderate to difficult. The difficulty level remains high as it is the topmost management entrance examination in the country. Apart from that it is also a scoring opportunity for the candidates as it contains the most number of questions among all the sections.

Q: What is the sectional cutoff for English in CAT?
A:

The sectional cutoff for English in CAT remains between 70 to 80 for most of the IIMs. It may vary for reserved categories. Clearing the sectional cutoff for English is mandatory for every candidate to be eligible for applying to the IIMs.

Articles
|
Upcoming Bschool Exams
Certifications By Top Providers
Corporate Law
Via National Law University, New Delhi
Strategic Management
Via Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Online MBA Business Analytics
Via Centre for Distance and Online Education, Anna University, Chennai
Introduction to Accounting-Part 1 Basics of Financial Statements
Via Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
PGDM Online
Via IMI, Delhi
Certificate Program in Product Management
Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Udemy
 703 courses
Edx
 467 courses
Swayam
 236 courses
Emeritus
 231 courses
Explore Top Universities Across Globe
University of Essex, Colchester
Wivenhoe Park Colchester CO4 3SQ
Oxford Brookes University, Oxford
Headington Campus Oxford OX3 0BP UK
Northumbria University, Newcastle City Campus
Sutherland Building, Northumberland Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST
Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff
Llandaff Campus, Western Avenue, Cardiff, CF5 2YB
University of Reading, Reading
Whiteknights PO Box 217 Reading Berkshire RG6 6AH
Bristol Baptist College, Bristol
The Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol BS8 3NJ

Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,
If your CAT admit card shows your surname first followed by your first name as entered in the form, it is correct. You do not need to worry about this format as long as it matches the details you provided. Ensure all other information on the admit card is accurate and carry it to the exam along with the required identification documents.
Hope this helps you.

Hello,

If your CAT admit card has a different date of birth than your Aadhaar card, you should get it corrected immediately . Here’s what you can do:

  1. Check the CAT website : Log in to your candidate portal and look for the option to correct personal details.

  2. Contact the CAT helpdesk : Email or call them explaining the issue. Attach a copy of your Aadhaar card as proof.

  3. Do not ignore it : The date of birth must match your ID, otherwise you may face problems at the exam or during admission.

Usually, the CAT authorities allow corrections before the exam, so act quickly.

Hope it helps !

Hello,

Here are Documents Required for CUSAT CAT (NRI Quota):

  1. Academic Documents includes (Class 10-mark sheet, Class 12-mark sheet, Transfer Certificate)
  2. NRI Sponsorship Documents
  3. Other Supporting Documents (Candidate’s passport, Proof of residence abroad)

To know more access below mentioned link:

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-application-form

Hope it helps.

To get admission into the MBA program course 2026 to 2028 at Great lakes institute of management Gurgaon you need to check about the specific eligibility criterias and the admission process

follow the link given below by careers 360 to get the detail admission process overview into the MBA program at Great lakes institutes of management Gurgaon

https://www.careers360.com/colleges/great-lakes-institute-of-management-gurgaon


You can get the previous year's CUSAT CAT papers in pdf format sample papers from careers360 article. Follow the link given below from careers360 to get the the CUSAT CAT previous years question papers.

Link- https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-sample-papers