The CAT 2025 paper wasn’t only about tough questions; it was more like figuring out where the weightage actually lay. Even though Arithmetic, Reading Comprehension, and Logical Reasoning stole the scene in the exam, some lower-weightage topics still quietly mattered a lot. This CAT 2025 topic-wise weightage analysis maps out every section, so you can spot the chapters that showed up the most, plus the less obvious patterns that may help shape your CAT 2026 preparation.
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CAT 2025 followed the revised exam pattern, with 68 questions across three sections.
Section | Questions |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 22 |
22 | |
Total | 68 |
The overall pattern stayed identical across all three slots, but the CAT 2025 paper analysis shows clear differences in how much weight each topic gets inside every section.
In the Quant part, Arithmetic kept on dominating, and then Algebra came next. Together, these two areas made up nearly 72% of all QA questions across the three slots.
Topic | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Arithmetic | 10 | 8 | 9 |
Algebra | 7 | 7 | 6 |
Geometry & Mensuration | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Number System | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Modern Mathematics | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Total Questions | 22 | 22 | 22 |
Subtopic | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
1 | 2 | 1 | |
1 | 1 | 1 | |
Profit, Loss & Discount | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 0 | 1 | |
1 | 0 | 1 | |
Time, Speed, Distance / Boats & Streams | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 1 | 1 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | |
Partnership / Investment | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Arithmetic Progression / Series | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Logarithms | 1 | 0 | 1 |
1 | 1 | 1 | |
1 | 1 | 1 | |
Quadratic Functions / Optimization | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Linear Inequalities | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Functions / Greatest Integer Function | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 1 | 0 | |
0 | 1 | 0 | |
Integer Equations | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Circles | 1 | 0 | 1 |
0 | 1 | 1 | |
Coordinate Geometry | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Regular Polygons / Hexagon | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Rhombus / Quadrilaterals | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Mensuration | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Divisibility Rules / Factors | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Unit Digit / Number Properties | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Permutation & Combination | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Useful ebooks to master each section of CAT Quantitative Aptitude:
The CAT Arithmetic Hackbook PDF: Zero Math Background? No Problem- Concepts, Questions | |
CAT Algebra Handbook 2026: Everything You Need to Master Algebra: Concepts, Practice Questions | |
CAT 2026 Number System PDF Handbook: Complete Concepts, Practice Questions & Solutions | |
CAT 2026 Geometry & Mensuration PDF: Important Concepts, Shortcuts & Practice Questions | |
CAT 2026 Modern Maths PDF Handbook: Key Concepts, Tricks & PYQ-Based Practice |
Arithmetic stayed the top-weighted Quant theme in each slot; overall, it didn’t move much. Algebra kept landing as the second-highest weightage, pretty reliably. Geometry had this steady, almost the same presence, while Number System and Modern Math seemed to bring in fewer questions in comparison. So, candidates who were solid in Arithmetic and Algebra fundamentals had a clear advantage; you know, they could sail through a lot faster.
In every slot, the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning portion had five sets. And surprisingly, Logical Reasoning ended up contributing more questions than pure Data Interpretation, even though one might expect the reverse.
Section | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Total |
Logical Reasoning | 13 | 13 | 13 | 39 |
Data Interpretation | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
Mixed DI-LR (Caselet) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
Total Questions | 22 | 22 | 22 | 66 |
Set Type | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Set 1 | Train Occupancy (Caselet) | Guru Training Timeline (Caselet) | Employee Ratings & Promotions (LR) |
Set 2 | Employee Ratings & Promotions (LR) | Pollution Measures (Caselet) | Visual Puzzle Competition (LR) |
Set 3 | Circular Seating | Research Papers | International Trade (Caselet) |
Set 4 | Foot Tapping Logic | Balls & Hoops | Passing the Buck |
Set 5 | Trade Data (Radar + Bar DI) | Company Shareholding / Investment DI | Restaurant Orders & Billing DI |
Instead of the usual graph-based DI, CAT 2025 went for practical scenarios touching business, scheduling, rankings, trade, and those analytical reasoning bits. The overall structure was pretty much the same through all three slots, with only the caselet themes swapping around.
Reading Comprehension once again dominated the VARC part, taking up about two-thirds of the total questions.
Section | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Total |
Reading Comprehension (RC) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 48 |
Verbal Ability (VA) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 |
Total Questions | 24 | 24 | 24 | 72 |
VA Topic | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Total |
Para Summary | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Para Completion | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Para Jumbles | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Odd One Out | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Total | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 |
Observation: Every slot followed the exact same VA distribution-2 questions each from Para Summary, Para Completion, Para Jumbles, and Odd One Out.
Theme | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
RC 1 | Mexican Musical Instrument Craftsmanship | Mexican Tetra Cavefish & Evolution | Memory, Belief & Philosophy |
RC 2 | Cultural Inspiration vs Cultural Appropriation | Scientific Instruments, Astronomy & Biology | Urban Development, Housing & Cities |
RC 3 | Zombie Cells & Ageing | Literature, Geography & Sense of Place | Language, Identity & Latinx |
RC 4 | History of Monopoly | Artificial Intelligence, Bias & Trust | Wealth Inequality & Modern Economics |
Reading Comprehension stayed the backbone of VARC, with 16 questions, while the Verbal Ability section followed a pretty balanced distribution, giving two questions each to Para Summary, Para Completion, Para Jumbles and Odd One Out.
The CAT 2025 topic-wise analysis shows a few clear trends that future aspirants should actually keep in mind.
In the Quant side, Arithmetic + Algebra together pretty much took the lead.
For VARC, Reading Comprehension seems to have contributed something like 67 per cent of the whole thing.
Meanwhile, Logical Reasoning beat pure Data Interpretation in every slot, pretty consistently too.
Also, each slot had nearly the same structural pattern, but only the situations and themes shifted around.
And interestingly, no major Quant topic was left out entirely, which underlines that broad preparation matters, even when it feels unnecessary at first.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
So the CAT 2025 weightage analysis kinda points out that Arithmetic, Reading Comprehension, and Logical Reasoning got the most attention, while areas such as Geometry, Number System and Modern Math still showed up but with more moderate weightage.
Arithmetic had the biggest share of questions, then Algebra was next. Together, both these parts made up roughly 72% of the Quantitative Aptitude section across all three slots, overall.
Each slot of CAT 2025 carried 16 Reading Comprehension questions that were divided into four passages, so RC became the most significant chunk inside the VARC section.
Every DILR section had five sets: three were based on Logical Reasoning, one was a mixed DI-LR set, and the last one was pure Data Interpretation. Also, Logical Reasoning had a heavier overall weightage than the rest.
CAT 2026 candidates can use the latest weightage insight to aim at the most frequent areas like Arithmetic, Algebra, Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning, while still ensuring the whole syllabus gets covered properly. This kind of approach should support a more balanced prep strategy, instead of a single track only. In simple terms, it helps you do the right things at the right time, even if your schedule is tight.
On Question asked by student community
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