CAT Quant Syllabus 2025: While the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) don’t officially release a defined CAT 2025 Quant syllabus, analysis of past CAT papers helps identify important topics. The Quantitative Aptitude section in CAT 2025 is likely to include around 22 questions covering Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Number Systems. This CAT Quantitative Aptitude syllabus 2025 helps aspirants pinpoint challenging areas. Candidates can prioritise high-weightage topics and plan a focused study strategy to enhance speed and accuracy in the QA section of CAT 2025. In this article, we have discussed, CAT Quantitative Aptitude syllabus, important MCQs, expected topics and best books.
Recent parliamentary committee data have highlighted low representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in faculty positions across Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Against 1,880 sanctioned posts in 21 IIMs, fewer than 200 teachers belong to these communities, raising questions over the implementation of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019.
Candidates who will appear for the Common Admission Test must be well versed in the CAT exam syllabus for IIM, especially for the Quantitative Aptitude section. There is no syllabus available on the official CAT 2025 syllabus website. Moreover, while trying to cover the syllabus of quantitative aptitude, candidates can also check what the best books are for them. Also, the candidates must be aware of the CAT exam pattern. Read the full article to know all the details related to the CAT syllabus, quantitative aptitude topics to be covered, how many questions are likely to be asked in CAT 2025, and what are the best books and preparation tips.
Overview of CAT 2025 Quant Syllabus
Aspect
Particulars
Section
Quantitative Aptitude
Number of questions
22
Type of questions asked
MCQ and TITA (Non-MCQs)
Sectional time limit for QA
40 minutes (53 Minutes 20 Seconds for PwD candidates)
Marking scheme
+3 for every correct answer
-1 for every wrong/incorrect answer
CAT Exam Syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude
The quantitative ability syllabus for CAT 2025 consists of numerical-based questions to assess the candidate’s mathematical skill and accuracy. The CAT quantitative aptitude syllabus includes questions related to elementary and basic mathematics. This section consists of a time limit of 40 minutes (53 Minutes 20 Seconds for PwD candidates). On the basis of the questions asked in CAT previous year question papers, let’s have a look at the important topics of the CAT 2025 quant syllabus.
Important QA MCQs for CAT Exam Preparation 2025
Master Quantitative Aptitude (QA) with these important QA MCQs tailored for CAT preparation. These CAT-focused multiple choice questions help improve speed, accuracy, and conceptual clarity. Boost your CAT 2025 score with high-quality QA practice questions designed to match the latest exam pattern.
Topics for CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
The CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude syllabus covers essential math topics that form the backbone of the exam. From Arithmetic to Algebra, mastering these concepts is key to cracking the CAT QA section. Get a detailed breakdown of the CAT 2025 QA syllabus to maximise your score.
To help CAT 2025 aspirants understand the latest trends in the Quant section, we’ve provided a detailed slot-wise analysis of the CAT 2024 Quantitative Aptitude paper. This breakdown highlights important topics, difficulty levels, and the types of questions asked across all three slots—offering valuable insights for strategic preparation and topic prioritization.
Slot 1
Category
No. of Questions
Arithmetic
9
Algebra
6
Geometry
3
Modern Maths
2
Number System
2
Slot 2
Category
No. of Questions
Algebra
8
Arithmetic
7
Geometry
3
Number System
2
Modern Maths
1
Slot 3
Category
No. of Questions
Arithmetic
9
Algebra
7
Geometry
3
Number System
2
Best Books for CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus 2025
Preparing for the CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude section requires the right set of books that cover the complete syllabus with conceptual clarity and ample practice questions. Candidates can refer to some of the important books for the CAT quant syllabus section as mentioned below:
CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus Books
Title
Name of the author
How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT
Arun Sharma
Quantitative Aptitude for CAT and Other MBA Entrance Exams
Trishna Knowledge Systems (Pearson)
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations
Maximise your score with these CAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude syllabus high-yielding topics. Focus on concepts that consistently carry more weight in the CAT exam, like Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry. Strengthen these scoring areas to boost accuracy, speed, and your overall CAT 2025 QA section performance.
Section
Most Asked Topics
Arithmetic
Time, Speed & Distance, Mixtures and Alligations, Profit & Loss, Ratios & Proportions, Time & Work
Permutations & Combinations, Set Theory & Functions
Arithmetic remains the most dominant section, so focus strongly on concept clarity and calculation speed in this area. Algebra is a close second and includes a wide variety of topics, many of which require strong equation-solving skills. Geometry and Number System are moderately represented and should be revised strategically. Modern Maths appears occasionally but often includes tricky applications, so familiarity is crucial.
Tips and Strategies to Prepare for CAT Quantitative Aptitude
Overcome that mistake by practising various questions on the particular topic from recommended books
Short Tricks to Solve CAT Quantitative Aptitude Questions
Boost your CAT 2025 score with these smart, time-saving short tricks to solve CAT Quantitative Aptitude questions. These shortcuts improve speed and accuracy, especially in Arithmetic, Algebra, and Number systems. Know more about the basic CAT Quantitative Aptitude short tricks below:
1. Percentage to Fraction Conversion: Memorise common conversions (e.g., $25\% = \frac{1}{4}, 33.33\% = \frac{1}{3}$) to solve percentage-based questions without calculations quickly.
2. Using the Allegation Rule (Mixtures): Apply the cross-method for mixtures and allegations to save time over traditional weighted average formulas.
3. Unit Digit Shortcut (Number System): For powers, use cyclicity of unit digits (e.g., $2^4 = 6$ → cycles every 4 steps: $2, 4, 8, 6$).
4. Smart Substitution (Algebra): Substitute easy values (like $x = 1$ or $2$) in algebraic expressions to test options or simplify equations quickly.
5. Ratio Method for Time & Work: Use inverse ratios of efficiencies to solve Time & Work problems faster (e.g., A is twice as efficient → $A:B = 2:1$).
6. Right Triangle Pythagorean Triplets (Geometry): Memorise common triplets like $(3,4,5), (5,12,13), (7,24,25)$ to solve geometry problems without complex calculations.
Browse Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score: Location-Wise
Q: How to Prepare Quantitative Aptitude section for CAT 2025?
A:
Quantitative aptitude requires a lot of practice, and to save time to practice, one should follow all the small and simple tricks to increase his practice and reduce errors. He would often have to provide pseudo-tests and go through different research materials and books of different sizes to strengthen the basic concept and basics.
Q: What are the topics in quantitative aptitude?
A:
Following are the most crucial topics to prepare for CAT 2024 Quantitative Aptitude Test.
Permutations and Combination
Probability
Time and work
Percentages
Profit and loss
Simple and compound interest
Ages
Averages
Calendar and clock (not too imp)
Time, speed and distance
Number systems
Q: Which are the best books for the CAT Quantitative Aptitude Section?
A:
Previous year’s papers are the best to practice and check your CAT preparation. Practice and practice because it will make you perfect. Candidates can refer to some of the best books for CAT 2024 like Arun Sharma, Abhijeet Guha, NCERT, etc.
Q: Will CAT 2025 be easy?
A:
CAT 2025 is unlikely to be easy. It typically ranges from moderate to difficult, with at least one section being relatively tough. However, the difficulty level changes year to year. Consistent practice and strategic preparation are essential to crack CAT exam with high marks.
Q: Is Quant difficult in CAT?
A:
Most of the candidates for the CAT 2024 exam believe Quantitative Aptitude to be the hardest section.
Q: Which IIM is preparing CAT 2025?
A:
The IIM conducting CAT 2025 hasn’t been officially announced yet. It rotates annually among older IIMs. Recent years saw IIM Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow as exam-conducting bodies.
CAT does not restrict eligibility based on stream. Candidates from commerce, arts, science, engineering or any other background can appear for CAT and apply to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.
The basic eligibility criteria for CAT are:
You must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with at least 50 percent marks (45 percent for SC, ST and PwD categories). Final-year graduation students are also eligible to apply.
Being a commerce graduate can actually be an advantage in areas such as accounting, finance, economics and business studies, especially during MBA coursework in finance, marketing and operations.
After qualifying CAT, admission depends on multiple factors including CAT percentile, academic background, work experience (if any), performance in GD, WAT and personal interview rounds. Many IIMs and B-schools follow a diverse academic background policy, which means non-engineering candidates, including commerce graduates, often receive additional weightage.
Apart from IIMs, several reputed institutes such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, and many state and private universities also accept CAT scores for MBA admissions.
So, as a commerce graduate, you are fully eligible to appear for CAT and pursue an MBA, provided you meet the minimum academic requirements and perform well in the selection process.
If you want, I can also help you with realistic CAT percentile targets based on your academic profile or suggest suitable MBA colleges.
With a CAT 2025 raw score of 84 and strong sectionals, your expected percentile may fail in the high 98 range , depending on scaling. Your excellent academics and 2 years of work experience strengthen your profile .IIM Lucknow calls are possible but competitive for EWS engineers , while FMS Delhi looks mainly at CAT score and VARC , so you have a reasonable chance there . Final calls depend on cutoffs and composite score.
For MANAGE Hyderabad MBA , the OBC cutoff in CAT 2024 was generally around 85-90 percentile for shortlist consideration , tough exact figures vary by section and profile . For CAT 2025, if fewer candidates appeared , the cutoff might slightly adjust , but percentile based cutoffs dont change drastically year to year. A minor decrease is possible , but you should still aim for 90+ percentile to be competitive. Factors like VARC, QA-LRDI and overall profile influence the final shortlist.
For a raw score of 56 in CAT 2025 Slot 3, your expected overall percentile is likely to be in the range of the 90th-95th percentile. The exact percentile can vary slightly on the final normalization process and the process and performance of all test-takers. In this
article
you'll find more about the CAT result.
Hello,
With a projected CAT percentile of 87% but not clearing sectional cutoffs, your chances at top IIMs are limited because they require both overall percentile and sectional minimums. However, you still have a good shot at other reputed management institutes and non-IIM B-schools. Consider colleges like NMIMS, SPJIMR, IMT, TAPMI, Great Lakes, and other well-ranked private or state-level B-schools that accept CAT scores and weigh your profile holistically. Your academic record, BSc in Animation with 80%, and 5 years of work experience at Ubisoft India are strong points and may help in institutes that value work experience in their selection process. Also, explore institutes that accept XAT, MAT, or CMAT, where your profile can be competitive.
Hope this helps you.
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