CAT 2026 Syllabus: Download Section-Wise Syllabus PDF Here

CAT 2026 Syllabus: The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 notification has been released, with registrations starting on August 3, 2026 and the examination scheduled for November 29, 2026. With four months left, students must immediately start preparing for the test in order to secure admission into top MBA colleges across India. 

CAT 2026 Important Details, Syllabus Download Link

The CAT 2026 examination is held for a total of 198 marks in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Type in the Answer (TITA) question format. The Type In The Answer (TITA) are non-MCQ questions where options are not provided and candidates must type their final answer using an on-screen virtual keyboard. 

CAT 2026 Section-Wise Syllabus

The CAT 2026 syllabus consists of three sections - Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). These three sections will have a total of 68 questions in the examination. Students will be given 120 minutes, 40 minutes each for the sections. 

CAT DILR Syllabus 2026

The DILR section of CAT covers Data Interpretation, which covers graphs, tables and charts, while the Logical Reasoning part includes several topics like Blood Relations, Data Arrangement and Logical Matching. 

CAT Data Interpretation Syllabus 

• Bar Graphs

• Line Graphs

• Tables

• Pie Charts

• Data Sufficiency

CAT Logical Reasoning Syllabus 2026

• Seating Arrangement

• Blood Relations

• Puzzles

• Data Arrangement

• Syllogisms

• Direction Sense

• Coding Decoding 

• Binary Logic

• Logical Matching

• Logical Connectives

• Clocks and Calendars

• Venn Diagram

CAT VARC Syllabus 2026

The VARC section covers Verbal Ability of the section which includes para jumbles, summary, odd sentence out and one word substitution. The second part is Reading Comprehension which covers Critical Analysis and Themes of RC Passage. 

Verbal Ability 

• Para Jumbles

• Para Summary

• Sentence Completion

• Odd Sentence Out

• Antonyms and Synonyms

• Error Detection

• Idioms and Phrases

• Cloze Test

• One word substitution

• Sentence correction

Reading Comprehension

• Critical Analysis of RC Passage

• Themes of the RC passage

CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus 2026

The Quantitative Aptitude section of the CAT 2026 syllabus covers several topics like Arithmetic, Algebra,Geometry and Mensuration and Modern Math. 

Arithmetic

• Profit and Loss

• Time and Work

• Time Speed and Distance

• Mixtures 

• Ratio and Proportion

• Mixtures and Allegation

• Percentage 

• Averages

• Simple and Compound Interest

• Real Numbers

• Irrational Numbers

• Complex Numbers 

• HCF and LCM 

• Unit’s Digit

• Remainders 

Algebra

• Quadratic Equations 

• Inequalities

• Series

• Functions

• Surds and Indices

• Logarithm

• Polynomials

Geometry and Mensuration

• Lines and Angles

• Circles

• Triangles

• Quadrilaterals

• Polygons

• Coordinate Geometry

• Area & Volume of 2D and 3D figures

Modern Math

• Set Theory

• Permutation and Combination

• Probability

CAT 2026: Application Fees, Eligibility

The application fees to be paid by candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) is Rs 1,350, while other category candidates need to pay Rs. 2,700.

The CAT 2026 scorecards are likely to be released by the first week of January , 2026 and will remain valid only until December 31, 2027. Each Indian Institute of Management (IIM) conducts the admissions via CAT based on their own eligibility criteria (including academic cutoffs and relative weights).

What Does IIMs Assess In Shortlisting Candidates For Admission?

• Previous academic performance of the candidates,
• relevant work experience 
• Other similar inputs in short-listing of candidates at various stages of the selection process