Important Topics For CAT 2023 (Section-Wise QA, VARC, DILR)

Important Topics for CAT 2023

Around 2 Lakh aspirants appear for CAT every year. The competition is always high. Know the important topics for CAT to gain an edge over others.

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the three extremely guarded entrances that as an MBA aspirant, you will have to overcome to get into any B-school of your dreams. The difficulty level of the exam will mostly depend on your level of preparation and mastery over the underlying concepts across the three sections of the CAT 2023 exam: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). Since its inception, CAT has never had a predefined syllabus. However, certain questions are repeated every year. Therefore, a careful analysis of the most recent CAT papers can give an idea of the CAT important topics that have a high probability of having a good weightage in CAT.

The CAT exam is designed to test the ability of a candidate to handle time pressures and still solve the given set of questions. A question by itself might not be difficult. But with the very little time you can give to that question, without compromising on the time allotted for the remaining questions, puts mental stress on the candidate. The perceived difficulty thus increases. With around two lakh aspirants registering for the CAT exam every year, the competition is extremely high. A minute difference in both sectional and overall percentiles can make a candidate unable to even be shortlisted for the next rounds of selection.

CAT Important Dates

Make sure to stay informed about important dates, notifications, and other necessary information related to CAT 2023. Given below are the tentative dates of CAT 2023.

CAT Exam Pattern

The CAT Exam is one of the most difficult exams in the country as there are no predefined or set exam patterns or syllabi. This is a cause of concern for aspirants as there have been instances where the authorities had brought major changes to the pattern. These instances are rare and come far between. A major change was made in 2015 when sectional timings and Non-MCQ or TITA (Type in The Answer) questions were introduced. In 2020, the total number of questions was deducted to 76 and the duration to 2 hours. The number of questions was further reduced in the 2021 exam, to 66.

Recent Changes Introduced

These changes were introduced in the years 2020 and 2021. For CAT 2022, the same patterns were followed. Here are the tentative details of the exam pattern based on the latest changes.

CAT Important Topics

Do the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), the authority conducting the CAT exams, release any official syllabus or have a fixed syllabus? The answer is no. However, the syllabus can be deduced by examining the previous years’ CAT exam patterns and questions. Aspirants should be well-versed in the following concepts as questions are expected to broadly fall under these concepts.

CAT VARC Important Topics

The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of the CAT exams has been considered one of the most challenging in terms of time management by aspirants. Candidates have to be extensively conversant with vocabulary and skills such as comprehension skills and the ability to identify grammatical errors. This section commands the highest sectional weightage. Aspirants should cover the following topics while preparing for the VARC section of CAT 2023.

CAT 2023: Important Topics for VARC

CAT DILR Important Topics

It is the most unpredictable section and is further divided into two sections: Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. Based on past trends, the DILR section of CAT 2023 is expected to have around 20 questions. The major topics of this section include Number and Letter Series, Data Sufficiency, and common reasoning concepts.

CAT 2023: Important Topics for DILR

CAT QA Important Topics

For the Quantitative Aptitude section of the CAT 2023 exam, there will be a total of 22 questions. Each correct answer will be awarded 3 marks and 1 mark is deducted from every wrong answer. Major topics include Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Modern Maths, and Number Systems.

CAT 2023: Important Topics for QA

Preparation Tips

Preparation Tips for VARC

Most candidates find it difficult to manage their time in this section. As such, the following tips will guide the candidates to develop their reading comprehension & verbal ability skills and the ability to manage their time effectively.

1. Have a habit of reading every day. Make sure that you are not sticking to the same, familiar genres all the time. Not only does this help in increasing one’s reading speed, but it also helps to effectively reduce the time one takes to comprehend what they are reading.
2. Take the effort to learn new words by looking up difficult or new words that you come across when going through news, dictionaries, articles, magazines, or books.
3. Keep track of how long it takes you to read through a passage or a page.

Preparation Tips for DILR

Solving the DILR section requires clarity of the fundamentals of the various Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning concepts.

Practice, practice, practice. This is one of the most effective methods to develop the ability to deal with the challenges of this section. Attempting mock tests and practice papers regularly strengthens the clarity of various concepts, improves time management, and enhances attention to detail. Keen observation skills are a necessity for this section as it involves making assumptions out of the given facts to reach the solution.

Preparation Tips for QA

Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Modern Math, and Number System are the major broad concepts of this section. Just like in the previous sections, practice is a necessity in cracking QA. Once one is thorough with a particular concept, solve mock tests, past papers, and other practice papers. While doing so, keep trying to improve the speed of solving each question. Aspirants should also maintain notes of all important formulae and concepts. Learning the different tricks to improving one’s mental math can help solve quants questions faster.

Other Management Entrance Exams

Top MBA Entrance Exams other than CAT 2023 include the following:

• XAT
• SNAP
• NMAT
• CMAT
• TISSNET
• MHCET
• PGDBA

How can iQuanta help you ace CAT 2023?

iQuanta is an e-learning platform, preparing MBA aspirants for one of their biggest hurdles, the CATs and OMETs. Aspirants are known to spend hours on stretch preparing for these entrance exams to have an opportunity to get into their dream B-Schools. Doubts can arise any time of the day, even outside of session hours. iQuanta has a 24/7 Doubt Solving mechanism in place via their CAT Preparation Facebook group. Any queries posted there are answered within 10 minutes.

Another challenge faced by aspirants is limited attention span. iQuanta has a dual pedagogy, where students are taught both theoretical and application-based concepts through its Live Interactive Classes and Application Classes. The sessions are also pre-recorded and made available so that students can watch and re-watch at any time.

Solving mocks and other practice tests is a necessary tool to prepare for CAT 2023. iQuanta provides access to more than 7500 practice questions and 50 CAT Mocks and Sectionals to help aspirants be better prepared for the actual CAT 2023. Furthermore, after every session, an assignment will be unlocked on the iQuanta dashboard for additional practice.

Thanks to iQuanta’s student-focused initiatives, iQuanta has been able to set itself apart as more than just an e-learning platform. They have built a dedicated community through their Facebook groups, where you can find aspirants preparing together as one community; solving each other’s doubts and sharing their own strategies. In this way, peer-peer learning enhances the learning environment of any student of iQuanta.

As an aspirant, at iQuanta, you get what you need, want, and more!