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Sanghamitra Deb

Content Writer | Updated On - Nov 28, 2025

The path to the CAT Exam is always filled with hours of studying for the completion of tons of syllabus for all three subjects; Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Quantitative Aptitude (QA), and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) with so many topics to cover, and questions to solve.

In preparing for the CAT Exam, candidates sometimes get exhausted when they are not equipped with the right kind of CAT Study Material they should be preparing for the CAT 2025 Exam.

The CAT study material should not be redundant as there are so many books on the same subjects written by different authors and different writers have different approaches and methodologies for the same topics.

For instance, for Quantitative Aptitude (QA) there are three famous books authored by three different authors, and if aspirants indulge themselves with all these three books for QA and solve quant numerical from all three books at the same time, the majority of the aspirants will observe an regression in their enthusiasm and ability for preparation as it will slow down their pace and confuse them a lot.

To solve the above issue the selection of the CAT study material and as per the syllabus and pattern of the CAT exam. Also, if candidates are joined in an offline or online learning center should follow the pattern of preparation curated by that particular coaching center.

Apart from the CAT study materials provided by the coaching center, candidates can refer to some standard and reference books as well but only with having a prior analysis done as studying from too many resources at a time can lead the deflecting their preparation graph.

For more details regarding the CAT study material, aspirants should continue reading this article as it contains syllabus, preparation strategies, examination pattern, and mentions of some of the most important books for the CAT exam preparation.

Also Check:

CAT Exam 2025: Syllabus

Before heading towards the selection of the CAT Study Material candidates should go through the CAT exam syllabus first and analyse it in such a way that they can figure out the preferences they should give to the topics mentioned in the syllabus according to their level of difficulties.

Now, talking about the country’s toughest management entrance exam, the Common Admission Test or CAT syllabus we will first classify their sections and syllabus and important topics for each section.

The CAT exam is divided into three sections with different weightages. The syllabus for all three sections is described below:

The syllabus for all three sections above of the CAT exam; VARC, QA, and DILR are described below:

CAT 2025 Exam: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

VARC is the highest weightage section of the CAT Exam as 67% of questions are related to this category which makes it mandatory for aspirants to allot a significant time for this section along with the other two sections to secure a good percentile in VARC and the Overall CAT exam. The syllabus for the VARC section of the CAT Exam is tabulated below:

Reading Comprehension Preposition
Synonyms and Antonyms Para-completion
Para Jumbles Inferences
Odd one out One word substitution
Syllogism and Analogies Verbal Logic
Types of Clauses Parts of Speech
Subject Verb Agreement Verbal Reasoning

CAT Exam 2025 Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus

The second high-weightage section of the CAT exam is the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) section, as 22 out of a total of 66 questions in the CAT exam come from the Quant section. The section requires candidates to be able to conceptualise and impart their class 9th and class 10th level mathematics knowledge as the QA section is based on high school mathematics. The syllabus for the QA section for the CAT exam is mentioned below:

Units Topics
Arithmetic
  • Averages
  • Profit and Loss
  • Simple and Compound Interest
  • Mixtures and Allegations
  • Percentages
  • Speed, Time, and Distance
  • Paper and Cisterns
  • Ratio and Proportions
  • Simplification
Algebra
  • Graphs
  • Linear Equations
  • Quadratic Equations
  • High Order Equations
  • Logarithms
  • Modulus
  • Inequalities
  • Maxima and Minima
  • Sequence and Series
Number Systems
  • Base Systems
  • Divisibility
  • LCM and HCF
  • Complex Numbers
  • Factors
  • Remainders
  • Digits
  • High Powers
  • Surds and Indices
Geometry
  • Circles
  • Polygons
  • Trigonometry
  • Co-ordinate Geometry
  • Quadrilaterals
  • Angles
  • Mensuration
  • Triangles
  • Parallèl Lines
Modern Maths
  • Permutations and Combination
  • Geometric Arrangments
  • Sequence and Series
  • Probability
  • Progressions
  • Roots

CAT 2025 Exam: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

The third and last section of the CAT exam is Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section is divided into two sub-sections; Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Given below are the important topics related to the DILR section of the CAT 2025 exam:

DILR Topics
Bar and Column Graphs Binary Relations
Blood Relations Coding Decoding
Calendar, Cubes and Blocks Caselets and Tables
Connectives Line and Pie Charts
Seating Arrangments Matching/Puzzles
Number and Letter Series Seating Arrangments
Viens Diagrams Data Sufficiency

CAT 2025 Exam Subject-wise Weightage

The subject-wise weightage for all the sections of the CAT exam is tabulated below:

Particulars Details
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
  • Total Questions: 24
  • MCQs: 20
  • TITA (Non-MCQs): 4
  • Each question carry: 3 marks
  • Weightage: 72 marks (out of 198 marks)
Quantitative Aptitude
  • Total Questions: 22
  • MCQs: 15
  • TITA (Non-MCQs): 7
  • Each question carry: 3 marks
  • Weightage: 66 marks (out of 198 marks)
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
  • Total Questions: 20
  • MCQs: 14
  • TITA (Non-MCQs): 6
  • Each question carry: 3 marks
  • Weightage: 60 marks (out of 198 marks)

CAT Study Material

The CAT study material must be relevant to the exam concerning topics and should contain different levels of difficulty at different stages to get the student accustomed to the exam pattern smoothly as initiating the process for CAT exam preparation without distinguishing the difficulty level of the questions related to a particular topic might lead to losing their morale.

We have shortlisted some of the most opted and highly recommended CAT Study Material which consists of Books by different authors for all three sections, Mock Tests, Previous Question Papers (PYQ), and many other CAT exam resources.

Candidates can refer to the details elaborated below regarding the CAT Study Materials for all three CAT exam sections; VARC, QA, and DILR:

CAT Study Materials for the VARC Section

The VARC Section is highly ambiguous and diverse as there are no logical methodologies applicable to reading comprehension and verbal components of a language contrary to other CAT exam sections; QA and DILR. Hence the basic rule for beginning the preparation of the VARC Section is to read a lot and that too content which is written in a specific tone and grammar.

Let’s have a look at some of the CAT Study Material for preparing for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC):

  1. Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
  2. How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
  3. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Nishit Sinha
  4. High School Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin

CAT Study Material for the QA Section

The Quantitative Aptitude (QA) section of the CAT exam requires candidates to have a foundational knowledge of the class 9th and class 10th level mathematics to delve into this topic however if someone who has a non-engineering or non-mathematics background can still prepare for the QA section with some extra effort and a structured preparation strategy for it.

Below are some of the most opted CAT Study Materials for completing the QA section for the CAT exam:

  1. NCERT Mathematics Books (Classes 9-10)
  2. How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma
  3. Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
  4. Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Verma
  5. Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Nishit Sinha

CAT Study Material for the DILR Section

The data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section consists of 20 questions out of a total of 66 questions in the CAT exam. The trajectory for preparation for this section depends solely on your question-solving capability the more you practice the easier it gets to accustomed to the pattern of numerical and questions that come from the DILR section in the CAT exam.

Mentioned below are some of the most sought CAT Study Materials for the DILR section:

  1. Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit Sinha
  2. How To Prepare For The Data Interpretation And Logical Reasoning by Arun Sharma
  3. Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency for CA by Ananta Ashish

Preparation Strategy for the CAT 2025 Exam

The preparation of one of the most competitive management entrance examinations, the Common Admission Test or CAT requires a proper understanding and differentiation of the important topics of the CAT syllabus through which candidates can smoothly complete their syllabus by different methods adopted in the preparation strategy.

We have strategized the preparation process for aspirants gearing up for the CAT Exam 2025. Also, with the help of proper CAT Study Material discussed in the article above and other resources provided by online and offline learning centers if candidates have joined any such coaching/learning centers will help them in the process of preparing for the CAT exam.

Check out the preparation tips for all three sections of the CAT Exam 2025; VARC, QA, and DILR:

Quantitative Aptitude

To begin with one of the most important CAT sections which is completely based on class 9th and 10th Mathematics with concept-based questions covers most of the section in the CAT exam. Also, while preparing for any of the CAT exam sections including Quant candidates are required to upgrade their accuracy levels along with increasing the difficulty level of the questions from topics related to QA. Given below are some important steps for completion of the Quantitative Aptitude syllabus:

Important Topics
Arithmetics: Every topic in this unit is important
Algebra: Quadratic Equations, Linear Equations, Inequalities, Sequence and series. Cover the remaining topics such as LCM and HCF, Logarithm, Indices, etc in this unit once the aforementioned topics are completed.
Geometry: Triangles and Circles are the most important topics of Geometry solve their questions in depth and try to understand the concepts of the problems then move on to Polygon and other topics of this unit.
Mensuration and Trigonometry: Memorise all formulas and practice as many questions as one can.
Number Systems: Cover all topics in this unit especially the Factors topic which is the most important topic in Number Systems.
Permutations and Combinations: Cover all types of questions in this unit.

Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VARC)

VARC is the highest weightage section of the CAT exam whose preparation is not defined by any set of particular rules or theories the whole concept of preparing for the VARC section originates from the aspirant's reading, vocabulary, and grammatical skills. Below mention are the important topics of Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VARC):

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Para jumble
  • Para summary
  • Odd on out
  • Sentence completion

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) is also an important CAT exam section. If the candidate is proficient in the Quantitative Aptitude section solving the DILR questions won’t be a tough task for her/him. Below are some of the important topics which can be referred by the aspirants:

  • Data Interpretation
  • Distribution
  • Tables
  • Selections
  • Line and Bar Graphs
  • Pie Charts

Other important tips for CAT 2025 exam preparation:

  • If the candidate is enrolled in a coaching he/she is advised to just follow their study plan curated by their tutor and solve the questions sheets, mock tests and other related things regularly provided by the coaching.
  • Those preparing by themselves are advised to follow one or two standard books and not get into the trap of following too many books and study material as it could confuse them and will ultimately hamper their preparation or else they can buy study material from reputable coaching.
  • Study a theoretical topic and extract important formulas from it
  • Maintain your personal formula notes and write down all those formulas as this will help you in revision later on
  • Solve at least 30 to 40 questions based on those topics and formulas.
  • Focus more on high-weightage topics.
  • Solve PYQs.
  • Solve Mock papers.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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