Examius
🇮🇳 India · Exam
CAT Syllabus
Common Admission Test. The complete CAT outline — 3 subjects, 12 chapters and 60 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
CAT subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
CAT flashcard decks
153 question-and-answer cards across 3 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Quantitative Aptitude — 51 cards
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension — 51 cards
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning — 51 cards
- Quantitative Aptitude: Arithmetic — 50 cards
- Quantitative Aptitude: Algebra — 50 cards
- Quantitative Aptitude: Geometry And Mensuration — 50 cards
- Quantitative Aptitude: Modern Mathematics — 50 cards
- Verbal Ability And Reading Comprehension (Varc) — 51 cards
- Data Interpretation (Di) — 51 cards
- Logical Reasoning (Lr) — 50 cards
How to work through the CAT syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Quantitative Aptitude carries 25 topics while Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning carries 15. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for CAT.
The ~45 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
CAT syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the CAT syllabus?
CAT covers 3 subjects: Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Together they contain 12 chapters and 60 named topics.
How big is the CAT syllabus?
The full CAT outline breaks down into 12 chapters, 60 topics and 0 sub-topics. Quantitative Aptitude is the largest single subject with 25 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole CAT syllabus?
Roughly 45 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 2 weeks.
Are there CAT flashcards?
Yes — 153 question-and-answer flashcards across 3 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this CAT syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the CAT syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in India and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
Related Exam syllabuses
National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate)
JEE Main syllabusJoint Entrance Examination Main (Engineering)
NEET PG syllabusNational Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Postgraduate)
CA Intermediate syllabusInstitute of Chartered Accountants of India Exam
UPSC CSE syllabusUPSC Civil Services Examination
SSC CGL syllabusSSC Combined Graduate Level Exam
CA Foundation syllabusInstitute of Chartered Accountants of India Exam
CBSE Class 12 syllabusCentral Board of Secondary Education
CBSE Class 10 syllabusCentral Board of Secondary Education