CAT guides

Every number in these guides is counted from the real CAT papers since 2017, and recomputed whenever the data changes.

• How many questions CAT asked on each of 34 topics in every year from 2017 to 2025, for QA, DILR and VARC, counted from 1,830 real questions, with rising and falling topics.
• The CAT Quantitative Ability topics ranked by how often CAT asked them in 24 papers (2017–2025): Ratio, Mixtures & Averages 84, Geometry 65, Logarithms & Exponents 55, with trends and real examples.
• The CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning topics ranked by how often CAT asked them in 24 papers (2017–2025): Charts & Tables 130, Quant-based Puzzles 127, Grids & Matrices 67, with trends and real examples.
• The CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension topics ranked by how often CAT asked them in 24 papers (2017–2025): RC · Society, History & Politics 179, RC · Science & Technology 138, Para Jumbles 81, with trends and real examples.
• The 30 kinds of DILR set CAT has used since 2017, from 129 real sets: how often each appears, which years, and an example set to practise for each.
• What CAT RC passages are about, from 108 real passages (2017–2025): Society, History & Politics and Science & Technology lead. Passages per subject each year, with links to every passage.
• The 4 verbal ability question types in CAT VARC and how many of each CAT asked every year from 2017 to 2025, counted from 186 real questions, with links to all of them.
• CAT rarely repeats a question word for word, but it repeats ideas: 143 concepts appear in three or more PYQs since 2017, and 25 have near-identical versions. The list, with every question.
• The CAT exam pattern from the actual papers: 68 questions in 120 minutes in CAT 2025 (VARC 24, DILR 22, QA 22), how it changed since 2017, TITA share and marking.
• TITA (type in the answer) questions in CAT have no options and no negative marking. 508 of 1,830 CAT questions since 2017 were TITA; the share by year and section, and how to approach them.
• A plan for working through all 24 CAT papers since 2017: which to solve first, how to split them between topic practice and full mocks, and how to review, with a week-by-week schedule.
• PYQs are the best material for CAT, but 24 papers run out fast. What they cover, where they fall short, and how many mocks to take once you've used them.
• How to prepare CAT Quantitative Ability from the 612 real QA questions since 2017: what to study first, how to practise, and how to attempt the section.
• How to prepare CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning from the 576 real DILR questions since 2017: what to study first, how to practise, and how to attempt the section.
• How to prepare CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension from the 642 real VARC questions since 2017: what to study first, how to practise, and how to attempt the section.