NinetynineMost important topics for CAT quant
The most important CAT QA topics, by questions asked from 2017 to 2025, are Ratio, Mixtures & Averages (84), Geometry (65), Logarithms & Exponents (55). The top five cover 50% of all 612 QA questions. The full ranking, trends and an example PYQ for each topic follow.
Key facts
- Ratio, Mixtures & Averages is the most-asked CAT QA topic since 2017, with 84 of 612 questions (14%).
- Ratio, Mixtures & Averages, Geometry, Time, Speed & Distance have appeared in every one of the 24 CAT papers since 2017.
- Time, Speed & Distance, Percentages & Profit-Loss, Time & Work, Functions & Graphs, Mensuration have been asked less often per paper since 2022.
Which QA topics does CAT ask most?
Ranked by questions asked across all 24 papers. "Per paper" columns compare the last four years with the four before, because papers got shorter after 2019.
| # | Topic | Questions | Share of section | Per paper 2022–2025 | Per paper 2018–2021 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ratio, Mixtures & Averages | 84 | 14% | 3.3 | 3.7 | steady |
| 2 | Geometry | 65 | 11% | 2.5 | 2.9 | steady |
| 3 | Logarithms & Exponents | 55 | 9% | 2.3 | 2.1 | steady |
| 4 | Equations | 52 | 8% | 2.1 | 2.3 | steady |
| 5 | Inequalities & Modulus | 49 | 8% | 1.8 | 2.2 | steady |
| 6 | Time, Speed & Distance | 48 | 8% | 1.3 | 2.7 | falling |
| 7 | Percentages & Profit-Loss | 46 | 8% | 1.3 | 2.1 | falling |
| 8 | Number Systems | 40 | 7% | 1.8 | 1.5 | steady |
| 9 | Progressions & Series | 38 | 6% | 1.3 | 1.7 | steady |
| 10 | Time & Work | 34 | 6% | 1.2 | 1.7 | falling |
| 11 | Functions & Graphs | 23 | 4% | 0.7 | 1.2 | falling |
| 12 | Permutations & Probability | 21 | 3% | 0.7 | 0.8 | steady |
| 13 | Interest | 19 | 3% | 0.8 | 0.9 | steady |
| 14 | Coordinate Geometry | 16 | 3% | 0.5 | 0.7 | steady |
| 15 | Mensuration | 13 | 2% | 0.1 | 0.9 | falling |
| 16 | Set Theory | 9 | 1% | 0.3 | 0.6 | steady |
What should I study first for CAT QA?
Start with the top five: Ratio, Mixtures & Averages, Geometry, Logarithms & Exponents, Equations, Inequalities & Modulus. Real examples to try first:
- Ratio, Mixtures & Averages: CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q22, CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q12, CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q8
- Geometry: CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q18, CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q3, CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q1
- Logarithms & Exponents: CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q9, CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q7, CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q4
- Equations: CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q11, CAT 2025 Slot 2 · QA Q16, CAT 2025 Slot 1 · QA Q21
- Inequalities & Modulus: CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q21, CAT 2025 Slot 3 · QA Q13, CAT 2025 Slot 2 · QA Q14
Each of these rewards one method used many times; the concept pages show the same idea asked in different years.
Which QA topics can I give less time?
Coordinate Geometry (16 questions, in 12 of 24 papers), Mensuration (13 questions, in 9 of 24 papers), Set Theory (9 questions, in 7 of 24 papers) are the least asked. Less time is not no time: one or two questions on them is common, and they are often the easier ones in a paper.
How do I practise these topics from previous year papers?
Work topic by topic through the real questions: every topic page lists all CAT questions on it, newest first, with answers and worked solutions. Then take full papers under time so you also practise choosing what to attempt. A full plan for using PYQs.
Method: counted from all 24 CAT papers 2017–2025 (1,830 questions), each tagged with one topic. How the data is built.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important topic in CAT QA?
Ratio, Mixtures & Averages, asked 84 times in 24 CAT papers from 2017 to 2025.
How many QA questions come in CAT?
22 per slot in CAT 2025, in 40 minutes. Papers from 2017 to 2019 had 34.
Are the important QA topics the same every year?
Mostly. Ratio, Mixtures & Averages, Geometry, Logarithms & Exponents have led throughout, but per-paper counts shift; see the trend column above and the year-by-year table on the topic weightage page.