The Common Admission Test is one of the most important entrance exams for management aspirants. Candidates wait every year to appear for the CAT exam. Each year there are over two lakh aspirants who appear for the CAT exam. CAT 2026 is scheduled to be held on 29 November 2026. It is conducted by one of the older Indian Institutes of Management on a rotational basis.
Through CAT scores, aspirants can get admission to various reputed Indian Institutes of Management and other top business schools. In order to prepare well for the exam, they need to have knowledge about the CAT study material. With the right kind of CAT preparation material, they can prepare holistically. In this article, we will understand what the various forms of CAT study material are and how aspirants can utilize it.
CAT Syllabus
Before searching for the CAT study material, it is necessary for the aspirants to have knowledge about the CAT syllabus. This will help them understand which topics they need to search for as part of the CAT preparation material. Therefore, it is necessary for them to know about the syllabus before going in and searching for the CAT exam study material. Given below are the topics that are part of the CAT syllabus:
1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
This is the first section of the exam, which consists of 24 questions. There are reading comprehension passages and verbal ability questions. There are around 12 to 14 reading comprehension-based questions. Other questions in this section can appear in the following forms:
Fill in the blanks
Parallel completion and inference
Verbal Logical
Verbal Reasoning
Subject-Verb Agreement
Para Jumbles
Sentence Completion
Foreign language words used in English
Different usage of the same word
Grammar
Reading Comprehensions
Idioms
Syllogisms
Analogies
Jumbled Paragraphs
2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
In this section of the exam there are 22 questions. To score well in this section, the aspirants must have a command of the following concepts:
Blood Relations
Clock and Calendar
Venn Diagrams
Proposition
Data Arrangement
Data Structures
Direction Sense
Family Tree
Tables
Coding - Decoding
Binary Logic
Pie Charts
Assumptions
Seating Arrangement
Puzzles
Data Sufficiency
3. Quantitative Ability
The CAT examination syllabus of this section is typically considered to carry the most difficult questions and topics. Aspirants need to be well-versed in the foundations of geometry, arithmetic, algebra, measurement, number systems, etc. to do well in this section. Given below are some of the topics that constitute the CAT exam syllabus of this section:
Geometry
Ratios and Proportions
Inequalities
Trigonometry
Work and Time
Algebra
Percentages
Mensuration
Time, Speed, and Distance
Logarithms
Partnership
Number System
Profit and Loss
Probability
Simple Interest and Compound Interest
CAT Exam Study Material
There are different forms of CAT study material, and these are available on both online and offline platforms. There are aspirants who prepare on their own in search of CAT study material online. Different educational websites offer free material to aspirants.
It is a very important tool that can help them to prepare without spending any money. Apart from the CAT study material online, they also have offline platforms where they can search for the study material. Let us look at some of the preparation material.
1. Books and Notes
Candidates can start their preparation by gaining conceptual clarity of all the topics of the syllabus. This requires them to either be a part of a good coaching institute or refer to different books and notes. They will study the topics that are part of the books and gain knowledge about the topics from there. It is important for them to rely upon good books by reputed authors.
2. Mock Test Papers
Mock papers are an essential part of the CAT study material. Aspirants work on different questions and diversify their preparation with the help of mock papers. They understand the various ways in which questions can be put in the exam and become familiar with the pattern of the exam. Candidates can start incorporating mock test papers after completing the CAT syllabus.
3. Previous Year Question Papers
Past year question papers are also a very important preparation tool. They help candidates analyze the varying levels of difficulty of the exam question paper over the years. Candidates also become familiar with the frequently recurring topics and the difficulty level of questions asked in the exam. Aspirants become more confident about the exam when they solve the past year's question paper well.
In this way, CAT study materials come in various forms. Any preparation tool in the form of recorded lessons, online videos, notebooks, mock test papers, sample papers, practice papers, sectional tests, etc., which aids the aspirants to prepare better for the exam, is part of the CAT study material, and it is the responsibility of the aspirants to utilize it well.
Finally
There is a lot of preparation material available for the aspirants, and it is important for them to understand what works for them and stick to that method of preparation. It can be quite overwhelming for them to find so much material and not understand where to begin initially. This is where a good coaching institute comes in and is really helpful. Even if candidates don't opt for coaching, it is important for them to sort out the material and stick to what is important and relevant for the exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the mode of the CAT exam?
A: The Common Admission Test is a computer-based exam. On the admit cards the name of the examination center is mentioned, and on the day of the exam, the aspirants have to visit the allotted center and appear for the exam. The exam is conducted on a computer screen and submitted from there itself.
2. Can aspirants navigate between the different sections during the exam?
A: No, candidates do not have the option to move between different sections while the CAT exam is in progress because there is a strict sectional time limit for each section. After the duration of a section is over, the computer screen automatically moves to the next section, and candidates can't go back to the previous section.
3. What is the total duration of the CAT exam?
A: The overall duration of the CAT exam is 120 minutes, but each section has an allotted duration of 40 minutes. This means that aspirants do not get any extra time beyond the 40 minutes to solve questions in a particular section.
