Download CAT Preparation Complete Guide, Study Plan, and Study Materials PDF

The CAT exam, which is held by one of the IIMs on a rotating basis, is extremely competitive. Thousands of recent graduates and seasoned professionals from a variety of professions sit for the exam each year. Always develop a methodical plan, and get the aid of knowledgeable academics to help you to prepare an in-depth preparation strategy. The CAT 2025 exam is being organized by IIM Kozhikode

In an ideal situation and the most convenient situation, the CAT preparation will take about 6-8 months. In case you have not yet started the preparation, we urge you to start the preparation immediately and start with the difficult topics first. The difficult or not-so-easy-to-understand topics will require some time to understand and prepare, and hence it is advised to start your preparation for the CAT exam as early as possible.

CAT preparation can be done through both coaching and self-study. It depends on the aspirant whether they prefer professional coaching or self-study as a medium to prepare for the CAT. In this article, we aim to provide the candidates with a comprehensive strategy for the preparation of the CAT exam. To learn the best tips and tricks, keep reading the article.

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Pre-Preparation Checks for the CAT: How to Get Started?

CAT is undoubtedly the most sought-after MBA exam and is often considered difficult. Students find it overwhelming to understand the syllabus and understand where to begin. We have listed below a few pointers that will help you get started with your CAT preparation.

• Without familiarizing yourself with the rules and guidelines, you cannot take part in the CAT race. The CAT Exam Pattern and CAT Exam Syllabus will be used here to disguise the norms and restrictions.
• This would be the starting point for your preparation because it provides a general sense of topic-wise weighting and assesses the general intellectual capacity and degree of knowledge among applicants.
• Ignoring these two characteristics of the CAT exam will make your preparation for it insufficient and difficult. Do not forget that the CAT exam combines accuracy and aptitude.
• Knowing where to begin your CAT preparation requires an awareness of your current knowledge level. By completing the CAT Readiness Test, you can find out how proficient you are in the CAT's three test areas (verbal ability and reading comprehension, quantitative aptitude, and data interpretation and logical reasoning).
• The most important information to know right away is whether or not you need CAT coaching, which can be easily determined by the results of this exam.
• If you intend to enroll in CAT lessons, take into account all the variables, such as budget, location, and time availability. Additionally, make sure you enroll in a course that will help you properly prepare for the CAT and offer ongoing support.
• Speed and accuracy are the two most important factors in achieving a high CAT score. Without having a solid conceptual base, neither of those can be achieved.
• Strengthening your concepts is the next phase, therefore. By practicing and reviewing, you can develop solid fundamentals. Try out a few questions from the topics you have studied, all with differing degrees of difficulty.
• Every weekend, go over the material you studied. You can improve your conceptual understanding and give your CAT preparation some pace by doing this.
• Practice CAT-level questions, use practice exams that are as similar to the real thing as possible, and finish CAT question papers from past years. Your performance in a CAT-level mock exam will show you how well-prepared you are for the examination as well as how you rank among other test-takers.

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CAT Preparation - Sections in the Question Paper

The CAT question Paper and the exam consist of 3 major sections, each of which has been explained in brief below.

• Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Section
• Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Section
• Quantitative Aptitude (QA) Section

VARC Section: Out of the three sections, the VARC portion is the first one that applicants see on the CAT 2025 exam. Candidates are asked to choose passages carefully and provide accurate answers for the VARC section. MCQs and TITA Questions make up the majority of the questions in the VARC portion. As of right now, 10 verbal ability questions are asked each year, while the remaining questions are from the reading comprehension section.

DILR Section: Due to the lack of a set syllabus, the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) component of the CAT exam is challenging. This portion evaluates the candidate's reaction time, decision-making skills, and data interpretation abilities. The DILR component of the CAT exam is renowned for being the most difficult.

QA Section: The quantitative ability test evaluates a candidate's capacity to manage numerical data and resolve numerical issues. It is one of those CAT Exam portions that can be successful if the applicant has strong mathematical abilities and a knack for numbers.

CAT Study Material 2025: Download Free Study Material PDFs & Check CAT 2025 Preparation Tips

CAT Section-Wise Preparation Tips

Once you are familiar with the CAT syllabus for all 3 sections, the next step is to devise a strategy for the exam that will help you sail in these sections. We have gathered some of the best CAT preparation Tips for each section below, to help you prepare and strategize for the exam easily. Please note that these are the strategies we suggest and you can modify them as per your requirements and assessment.

• CAT 2025 Mock Test Strategy
• How to enhance and improve your CAT mock test performance

How to Prepare for The VARC Section?

Reading comprehension makes for around 67 percent of the VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension) component and is therefore heavily weighted. The verbal portion of the exam emphasizes a candidate's untapped areas, such as basic academy grammar and sophisticated vocabulary, in addition to reasoning. Check ow to prepare for CAT VARC section below.

Understanding Vocabulary

• Synonyms, Antonyms, Analogies, Spellings, Odd Words, Words Often Confused, Sentence Completion, and Cloze Tests are some of the vocabulary-based problems.
• You need to have a strong command of vocabulary, reading comprehension, and critical thinking to answer these questions. Knowing a word's definition is only one aspect of vocabulary knowledge; another is recognizing the circumstances in which it can be used.
• It will become simple once you start recognizing a word's usage in its context. Try to comprehend a term by learning its etymological meanings. Understanding the meaning of a Latin root-like "loqui" will help you comprehend phrases like "grandiloquent," "magniloquent," "soliloquy," "ventriloquize," and "circumlocution." You have a lot of influence over your vocabulary after you learn the definitions of prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

Grammar Based questions

There are two ways to approach grammar-based questions. Either you follow the rules and learn about the different parts of speech, how to use them, and the applicable rules or you practice the questions that are asked and adopt an approach to learning the types of errors that lead to questions based on error detection or sentence correction. A lot of practice will help you cross the finish line after you are familiar with the different error types.

Reading Regularly

By developing the habit of reading over time, one can combat reading comprehension. start reading newspapers, blogs, and fiction books. Depending on the text's level, aim for a reading speed of no less than 300 words per minute. Also, read widely. Pick subjects to read about that are outside your comfort zone.

Read More -

• CAT preparation Tips for Verbal Ability
• CAT preparation Tips for Reading Comprehension
• CAT VARC Strategy - How to prepare for the VARC section in CAT exam?
• CAT verbal ability syllabus - detailed overview
• VARC Study Material for CAT 2025 exam

Important Topics Covered in the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Section

Some of the important topics covered in this section of the CAT exam are listed below.

• Pronouns with exercises
• Prepositions with exercises
• Types of clauses
• Parts of Speech
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Phrases Modifiers
• Errors in Tenses
• Para jumbles with exercises

Exam Pattern and Syllabus for The VARC Section

According to the CAT 2025 exam paper structure, the VARC part consists of 24 questions out of a total of 66. Reading comprehension and verbal ability are the two further divisions of these questions. Compared to verbal ability, reading comprehension is given greater weight and is asked about more frequently. In this portion, the candidate should concentrate on reading quickly and accurately.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Exam Pattern

The provisional exam schedule and curriculum for the CAT 2025's VARC component are provided below.

Verbal & Reading Comprehension Syllabus and Topics Covered

Top MBA entrance exams and their VARC Weightage

It is important to remember that while the Verbal Ability section of the CAT has fewer questions than the Reading Comprehension section, this is not always the case for other competitive MBA entry tests. You may have also heard numerous candidates claim that the CAT's English section is more difficult than other portions of the test.

Preparation Books for VARC Section

• (Norman Lewis) Word Power made easy.
• (Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay) How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT.

How to Prepare for The DILR Section?

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) has roughly the same weight in a CAT test as the other two portions of the paper. This portion of CAT 2025 takes a fair amount of time to prepare and attempt. Since DILR is not mathematics and has no formula, it is challenging. It is a talent that must be learned rather than a body of information that must be stored in memory. Here, mental computation is crucial. Use your head instead of the calculator to deepen your grasp of DILR. Learn the Tables from 1 to 20 as well as the fractions from 1/1, 1/2, 1/3 to 1/20 and the basics of calculating.

Examine the question

Candidates should concentrate on choosing the best strategy for presenting the provided information to respond to the question. Candidates must not make any assumptions about data that are not supported by the data. As a result, you should concentrate on answering the question based on the available information.

Direct your Syllabus

• Candidates should thoroughly research the topic because the majority of the logical reasoning questions will be about arrangements.
• Practice with cases, bar graphs, other charts (line, pie, radar), and data interpretation sets based on tables is another part. Learn about priority-based clockwise and counter clockwise directions, priority-based clockwise and counter clockwise directions, and cardinality laws.
• Practice LR material on topics including blood relations, route planning, and game and tournament schedule.

Examine the Difficulty level

The applicant must recognize the easiest collection of questions and the hardest set of questions within the first few minutes after getting the section. The candidate will save time and increase the accuracy of their attempts if they set aside these few minutes to attempt simpler questions first. As a result, when practicing, you must use this technique to swiftly determine the question order.

Speed and accuracy

Candidates must work swiftly during this section while also answering the questions quickly. Therefore, the candidate should concentrate on continuously increasing their speed and accuracy while practicing. Setting timers for practice sets and gradually reducing the time will help you achieve this.

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• CAT preparation Tips for Data Interpretation
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• CAT DILR Section Study Material
• CAT detailed syllabus for DILR section and weightage

Exam Pattern and Syllabus for The DILR Section

There are several broad categories in the CAT 2025 DILR Syllabus, including Data Caselets, Seating Arrangement, Blood Relation, Graphs, Tables, and Word and Letter Puzzles.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Exam Pattern

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Syllabus

Top MBA entrance exams and their DILR Weightage

Some of the major MBA entry tests are listed below, along with the weight assigned to their Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning sections.

DILR Preparation Books

• (Nishit Sinha) Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT.
• (Arun Sharma/McGraw Hill) How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT.
• (Gautam Puri) CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
• (Pearson) Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

How to prepare for The QA section?

The "make or break" portion of the CAT exam is the quantitative ability section. The majority of the CAT QA questions are application-focused assessments of your understanding of algebraic, arithmetical, geometrical, and occasionally a mix of ideas. Here are a few key tips to prepare for the Quantitative Aptitude section of the exam.

Learning Formulas

The QA part will assess a candidate's aptitude for quickly resolving mathematical problems. You will be able to sail through this portion more easily if you get a firm grasp on the most fundamental equations of subjects like geometry, menstruation, and profit & loss.

Examine the questions

A question may frequently include two or more concepts while also appearing to be complex or technical. To tackle the question, you must be able to recognize these subjects and their correlations with lightning speed. After mastering the fundamental ideas, this will be accomplished.

Practice

Take a look at some books that cover the math curriculum for schools and start answering the problems. You'll be able to do this to improve your comprehension of numerous ideas and formulas. Your accuracy and speed will both improve as a result.

Sample or Mock Test

You must practice the mock tests for each part, they do assist you to have a better grasp of the difficulty of the QA segment and your preparation. You can determine where you are right now and where you need to be when you start your CAT preparation.

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• CAT preparation Tips for Quantitative Aptitude
• Why is basic Maths and Vocabulary important in CAT exam?
• CAT detailed syllabus and analysis for Quantitative Aptitude

Exam Pattern and Syllabus for The QA Section

Every year, the distribution of questions on these subjects fluctuates. The table below shows a rough mark distribution for quantitative topics.

Quantitative Aptitude Exam Pattern

Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus

Top MBA entrance exams and their QA Weightage

Some of the major MBA entry tests are listed below, along with the weight assigned to their Quantitative Aptitude section.

Preparation Books for the Quant Section

• Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT – By Nishit K. Sinha
• Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT – By Sarvesh K Verma

Your CAT preparation will remain on track if you concentrate on the key ideas presented in this article. Utilize your time wisely, utilize all of the tools at your disposal, and maintain your motivation throughout the process.

• Click Here to check out the Best Books for CAT preparation
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Top CAT Coaching Institutes

Several CAT coaching institutes in India are available for preparation. Following are some of the top CAT coaching institutes.

Benefits of Preparation with CAT Coaching

If you are able to choose the best CAT coaching as per your requirements, it can turn out to be the appropriate preparation experience. Some of the benefits of good CAT coaching are listed below

• Faculty Interaction: Faculty can interact well during the session and clear your doubts
• Peer Learning: A facility for good peer learning is available in CAT coaching. Many of your doubts can be cleared with peer learning only
• Syllabus Coverage: The complete CAT Syllabus is covered with several CAT replica tests to enable you to analyse your weakness
• CAT Mock Series: You can get the opportunity to take the different difficulty-level Mock tests for the CAT exam – sectional and full-length.

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