CATQuantitative Ability

Quantitative Ability for CAT

22 questions, on-screen calculator provided — Arithmetic is the single biggest topic.

📊 22 Q · 66 marks (~32% of the paper)
How toppers play this section
QA closes the paper and, unusually among Indian entrance exams, provides a basic on-screen calculator — so the bottleneck is rarely raw computation and almost always problem setup: translating a word problem into the right equation, or recognising which of several near-identical-looking formulas actually applies. Arithmetic (percentages, profit-loss, ratios, time-work, time-speed-distance, interest) is the single largest topic most years, ahead of Algebra, Geometry & Mensuration, Number System and Modern Maths individually. TITA questions (7 of the 22) require an exact typed answer with no options to eliminate against, which rewards a genuine derivation over an answer-choice shortcut — a technique that works for MCQs by elimination will not transfer.

Topic-wise weightage in CAT

Expected question counts from previous-year paper analyses. Topics with an arrow already have a full chapter.

TopicVARC · DILR · QA — one sitting, three locked sections QTier 2 QPriority
Arithmetic 7–8Very high
Algebra 5High
Geometry & Mensuration 4High
Number System 3Medium
Modern Maths 3Medium
Header Logo