CAT Quant 5-Year Trend: Arithmetic & Algebra Made Up 70.6% of Questions, Check CAT 2026 Topics

CAT Quant Five-Year Trend: 330 Questions Analysed

The five-year dataset contains 66 Quant questions per CAT year across three slots, giving 330 questions for 2021-2025. Each question has been classified according to its primary mathematical concept, with multi-concept questions assigned to the dominant topic.

The table reveals an important pattern: Arithmetic and Algebra together never fell below 45 questions in any of the five years.

CAT Quant topic trend (2021-2025)

Number of questions by primary Quant topic across each CAT year.

Arithmetic vs Algebra: The Core of CAT Quant

Arithmetic and Algebra together accounted for 233 of the 330 questions analysed, making them the central components of CAT Quant across the five-years.

The most striking figure is 2023, when 49 of 66 questions belonged to Arithmetic or Algebra. The combined count then remained high at 47 questions in both 2024 and 2025.

This means the five-year trend does not support treating Arithmetic and Algebra as separate low-priority chapters. Together, they consistently formed roughly seven out of every ten Quant questions.

Candidates must check out the CAT 5 Years PYQs for Quant: CAT Quant PYQs- Complete 5-Year Question Bank (2021 - 2025) PDF

Arithmetic Trend in CAT Quant

Arithmetic contributed 135 of the 330 questions, making it the largest individual category across the five-year period.

Arithmetic's share moved down from 30 questions in 2021 to 25 in 2024 before rising to 27 in 2025. The decline does not indicate that Arithmetic became unimportant; instead, Algebra occupied a larger share of the section in the later years.

Arithmetic topics that repeatedly appeared

The five-year papers contain recurring questions from:

• Ratio and proportion

• Percentages

• Averages

• Profit, loss and discount

• Time, speed and distance

• Time and work

• Mixtures and replacement

• Simple Interest and compound interest

• Investment and income

• Pipes and work-rate problems

The 2025 paper, for example, included questions based on ratios, mixtures, travel speed, investments, simple and compound interest, work efficiency, discounts, averages and expenditure. This shows that Arithmetic continues to be tested through application-based situations rather than only direct formula questions.

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Algebra Trend in CAT Quant

Algebra shows the clearest upward movement in the five-year data.

Algebra increased from 15 questions in 2021 to 23 in 2023. Although the count reduced slightly thereafter, it remained at 20 questions in 2025.

This makes Algebra the biggest source of growth in the five-year comparison.

Algebra topics appearing repeatedly

The papers repeatedly featured:

• Quadratic equations

• Equations and roots

• Inequalities

• Functions

• Logarithms

• Arithmetic and geometric progressions

• Sequences

• Maxima and minima

• Algebraic identities

• Equations involving absolute values

The 2025 papers included quadratic-root conditions, functions, inequalities, geometric progression and algebraic equations, illustrating the breadth of Algebra questions rather than dependence on a single chapter.

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Geometry Trend: Stable, Not Dominant

Geometry contributed 45 questions across five years, with its yearly count staying within a narrow range.

The difference between the highest and lowest yearly count is only two questions. This makes Geometry one of the most stable categories in the five-year analysis.

Frequently tested areas included:

• Triangles

• Circles

• Quadrilaterals

• Polygons

• Coordinate geometry

• Areas and lengths

• Chords and tangents

The 2025 papers included circle, parallelogram, rhombus, triangle and trapezium-based questions, confirming that Geometry continued to occupy a meaningful but smaller share than Arithmetic and Algebra.

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Number System Trend: Consistently Present

Number System contributed 41 questions across the five-year period.

The remarkable feature here is consistency. From 2022 onwards, exactly eight questions per year were classified under Number System.

Recurring concepts included:

• Divisibility

• Remainders

• Factors and divisors

• Prime numbers

• Digits

• Integers

• Powers

• Perfect squares

• Integer solutions

For example, CAT 2025 included questions involving digit restrictions, divisors and powers, while CAT 2022 featured divisibility, digit-based and integer problems.

Practice Number System Questions by downloading CAT 2026 Number System PDF Handbook: Complete Concepts

Modern Mathematics: Low Volume but Recurring

Modern Mathematics had the smallest share, with 11 questions across five years.

The data shows that Modern Mathematics is not consistently represented at the same level as the other four areas. However, its low frequency does not mean complete absence. Counting, distribution, sets and path-based questions appeared in multiple years.

For example, CAT 2022 included distribution and set-based questions, while CAT 2024 included a question based on possible routes between towns.

Practice Modern Mathematics Questions by downloading CAT 2026 Modern Maths PDF Handbook: Key Concepts, Tricks

CAT Quant Five-Year Trend: What Changed?

The data becomes more useful when the yearly movement is compared rather than looking at individual papers.

1. Algebra gained ground

Algebra increased from 15 questions in 2021 to 20 in 2025, with a five-year peak of 23 questions in 2023.

That is an increase of five questions compared with 2021 and indicates a stronger Algebra presence in the later part of the five-year period.

2. Arithmetic remained the largest individual area

Arithmetic moved from 30 questions in 2021 to 27 in 2025. Despite the decline from its 2021 level, it remained the largest individual category in the five-year analysis.

3. Arithmetic + Algebra remained remarkably stable

The combined figures were:

• 45 questions in 2021

• 45 in 2022

• 49 in 2023

• 47 in 2024

• 47 in 2025

Therefore, the combined contribution remained between 68.2% and 74.2% every year.

This is arguably the strongest five-year insight: the overall importance of the two core areas has remained stable even though the balance between Arithmetic and Algebra has changed.

4. Geometry stayed within a narrow band

Geometry fluctuated only between 8 and 10 questions per year.

There was no sustained upward or downward movement comparable to Algebra.

5. Number System showed exceptional consistency

After 2021, the category contributed exactly eight questions in each of the next four years.

This makes Number System one of the most predictable categories at the broad topic level.

CAT Quant Slot-Wise Trend

The five-year papers also show why analysing only one CAT slot can give an incomplete picture.

Each year contains three Quant papers of 22 questions each. Consequently, a topic that appears less frequently in one slot can still contribute substantially when all three slots are considered.

For example, the 2025 question bank includes separate Slot 1, Slot 2 and Slot 3 papers, each containing 22 questions.

A better trend-analysis method is therefore:

CAT year → all three slots → 66 questions → topic classification → five-year comparison

rather than analysing one paper and extrapolating its distribution to the entire examination.

Candidates must checkout the detailed slotwise weightage analysis of CAT 2025 Question Paper by downloading

CAT 2025 Slot by Slot Master Weightage Matrix PDF

CAT Quant Most Important Topics: 5-Year Weightage Analysis

The five-year data can be converted into a preparation-oriented hierarchy based on frequency.

Arithmetic and Algebra together account for 70.6% of the five-year question set.

The distribution also shows a substantial gap between the second and third categories: Algebra contributed 98 questions, while Geometry contributed 45.

CAT Quant Trend by Preparation Area

The five-year numbers suggest a clear preparation structure.

CAT Quant Five-Year Trend: Key Data Points

The most important numbers from the 2021-2025 analysis are:

How We Analysed CAT Quant Questions

• Dataset: 330 Quantitative Aptitude questions from CAT 2021 to CAT 2025

• Questions per year: 66 across three slots

• Classification: Each question was assigned to its primary mathematical concept

• Multi-concept questions: Classified according to the dominant concept tested

• Purpose: To identify historical topic frequency, not to predict the exact CAT 2026 question distribution.

What the CAT Quant 5-Year Trend Means for CAT 2026

The CAT 2021–2025 data shows that Arithmetic and Algebra accounted for 233 of 330 Quant questions analysed. Arithmetic remained the largest individual category, while Algebra maintained a substantial share and was higher in 2025 than in 2021. Geometry and Number System were comparatively stable, while Modern Mathematics appeared less frequently.

For CAT 2026 preparation, the data supports giving strong conceptual coverage to Arithmetic and Algebra before moving to the remaining areas. However, candidates should not skip Geometry, Number System or Modern Mathematics because CAT can change the distribution and difficulty of questions from year to year.