I categorised every CAT Quant question from 2021-2025. Here's what the data says.
330 Quant questions tagged by topic and subtopic. Arithmetic is 37% of QA, bigger than most plans assume. Quadratic Equations leads Algebra, ahead of Progressions and Functions. Modern Math is just 5%, and Probability appeared once in five years.
The data
All 330 Quant questions from CAT 2021-2025 (15 slots, 3 per year), tagged by topic and subtopic.
Topic breakdown
| Topic | Questions | % of QA |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 124 | 38% |
| Algebra | 111 | 34% |
| Geometry | 48 | 15% |
| Number System | 30 | 9% |
| Modern Math | 17 | 5% |
Questions by topic (330 total)
Arithmetic: 124 questions (38%)
| Subtopic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Time & Work | 18 |
| Time, Speed & Distance | 18 |
| Profit & Loss | 17 |
| Averages | 16 |
| Mixtures & Alligation | 16 |
| Simple & Compound Interest | 13 |
| Percentages | 11 |
| Ratio & Proportion | 8 |
| Other | 7 |
Arithmetic subtopic breakdown
What most plans get wrong: TSD, P&L, Time & Work, Mixtures and Averages are all within 5 questions of each other. No single Arithmetic subtopic dominates, so balanced coverage matters more than over-investing in one topic.
Algebra: 111 questions (34%)
| Subtopic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Quadratic Equations | 25 |
| Progressions (AP / GP / HP) | 20 |
| Functions | 16 |
| Inequalities | 15 |
| Linear Equations | 13 |
| Logarithms | 11 |
| Surds & Indices | 5 |
| Other | 6 |
Algebra subtopic breakdown
Key finding: Quadratic Equations is the single largest Quant subtopic at 25 questions — bigger than any single Arithmetic subtopic. Linear Equations (13) sit mid-pack; Functions (16) and Progressions (20) are the other algebra heavyweights. (For five years these were lumped as one "Equations" bucket; split by technique, quadratics clearly dominate.) Most plans deprioritise Logs, but the data says they show up often. Surds (5 questions) can be covered lightly.
Geometry: 48 questions (15%)
| Subtopic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Triangles | 13 |
| Circles | 12 |
| Mensuration | 9 |
| Coordinate Geometry | 5 |
| Other | 9 |
Geometry subtopic breakdown
Triangles and Circles lead, with Mensuration close behind, and all three appear every year. Coordinate Geometry is small but reliable, so do not skip it.
Number System: 30 questions (9%)
| Subtopic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Number Properties | 11 |
| Remainders & Divisibility | 9 |
| Factors, LCM & HCF | 9 |
| Other | 1 |
Number System subtopic breakdown
Modern Math: 17 questions (5%)
| Subtopic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Permutation & Combination | 13 |
| Set Theory & Statistics | 3 |
| Probability | 1 |
Modern Math subtopic breakdown
The most overstated section. 17 questions in five years, and Probability appeared exactly once. PnC is the only Modern Math subtopic worth dedicated prep.
Three things that surprised me
1. Arithmetic is 38%, not the 25 to 30% most plans assume.
And no subtopic dominates within it. TSD, P&L, Time & Work, Mixtures and Averages are clustered within 5 questions of each other.
2. Quadratic equations, Progressions and Functions carry Algebra.
The top three are ~55% of the topic (61 of 111 questions). Quadratic equations (25) are the single biggest block — the discriminant / Vieta toolkit recurs every year and threads through many other questions too. Linear equations (13) sit mid-pack, so most plans over-index on linear-equation drills. Progressions (20) and Functions (16) deserve equal billing.
3. Modern Math is 5%, not 10 to 15%.
Probability appeared once in five years. Redirect those hours to Arithmetic and Algebra.
Suggested time allocation (100 hours for QA)
| Topic | Hours | Priority within |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 37 | TSD, P&L, Time & Work, Mixtures, Averages equally |
| Algebra | 34 | Quadratic equations, Functions and Progressions first; linear equations and logs next |
| Geometry | 15 | Triangles, Circles and Mensuration equally |
| Number System | 9 | Number Properties and Remainders first |
| Modern Math | 5 | PnC only; skip Probability |
Put this into practice
Solve CAT Quant PYQs — filtered by topic, with full solutions.