How many Time, Speed & Distance questions come in CAT Quant?

About 1.1 questions in a 22-question Quant section, worth roughly 3 marks. Time, Speed & Distance appeared in 23 of the 24 CAT papers from 2017 to 2025, 46 questions in all, which ranks it 7 of 25 Quant chapters.

Are Time, Speed & Distance questions in CAT MCQ or TITA?

28% of the Time, Speed & Distance questions asked since 2017 were TITA (type in the answer, no negative marking). The rest were multiple choice.

What types of Time, Speed & Distance questions does CAT ask?

CAT keeps returning to 10 question shapes in Time, Speed & Distance: They move towards each other; They meet, then carry on; Same distance, two speeds, a time gap; A delay, to be made up; Named points on a line; A journey in segments; A circular track; A stream, in some disguise; A train with a length; A race.

Time, Speed & Distance for CAT: Formulas, Weightage & Question Types

D = S × T, relative speed, and the four applications: trains, boats, races and tracks.

Time, Speed & Distance formula sheet

Everything CAT needs from Time, Speed & Distance, in one place. Bookmark it for revision; the lesson in the app explains where each line comes from and when to reach for it.

Part 1 · Motion on a straight line

Everything for this part, in one place. Trains, boats, races and circular tracks are in part 2.

The relation, and its three faces


Speed	$s = \dfrac{d}{t}$
Distance	$d = s \times t$
Time	$t = \dfrac{d}{s}$
Units	$1 \text{ km/h} = \dfrac{5}{18}\text{ m/s}$ , and $1 \text{ m/s} = \dfrac{18}{5}\text{ km/h}$

When the distance is fixed — the most useful block on this page


Speed and time	$s \propto \dfrac{1}{t}$
If speed becomes $k$ times	time becomes $\dfrac{1}{k}$ times
Speeds in ratio $a:b$	times are in ratio $b:a$
Two speeds, a known time gap	$\dfrac{d}{s_1} - \dfrac{d}{s_2} = \Delta t$

Two bodies


Moving towards each other	relative speed $= s_1 + s_2$
Moving the same way	relative speed $= s_1 - s_2$
Time to meet, or to catch up	$\dfrac{\text{gap}}{\text{relative speed}}$

They start together, meet, and carry on — worth memorising


If they then need $t_1$ and $t_2$ more	$\dfrac{s_1}{s_2} = \sqrt{\dfrac{t_2}{t_1}}$
Time taken to reach the meeting point	$\sqrt{t_1 t_2}$

Average speed


Always	$\dfrac{\text{total distance}}{\text{total time}}$
Equal distances at $x$ and $y$	the harmonic mean, $\dfrac{2xy}{x+y}$
Equal times at $x$ and $y$	the arithmetic mean, $\dfrac{x+y}{2}$
Three equal distances	$\dfrac{3}{\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{y}+\frac{1}{z}}$
Never	the average of the speeds, unless the times are equal

Clocks


Minute hand	$6^\circ$ per minute
Hour hand	$0.5^\circ$ per minute
Minute gains on hour at	$5.5^\circ$ per minute

Part 2 · Trains, Boats, Races & Circular Tracks

Part 2 of Time, Speed & Distance. Everything in part 1 still applies — this page is only what each application adds.

Trains — the moving thing has length


Crossing a pole, post or person standing still	distance $=$ the train's length
Crossing a platform, bridge or tunnel	distance $=$ train $+$ platform
Crossing a person who is walking	distance $=$ train's length, at the relative speed
Two trains crossing each other	distance $=$ sum of both lengths, at the relative speed
Overtaking, same direction	relative speed $= s_1 - s_2$
Passing, opposite directions	relative speed $= s_1 + s_2$

Boats and streams — the medium helps or hinders


Downstream	$b + r$
Upstream	$b - r$
Boat's own speed	$b = \dfrac{\text{down} + \text{up}}{2}$
Stream's speed	$r = \dfrac{\text{down} - \text{up}}{2}$
There and back, distance $d$ each way	$\dfrac{d}{b+r} + \dfrac{d}{b-r} = \dfrac{2bd}{b^2-r^2}$
The same maths governs	escalators, moving walkways, and a plane in wind

Races — everyone runs for the same length of time


"A beats B by $d$ metres"	when A has run $L$ , B has run $L - d$
"A beats B by $t$ seconds"	B needs $t$ more seconds for the same $L$
"A gives B a start of $d$ metres"	A runs $L$ while B runs $L-d$
So the speed ratio is	$\dfrac{s_A}{s_B} = \dfrac{L}{L-d}$
Chaining two results	multiply the ratios — this is how three-runner questions close

Circular tracks — the track repeats


Same direction, time between meetings	$\dfrac{L}{s_1 - s_2}$
Opposite directions, time between meetings	$\dfrac{L}{s_1 + s_2}$
First meeting at the starting point	$\operatorname{lcm}$ of the individual lap times
Distinct meeting points, speeds in lowest ratio $a:b$	$\lvert a-b \rvert$ same way, $a+b$ opposite ways

The 10 Time, Speed & Distance question types CAT repeats

Past CAT papers return to the same few shapes. Learn to recognise them and most questions become a known routine. Beyond these, CAT has asked 5 rarer one-off shapes here.

01
They move towards each other
02
They meet, then carry on
03
Same distance, two speeds, a time gap
04
A delay, to be made up
05
Named points on a line
06
A journey in segments
07
A circular track
08
A stream, in some disguise
09
A train with a length
10
A race

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Time, Speed & Distance in CAT: quick answers

How many Time, Speed & Distance questions come in CAT Quant?: About 1.1 questions in a 22-question Quant section, worth roughly 3 marks. Time, Speed & Distance appeared in 23 of the 24 CAT papers from 2017 to 2025, 46 questions in all, which ranks it 7 of 25 Quant chapters.
Are Time, Speed & Distance questions in CAT MCQ or TITA?: 28% of the Time, Speed & Distance questions asked since 2017 were TITA (type in the answer, no negative marking). The rest were multiple choice.
What types of Time, Speed & Distance questions does CAT ask?: CAT keeps returning to 10 question shapes in Time, Speed & Distance: They move towards each other; They meet, then carry on; Same distance, two speeds, a time gap; A delay, to be made up; Named points on a line; A journey in segments; A circular track; A stream, in some disguise; A train with a length; A race.