CAT exam analysis 2024 will be conducted on the day of the exam, i.e. 24th November 2024, for Slot 1, Slot 2 and Slot 3 just after the exam is over for each slot. CAT 2024 paper analysis will be done by India's most experienced CAT Gurus, including CAT 2024 raw scores, section-wise difficulty level, and much more.
CAT exam analysis 2024 will be conducted on the day of the exam, i.e. 24th November 2024, as per the release of the official CAT notification by IIM Calcutta for Slot 1, Slot 2 and Slot 3 just after the exam is over for each slot. CAT 2024 paper analysis will be done by India's most experienced CAT Gurus, including CAT 2024 raw scores, cutoff prediction, slot-wise analysis, section-wise CAT difficulty level, good attempts and target colleges.
The CAT 2024 exam analysis will be updated here in detail based on the data provided by CAT takers. We will revise the data to match the displayed trends, make predictions, and provide an updated comparison of slots and expected overall & sectional percentiles. CAT exam analysis is very important for all CAT aspirants and is a crucial part of their CAT journey, as it allows them to estimate their scores and expect which colleges they could receive calls from. This information helps them prepare accordingly for further GD-PI-WAT rounds.
Will be Live on CAT Day
CAT 2024 Exam AnalysisWill be Live on CAT Day
CAT 2024 Exam AnalysisWill be Live on CAT Day
CAT 2024 Exam AnalysisThe CAT 2024 exam analysis will be updated here in detail based on the data provided by CAT takers. We will revise the data to match the displayed trends, make predictions, and provide an updated comparison across all slots and expected percentiles.
The CAT 2024 exam pattern is expected to be similar to CAT 2023. Based on past trends, the notification for CAT 2024 was released on July 28th, 2024, and the exam for this year will be held on the last Sunday of November, i.e., November 24th, 2024. Thus, it’s high time for the aspirants to gear up their CAT preparation to get admission into their dream B-schools.
Some of the major points to keep in mind with regard to the CAT exam pattern are:
|
CAT Exam Components |
CAT Paper Pattern |
|
No. of Questions |
66 |
|
Number of Sections |
3 |
|
Sections |
VARC, DILR and QA |
|
Exam Duration |
2 hours |
|
Time Allotted per Section |
40 minutes |
|
Slots for Exam |
3 Shifts |
|
Mode of Exam |
Computer-Based Exam |
|
Medium of Instruction |
English |
|
Types of Questions |
MCQ and TITA |
Note: As per the CAT 2024 sample paper released on the official website, there might be some changes in the DILR section. These changes could involve different patterns, such as one set with 2 questions, two sets with 4 questions each, and two sets with 6 questions, or possibly four sets with 5 questions each and one set with 2 questions. It's also important to keep in mind that the CAT 2024 exam pattern might not change at all. So, be mentally prepared for either case.
Similar to the previous year's exam pattern, the marking scheme for the MCQ and TITA questions is different. Here is an overview of the marking scheme for CAT 2024-
|
CAT 2024 Question Type |
For Correct Answers |
For Incorrect Answers |
|
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
+3 |
-1 |
|
Type in the Answer (TITA) |
+3 |
0 |
The provided CAT Exam Analysis for past years allows candidates to compare and understand the changes in exam trends over the years. Read the CAT Exam Analysis mentioned below to understand the exam better.
|
CAT Exam Sections |
Total Number of Questions |
MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions) |
TITA (Type in The Answer) |
Time Allotted |
|
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
24 |
20 |
4 |
40 Minutes |
|
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
20 |
14 |
6 |
40 Minutes |
|
Quantitative Ability (QA) |
22 |
15 |
7 |
40 Minutes |
|
Overall |
66 |
49 |
17 |
120 Minutes |
IIM Calcutta is responsible for the smooth conduction and execution of the CAT 2024 exam. With the release of the official CAT notification 2024, a few changes may be predicted in the recent CAT Exam Pattern. Here are some of them listed below that candidates should be aware of:
The duration of the CAT 2024 exam will be 120 minutes, with each section having a sectional time limitation of 40 minutes, after which candidates will not be able to submit answers for that particular section. Therefore, effective time management and test-taking strategies are crucial before appearing for the actual exam. It is advisable for all serious CAT takers to buckle down with their preparation, practice CAT previous year papers, and start attempting mocks on a regular basis if they want to ace CAT 2024.
CAT 2024 Exam AnalysisCAT 2023 was held on 26th November 2023 in three slots. As per expectations, the exam pattern was the same as last year. The only surprise in the exam was that the VARC section of slot 2 had a mandatory VA question that was absent in the other two slots.
Based on the data provided by CAT takers, we have revised the data to match the trends displayed. Here are a few observations and a revised comparison of slots and expected overall & sectional percentiles.
The overall difficulty of CAT 2023 was higher than that of CAT 2022. The exam followed the exam pattern of CAT 2022, with 66 questions to be answered in 120 minutes. The distribution of questions across the sections also remained the same, with 24 questions in VARC, 20 questions in DILR, and 22 questions in QA. Each section had to be attempted in 40 minutes.
Among the 3 slots, there was only a marginal difference in the level of difficulty.
|
Section (CAT 2023) |
Most Difficult |
Moderately Difficult |
Least Difficult |
|
VARC |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
|
DILR |
Slot 3 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
|
QA |
Slot 3 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 1 |
DILR was the most difficult section of CAT 2023 and the easiest was VARC. Ideally, a CAT score of 84 was required to get a 99%ile in CAT 2023.
Detailed Analysis|
Expected Percentiles |
VARC Score |
DILR Score |
QA Score |
Overall Score |
||||||||
|
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
|
|
99 |
40 |
40-42 |
38-40 |
25-27 |
25-26 |
27-28 |
25-28 |
28-30 |
27-28 |
80-81 |
82-83 |
78-80 |
|
95 |
28-30 |
30-33 |
28-30 |
18-20 |
18-20 |
18-20 |
20-22 |
20-22 |
18-20 |
55-56 |
57-58 |
57-58 |
|
90 |
22-24 |
24-26 |
24-25 |
15-17 |
14-15 |
15-17 |
15-17 |
15-17 |
15-17 |
45-48 |
46-48 |
46-48 |
|
85 |
20-22 |
20-22 |
20-22 |
13-14 |
12-13 |
12-14 |
12-14 |
12-14 |
12-14 |
39-41 |
40-43 |
40-41 |
|
80 |
18-20 |
18-20 |
18-20 |
11-12 |
10-11 |
10-11 |
10-12 |
10-12 |
10-11 |
35-37 |
36-39 |
36-37 |
* As soon as the CAT Answer Key is out, fill in the score calculator to get your exact overall percentile along with a predicted sectional percentile.
As per the expectations, CAT 2022 followed the pattern of 66 questions to be solved in 2 hours with 40 minutes allotted to each section.
The marking scheme remained the same: +3/-1 for MCQs, and +3/0 for non-MCQs. The overall level of difficulty for CAT 2022 slot 3 was difficult with respect to CAT 2022 Slot 1 and Slot 2. Thus, the LOD across the three sections of the three slots varied slightly:
An overall raw score of around ~84 could fetch a 99%ile in CAT 2022.
CAT 2022 Paper Pattern & Section- score wise for 99%ile+
|
Section Name |
Total Questions |
Time Limit |
Score for 99%ile |
|
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
24 |
40 Minutes |
39 |
|
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
20 |
40 Minutes |
29 |
|
Quantitative Ability (QA) |
22 |
40 Minutes |
33 |
The overall difficulty level for CAT 2021 was moderate. An overall raw score of around 97-99 was good enough to fetch a 99%ile in CAT 2021. CAT 2021 followed the CAT 2020 exam pattern of reduced time (2 hours) with 40 minutes allotted to each section. However, the number of questions under each of the sections reduced. CAT 2021 had 66 questions to be attempted in 2 hours with the section-wise distribution of questions as follows: VARC: 24 questions in 40 minutes; DILR: 20 questions in 40 minutes; QA: 22 questions in 40 minutes.
|
Section |
No of questions |
Non MCQ Questions |
Time in Minutes |
Difficulty Level |
Ideal Score/Attempts for 99 %ile |
|
VARC |
24 |
5 |
40 |
Moderate |
35-38 (15-18) |
|
DILR |
20 |
5 |
40 |
Moderate |
28-30 (10-12) |
|
QA |
22 |
8 |
40 |
Easy |
39-42 (15-17) |
|
Total |
66 |
18 |
120 |
97-99 (42-48) |
We all know that the CAT 2020 notification came up with the surprise of reduced time - just 70 odd-days - before CAT. From the earlier duration of 3 hours, the test duration was reduced to 2 hours with 76 questions.
The marking scheme remained the same: +3/-1 for MCQs, and +3/0 for non-MCQs. The overall level of difficulty for CAT 2020 slot 1 was slightly higher than that of CAT 2019. In terms of section-wise level of difficulty, VARC was lengthy and slightly tricky. DILR went back to CAT 2016-18 levels after a short breather in CAT 2018. QA was slightly easier than CAT 2019, in terms of LOD.
An overall raw score of around 105-110 should fetch a 99%ile in CAT 2020.
CAT 2020 Paper Pattern & Section-wise expected score for 99%ile+
|
Section Name |
Total Questions |
Time Limit |
Marking Scheme |
Score for 99%ile |
|
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
26 |
40 Minutes |
+3/-1 (for MCQs) +3/0 (for non-MCQs) |
40-42 |
|
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
24 |
40 Minutes |
+3/-1 (for MCQs) +3/0 (for non-MCQs) |
32-34 |
|
Quantitative Ability (QA) |
26 |
40 Minutes |
+3/-1 (for MCQs) +3/0 (for non-MCQs) |
46-48 |
|
Total |
76 |
120 Minutes |
+3/-1 (for MCQs) +3/0 (for non-MCQs) |
105-110 |
CAT 2019 did not throw any surprises in paper format. In terms of level of difficulty, VARC was slightly trickier this year with 2 passages on the difficult side. Both DILR and Quant were slightly easier than last year. Overall, the paper was slightly less difficult, as compared to last year.
| Section Name | Total Questions | Total number of MCQs | Total number of non-MCQs | Cut Off | ||
| 99%ile | 95%ile | 90%ile | ||||
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 34 | 27 | 7 | 65 | 57 | 50 |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 32 | 24 | 8 | 48 | 39 | 32 |
| Quantitative Ability (QA) | 34 | 23 | 11 | 55 | 43 | 33 |
| Total | 100 | 74 | 26 | 160 | 123 | 108 |
CAT came out of the bag with two thuds and one loud bang. The paper started with an 'even easier than 2017' VARC section. Then the level of difficulty of the DILR section provided a major reprieve to the nervous 'jantaa' as it broke with the trend of the last three years. It was a moderately difficult section, as compared to an out and out difficult section that has been observed over the last 2-3 years. However, this relief was short-lived as QA came out all guns blazing. IIM-C kept its reputation intact, with its emphasis on the QA section
| Section | No. of Questions | No. of non-MCQ questions | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
| Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension | 34 | 7 | Easy | 28+ |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | 32 | 8 | Moderate | 16+ |
| Quantitative Ability | 34 | 12 | Difficult | 15+ |
| Total | 100 | 27 | 60+ |
CAT 2017 did not throw up any surprises wrt the paper format. The level of difficulty of the paper changed this year as compared to last year. While VARC continued to be easy, DILR was more difficult than last year with sets that took more time to solve as well. Quant was also easier and similar to CAT 2015 in level and marginally easier than 2016. On first impressions, an overall raw score of around 160 should fetch a student a 99%ile in CAT 2017. LRDI would not be the differentiator this year, since all students would be lumped in smaller categories. Quant, being easy, would play the role of differentiator. The overall structure of the CAT paper was as follows:
| Section | No. of Questions | No. of non-MCQ questions | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
| Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension | 34 | 7 | Easy-moderate | 26-27 |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | 32 | 8 | Difficult | 12-14 |
| Quantitative Ability | 34 | 8 | Easy-Moderate | 25-26 |
| Total | 100 | 23 | 63-67 |
CAT 2016 did not undergo any changes in its pattern and as expected the level of difficulty went up because of which the percentile went down and only a scaled score of 153+ was required for a 99+ percentile which was much lower as compared to 2015.
| Section | Name | No. of Questions | Marks/Q | Total marks |
| Section 1 | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | 34 (60 minutes) | 3 | 102 |
| Section 2 | Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 32 (60 minutes) | 3 | 96 |
| Section 3 | Quantitative Ability | 34 (60 minutes) | 3 | 102 |
| Total | 100 | 300 |
