As per the expectations, CAT 2022 Slot 3 followed the same pattern as CAT 2022 Slot 1 and Slot 2. The only changes in the paper pattern as compared to CAT 2021 were the same ones in the VARC and DILR sections of slot 1 and slot 2. The CAT 2022 Slot 3 pattern continued to be along the same lines as the morning and afternoon slot with 66 questions in total 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:
CAT 2022 VARC Slot 1 > CAT 2022 VARC Slot 2 > CAT 2022 VARC Slot 3
CAT 2022 DILR Slot 3 > CAT 2022 DILR Slot 1 > CAT 2022 DILR Slot 2
CAT 2022 QA Slot 3 > CAT 2022 QA Slot 2 > CAT 2022 QA Slot 1
An overall raw score of around ~93-95 should fetch a 99%ile in CAT 2022 Slot 3.
CAT 2022 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) |
24 |
40 Minutes |
+3/-1 (for MCQs) |
40-42 |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
20 |
40 Minutes |
+3/-1 (for MCQs) |
26-27 |
Quantitative Ability (QA) |
22 |
40 Minutes |
+3/-1 (for MCQs) |
30- 33 |
The section was easier in slot 3 as compared to the previous slots. Following the trend of VARC of Slot 1 and Slot 2, there were a total of 24 questions to be attempted in 40 minutes.
3 questions were Non-MCQs. The RC passages were around ~500 words each. 2 passages were easy to read whereas the other 1 was moderate and 1 was difficult to read.
The VA section comprised para jumbles, para summary and the new topic of para completion. Each of the 3 topics had 1 question that was difficult to solve.
Many of the questions in the section were inference-based and could come off as tricky. Overall, a score of 40-42 can be considered enough for a 99 %ile in VARC Slot 3.
CAT 2022 VARC Question-wise Breakup:
Topic |
No. of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ) |
Ideal Score/ Attempt |
Reading Comprehension |
16 (4+4+4+4) |
8-10 |
Verbal Ability - Parajumbles |
3 |
2 |
Verbal Ability - Summary |
3 |
2 |
Verbal Ability - Para completion |
2 |
1 |
Slot 3 DILR was difficult than what was seen in DILR of Slot 2 and Slot 1, in terms of LOD. The DILR section had 20 questions distributed across 4 sets with 5 questions each. Again, the number of non-MCQs was 6. Among the 4 sets in the section, there was only 1 easy set.
A score of 26-27 marks can be considered ideal for a 99+ percentile in DILR.
CAT 2022 DILR Question - wise Breakup:
Subject |
Topic |
No of Questions |
Ideal Attempt |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning |
Covid cases |
5 |
2-3 |
Computer Science-ratios |
5 |
2-3 |
|
Blue & pink- male female-graph |
5 |
4-5 |
|
Games (4 people) |
5 |
2 |
The QA section of CAT 2022 Slot 3 was lengthy and had a higher level of difficulty. It had 22 questions to be attempted in 40 minutes. The section had 8 non-MCQs. As seen in Slot 1 and Slot 2 QA sections, the Slot 3 QA section continued to be dominated by Arithmetic and Algebra.
A score of 30-33 would be ideal for a 99+ percentile in the QA section of CAT 2022 Slot 3.
CAT 2022 QA Questions- wise Breakup:
Topic |
No of Questions (MCQ/non-MCQ) |
Number System |
1 |
Algebra |
7 |
Arithmetic |
9 |
Modern Math |
1 |
Geometry & Mensuration |
4 |
Based on the overall and section-wise scores, level of difficulty and good attempts, given below are the score required for various percentiles:
Percentile |
Sections |
Overall |
||
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
||
99 |
40-42 |
26-27 |
30-33 |
94-95 |
95 |
31-33 |
20-22 |
23-25 |
66-69 |
90 |
27-29 |
16-18 |
17-19 |
55-58 |
85 |
24-26 |
14-16 |
13-15 |
47-49 |
80 |
20-21 |
12-14 |
12 |
42 |
Candidates would have done well to maintain their calm and follow the guidelines shared by Career Launcher, in all its sessions. The overall cutoff for a 99 percentile is expected to range around 94-95.