CAT 2023 Exam: Slot 1 Analysis

Updated on 27 November 2023 | 11:50 am | #CATExamAnalysis

As per the expectations, the CAT 2023 exam pattern was the same as the previous years. The paper comprised 66 questions which were to be attempted in 120 minutes. The sections, the order of which was predetermined, were to be attempted in 40 minutes each and candidates could not submit the section before time. The division of the questions also remained the same.

CAT 2023 slot 1 was moderate to difficult. The section-wise level of difficulty was as follows:

VARC was easier than last year
The difficulty of DILR was the same as last year
QA was difficult as compared to last year (Especially the algebra questions)

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CAT 2023 Paper Pattern & Section-wise expected score for 99%ile+

Section	No. of questions	Non-MCQ Questions	Difficulty Level
VARC	24	4	Moderate
DILR	20	6	Moderate- Difficult
QA	22	7	Difficult
Total	66	17	Moderate - Difficult

The marking scheme of CAT 2023 was as follows:

+3 marks for every right answer
-1 mark for every wrong answer in MCQs
TITA had no negative marking

CAT 2023 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Analysis

The VARC section was easier as compared to last year and had a moderate level of difficulty. There were a total of 24 questions to be attempted in 40 minutes.

4 questions were Non-MCQs or TITA questions
The RC passages were around 400-450 words each.
Odd-sentence-out questions and para completion were both included in the section this year.

CAT 2023 Slot 1 Analysis: Reading Comprehension

Passage Number	Passage Topic/ Area	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	Description/ Doable
1	Wolf → Environmentalists vs Farmer	4	Easy read	400 words 2- Fact based- Doable 2- Inference based
2	Philosophy → Change in Work Culture	4	Difficult read, Easy to solve	400 words 4 Doable
3	Indian Ocean-based Geographical Literature	4	Difficult read	400 words 3 Doable
4	Human Behavior	4	Easy read	450 words 2 - Doable
Total		16

CAT 2023 Slot 1 Analysis: Verbal Ability

Question Type	Easy	Moderate	Difficult	Total
Para Summary	0	2	0	2
Odd Sentence	0	0	2	2
Para Completion	2	0	0	2
Para Jumbles	1	1	0	2
Total	3	3	2	8

CAT 2023 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) Analysis

CAT 2023 DILR was the same as the CAT 2022 DILR section in terms of difficulty.

The DILR section had 20 questions distributed across 4 sets with 5 questions each.
The number of non-MCQs or TITA questions was 6.

CAT 2023 Slot 1 DILR Question-wise Breakup:

Set Number	Topic	No of Questions	Difficulty Level	Description/ Doable
1	College Elections (LR)	5	Moderate - Difficult	2- Doable, 3- Tough
2	Visa Applications (LR) (Time & Sequence set)	5	Moderate	3- Doable, 2- Tough
3	12 Houses (LR-DI) Rectangular diagram (3*2)	5	Moderate - Difficult	2- Doable, 3- Tough
4	Restaurant→ Rating (Mean, Median, Mode)	5	Moderate	3- Doable, 2-Tough
Total		20	Moderate - Difficult	Similar to CAT 2022

CAT 2023 Quantitative Aptitude (QA) Analysis

As expected, the QA section of CAT 2023 was difficult in terms of the level of difficulty.

It had 22 questions to be attempted in 40 minutes.
The section had 6 non-MCQs or TITA questions.
As expected, arithmetic dominated the section followed by algebra.

CAT 2023 Slot 1 QA Questions-wise Breakup:

Topic	Description/ Doable	Total Questions	Difficulty Level
Number System	Surds-1,	1	Easy
Algebra	Log-1 Equations-3 Surds-1 Sequence & Series-2	8	Moderate- Difficult
Arithmetic	TSD-2 T&W-1 Ratio-1 SI CI-1 PLD-1 Mixture-1 Clock-1	9	Easy- Moderate
Modern Math	P&C-1	1	Easy
Geometry & Mensuration	Triangle-1 Quadrilateral- 1 Coordinate Geo Circle - 1	3	Moderate
Total		22

Overall Structure Comparison with CAT 2022 & 2021

Section	Difficulty Level CAT 2023	Ideal Score for CAT 2023	Difficulty Level CAT 2022	Ideal Score for CAT 2022	Ideal Score for CAT 2021
VARC	Moderate	40	Easy-Moderate	39	45
DILR	Moderate- Difficult	27-30	Moderate	29	34
QA	Difficult	25-28	Moderate	33	34
Total		80	Moderate	84	97

*Ideal Score refers to Score corresponding to 99%ile

**The given data is based on inputs provided by our CAT gurus and students. These numbers just serve as indicators and by no means reflect the actual scores and percentiles.