Updated on 16th December 2023 | 4:34 pm | #CATExamPattern
The CAT exam pattern 2024 is expected to be along the same lines as CAT 2023. Based on past trends, the notification for CAT 2024 will be released in the last week of July 2024 and the exam will tentatively be held on the last Sunday of November 2024.
The CAT Exam is split into three sections and each section has an individual time limit of 40 minutes.
A strong understanding of the CAT Exam Pattern 2024 will allow candidates to identify the different sections for preparation and formulate the best exam strategies. This will maximize their chances of getting shortlisted by stalwart institutes like the top IIMs, FMS New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, SPJIMR Mumbai, etc which have carved a niche for themselves in the domain of management education.
Some of the major points to keep in mind with regard to the CAT exam pattern are:
|
Key Components |
Details |
|
No. of Questions |
66 |
|
Sections in Exam |
3; VARC, DILR and QA |
|
Exam Duration |
2 hours |
|
Time Allotted per Section |
40 minutes |
|
Slots for Exam |
3 |
|
Mode of Exam |
Computer-based Exam |
|
Medium of Instruction |
English |
|
Types of Questions |
MCQ and TITA |
|
CAT Marking Scheme |
+3 for every right answer -1 for every wrong answer TITA has no negative marking |
The CAT 2024 Exam Pattern will constitute 3 sections:
The CAT Exam is held as a Computer Based Test (CBT) with a duration of 2 hours. Each section has an individual time limit of 40 minutes each. The CAT 2024 Exam Pattern is given below:
|
Sections of Exam (in that order) |
No of questions |
MCQs |
Non - MCQs |
Important features |
|
VARC |
24 |
20 |
4 |
16 questions of RC - 4 passages of 4 questions each. 8 Questions of Verbal ability - Parajumbles, para completions, parasummary and odd sentence out |
|
DILR |
20 |
14 |
6 |
4 sets of 5 questions each Areas questioned - Bar Graph, Arrangements, Missing Data and Puzzles (Games) |
|
QA |
22 |
15 |
7 |
Dominated by questions of Arithmetic and Algebra. |
|
Total |
66 |
49 |
17 |
The VARC section in CAT comprises 24 questions in total. In the verbal section, the CAT exam pattern of the past years indicates that the section consists of two primary components, i.e. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension.
Reading Comprehension:
Verbal Ability
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning is the second section of the CAT Exam. Candidates will be able to attempt it only after they submit the VARC section in the CAT Exam. It is by far the most dynamic section in CAT with new types of questions being introduced almost every year. It is advisable to be very careful when it comes to the selection of the questions.
Based on the CAT DILR exam pattern, here are the changes as per CAT 2023:
This is the section that most candidates prepare extensively. This is because the CAT exam pattern and syllabus for this section are the most fleshed out among all the other sections. It is the section that can make or break the exam for most candidates.
CAT 2024 will be divided across three slots throughout the day. Candidates will have the slot they must appear for mentioned on their admit cards. Here is the slot-based division of the paper-
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-
|
Type of Question |
Correct Response |
Incorrect Response |
|
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
+3 |
-1 |
|
Type in the Answer (TITA) |
+3 |
0 |
As mentioned before, the CAT 2024 exam will be computer-based. Therefore candidates will be required to input their responses into the computer. Candidates will have to select one of the given options when putting in the answers-
Owing to the pandemic the CAT exam pattern saw some major changes. The number of questions and time allotted have both been reduced since the arrival of covid-19. The exam pattern for CAT 2021 comprised 66 questions to be completed in 2 hours. However, before this, the exam pattern remained the same for five consecutive years till 2019. Here is a view of the exam pattern across the past few years.
|
Year |
Duration |
No. of Questions |
|
2021- 2023 |
2 hours |
66 |
|
2020 |
2 hours |
76 |
|
2019 |
3 hours |
100 |
|
2018 |
3 hours |
100 |
|
2017 |
3 hours |
100 |
|
2016 |
3 hours |
100 |
|
2015 |
3 hours |
100 |
|
2014 |
2 hours 50 minutes |
100 |
|
2013 |
2 hours 20 minutes |
60 |
The CAT exam pattern gives the candidate a brief idea of how to prepare for the exam:
This milestone-based approach to the CAT preparation will allow the aspirant to focus on the right areas as the exam draws near.
No, calculators are not allowed inside the examination hall. Candidates should memorize ad practice the basic equations and formulae required for CAT.
The IIMs do not provide a CAT exam pattern or syllabus and as the CAT exam pattern changes every year, it is not possible to define the exact questions that are asked from each section. However, based on the CAT papers from the past few years, it can be deduced that three topics of QA i.e. arithmetic, algebra, and geometry dominate the section.
TITA or Type in the Answer are questions in which the candidate will not have any options to choose from. Instead, as the name suggests, the candidate is required to type in the answer for the given question based on their understanding. Based on past trends, the VARC section will contain around 5 non-MCQ or TITA questions.
CAT 2024 comprises 66 questions that must be answered in 2 hours. For each section, candidates are given 40 minutes. Given below are the the sections:
As you can see, CAT is completely capable of shifting the paradigm of the CAT exam pattern and has done so over the years. In order to counter this, the candidates need to prepare for each topic in the syllabus and hone their test-taking skills. With the help of these two skills in their armory, any curveball thrown by CAT would not be much more than a temporary hesitation on the part of the candidate.