CAT 2021 Exam Pattern

CAT Exam Pattern Analysis

In order to analyze the CAT Exam Pattern, we need to look at each section of the CAT exam individually.

Overview of Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section: CAT Exam pattern

In terms of topic-wise weightage, CAT 2021 VARC section pattern would be on the expected lines of CAT 2020. CAT 2020 VARC section was of 40 minutes duration and the exact number of questions was 26. The section is a combination of Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability with Reading Comprehension (RC) accounting for almost 70% of the total questions and marks. There were 4 RC Passages in CAT 2020 adding up to a total of 18 Questions (2*5 + 2*4). The remaining 8 Questions are from the Verbal Ability topics such as Parasummary, Parajumbles (Odd Sentence & Subjective), Paracompletion, etc. As the VARC section faces unpredictable changes in terms of syllabus every year, it is appropriate to incorporate topics from previous year CAT question papers and combine the current as well as the previous syllabus to reach the 99%ile milestone. The level of difficulty of the CAT VARC section fluctuates each year due to which aspirants need to be prepared for all alternatives. 

Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension is one of the major sections of CAT 2021 examination. To know how to improve Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT, harken back to the past when the traditional concept of "diverse reading” was practiced. The more you read, the more enlightened you would be regarding VARC preparation. In this coming topic, we would discuss everything there is to know about Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT separately and together.

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section: CAT Exam Pattern

In the verbal section, the CAT exam pattern of the last 3 years indicates that the section consists of two primary components:

• Reading Comprehension
• Verbal Ability

Many aspirants were caught out by the difficulty level of the section in CAT 2020 which should be a warning for CAT 2021 aspirants. This section of the CAT Exam Pattern should not be written off simply based on the lower difficulty level in some of the previous years.

Reading Comprehension:

• Accounts for over 70% of the question (24 questions out of 34)
• Question Format: MCQs with few TITA (Type in the Answer) questions
• There are usually 5 passages in this section (3 larger ones and 2 smaller ones)

Verbal Ability:

• Relatively small subsection with only 10 questions
• The CAT exam pattern and syllabus for this section has included questions in the form of:

• - Paragraph-jumbles
• -Para Summary
• -Cloze Passage
• -Picking the odd sentence out
• Verbal reasoning – Grammar based or logic based
• Sentence and contextual usage
• Analogies and reverse analogies
• Sentence Correction
• Idioms and Phrases
• Vocabulary based questions- Antonyms, homonyms, metaphors etc.
• Facts and inferences.

Overview of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Section: CAT Exam Pattern

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. The questions asked in this section are in “set” format. This means, the questions will be represented pictorially I.e in form of caselet, charts or graph and will contain 4 to 5 parts that a candidate needs to solve in order to receive full marks. Due to each set lending upto 15 marks, it is advisable to be very careful when it comes to the selection of the questions.

DILR has always been one of the trickiest sections to crack. However, there is some sunshine hidden behind dark clouds in this section. The questions at first seem tricky, but as the candidate progresses with the question and connects the missing dots, everything becomes fairly simple. Another major advantage of this section is that the difficulty level of the section means that solving 3-4 sets out of the 6 generally given should be sufficient to achieve a 95%ile.

Also read: How to improve DILR for CAT?

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Section: CAT Exam Pattern

This has been the most challenging section according to the CAT exam pattern for the last 3 years. As the name suggests, the section consists of two parts:

• Data Interpretation
• Logical Reasoning

Data Interpretation Section:

• Consists of 3 sets usually which individually have 4 to 6 questions each.
• These questions can be based directly on data that can be extracted from tables/graphs shown in the set or may require further calculation
• MCQs and TITA Questions with usually 3 MCQs and 1 TITA Question per set

Logical Reasoning Section:

• Consists of 4 sets
• Based on Blood Relations, Arrangements, and combinations of topics
•  There is a combination of MCQs and TITA questions with one TITA question being part of each set

This section usually puzzles candidates. But, getting a high percentile in this section can be relatively easy as the aspirant only needs to solve 16 questions correctly in order to break into the 99%ile bracket. This has been the CAT exam pattern like for at least the past three years. However, the amount of effort that is needed to break down each set before solving the questions means that most people struggle with time when solving this question.

Another important factor that each candidate must keep in mind is the proper selection of questions. This is because with the difficulty of the sets and the time taken to organize the data, the number of questions that each candidate can attempt is very limited and spending your time on the wrong questions can lead to dire consequences for the score in this section.

Also Read: CAT Score vs Percentile

Quantitative Aptitude: CAT Exam Pattern

This is the section that most candidates prepare for the most. This is because the CAT exam pattern and syllabus for this section is the most fleshed out amongst all the other sections.

It is the section which can make or break the exam for most candidates. It consists of 26 Questions in total with 6 non-MCQs. There is no specific division in terms of topics which carry higher weights compared to its compatriots. Thus, candidates have to go through the entire syllabus in order to be confident of scoring well in this section.

The CAT exam pattern and syllabus for the Quantitative Aptitude section consists of:

• Number Systems
• HCF & LCM
• Profit, Loss and Discount
• Simple and Compound Interest
• Percentages
• Speed, Time & Distance
• Time & Work
• Ratio & Proportion
• Averages
• Quadratic Equations
• Complex Numbers
• Logarithm
• Binomial Theorem
• Sequence and Series
• Surds & Indices
• Probability and Permutation Combination
• Set Theory
• Functions
• Geometry and Mensuration
• Mixtures and Alligations
• Trigonometry

In the past, the CAT used to be famed for their difficult QA section but recently the IIMs have reduced the difficulty level of this section in order to accommodate non-engineers. This has also led to higher scores and cutoffs in this section. But recently, there has been a dip in the complexity of QA questions. The questions have been witnessed to be fairly simple in terms of difficulty, only thing being that they are scattered throughout the section. Here is an informative video for you to understand in detail how to identify the easy QA questions which would lead you to a 95-99%ile :

Easy Questions in CAT Quantitative Aptitude: 

Also check: How to prepare for CAT QA

CAT syllabus has remained more or less constant since inception, siding aside a few variations. CAT 2021 syllabus is also expected to take after CAT Syllabus 2020. The official syllabus has not been released by the test administrator yet.

CAT 2020 Paper Analysis: Exam Pattern and Syllabus

CAT 2020 was much crazier than our expectations and turned the candidate’s confidence upside down. The examination was divided into 3 slots I.e Morning Slot, Afternoon Slot and Evening slot. The LOD (level of difficulty) kept on increasing as per the progression of slots. Here is the perceived level of difficulty for all the three slots :

CAT 2020 Slot 1< CAT 2020 Slot 2 < CAT 2020 Slot 3

The CAT 2020 slot 3 which was conducted from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM was the most difficult slot out of all the 3 slots. The VARC section was slightly more difficult than CAT 2019 and so was the DILR section. The QA section was fairly doable; however, the questions were really tricky to understand and could be only aced by a candidate who practiced all the QA variations in addition to taking sectional mocks 2-3 times in a week.

All in all, CAT 2020 was under the same breath as that of CAT 2016-18 after a slightly easier version of the paper was released in CAT 2019. Here is a section wise analysis of CAT 2020 for your better understanding:

VARC Section 2020 Analysis: Exam Pattern

The VARC section of CAT 2020 was slightly higher than that of 2019. The questions involving the first section of CAT I.e VARC were 23 in number and ranged from moderate to slightly difficult in terms of LOD. Reading Comprehension dominated the section completely with 6-7 questions focused on Verbal Ability I.e Para Jumble, odd one out and Para Summary. The questions following an RC passage were rarely fact based and more inferential. As per our deduction, the CAT 2020 slot 1 cut off for 99 percentile would hit somewhere around 40-42. In terms of exam pattern, questions in all three slots of CAT resembled each other.

DILR Section 2020 Analysis: Exam Pattern

The DILR section’s LOD (level of difficulty) jogged back to CAT 2016, leaving the students absolutely flabbergasted. Data Interpretation, which is one of the candidate’s major hopes to ace the DILR section, showed no mercy this year. The section was highly complicated with 24 questions, broken down into 5 sets with either 6 questions or 4 questions in each set. The Venn Diagram and Arrangement topic constituted a fair share of the DILR section, along with an extremely difficult table set on missing information in all the three slots. A raw score of 30-32 on 100 would lead a candidate to 99%Ile in the CAT 2020 DILR section.

QA Section 2020 Analysis: Exam Pattern

The questions constituting the QA section were easier but tricky. Again, the level of difficulty kept on increasing as per the slot progression. However, the questions were light handed on geometry and heavy handed on arithmetic, which was a respite for the candidates as most of the candidates start their CAT QA preparation with arithmetic topics. There were questions related to profit and loss, simple interest and compound interest, time and speed, ratio and proportions, logarithms, coordinate geometry and Algebra. The number of sitters were comparatively less as compared to the CAT 2019 questions. Overall, the section was moderately easier and a score of 40-45 would fetch a 99%ile and a call from the IIMs.

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Overall Analysis

The overall paper was slightly difficult compared to the previous year. A major reason for this is the fact that while the Verbal Ability and DILR section was more difficult than the QA section being easier than made up for it. The overall cut off for the 99%ile decreased to 100-102 in slot 2 and 3 and 105-110 in slot 1 due to the rise in the difficulty level of the overall CAT Paper.

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Other CAT Exam Patterns

Before this format, the CAT exam had gone through several different CAT exam patterns and syllabus. Looking at these can also help in preparing in case there is a change in the pattern: Here is a detailed analysis of the CAT 2014 – CAT 2018 exam which would help you draw correct inferences in order to prepare whole heartedly for upcoming exam:

• In CAT 2014, there were only two sections: VARC-LR and QA-DI. Both sections consisted of 50 questions each and the total time limit was 170 minutes. There was no sectional time limit in this paper despite having a sectional cutoff.
• From CAT 2009 to CAT 2013, there were only 60 questions with 150 minutes allocated to solve the questions.
• For CAT 2009 and 2010, there were three sections in the form of VARC, DILR and QA. There was no sectional time limit applied to the different sections in this type of paper.
• For CAT 2011, 2012 and 2013, the number of questions was kept constant however the sections were modified to be converted into two sections: VARC-LR and QA-DI. The number of questions in each section was limited to 30 each.

General Tips on CAT Preparation as per CAT Exam Pattern

The CAT Exam Pattern gives the candidate a brief idea on how to prepare for the exam:

• Each section has roughly equal weightage which indicates that while studying the basics, each section has to be given equal importance.
• Following this, mocks play an important role in determining the route that the CAT preparation will take. The section in which the aspirant is scoring the most marks is the clearest for him in terms of concepts. Thus, the amount of time spent on that section can be reduced while the section where the aspirant is scoring the lowest has to be focused upon.
• After a while, the performance in the mocks have to be taken stock of again. The aspirant needs to ensure that the section where he/she was strongest is not slipping and that there is some improvement in the section where he/she is focusing.

This milestone-based approach to the CAT preparation will allow the aspirant to focus on the right areas as the exam draws near.

Read in detail: CAT Preparation tips

Also read: How to start preparing for CAT?

Conclusion

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.