CAT Exam Analysis: The overall difficulty of CAT 2024 was relatively less challenging compared to last years. This year, there were a total of 68 questions across all three sections. The DILR section showed an addition of 2 questions with 5 sets instead of 4. Despite all these changes in the CAT paper pattern, the sectional time duration remained the same, with 40 minutes to complete each section.
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:
You can also check out the CAT 2024 paper analysis done by India's most experienced CAT Gurus, including raw scores, section-wise difficulty level, and much more.
Over 3 lakh candidates have registered for the exam this year. Given that the overall exam difficulty is moderate, the expected cutoff for CAT 2024 is expected to rise significantly. Below are some important points that candidates should keep in mind:
It is important to have a look at the exam analysis once your exam is done. This approach will help you better comprehend how you have performed in the exam and what you can expect. Based on our students' review and mentors' analysis, we have jotted down a detailed section-wise CAT 2024 analysis for your reference:
The overall breakup of CAT 2024 - Slot 3 paper with section-wise marking scheme and difficulty level of the exam has been tabulated below.
| CAT Exam Sections | Number of Questions | Questions | MCQs - (Multiple Choice Questions) | TITA -(Type in The Answer) | Difficulty Level | Good Attempt |
|
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
24 |
4 Passages of 4 Questions each, 3 Para summary, 3 Para completion, 2 Odd one out |
22 |
2 |
Moderate |
17-18 |
|
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
22 |
2 Sets of 5 Questions 3 Sets of 4 Questions |
12 |
10 |
Moderate- Difficult |
10-11 |
|
Quantitative Ability (QA) |
22 |
Algebra - 5-6, Arithmetic- 10-11, Geometry- 3, Number System- 2, Modern Maths- 1 |
14 |
8 |
Easy |
13-15 |
| TOTAL | 68 | 48 | 20 | Moderate |
This year, the overall paper pattern and difficulty level have taken a toll in favour of the CAT aspirants. Get a gist of the difficulty level of the CAT Slot 3 paper as follows:
The overall breakup of CAT 2024 - Slot 2 paper with section-wise marking scheme and difficulty level of the exam has been tabulated below.
| CAT Exam Sections | Number of Questions | Questions | MCQs - (Multiple Choice Questions) | TITA -(Type in The Answer) | Difficulty Level | Good Attempt |
|
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
24 |
4 Passages of 4 Questions each, 3 Para summary, 3 Para completion, 2 Odd one out |
22 |
2 |
Moderate |
10-12 |
|
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
22 |
2 Sets of 5 Questions 3 Sets of 4 Questions |
12 |
10 |
Easy-Moderate |
10-11 |
|
Quantitative Ability (QA) |
22 |
Algebra - 5-6, Arithmetic- 10-11, Geometry- 3, Number System- 2, Modern Maths- 1 |
14 |
8 |
Moderate |
11-12 |
| TOTAL | 68 | 48 | 20 | Moderate |
This year, the overall paper pattern and difficulty level have taken a toll in favour of the CAT aspirants. Get a gist of the difficulty level of the CAT Slot 2 paper as follows:
The overall breakup of CAT 2024 - Slot 1 paper with section-wise marking scheme and difficulty level of the exam has been tabulated below.
CAT Exam Sections |
Number of Questions |
Questions |
MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions) |
TITA (Type in The Answer) |
Difficulty Level |
Good Attempt |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
24 |
4 Passages of 4 Questions each, 3 Para summary, 3 Para completion, 2 Odd one out |
22 |
2 |
Easy |
14-16 |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
22 |
2 Sets of 5 Questions 3 Sets of 4 Questions |
12 |
10 |
Easy-Moderate |
10-11 |
Quantitative Ability (QA) |
22 |
Algebra - 5-6, Arithmetic- 10-11, Geometry- 3, Number System- 2, Modern Maths- 1 |
14 |
8 |
Moderate |
10 |
TOTAL |
68 |
48 |
20 |
Moderate |
This year, the overall paper pattern and difficulty level have taken a toll in favour of the CAT aspirants. Get a gist of the difficulty level of the CAT Slot 1 paper as follows:
As per expectations, the paper pattern of CAT 2024 has shown changes. According to the CAT 2024 sample paper, the DILR section has increased by two questions. Changes have also been observed in the VARC section of CAT. Let's dive straight into the paper pattern of CAT 2024.
|
CAT Exam Components |
CAT Paper Pattern |
|
No. of Questions |
68 |
|
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 |
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 overall difficulty of CAT 2024 was comparatively lower than that of CAT 2023. Changes have been scene in the CAT paper pattern, with 68 questions to be answered in 120 minutes. However, the distribution of questions across the sections was also changed this year, with 24 questions in VARC, 22 questions in DILR, and 22 questions in QA. Each section must be attempted in 40 minutes.
Refer to the table below to check the difficulty level of CAT 2024, as follows:
|
Section (CAT 2024) |
Most Difficult |
Moderately Difficult |
Least Difficult |
|
VARC |
Slot 2 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 3 |
|
DILR |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2/3 |
- |
|
QA |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
CAT 2024 was conducted by IIM Calcutta. Surprisingly, the QA and DILR section of CAT 2024 included 8-12 doable questions making it easier to handle in comparison to CAT 2023 paper. Ideally, a CAT score of above 90 will be considered a good score to achieve a percentile of 99%, as it was 84 in CAT 2023.
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) |
