By: Avantika Bhardwaj on May 24, 2021
The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad has released the details about CAT 2021 Exam Pattern. The exam pattern for the current year has been changed slightly and the same has been continued since 2014. Common Admission Test is a computer-based entrance examination which analyses candidates' skills in various segments required to qualify the entrance examination. Though there had been numerous changes in the CAT Exam Pattern for the last 4 years, the basic structure remains the same.
This year the exam is scheduled to be conducted on 28th November 2021through CBT mode. The question paper comprises of three sections containing 100 questions in total. These 100 questions are of MCQ and Non MCQ type which are to be completed in 3 hours i.e. 1 hour for each section.
A brief description of CAT Exam Pattern is given below:
|
Total Number of Questions
|
100
|
|
Total number of Sections
|
3
|
|
Number of Questions with Negative Marking
|
75
|
|
Number of Questions without Negative Marking
|
25
|
|
Marks awarded for each correct answer
|
3
|
|
Mark deducted for each incorrect answer
|
1
|
Section-wise Exam Pattern
A section wise bifurcation of number of questions in each section would help students prepare in a proficient way. There are three sections namely Verbal Ability and Reasoning Comprehensive, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. Each segment consists of MCQ and Non MCQ types of questions. Each correct answer is rewarded with 3 marks while 1 mark is deducted as a penalty for each incorrect answer.
The bifurcation of number of questions asked in each section, number of MCQ and NON MCQ questions in each section, and maximum marks each section holds is given below:
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
|
Total Number of Questions
|
34
|
|
Total Number of MCQs
|
24 to 27
|
|
Total Number of Non-MCQ
|
7 to 10
|
|
Maximum Marks
|
102
|
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
|
Total Number of Questions
|
32
|
|
Total Number of MCQs
|
24
|
|
Total Number of Non-MCQ
|
8
|
|
Maximum Marks
|
96
|
Quantitative Ability
|
Total Number of Questions
|
34
|
|
Total Number of MCQs
|
23 to 27
|
|
Total Number of Non-MCQ
|
7 to 11
|
|
Maximum Marks
|
102
|
These three segments contribute to a total of 300 marks.
More about CAT Exam Pattern
The examination is conducted in online mode which means CAT examination is a Computer Based Test (CBT). The candidates will be provided with a computer terminal at the examination Centre and will be required to choose a correct option.
According to IIMs, “In the computer-based format, the candidate reads a question on a computer terminal and clicks the correct answer. Additionally, the timer on the computer screen tells you the remaining time to complete the current section.”
Know More about CAT Syllabus
There have been several changes that CAT Exam Pattern has come across since the year 2010. The changes were primarily made in the Total Number of Questions asked in the exam, Time Duration of Exam, and Shuffling of Sections. Initially the exam consisted of 60 questions in total and a time of 150 minutes was provided to students to complete the exam.
Go through the following table to understand the changes CAT Exam has gone through:
Section and Sub Section-wise CAT Exam Pattern
Section 1- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
|
Number of Questions
|
34
|
|
MCQs
|
24 to 27
|
|
Non MCQs
|
7 to 10
|
|
No. of Reading Comprehension Passages
|
5
|
|
No. of Questions based on RC Passages
|
24
|
|
Verbal Ability Questions
|
10
|
|
Level of Difficulty
|
Moderately Difficulty
|
Topics with High weightage: Jumbled Paragraph, Para Summary, Picking odd sentence out of Jumbled Sentences.
Section 2- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
|
Number of Questions
|
32
|
|
MCQs
|
28
|
|
Non MCQs
|
8
|
|
No. of Data Interpretation Questions
|
16
|
|
No. of Logical Reasoning Questions
|
16
|
|
Level of Difficulty
|
Moderately Difficult
|
Section 3- Quantitative Ability
|
Number of Questions
|
34
|
|
MCQs
|
23 to 27
|
|
Non MCQs
|
7 to 11
|
|
Level of Difficulty
|
Moderately Difficult
|
Following is the accumulated description of number of questions from each section asked during the examination:
|
Section
|
Sub Section
|
No. of Questions
|
Difficulty Level
|
|
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
|
Reading Comprehension Passages
|
24
|
Moderately Difficult
|
|
Verbal Ability
|
10
|
|
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
|
Data Interpretation
|
16
|
Moderately Difficult
|
|
Logical Reasoning
|
16
|
Facts about CAT Exam Pattern
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It is a Computer-Based Test, conducted only in online mode.
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The time duration of CAT exam is 180 minutes i.e. 3 hours and each section have to be completed in 60 minutes each.
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The candidate is not allowed to switch the sections during the examination.
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The candidate is not allowed to leave their seat during the examination.
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The candidate will be rewarded with an additional 3 marks for each correct answer.
-
A mark will be deducted for each incorrect answer.
