The CAT 2024 exam was considered to be moderately difficult and the exam pattern was slightly changed. In the 2024 CAT exam, the DILR questions were increased from 20 to 22, increasing the overall CAT questions from 66 to 68. The total marks for the CAT exam were 204 last year (2024). In 2024, the CAT exam had 3 sets of 4 questions in DILR and 2 sets of 5 questions each, instead of 4 sets of 5 questions of each. This page provides the complete exam analysis for CAT slot 1, 2, and 3 for CAT 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019.
The CAT 2025 exam is being held on 30 November 2025 across 170 exam centres, and the exam pattern is expected to remain same as 2024 with 68 questions and 204 marks overall. IIM Kozhikode will be conducting the 2025 CAT exam and the aspirants can expect the exam to be moderately difficult. Read a complete overview and analysis of the CAT 2019 exam that was being conducted by IIM Kozhikode, here.
CAT 2024 exam analysis key highlights and overview
As discussed above, the CAT 2024 exam was considered as moderately difficult by the students and experts. Students in this section can check the key highlights and overview of the CAT 2024 paper analysis.
- Question paper of CAT second session was the toughest.
- VARC section was dominated by Reading Comprehension questions.
- Quantitative Aptitude section had maximum questions from Arithmetic and Algebra.
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning questions were in sets and of moderate difficulty level.
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CAT 2024 Analysis → Sectional Break Up
Sectional composition of CAT 2024 was different from CAT 2023. There were 2 extra questions. The total marks of CAT 2024 was 204. However, the question type was same as previous years. Check below sectional break up of the CAT 2024 question paper.
CAT section | Number of Questions | Total Marks |
VARC | 24 | 72 |
DILR | 22 | 66 |
Quantitative Aptitude | 22 | 66 |
Total | 68 | 204 |
CAT 2024 Analysis Section Wise
In this section, the CAT 2024 analysis has been shared here slot wise. This year, there were 22 questions in DILR and that could affect the score calculation. However, since the overall CAT difficulty level is moderate, the cut offs remained stagnant.
CAT 2024 sections | Number of good attempts | Ideal score attempt |
VARC | 14-16 | 40 |
DILR | 10-11 | 32 |
Quantitative Aptitude | 10 | 35 |
Total | 36 | 90 |
CAT 2024 Slot Wise Analysis
The following section presents a detailed slot-wise analysis for the 2024 CAT exam. The table presented below highlights the topics that were asked, and the difficulty level for each slot.
Slot | Section | Topics / Question Types | Difficulty Level |
Slot 1 | VARC | Passages: Utility & Human Economics, Entertainment/Netflix, Australian Spices, Craftsmanship (4 Qs each); Parasummary, Odd Sentence, Sentence Completion | Easy |
DILR | Candlestick (Shares Based), Games & Tournament, Bar Graph (Blogger Based), Bar Graph (Set Theory Based), Caselet (Percentage Based) | – | |
QA | Number System, Algebra, Arithmetic, Modern Math; Topics: Remainder, Indices, Log, Equations, Functions, Maxima-Minima, Sequence & Series, Algebraic Expression, TSD, T&W, SI-CI, Percentage, PLD, Mixture, Averages, Ratios, P&C, Circle, Cuboid/Square, Coordinate Geometry | – | |
Slot 2 | VARC | Passages: Spice Trade, Unintended Consequences of Technology, Peer Review of Research, Carnivore-Human Conflict (400–450 words); 2 Parasummary, 2 Odd Sentence, 3 Para Completion | Doable |
DILR | Bar Graph (Frequency Distribution/Average Based), Two Scatter Plot (x/y axis–PAT/ES), Grid Based (Number Arrangement), Roots & Network (Maxima-Minima), Data Arrangement (7 Students, 3 Coaches/Rating Based) | Moderate | |
QA | Remainder, Indices, Log, Sequence & Series, Functions, Inequalities, Mod/Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, TSD, T&W, SI-CI, PLD, Mixture, Averages, Ratios, P&C, Circle, Trapezium, Coordinate Geometry (Calculation Heavy) | Moderate | |
Slot 3 | VARC | Passages: Impact of AI, Languages, Chinese Moutai, Saving Outer Space & Planets; 3 Parasummary, 2 Odd Sentence, 3 Para Completion | Slightly Difficult but Doable |
DILR | Bar Graph (Nutrient–Food Grain, GDP, AC Temperature, OTT, ATM Network) – 5 sets, 4–5 Qs each, total 22 Qs | Moderate | |
QA | Remainder, Indices, Log, Equations, Functions, Sequence & Series, Integer Solution, Maxima-Minima, TSD, T&W, SI-CI, Percentage, PLD, Mixture, Averages, Ratios, P&C, Circle, Polygon, Triangle (8 MCQs) | – |
CAT 2024 Section-Wise Difficulty of Topics
This section provides the candidates with a clear distinction on the topics that were easy and moderate in each of the three sections. This analysis will help the students prepare better for the exam and devise the strategy accordingly.
Also Check → CAT 2024 question paper and answer key PDF (free download)
CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Analysis 2024
- RC: 4 passages with 4 Questions each
- Verbal Ability: 3 Summary + 3 Para-completion + 2 Odd one
Difficulty Level | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Easy | Digital rights of content (streaming vs DVD/BluRay) | Spice Trade | The success of Chinese liquor brand Moutai |
Craftsmanship and creativity | Unintended Consequences of Technology | Contamination of space | |
Revival of bandicoots in Australia | Peer Review of Research | Languages have become endangered | |
Medium | Critique of behavioural economics | Carnivore-Human Conflict | The need to regulate AI |
CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Analysis 2024
2 sets of 5 questions each and 3 sets of 4 questions each
Difficulty Level | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Easy | Stock prices | 6 firms profitability | App subscription |
Web surfers and 30 starts | Ratings of a product | Room temperature | |
Medium | 3 persons visiting different countries | Rating of 8 gymnasts | Proteins, Carbohydrates in food items |
Difficult | Tournaments | Lakes in a gated community | GDP of 10 countries |
Two candidates contesting the election | 10 numbers in a grid | Network of roads and ATMs |
CAT Quantitative Aptitude (QA) Analysis 2024
Area | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Arithmetic | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Algebra | 7 | 5 | 7 |
Modern Math | 3 | 3 | |
Geometry | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Numbers | 1 | 3 | 1 |
CAT Exam Analysis 2023
In totality, the CAT 2023 question paper structure and its difficulty level was same as CAT 2022 for all slots. In 2023, the CAT slot 3 was tougher than slot 1 and slot 2. In all the three slots, the Quantitative Aptitude section was tougher than VARC and DILR. IIM Lucknow prepared a tough CAT question paper in comparison to other IIMs. Given the difficulty level of the exam, an overall raw score of 98 to 99 would convert 99%ile. Check the highlights of CAT 2023 below.
Download free PDF for CAT 2023 question paper and answer key → all slots
CAT sections | Number of questions | Break up | Difficulty level |
VARC | 24 | 4 passages having 4 questions each, 2 parajumble questions, 2 parasummary questions, 2 paracompletion questions and 2 odd one out questions | Moderate |
DILR | 20 | 4 sets of 5 questions each | Moderate to difficult |
Quantitative Aptitude | 22 | 7 Algebra questions, 7 Arithmetic questions, 3 Geometry questions, 4 Number System questions, 1 Modern Maths questions | Difficult |
CAT Exam Analysis 2022
Section | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 4 RC passages with 4 Qs each; 3 Para Jumbles; 3 Summary; 2 Odd Sentence Out | Similar to Slot 1; RC slightly more inference-based | Similar to Slot 2; RC slightly denser passages |
Difficulty Level (VARC) | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 4 sets – 2 easy-moderate, 2 moderate-difficult | 4 sets – 1 easy, 2 moderate, 1 difficult | 4 sets – 1 easy, 2 moderate, 1 difficult |
Difficulty Level (DILR) | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | Arithmetic heavy; few Algebra & Geometry | Balanced across Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry | Arithmetic heavy; some Modern Math |
Difficulty Level (QA) | Easy-Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
Overall Difficulty | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate |
CAT 2022 question paper and answer key PDF available for download here
CAT Exam Analysis 2021
Section | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 4 RC passages (16 Qs); 3 Para Jumbles; 3 Summary; 2 Odd Sentence Out | Same pattern as Slot 1 | Same pattern; RC slightly more inference-heavy |
Difficulty Level (VARC) | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 4 sets – 2 moderate, 2 difficult | 4 sets – 1 moderate, 3 difficult | 4 sets – 1 moderate, 3 difficult |
Difficulty Level (DILR) | Difficult | Difficult | Difficult |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | Arithmetic-heavy; few Algebra & Geometry | Balanced across Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry | Arithmetic & Algebra focused |
Difficulty Level (QA) | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate |
Overall Difficulty | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
CAT 2021 question paper and PDFs here
CAT Exam Analysis 2020
Section | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 4 RC passages (16 Qs); 3 Para Jumbles; 3 Summary; 2 Odd Sentence Out | Same as Slot 1 | Same as Slot 1 |
Difficulty Level (VARC) | Moderate-Difficult | Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 4 sets – 2 moderate, 2 difficult | 4 sets – 1 moderate, 3 difficult | 4 sets – mostly difficult |
Difficulty Level (DILR) | Difficult | Difficult | Very Difficult |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | Arithmetic-heavy; few Algebra, Geometry | Balanced mix | Arithmetic-heavy |
Difficulty Level (QA) | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
Overall Difficulty | Moderate-Difficult | Difficult | Difficult |
CAT 2020 question paper PDF and solutions → click here
CAT Exam Analysis - 2019
CAT exam 2019 was conducted by IIM Kozhikode. The difficulty pattern and format of the paper did not see much variation from last year. There was a mixed response from the students in terms of the difficulty level of the paper. All the 20 CAT toppers in 2019 emerged to be engineers. Check out the CAT 2019 exam pattern below.
Section | No. of Questions |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | 34 |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 32 |
Quantitative Ability | 34 |
Total | 100 |
There was a slight discrepancy in the marking scheme mentioned in the direction of the exam. The marks mentioned in the question paper were +3 for a correct answer and -1 for an incorrect answer. However, the marks mentioned in the consolidated window mentioned +1 for a correct answer and -0.33 for an incorrect one. This did not make a difference to the final merit since the negative marking ratio is the same in both the cases.
Download CAT previous year question papers here → slot 1, 2, and 3
In 2018, for the Verbal Ability section was along the same lines as last year. It can be termed as a moderate section. The subjective jumbling questions were a little tricky in nature. There were no questions on vocabulary and phrasal verbs this year. Students with good reading skills had an upper hand in this section.
Before 2019, the CAT exam consisted of two sections- Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning. With the introduction of three sections, candidates had to focus on all the sections equally as compensating the sectional scores through either of the topics was not possible anymore.
- The sectional time constraint was not happily welcomed by the aspirants. One couldn't move on to the next section until the time was over for that section. This meant that even if one finishes one of the sections before time, they cannot move on to the next.
- The Subjective type questions were introduced in order to test the basic theoretical knowledge of the candidate and one's ability to execute it. These questions had no negative marking if incorrect. Also, a screen calculator was provided in order to help the candidates to fasten the calculations in these questions.
- The DI and LR section was very tricky and time-consuming. In particular, the LR questions were more time consuming and difficult. This section was certainly the toughest.
- Quant Section was easy with the focus on the Geometry and Arithmetic based questions. There were no questions based on the number system. Most of the questions in this section tested elementary concepts. Commercial Maths, algebra, Geometry, Probability and all basics of mathematics held equal weightage.
- According to the Candidates, the RC was easier than expected and the pattern of the paper was very much similar to that of the official mock test. There were 24 RC questions and 10 Verbal Ability/ Reasoning Questions. All the Verbal Ability questions were TITA, and there were no grammar questions in the VA section.
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CAT Exam Analysis Previous Years
The CAT Exam Pattern has consistently changed for the last 8 years. Below is the analysis of Previous years CAT Question Paper:
Exam Year | No. Of Questions | Verbal Ability | Data Interpretation-Logical Reasoning | Quantitative Ability | Difficulty Level |
100 | Reading Comprehension: 24 Verbal: 10 (3 MCQs & 7 non-MCQs) | DI: 16 LR: 16 MCQs: 24 Non-MCQs: 8 | MCQs: 23 Non- MCQs: 11 | Moderately Difficult | |
CAT 2016 | 100 | Reading Comprehension: 24 Verbal: 10- All MCQs | - | MCQs: 27 Non- MCQs: 7 | Between Moderate to Difficult |
CAT 2015 | 100 | Reading Comprehension: 24 Verbal: 10 (all non-MCQs) | - | MCQs: 24 Non- MCQs: 10 | Between Moderate to Difficult |
CAT 2014 | 100 | VARC: 34 LR: 16 | - | Quant: 34 DI: 16 | Between Moderate to Difficult |
CAT 2013 | 60 | 30 10 Verbal RC: 10 LR: 10 | - | DI: 10 | Between Moderate to Difficult |
