CAT exam analysis 2021 for slot 1, 2 and 3 papers has been released based on the student’s reactions. Slot 1 was moderately difficult, while slots 2 & 3 were moderate. Here in this post we have explained the CAT question paper analysis 2021 in detail.
CAT Question Paper Overview
- The number of questions in the paper has been reduced from 70 to 66. Here is the updated question distribution:
- Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension- 24
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning- 20
- Quantitative Aptitude- 22
- All the three slots of the CAT question paper had the same number of questions in the VARC section.
- Based on the experience of the candidates, one question on Algebra was asked in both slot 2 and slot 3. Moreover, the maximum number of questions were from Algebra and Arithmetic.
- The CAT DILR section included 2 DI sets with 6 questions each and 2 LR sets with 4 questions each in all three sets.
CAT Exam Analysis 2021
CAT exam 2021 was conducted on November 28, 2021, in three different slots. Here is the exam analysis for slots 1, 2, and 3.
CAT Slot 1 Exam Analysis 2021
- CAT quantitative aptitude section ranges from easy to moderate with maximum questions from the two major topics Algebra and Arithmetic.
- The CAT VARC section was moderately difficult and had the maximum weightage. This section included questions mainly from para jumbles and summary-based questions.
- The slot 1 question paper was very lengthy and a little time-consuming.
- The questions in the DILR section were moderately challenging.
| Sections | No. Of Questions | Distribution Of Questions | Difficulty Levels | Good Attempts |
| CAT VARC | 24 | The paper included 19 MCQs and 5 TITA-type questions:
|
Moderately Difficult | 16-18 |
| CAT DILR | 20 | The paper included 15 MCQs and 5 TITA-type questions:
|
Moderate | 12-15 |
| CAT QA | 22 |
|
Moderately Difficult | 14-16 |
| Total | 66 | Moderate | 45-50 |
CAT Slot 2 Exam Analysis 2021
The CAT 2021 slot 2 exams were conducted from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. Here is the detailed CAT 2021 slot 2 exam analysis:
- CAT QA section included topics from Geometry, Algebra, and more.
- CAT DILR section includes 20 questions from concepts like charts, caselets, and charts. This section was moderately difficult.
- The CAT VARC section included 4 reading comprehension passages that were moderately difficult.
| Sections | No. Of Questions | Distribution Of Questions | Difficulty Levels | Good Attempts |
| CAT VARC | 24 | The paper included 19 MCQs and 5 TITA-type questions:
|
Moderately Difficult | 16-18 |
| CAT DILR | 20 | The paper included 15 MCQs and 5 TITA-type questions:
|
Moderate | 13-15 |
| CAT QA | 22 |
|
Moderately Difficult | 14-16 |
| Total | 66 | Moderate | 48-53 |
CAT Slot 3 Exam Analysis 2021
The slot 3 of CAT exam was conducted from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The overall difficulty of the final slot was similar to the other 2 slots.
- The CAT QA was easy. However, the questions were tricky making it time-consuming to solve questions.
- The CAT VARC section was moderately difficult.
- The CAT DILR section was the most difficult section in the entire question paper.
- The CAT DILR section consisted of 2 DI sets with 6 questions each and 2 LR with 4 questions.
| Sections | No. Of Questions | Distribution Of Questions | Difficulty Levels | Good Attempts |
| CAT VARC | 24 | The paper included 19 MCQs and 5 TITA-type questions:
|
Moderately Difficult | 17-19 |
| CAT DILR | 20 | The paper included 15 MCQs and 5 TITA-type questions:
|
Moderate | 12-15 |
| CAT QA | 22 |
|
Moderate | 13-16 |
| Total | 66 | Moderate | 50-55 |
CAT Exam Analysis 2020
CAT Slot 1 Exam Analysis 2020
The slot 1 of CAT 2020 was conducted from 8:30-10:30 AM.
- The difficulty level was moderate.
- VARC section was highly difficult when compared to the QA and DILR sections.
- 26 questions were asked from QA, 24 from DILR, and 26 questions from VARC.
| Sections | Difficulty Levels | No. Of Questions | Important Topics |
| QA | Slightly difficult | 26 | Number System, Algebra, Geometry, Logarithms, Arithmetic, Functions, and Mensuration. |
| DILR | Easy | 24 | Students and Exams, Drivers, and Ratings. |
| VARC | Difficult | 26 | Para jumbles, Para Summary, Reading Comprehension, Odd Sentence. |
CAT Slot 2 Exam Analysis 2020
The CAT 2020 slot 2 exams were conducted from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. Here is the detailed CAT 2020 slot 2 exam analysis:
-
- The question paper was moderately difficult.
- VARC was the easiest section when compared to QA and DILR.
- 26 questions were asked from QA, 24 from DILR, and 26 questions from VARC.
| Sections | Difficulty Levels | No. Of Questions | Important Topics |
| QA | Moderate (Difficult than 2019) | 26 | Algebra, Geometry, Arithmetic. |
| DILR | Moderate to difficult | 24 | Votes polled, Scheduling, Sales Figures, Parking Slots |
| VARC | Easy | 26 | Para jumbles, Summary-based questions, Reading Comprehension |
CAT Slot 3 Exam Analysis 2020
The slot 3 of CAT exam was conducted from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. This slot was moderately difficult. The DILR section was very difficult, VARC was moderately difficult, and QA was easy yet tricky.
| Sections | Difficulty Levels | No. Of Questions | Important Topics |
| QA | Easy yet tricky | 26 | Algebra and Arithmetic. |
| DILR | Difficult | 24 | Schedule, Venn Diagram, Games & Tournament based Set |
| VARC | Moderately Difficult | 26 | Odd One Out, Summary-based questions, Para-jumbles, RC |
CAT Pape Analysis Over the Years
Here is the CAT paper analysis of 2015-2019:
| CAT Year | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Exam Date | 24 November | 25
November |
26 November | 4 December | 29 November |
| CAT Conducting IIM | IIM Kozhikode | IIM Calcutta | IIM Lucknow | IIM Bangalore | IIM Ahmedabad |
| Total Sections | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Total Duration | 3 hours | 3 hours | 3 hours | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Total Questions | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Marking Scheme | Correct Answer: +3
Wrong Answer: – 1 |
Correct Answer: +3
Wrong Answer: – 1 |
Correct Answer: +3
Wrong Answer: – 1 |
Correct Answer: +1
Wrong Answer: – 0.33 |
Correct Answer: +3
Wrong Answer: – 1 |
| Number of MCQs | 75 | 75 | 74 | 75 | 72 |
| Number of Non-MCQs | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 28 |
| Name of Sections with Number of Questions | VARC-34
DILR-32 QA- 34 |
VARC-34
DILR-32 QA- 34 |
VARC-34
DILR-32 QA- 34 |
VARC-34
DILR-32 QA- 34 |
VARC-34
DILR-32 QA- 34 |
Conclusion
CAT exam analysis 2021 for slot 1, 2 and 3 papers has been released based on the student’s reactions. Before you start preparing for the exam, it is recommended to check the previous year’s paper analysis.
Here in this post, we explained the CAT paper analysis 2021, 2020, and 2015-2019.
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