CAT 2023 Exam Analysis by T.I.M.E. (Out) - Check Detailed Section-Wise Analysis Here
CAT 2023 was conducted on November 26, 2023, in three shifts. A detailed section-wise analysis of the CAT 2023 question paper by T.I.M.E. Institute has been updated here.
CAT 2023 Exam Analysis by T.I.M.E: All three slots of CAT 2023 have been conducted successfully on November 26, 2023. The third slot was the toughest of all. The exam pattern was exactly the same as that of 2022 and the total number of questions was 66 divided into three usual sections: Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension. Find a detailed slot-wise CAT 2023 exam analysis by T.I.M.E below including details such as the exam pattern, level of difficulty, sectional weightage of topics, and more.
Also Read:
CAT 2023 Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme
The CAT exam pattern will be the same for all three slots of the exam. Check out the exam pattern and marking scheme that will be followed for the CAT exam 2023 in the table below:
CAT 2023 Sections | Number of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions | TITA Questions (Non-MCQs) | Marking Scheme |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | 24 | 19 | 5 |
|
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 20 | 15 | 5 | |
Quantitative Aptitude | 22 | 15 | 7 | |
Total | 66 | 49 | 17 |
Also Read:
CAT 2023 Exam Analysis by T.I.M.E.
CAT 2023 Exam Analysis by T.I.M.E. for all three slots has been made available here. Stay informed about the latest insights, section-wise difficulty level, expected cutoffs, and overall exam review. Get valuable inputs to gauge your performance and gain valuable tips to enhance your preparation. Keep an eye on this space for the most comprehensive and accurate CAT 2023 exam analysis brought to you by T.I.M.E., your trusted exam preparation partner.
CAT 2023 Morning Slot Analysis by T.I.M.E.
- Overall, the scheduled morning slot of the CAT 2023 exam proceeded without any difficulties or complications.
- No change was observed in the overall structure of the exam.
- However, the paper seemed more difficult than it did last year.
- In the VARC section, a good number of questions were based on strengthening/weakening of arguments and the type “which of the following are true EXCEPT”.
- The RC passages were based on Postcolonial and “Indian Ocean” Novels, Return of wolves, Geographical vs Cultural Influences on Human History, and The book “Affluent Society”.
- Questions in the LRDI section were based on Blocks/Houses for sale (Quant Based Reasoning), Professors voting for Dean (Distribution), Restaurants and Gigs (Tables), and Consulates – Visa slots. This section was considered to be very difficult.
- Regarding the exam pattern, there were no noticeable surprises in this slot and the pattern remained the same as observed in the last couple of years.
- In contrast to the other two slots, candidates in the morning slot have encountered an unexpectedly high difficulty level, according to the student feedback that has been received so far.
- No change was observed in the evaluation scheme: 3 marks to be awarded for a correct answer and 1 mark to be deducted for a wrongly marked MCQ; no negative marking for Non-MCQs.
The CAT exam pattern 2023 in the first slot have been provided in the table below:
| Section | Number of Questions | MCQs | Non MCQs | Difficulty Level | Sectional time limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | 24 | 20 | 4 | Moderate to Difficult | 40 Minutes |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 20 | 14 | 6 | Difficult to Very Difficult | 40 Minutes |
| Quantitative Ability | 22 | 14 | 8 | Difficult | 40 Minutes |
| Total | 66 | 48 | 18 | Difficult | 120 Minutes |
CAT 2023 Afternoon Slot Analysis by T.I.M.E.
Overall, the afternoon slot was easier than the morning slot, but the difference in difficulty was not significant. Regarding difficulty, almost every section was close to the morning slot. For those who took the afternoon slot, there was a small surprise in the VARC section.- A question on Odd Man Out was highlighted as mandatory in the VARC section. There was a * symbol beside the question number in the Question palette.
- There were 4 RC passages with 4 questions per passage.
- Questions on hypothesis and application questions with additional layers of reasoning dominated the question paper.
- Candidates also noticed a good number of questions on “which of the following are true EXCEPT” and questions with double negatives of the nature “all of the following weaken … EXCEPT.”
- Compared to the morning slot paper, the afternoon slot's DILR section was a little bit easier. The question pattern was identical to that of the morning slot paper.
- In the QA section, there were two doable sets, and the students could not process a lot of information in these sets. Because of this, students who selected these sets based on a large amount of information were able to achieve high scores.
- Between the morning and afternoon slots, there was essentially no difference in the distribution of questions in the QA section across topics or in terms of their level of difficulty.
- There were 3 from Numbers and 2 from Quadratic Equations in the afternoon slot.
- This paper contained no questions from Modern Maths. Like the morning slot, the majority of the questions asked the student to do more than just substitute values in formulas.
| Name of the Section | Type of Question | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | Fast Fashion | 4 | Moderate |
| History – Interpretation of Facts | 4 | Difficult | |
| Netflix and European Culture | 4 | Moderate | |
| Liberalism | 4 | Difficult | |
| Para Formation Questions (PFQs) | 2 | Moderate-Difficult | |
| Sentence Placement | 2 | Moderate | |
| Para Summary | 2 | Moderate | |
| Para Odd Man Out | 2 | Moderate | |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | 3 People drawing numbers | 5 | Moderate |
| 5 Firms raising money – founded and closed in different years | 5 | Moderate-Difficult | |
| 9 Boxes in 3 x 3 tray | 5 | Difficult | |
| Theme Park – 3 friends – 4 rides | 5 | Difficult | |
| Quantitative Ability | ERPV | 2 | Difficult |
| Percentages, Profit & Loss | 2 | Difficult | |
| SI-CI | 1 | Difficult | |
| Time & Distance | 1 | Difficult | |
| Numbers | 3 | Difficult | |
| Geometry | 2 | Difficult | |
| Progressions/Series | 2 | Difficult | |
| Quadratic Equations | 2 | Difficult | |
| Averages Mixtures & Alligations | 2 | Difficult | |
| Coordinate Geometry | 1 | Difficult | |
| Special Equations | 1 | Difficult | |
| Logarithms | 1 | Difficult | |
| Inequalities | 2 | Difficult | |
| Time and Work | 1 | Difficult |
CAT 2023 Evening Slot Analysis by T.I.M.E.
- The Quant section was more difficult than the first two slots. There were no simple questions in this section, and over half of the questions fit into the category of difficult questions.
- The majority of the questions revolved around algebra and arithmetic, which was also the case in the previous slots.
- This paper contained no questions on Modern Maths questions.
- The overall diffiiculty of the VARC section was moderate to difficult.
- Unlike the afternoon slot, there were no mandatory questions in this slot.
- There were also a lot of "all...if true/weaken...EXCEPT" questions in this slot.
- Inference-based questions comprised the majority of the questions.
- There were two questions on sentence placement, para summary, odd man out, and para formation in the verbal ability section.
- The overall difficulty level of the DILR section was high to extremely high. Compared to last year's DILR section, this was more difficult.
- Quant Based Reasoning sets comprised three of the four sets. There were no sets entirely based on LR.
- There were two sets that could be answered, and even these two required a significant amount of effort and time. There were two sets in this slot that required students to know specific statistical terms beforehand, just like one of the sets in the morning slot.
The CAT exam pattern 2023 in the first slot have been provided in the table below:
| Section | Number of Questions | Type of Questions | Difficulty Level | Good Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | 24 |
| Moderate to Difficult | 18-20 |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | 20 |
| Moderate to Difficult | 12–14 |
| Quantitative Ability | 22 | Percentages, Profit & Loss Functions Time & Distance Averages Mixtures & Alligations Permutations & Combinations Logarithms Time and Work | Difficult | 7-9 |
| Total | 66 | 48 | Difficult | 37-43 |
CAT 2022 Exam Analysis by T.I.M.E.
CAT 2022 Slot 1 Paper Analysis by T.I.M.E.
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
Here's the distribution of the questions in the Reading Comprehension part:
RC Passage | No. of Questions | Readability | Overall Difficulty Level |
Undeads/Ghosts | 4 | Moderate | Moderate |
Emotions/Stoicism | 4 | Moderate | Moderate |
Chinese/Eastern Art Philosophy | 4 | Moderate | Moderate |
Human rights & Technology | 4 | Very Difficult | Very Difficult |
Check the distribution of questions in the Verbal Ability part in the table below:
Question Type | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Para Formation Questions (PFQs) | 3 | Moderate |
Sentence placement | 2 | Moderate |
Para Summary | 3 | Moderate |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Here's the distribution of the questions in the Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation part:
DILR Set | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Boys & Girls (Venn Diagram) | 5 | Very Difficult |
Funding Tokens (LR Puzzle) | 5 | Difficult |
Goals (Games & Tournament) | 5 | Moderate-Difficult |
Metro (Routes & Networks) | 5 | Very Difficult |
Quantitative Ability
Check the distribution of questions in the Quantitative Ability part in the table below:
Topic | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
ERPV | 2 | Easy |
Percentages, Profit & Loss | 2 | Moderate - Difficult |
SI-CI | 1 | Easy |
Time & Distance | 1 | Moderate |
Numbers | 3 | Moderate-Difficult |
Geometry | 2 | Moderate |
Progressions/Series | 2 | Moderate |
Sets | 1 | Moderate |
Quadratic Equations | 1 | Difficult |
Inequalities & Modulus | 2 | Difficult |
Averages Mixtures & Alligations | 3 | Easy-Moderate |
Coordinate Geometry | 1 | Moderate |
Permutations & Combinations | 1 | Difficult |
Also Read: CAT Analysis by Hitbullseye
CAT 2022 Slot 2 Paper Analysis by T.I.M.E.
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
Here's the distribution of the questions in the Reading Comprehension part:
RC Passage | No. of Questions | Readability | Difficulty Level |
Social Institutions | 4 | Difficult | Difficult |
Music | 4 | Very Difficult | Very Difficult |
Engineering Pedagogy | 4 | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult |
Octopuses | 4 | Easy | Moderate |
Check the distribution of questions in the Verbal Ability part in the table below:
Question Type | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Para Formation Questions (PFQs) | 3 | Difficult |
Sentence placement | 2 | Moderate |
Para Summary | 3 | Moderate-Difficult |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Here's the distribution of the questions in the Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation part:
DILR Set | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Warehouses (Routes & Networks) | 5 | Very Difficult |
Products Types (Venn Diagrams) | 5 | Difficult |
Households and Salesmen (Quant-Based Reasoning) | 5 | Moderate-Difficult |
Revenues, Cost (Scatter Chart) | 5 | Moderate |
Quantitative Ability
Check the distribution of questions in the Quantitative Ability part in the table below:
Topic | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Percentages, Profit & Loss | 1 | Moderate |
SI-CI | 1 | Easy |
Time & Distance | 1 | Moderate |
Time & Work | 1 | Difficult |
Numbers | 1 | Moderate |
Geometry | 2 | Moderate |
Progressions/Series | 2 | Moderate - Difficult |
ILS | 2 | Difficult |
Functions | 1 | Difficult |
Quadratic Equations | 2 | Difficult |
Averages Mixtures & Alligations | 4 | Moderate-Difficult |
Trigonometry | 1 | Difficult |
Permutations & Combinations | 1 | Moderate |
Special Equations | 2 | Moderate |
Also Read: CAT 2022 Exam Analysis by IMS
CAT 2022 Slot 3 Paper Analysis by T.I.M.E.
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
Here's the distribution of the questions in the Reading Comprehension part:
RC Passage | No. of Questions | Readability | Difficulty Level |
Orientalism and Interpretation of India’s past | 4 | Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
Automation | 4 | Easy | Moderate-Easy |
Biology & Technology | 4 | Moderate | Moderate |
Social Disorganization | 4 | Moderate | Moderate |
Check the distribution of questions in the Verbal Ability part in the table below:
Question Type | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Para Formation Questions (PFQs) | 3 | Difficult |
Sentence placement | 2 | Moderate |
Para Summary | 3 | Moderate-Difficult |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Here's the distribution of the questions in the Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation part:
DILR Set | No. of Questions | Difficulty level |
Mortality rates (Bar Graph) | 5 | Moderate |
Diseases (Distribution) | 5 | Difficult |
Students (Quant Based Reasoning) | 5 | Very Difficult |
Rounds and Bets (Games and Tournaments) | 5 | Difficult |
Quantitative Ability
Check the distribution of questions in the Quantitative Ability part in the table below:
Topic | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
AMA | 3 | Moderate |
Functions | 1 | Difficult |
Geometry | 4 | Moderate-Difficult |
Indices & Logs | 1 | Difficult |
Special Equations | 1 | Difficult |
Quadratic Equations | 4 | Moderate-Difficult |
Numbers | 1 | Difficult |
Progressions | 1 | Easy |
SI CI | 1 | Easy |
Time & Work | 2 | Easy-Difficult |
Time & Distance | 2 | Easy-Difficult |
P & C | 1 | Moderate |
Also Read: CAT 2022 Analysis by Career Launcher
CAT 2022 Cutoff Analysis by T.I.M.E.
The cut-offs across all slots of CAT 2022 are expected to be as below.
VARC Percentile
| Percentile | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 23 | 21 | 25 |
| 95 | 32 | 29 | 34 |
| 99 | 43 | 38 | 45 |
DILR Percentile
| Percentile | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 12 | 15 | 15 |
| 95 | 18 | 22 | 23 |
| 99 | 25 | 29 | 30 |
QA Percentile
| Percentile | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
| 95 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
| 99 | 32 | 31 | 31 |
CAT 2021 Exam Analysis by T.I.M.E.
The CAT exam 2022 will follow similar trends as the CAT 2021 exam. Here is the sectional exam analysis of the CAT 2021 exam by T.I.M.E. institute:
CAT 2021 Sections | Number of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | Moderate To Tough |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning & (DILR) | 20 | Moderate |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 22 | Easy |
Overall | 66 | Moderate |
CAT 2020 Exam Analysis by T.I.M.E.
Check out the slot-wise paper analysis of CAT 2020 released by T.I.M.E. below.
CAT 2020 Slot 1 Paper Analysis by T.I.M.E.
Given below is the overall analysis of CAT 2020 as provided by T.I.M.E. institute.
Section | No. of Questions | No. of Questions | No. of TITA | Section-Wise Pattern |
VARC | 26 | 18 (RC) | 0 |
|
8 (VA) | 5 |
| ||
DI&LR | 24 | 24 | 6 |
|
QA | 26 | 26 | 8 | 26 Questions |
Total | 76 | 76 | 19 | - |
CAT 2020 Slot 2 Paper Analysis by T.I.M.E.
Following is an analysis of Slot 2 of T.I.M.E.
Section | Total No. of Questions | No. of Questions | No. of Non-MCQs | Section-Wise Pattern |
VARC | 26 | 18 (RC) | 0 |
|
8 (VA) | 5 |
| ||
DILR | 24 | 24 | 6 |
|
QA | 26 | 26 | 8 | 26 Questions |
Total | 76 | 76 | 19 | - |
CAT 2020 Slot 3 Paper Analysis by T.I.M.E
Given below is an analysis of Slot 3 of CAT 2020.
Section | Total No. of Questions | No. of Questions | No. of Non-MCQs | Section-Wise Pattern |
VARC | 26 | 18 (RC) | 0 |
|
8 (VA) | 5 |
| ||
DILR | 24 | 24 | 6 |
|
QA | 26 | 26 | 8 | 26 Individual Questions |
Total | 76 | 76 | 19 | - |
Source: T.I.M.E.
List of Colleges Accepting CAT 2023 Scores
Candidates applying for MBA admissions through CAT 2023 can check out the list of colleges that accept CAT scores and their required cutoffs for the same:
Institute Name | CAT Cutoff Range (Percentile Range) |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
JAGSOM, Bangalore | 80-90 |
80-90 | |
IIM, Kashipur | 80-90 |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
SIES College of Management Studies and SIES School of Business Studies, Navi Mumbai | 70-80 |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
MIME Bangalore | 70-80 |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 | |
70-80 |
You can use our CAT Percentile Predictor 2023 to check your estimated percentile in the exam. If you want to know your chances of getting calls from IIMs and other top B-schools in India, then use our CAT College Predictor 2023.
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| CAT 2023 Cutoff for Top Private MBA Colleges for General, SC/ST, OBC |
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