CAT 2023 Exam Analysis & Answer Key by IMS (Available): Section-Wise Difficulty, Topics, No. of Non-MCQs
IMS CAT coaching institute will release a detailed section-wise analysis of the CAT 2023 question paper with key insights about the difficulty level, topic distribution, number of non-MCQs, etc. Check out the CAT 2023 exam analysis by IMS right here.
The CAT 2023 exam analysis by IMS has been released for Slot 1, Slot 2, and Slot 3 question papers since the CAT exam for all slots has been conducted on November 26, 2023. IMS experts have posted the CAT 2023 exam analysis for each of the three exam slots. Candidates who took the CAT exam in 2023 can use the exam analysis data to better evaluate their own performance. The exam analysis will contain details regarding the test's format, degree of difficulty, and other relevant information. The CAT exam 2023 had 66 questions in total.
The specialists at IMS Learning have provided a sectional analysis for the CAT exam 2023 in addition to their thorough assessment of Slots 1, 2, and 3. A section-by-section analysis of the CAT 2023 paper has been provided after experts have evaluated the questions they get from applicants. This article offers important information on the CAT exam analysis by IMS, in addition to additional specifics about the exam's structure and degree of difficulty.
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CAT 2023 Exam Date and Slot Timings
The CAT exam has been conducted on November 26, 2023. The exam was administered in three separate time shifts, as was the case last year. The time slots, exam times, and reporting times are all listed in the table below:
Exam Slot | Exam Timings(Tentative) | Reporting Time (Tentative) |
Slot 1 | 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM | 7:00 AM to 8:15 AM |
Slot 2 | 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM | 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM |
Slot 3 | 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM | 3:00 PM to 4:15 PM |
CAT 2023 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
The CAT exam pattern will be the same as that of 2023 for all three exam sessions. The exam structure and marking criteria for the CAT exam 2023 are shown in the table below:
CAT 2023 Sections | Number of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions | Type in The Answer Questions (Non-MCQs) | Marking Scheme |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 21 | 4 | +3 marks for a correct answer -1 mark for an incorrect answer No negative marking for non-MCQs |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 20 | 14 | 6 | |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 22 | 14 | 8 | |
Total | 66 | 49 | 17 |
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CAT 2023 Exam Analysis by IMS
IMS is renowned for its thorough CAT exam analysis, which takes into account the exam's overall and slot-by-slot difficulty level, as well as its precise predictions of CAT cutoffs and significant changes to the overall and sectoral CAT exam patterns. The analysis for all three sections of the CAT 2023 exam by IMS has been updated here.
CAT 2023 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
CAT Slots | Topics | LOD | Good Attempts |
1 | 4 Reading Comprehensions (Indian Ocean, British Rule, Noble Era, Culture and Beliefs) | Easy to Moderate | 15-20 |
Para jumbles | Easy | ||
| Parasummaries | Easy | ||
Para Completion | Easy | ||
2 | 4 Reading Comprehensions (History & Science, Second Hand Shopping/Thrifting, Netflix, Liberalism) | Easy to Moderate | 17-20 |
| Para jumbles | Easy | ||
| Parasummaries | Easy | ||
| Para Completion | Easy | ||
| Odd One Out (Compulsory question) | Moderate to Difficult | ||
3 | 4 RC Passages (Dutch Colony Pollution, Romantic & Aesthetic, Cultural History, Philosophy) | Easy to Moderate | 15-20 |
| Para jumbles | Easy | ||
| Parasummaries | Easy | ||
| Para Completion | Easy | ||
| Odd One Out (Compulsory question) | Easy |
CAT 2023 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
Slot | Topics | LOD | Good Attempts |
1 | Cricket Tournament Ranking (Mean, Median, Mode) | Moderate to Difficult | 12-20 |
| Houses (Rooms & Rows) | Difficult | ||
| Visa at UK US offices | Difficult | ||
| Votes for Dean by Professor | Moderate to Difficult | ||
2 | Fair Ride | Moderate | 10-18 |
| 3x3 Matrix | Moderate | ||
| Revenue | Difficult | ||
| Coin Game | Moderate to Difficult | ||
3 | Online offline education | Moderate to Difficult | 10-15 |
| Professors (Wide Arrangement) | Difficult | ||
| Map based Route | Difficult | ||
| Inverter AC sales | Difficult |
CAT 2023 Quantitative Aptitude
Area | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Arithmetic | 7-8 | 7-8 | 9 |
Geometry | 2-3 | 1-2 | 3 |
Algebra | 8-9 | 5-6 | 5 |
Numbers | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Modern Math | 5-6 | 4 | 5 |
Good Attempts | 12-20 | 12-18 | 12-18 |
CAT 2023 Exam Analysis by Other Top Coaching Institutes
Check out the CAT 2023 exam analysis by other top coaching institutes:
CAT 2022 Exam Analysis by IMS
Check out the CAT 2022 exam analysis by IMS:
CAT 2022 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
Slot | Topics | LOD | Good Attempts |
1 | The Chinese and western views on imitation | Easy | 16-18 |
Stoicism | Easy | ||
Political Philosophy | Easy | ||
Supernatural Figures | Difficult | ||
2 | Cephalopods’ Camouflage | Easy | 16-18 |
Technical Social Dualism | Easy | ||
Musicking and modern Humanity | Easy | ||
Institutions | Difficult | ||
3 | Log of Bios and Technos | Easy | 17-19 |
Effect of active and passive software | Easy | ||
Impact of Oriental Literature | Easy | ||
Social Disorganisation and crime | Difficult |
CAT 2022 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
Slot | Topics | LOD | Good Attempts |
1 | Distribution of Tokens | Easy | 10-12 |
Metro Map - 4 metro lines | Easy | ||
4 people 12 goals in 8 games | Easy | ||
Venn Diagram of 3 Variables | Difficult | ||
2 | 3 sales reps selling products | Easy | 10-12 |
A Warehouse and 4 Destinations | Easy | ||
Revenue & costs of 4 companies | Easy | ||
Cosmetic Products with FDA | Difficult | ||
3 | Number of cases over 5 days | Easy | 9-11 |
Mortality rate | Easy | ||
A tournament of 4 people over 8 rounds | Easy | ||
Computer Science-Non CS students | Difficult |
CAT 2022 Quantitative Aptitude
Area | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Arithmetic | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Geometry | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Algebra | 5 | 6 | 5 |
Numbers | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Modern Math | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Good Attempts | 14-15 | 13-14 | 12-13 |
CAT 2021 Exam Analysis by IMS
The analysis for all three sections of the CAT 2021 exam by IMS is given below:
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
There were 16 questions on reading comprehension and 8 questions on verbal ability in the VARC section. The VA questions were easier overall than the Reading Comprehension ones.
VARC Questions | Number of Questions | Type | LOD |
Reading Comprehension | 16 | MCQ | Overall: Difficult |
RC-1: On Nationalism and Colonialism in India | 4 | MCQ | Difficult |
RC-2: Decline of Languages | 4 | MCQ | Easy |
RC-3: Knowledge and Skepticism | 4 | MCQ | Difficult |
RC-4: Relationship between Power and Truth | 4 | MCQ | Medium |
Verbal Ability | 8 | MCQ & TITA | Overall: Medium |
Parajumbles (4 sentences) | 3 | TITA | Medium |
Out of Context sentence | 2 | TITA | Medium |
Summary | 3 | MCQ | Medium |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
In CAT 2021, the DILR part saw a minor alteration, consisting of a total of 4 sets, 2 of which contained 6 questions and the other 2 contained 4 questions apiece. In contrast to the previous few years, there were no sets based on Venn diagrams.
Set Number | Portion | Set Description | Number of Questions | Question Type | Difficulty Level |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | 20 | MCQ and TITA | Medium | ||
1 | Data Interpretation | Bar graph on orders receipt and delivery of items. | 4 | 2 MCQ, 2 TITA | Easy |
2 | Logical Reasoning | Tournaments with 12 individuals | 4 | 4 MCQ | Easy |
3 | Data Interpretation | Rating of delivery boy on four parameters by four individuals | 6 | 4 MCQ, 2 TITA | Medium |
4 | Logical Reasoning | Distribution of 10 objects among 5 friends | 6 | 5 MCQ, 1 TITA | Difficult |
Quantitative Ability (QA)
Arithmetic predominated in this somewhat tough portion, which was followed by Algebra. This year, there were 8 TITA questions. The secret was in picking the correct questions to attempt. In the allotted time, students ought to have been able to attempt 13–14 questions with an accuracy rate of 85–90%.
Quantitative Ability (QA) Areas | Number of Questions |
Arithmetic | 9 |
Algebra | 5 |
Geometry | 3 |
Modern Maths | 3 |
Numbers | 2 |
Quantitative Ability | 14 MCQs, 8 TITA; Overall Difficulty: Medium |
Also Read:Toppers Tips for CAT 2023
CAT 2020 Section-Wise Break Up by IMS
The tables given below provide a section-wise break up of all the slots of CAT 2020.
Slot 1-
Section No. | Section Name | Time Allocated | MCQs | TITA | Total Questions |
1 | VARC | 40 minutes | 21 | 5 | 26 |
2 | DI & LR | 40 minutes | 18 | 6 | 24 |
3 | QA | 40 minutes | 18 | 8 | 26 |
Total | 120 minutes | 57 | 19 | 76 |
Slot 2-
Section No. | Section Name | Time Allocated | MCQs | TITA | Total Questions |
1 | VARC | 40 minutes | 21 | 5 | 26 |
2 | DI & LR | 40 minutes | 18 | 6 | 24 |
3 | QA | 40 minutes | 18 | 8 | 26 |
Total | 120 minutes | 57 | 19 | 76 |
Slot 3-
Section No. | Section Name | Time Allocated | MCQs | TITA | Total Questions |
1 | VARC | 40 minutes | -- | -- | -- |
2 | DI & LR | 40 minutes | -- | -- | -- |
3 | QA | 40 minutes | -- | -- | -- |
Total | 120 minutes | -- | -- | -- |
CAT 2020 Exam Analysis by IMS
The 2020 analysis of the CAT question paper will be released by IMS on November 29. The information will be updated here once it is released by the institute.
CAT 2020 Slot 1 Analysis by IMS
Section | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
VARC | Medium to Difficult | 15 - 17 |
DILR | Medium to Difficult | 13 - 15 |
QA | Medium | 16 - 18 |
Highlights
The difficulty level of DI&LR and QA was the same as that of the last few years.
A total of 19 TITA questions were asked, comprising about 25% of the exam.
VARC had 4 passages on which 18 questions were asked.
In DILR, there were 2 sets of 6 questions each and 3 sets of 4 questions each.
Expected Scores and Percentile for CAT 2020 Slot 1
The estimated scores along with their percentiles for the Slot 1 of CAT 2020 as per IMS has been mentioned below.
Percentile | VARC Score | DI&LR Score | QA Score | Overall Score |
99.5 percentile | 44 | 39 | 49 | 120 |
99 percentile | 40 | 34 | 44 | 110 |
97 percentile | 37 | 31 | 40 | 100 |
95 percentile | 35 | 29 | 38 | 94 |
90 percentile | 30 | 26 | 34 | 81 |
85 percentile | 27 | 23 | 31 | 72 |
Section-Wise CAT 2020 Slot 1 Analysis by IMS
VARC-
Topic | Number of Questions | Type of Question | Difficulty Level |
Reading Comprehension | 18 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
RC-1: Currency in the Tang Empire | 4 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
RC- 2: Elephant Seal Migration | 5 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
RC-3: the importance of Grammar | 5 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
RC-4: Subsets of Anarchist philosophy | 4 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
Verbal Ability | 8 | MCQ and TITA | Medium |
Out of Context sentence | 2 | TITA | Easy to Medium |
Para Jumbles (4 sentences) | 3 | TITA | Medium to Difficult |
Summary | 3 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
DI & LR-
Set | Topic | Description of Set | Number of Questions | Question Type | Difficulty Level |
1 | Data Interpretation | 6 students appearing for an exam in 5 subjects | 6 | 4 MCQs & 2 TITA | Medium |
2 | Logical Reasoning | 4 companies competing for contracts | 6 | 6 MCQs | Difficult |
3 | Data Interpretation | 1,000 patients getting treated with 4 different drugs | 4 | 4 TITA | Easy to medium |
4 | Data Interpretation | 10 musicians | 4 | 4 MCQs | Medium to difficult |
5 | Logical Reasoning | Payment to taxi drivers | 4 | 4 MCQs | Medium to difficult |
QA-
Topic | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Numbers | 2 | Medium |
Algebra | 8 | Medium |
Arithmetic | 10 | Easy to medium |
Geometry | 3 | Easy to medium |
Modern Maths | 3 | Medium |
CAT 2020 Slot 2 Analysis by IMS
Section | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
VARC | Medium to Difficult | 16 - 17 |
DILR | Medium to Difficult | 12 - 14 |
QA | Medium | 16 - 18 |
Expected Scores and Percentile for CAT 2020 Slot 2
The estimated scores along with their percentiles for the Slot 2 of CAT 2020 as per IMS has been mentioned below.
Percentile | VARC Score | DI&LR Score | QA Score | Overall Score |
99.5 percentile | 45 | 37 | 46 | 115 |
99 percentile | 42 | 32 | 41 | 105 |
97 percentile | 38 | 29 | 37 | 95 |
95 percentile | 35 | 26 | 35 | 89 |
90 percentile | 31 | 23 | 31 | 76 |
85 percentile | 28 | 20 | 28 | 67 |
Section-Wise CAT 2020 Slot 2 Analysis by IMS
VARC-
Topic | Number of Questions | Type of Question | Difficulty Level |
Reading Comprehension | 18 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
RC-1: Piracy in International Waters | 4 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
RC- 2: Renewable Energy Technologies | 5 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
RC-3: The Study of Visual Culture | 5 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
RC-4: Aggression - Theories and Models | 4 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
Verbal Ability | 08 | MCQ & TITA | Medium |
Para Jumbles | 3 | TITA | Medium to Difficult |
Out of Context Sentence | 2 | TITA | Easy to Medium |
Summary | 3 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
DI&LR-
Set | Topic | Description of Set | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level | Question Type |
1 | Data Interpretation | Elections | 6 | Medium | 4 MCQ & 2 TITA |
2 | Logical Reasoning | Set on the scheduling of seminars | 6 | Difficult | 6 MCQ |
3 | Data Interpretation | Apparel and home decor of 4 cities over two years | 4 | Medium | 4 MCQ |
4 | Logical Reasoning | Parking lot | 4 | Easy to Medium | 4 MCQ |
5 | Logical Reasoning | Matrix arrangement set on beads of different colours | 4 | Medium to difficult | 4 TITA |
QA-
Topic | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Number Systems | 1 | Medium |
Arithmetic | 9 | Easy to medium |
Geometry | 5 | Medium |
Algebra | 7 | Medium to difficult |
Modern Maths | 4 | Medium |
CAT 2020 Slot 3 Analysis by IMS
Section | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts |
VARC | -- | -- |
DILR | -- | -- |
QA | -- | -- |
CAT 2019 Exam Analysis by IMS
CAT 2019 was conducted on November 24, 2019, in two slots -- Forenoon or Slot 1 from 9 am to 12 noon and Afternoon or Slot 2 from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. IMS released a detailed exam analysis for both the slots as well as the ideal number of attempts in CAT 2019, which can be checked here.
CAT 2019 Estimated Scores and Attempts
The following table provides an estimate of the candidate's score vs percentile in CAT 2020 as per IMS.
VARC Score | DILR Score | QA Score | Overall Score | Percentile |
70 | 49 - 51 | 57 - 60 | 161 - 164 | 99 percentile |
58 - 59 | 38 - 40 | 40 - 42 | 127 - 130 | 95 percentile |
50 - 52 | 32 - 34 | 31 - 33 | 106 - 110 | 90 percentile |
42 - 45 | 27 - 29 | 27 - 28 | 92 - 98 | 85 percentile |
CAT 2019 Slot 1 Analysis by IMS
Following is an analysis of the forenoon shift of CAT 2019 by IMS experts.
Slot 1 Section 1: VARC
Highlights
The overall difficulty was higher than the previous year's question paper.
Type of questions was the same as last year with no grammar questions.
Passage length was around 400-500 for RCs.
Para Jumbles had 4 sentences in each question.
Topic-Wise Number of Questions and Difficulty
Topic | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level | ||
Reading Comprehension - 24 MCQs | ||||
RC Passage 1: Emperor Penguins | 4 | Easy | ||
RC Passage 2: Topophilia | 5 | Moderate | ||
RC Passage 3: Story of Alladin | 5 | Moderate | ||
RC Passage 4: Internet Shopping and Choice Anxiety | 5 | Moderate | ||
RC Passage 5: British Folk Music | 5 | Difficult | ||
Verbal Ability - 10 MCQs + TITA questions | ||||
Easy | Moderate | Difficult | ||
Summary | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Para Jumbles | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Out of Context Sentences | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Slot 1 Section 2: DI & LR
Highlights
8 sets were asked with 4 questions in each.
Some sets were time-consuming and better to be skipped.
1 set had all TITA questions, 5 were all MCQs while 2 were mixed.
Topic-Wise Number of Questions and Difficulty
Topic | No. of Questions | Difficulty | |
MCQ | TITA | ||
Set 1: LR Puzzle - Coding | -- | 4 | Easy - Moderate |
Set 2: LR Puzzle - Prizes in 100 boxes | 2 | 2 | Moderate |
Set 3: LR Puzzle - Street Intersection | 4 | -- | Moderate - Difficult |
Set 4: LR Arrangement - Super Market | 4 | -- | Moderate |
Set 5: LR Arrangement - Dancers & Composers | 4 | -- | Easy - Moderate |
Set 6: LR Games & Tournaments - Archery | 4 | -- | Difficult |
Set 7: DI Reasoning - Spider Chart Vendors | 2 | 2 | Easy - Moderate |
Set 8: DI Calculation - Crimes in States | 2 | 2 | Difficult |
Slot 1 Section 3: QA
Highlights
The overall difficulty of this section was Moderate.
Most of the questions were from Arithmetic.
Around 6 - 8 questions were of very high difficulty.
Topic-Wise Number of Questions and Difficulty
Topic | Difficulty-Wise No. of Questions | |||
Easy | Moderate | Difficult | TOTAL | |
Arithmetic | 11 | 2 | -- | 13 |
Modern Maths | -- | 5 | 3 | 8 |
Geometry | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
Algebra | -- | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Numbers | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
CAT 2019 Slot 2 Analysis by IMS
Here is a detailed analysis of the CAT 2020 Slot 2 Analysis as per the IMS Institute.
Slot 2 Section 1: VARC
Highlights
The difficulty level of VARC in the second shift was higher than in the first shift.
The type of questions was similar to the first shift with no Grammar questions.
Length of RC passages was also 400 to 500 words with no direct questions.
Topic | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level | ||
Reading Comprehension - 24 MCQs | ||||
RC Passage 1: Decentralization of Central Governments | 5 | Easy | ||
RC Passage 2: Language and Cultural Identity | 4 | Moderate | ||
RC Passage 3: Squatter Colonies | 5 | Easy | ||
RC Passage 4: British Colonialism | 5 | Difficult | ||
RC Passage 5: Digital Colonialism by Google | 5 | Moderate | ||
Verbal Ability - 10 MCQs + TITA questions | ||||
Easy | Moderate | Difficult | ||
Para Jumbles | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Summary | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Out of Context Sentence | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Slot 2 Section 2: DILR
Highlights
The DILR section in the second shift was reported to be slightly easier than the previous year.
Again, candidates who were able to select the easier sets to attempt first were able to succeed.
Some of the sets were reported to be quite easy.
Topic-Wise Number of Questions and Difficulty
Topic | No. of Questions | Difficulty | |
MCQ | TITA | ||
Set 1: LR Scheduling - Doctors | 4 | -- | Difficult |
Set 2: LR Caselet - Professors Setting Papers | 4 | -- | Difficult |
Set 3: LR Groupings - Team Formation | 4 | -- | Moderate |
Set 4: LR Games - Rifle Shooting Tournament | 4 | -- | Moderate |
Set 5: DI Calculation - Spiderweb | 2 | 2 | Easy |
Set 6: DI Reasoning - Coins in pouches | 2 | 2 | Moderate |
Set 7: DI Reasoning - Proposals in College | 2 | 2 | Moderate |
Set 8: DI Observation - Rainfall | 2 | 2 | Easy |
Slot 2 Section 3: QA
Highlights
The QA section this year was easier than the previous year's trends.
Arithmetic again was the dominant subject followed by Algebra and Geometry.
Topic-Wise Number of Questions and Difficulty
Topic | Difficulty-Wise No. of Questions | |||
Easy | Moderate | Difficult | TOTAL | |
Arithmetic | 9 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
Geometry | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
Algebra | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Modern Maths | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Numbers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Source: IMS
Popular MBA Colleges Accepting CAT 2023
Check out the list of universities that accept CAT scores and their necessary cutoffs for the same for applicants seeking MBA admissions through CAT in 2023:
Institute Name | CAT Cutoff Range (Percentile Range) |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
90-100 | |
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90-100 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
JAGSOM, Bangalore | 80-90 |
80-90 | |
IIM, Kashipur | 80-90 |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
80-90 | |
70-80 | |
SIES College of Management Studies and SIES School of Business Studies , Navi Mumbai | 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 | |
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 |
You can also check the following articles for CAT accepting colleges as per their cutoffs.
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Candidates who have any questions about CAT 2023 can post them on the CollegeDekho QnA Zone. For help regarding admission to MBA colleges in India, contact our student helpline number 18005729877.