CAT 2017 Question Paper Analysis & Tips for CAT 2021- Check Difficulty Level, Section-Wise Weightage

If you are looking for CAT 2017 question paper analysis, you are at the right place! The Common Admission Test 2017, popularly known as CAT 2017 was held online in various locations across the length and breadth of the country by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow.  Slot #1 for the CAT 2017 exam lasted until noon while Slot #2 lasted till 5.30 p.m. The test score is critical for admission to several master's programs at prominent Indian business institutions, which also include the prestigious IIMs. But, as per experts, the CAT 2017 exam was somewhat easier than the preceding year.

CAT 2017 Question Paper Analysis- Difficulty Level

CAT 2017 was remarkably student-friendly if we look at it from the perspective of question set-up. One look at the overview of the 2017 CAT structure and you will know that it's very much similar to CAT 2016. 

It commenced with the Verbal segment having 34 questions. It can be further segregated into 24 RC & 10 VA questions. Next came the DI-LR section, having 32 questions allocated equally in two sets. The Quantitative Ability segment, which featured 34 questions, formed the third section.  The time allotted for each section was 60 minutes.

For the students, it was not possible to move back & forth between various sections. The marking scheme mimicked the last year's (CAT 2016) pattern: 

• +3 for accurate answers and
•  -1 for the inaccurate ones.

Also, negative marking was not there for the TITA questions. 

Also Read: Section-wise Time Management Tips for CAT 2021

Let us take a short tour of the break-up of questions for each section:

CAT 2017 Question Paper Analysis: Verbal Ability Review

The verbal section was rated as "easy" in terms of difficulty. The majority of students stated that RCs were easier this year in comparison to last year. The exam didn't include any grammar or vocabulary questions, similar to the previous year's question. This indicated that candidates who are competent in reading-based concepts would have felt more at ease in this section. There were 5 RC passages in total. Among them, three contained six questions apiece while others included three questions each. Other questions demanded skills for sentence reorganization, odd sentence removal, and paragraph summary. The difficulty level of this segment was almost the same in both slots.

CAT 2017 Question Paper Analysis: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Review

This section was the most challenging again in CAT 2018, similar to the previous year. Eight sets of four questions were provided(both in Slot #1 and Slot #2). "Analytical Reasoning" was given the same weightage as "Data & Reasoning." This was the most difficult part of the test. Overall, students said that they had attempted 2-3 more questions in the second slot than they did in the first slot.

Also Read:Top 10 Mobile Apps for CAT Preparation

CAT 2017 Question Paper Analysis: Quantitative Aptitude Review

When it comes to the Quant section, it has a stark resemblance with the previous year's question paper, with approximately the same difficulty level. Conventional disciplines such as profit & loss, geometry, and algebra had a higher number of questions. In addition to that, there were a few questions on the domains of puzzles, chain rule permutation, logs, number system, and so on. Although the question structure of this particular section was quite similar in both the slots, the first slot featured 7 non-MCQ questions vis-a-vis 11 in the second.

CAT 2017 Question Paper PDF

You can download the CAT 2017 Slot 1 Solved question paper PDF from here.

Endnote

In the much-coveted examination, it can be said that the examiners did not really throw any major breakthrough questions. The pattern was pretty much similar to the preceding year in terms of difficulty level and structure. CAT examiners, once again, focused on the examinee's aptitude instead of analyzing the student's ability to deal with a disruptive pattern, which should have been the ideal case. Stay tuned with us for more updates and check out our other blogs!

CAT Question Paper Analysis of Other Years

Candidates can find the links to the year-wise paper analysis of the CAT exam in the following table.

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