97 Percentile in CAT 2024 Means How Many Attempts?

Candidates aiming to appear for the CAT exam 2024 scheduled on November 24, 2024, must be contemplating 97 percentile in CAT means how many attempts. Before anticipating the minimum number of correct answers required to obtain a 97 percentile, candidates must note that the number of attempts depends on various factors like the difficulty level of the exam, normalization process across different sections, the overall performance of all the test-takers, etc. among others. However, it can be predicted that an attempt of around 33 to 36 questions with 85-90% accuracy out of a total of 66 questions will fetch you the 97 percentile mark. With the CAT's marking scheme of awarding 3 marks for a correct answer and deducting 1 mark for an incorrect answer, candidates must aim to solve about 10-12 questions in the VARC section, 8-10 questions in the DILR section, and 12-14 questions in the QA section with high accuracy. Go through the article below to understand how many questions to attempt in CAT 2024 overall along with the section-wise attempts required to obtain a 97 percentile.

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How Many Questions to Attempt in CAT 2024 to Score 97 Percentile?

No fixed number of attempts have been mentioned by the conducting authorities for the candidates to obtain a 97 percentile in the CAT 2024 exam. From previous years’ data, it can be anticipated that candidates would need to achieve a score of around 95-105 marks to obtain a 97 percentile. The total number of questions asked in the CAT exam is 66, out of which candidates must answer a minimum of 32 questions with a very high accuracy rate (around 95-100% accuracy) to score a 97 percentile in the CAT exam. Given below is the number of attempts required to score a 97 percentile in CAT if we assume that 95-105 are required for a 97 percentile.

Section-wise Good Attempts in CAT 2024 to Score 97 Percentile

Apart from meeting the overall score requirement for the CAT exam, candidates are also required to obtain high sectional cutoffs in order to secure an overall cumulative score of 97 percentile in CAT 2024. To become eligible for the subsequent rounds like GD, PI, and WAT in top IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, and IIM Bangalore, candidates must meet both the overall and sectional cutoffs.

Sectional cutoffs in these B-Schools for the General category are typically higher compared to that of reserved categories (OBC, SC, ST, PWD) and fall around 80-85 percentile for each section. However, for obtaining an overall score of 97 percentile in the CAT 2024 exam, candidates must aim for a sectional score equivalent to 90 percentile or higher in each section. Reserved category candidates can avail themselves of a relaxation in scores and obtain around 70-80 percentile in each section.

Expected CAT 2024 Sectional Cutoffs for 97 Percentile

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC): Depending on the difficulty level of the CAT 2024 question paper, candidates require a score of 32-38 marks in the VARC section to secure a 97 percentile. Attempting around 11-13 questions with 85-90% accuracy is crucial in this section.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): Candidates must obtain a minimum score of 28-34 marks in the DILR section. Solving around 9-11 questions with good accuracy is enough in this section since it is considered to be more challenging compared to other sections.

Quantitative Ability (QA): A minimum score of 30-35 marks is required in this section. Candidates must solve approximately 10-12 questions with high accuracy to obtain this score.

Check the CAT 2024 sectional cutoffs required to secure a 97 percentile in the table below:

Find the number of good attempts in each section of the CAT 2024 exam against the accuracy mentioned.

How to Get a 97 Percentile in CAT 2024?

If a candidate is aiming to score a 97 percentile in CAT 2024, he/she must undergo a strategic preparation following the instructions below:

• Since CAT has sectional cutoff and high sectional percentiles are required, developing a section-wise strategy becomes crucial. The focus areas in the VARC section are Reading comprehension (RC) passages, grammar, vocabulary, para jumbles, and summary-based questions that require the candidates to read editorials, newspapers, and books regularly to enhance reading speed and comprehension skills. Practising a wide variety of sets of puzzles, tables, charts, graphs, logical puzzles, etc. and increasing speed in calculation and logical thinking to reduce time per set are crucial to ace the DILR section. To perform effectively in the QA section, candidates must become well-versed in Arithmetic, algebra, number systems, geometry, and modern math (like permutations and combinations).
• Solve a minimum of 20-30 questions from different topics every day and work on mental math and short-cut techniques. Take as many mock tests to solve questions rapidly within sectional time limits to improve speed and accuracy.
• To assess your preparation, take full-length mock tests regularly, and analyze your performance by reviewing the questions you got wrong and understanding where you made mistakes. Focus on your weak areas and improve your test-taking strategy by identifying the sections where you can improve your scores and where you need to enhance your time management skills. Take sectional mock tests as well to improve your performance in individual sections.
• Start with easier questions first and then move on to more complex ones but do not waste time on tough or ambiguous questions.
• Learn to solve as many questions as possible within the sectional time limit with high accuracy of at least 80-85%. Since there is negative marking, do not guess unnecessarily. Practise how to eliminate wrong answers.

The first 2-3 months of preparation must involve conceptual learning, i.e., learning all the basic concepts and solving easier problems. Solving intermediate to advanced-level questions across various topics must be the tone of CAT preparation for the next 2-3 months. The final 1-2 months must be dedicated to full-length mocks and analysis of performance. Scoring in the range of 95-105 marks will only be possible if you follow a structured plan, undergo focused preparation, and develop the right mindset!

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