The CAT exam pattern in the last year’s paper consists of an overall 68 questions. Where the distribution of questions among all three sections works as 24 questions in VARC, 22 questions in DILR, and 22 questions in Quantitative Aptitude. The major changes in the CAT exam pattern in last 5 years can be seen in terms of deduction in number of questions, time duration, etc.
The CAT 2025 & CAT 2024 exam paper pattern was exactly the same, with a total of 68 questions and the time duration of 120 minutes (40 minutes across each section). This major change in the CAT exam pattern has been seen after CAT 2023 and CAT 2020. Let’s discuss the CAT paper pattern in a detailed manner by analyzing the last 5-year trend.
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What is CAT Exam Pattern?
CAT exam pattern defines the complete pattern of the Common Admission Test such as the number of questions across VARC, DILR, and QA, overall time duration, types of questions asked, etc. If we are analyzing the last year’s CAT exam paper, then there are overall 68 questions asked in the examination, out of which 24 asked in the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section, 22 questions in the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and the remaining 22 questions have been asked in the Quantitative Aptitude section.
Given below is the expected CAT 2026 exam pattern based on the analysis of past year trends.
CAT Exam Pattern: Highlights
| CAT 2026 Exam Pattern (Tentative) | Details |
| Number of Sections | 3 |
| Name of Sections | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Quantitative Ability |
| Time Duration | 2 hours or 120 minutes |
| Sectional Timing | 40 Minutes |
| Types of Questions Asked | MCQs and TITA |
CAT Exam Pattern (Latest Updates)
- As per the latest cat exam pattern, there are three major sections such as VARC, DILR and QA with total number of questions asked is 68 and overall time duration of the CAT examination is 120 minutes.
- The CAT exam pattern was changed from 66 questions to 68 questions and previously the number of questions asked in the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning was 20 questions which further increased to 22 questions as per the updated CAT paper pattern.
- In CAT 2025, the overall difficulty level of the question paper was moderate to difficult and rest trends you will find later in an article.
- As per the CAT exam conducting pattern by one of the old IIMs, it is expected that CAT 2026 exam will be conducted by Indian Institute of Management Indore.
CAT Exam Pattern: Duration & Sectional Timing
The latest CAT exam paper duration is 120 minutes (2 hours) with sectional timing of 40 minutes. As we see on a table given below that there is no major changes in timing from CAT 2020 to 2025. But before CAT 2020, the timing assigned to complete the whole paper was 180 minutes. Check the complete analysis of CAT exam pattern in terms of time duration below. In CAT 2026, we can expect the time duration to complete Common Admission Test is 120 minutes or 2 hours with sectional timing of 40 minutes equally divided across the sections.
| CAT Year | Number of questions | Time duration | Sections |
| 2025 | 68 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2024 | 68 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2023 | 66 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2022 | 66 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2021 | 66 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2020 | 76 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2019 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2018 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2017 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2016 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2015 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
CAT Exam Pattern 2026 (Expected)
This section covers the tentative information regarding the CAT exam pattern 2026. The information is collectively covered as per the past year’s analysis.
- The question paper will have 3 sections: VARC, DILR, and Quantitative Aptitude.
- Sectional Time Limit – 40 minutes for each section.
- CAT Exam Duration – 120 Minutes
- VARC will have 24 questions, while the other two sections will have 22 questions each.
- Total number of questions – 68
- Mode of exam – CBT Mode
- Total marks in CAT – 204
- CAT Marking Scheme. – +3 per correct attempt and -1 per incorrect attempt
- Negative marking only for MCQs and not TITA
Will CAT Exam Pattern Change This Year?
The number of sections will remain the same in CAT 2026. With the official notification or advertisement, we can exactly whether is there any change found in the number of question and paper pattern.
CAT Exam Pattern: Types of Questions Asked
Questions are widely formatted in two patterns such as TITA and MCQs. TITA stands for Type In The Answer where you have to manually type the answer rather selecting multiple options. This will not give you any answer clue instead you have to precisely solve the question using the respective method. The TITA questions doesn’t left you marked the negative points.
Whereas MCQs stands for Multiple Choice Questions. Here you have to select one options among the given four options. This format carries negative marking of -1 and also give you points of +3 marks for marking answer correct. Due to the negative marking, candidates should marked their answers attentively so that they will not gonna loose overall scores.
CAT Exam Pattern 2026: Section-Wise
Get the section-wise information on the CAT paper pattern here.
CAT 2026 Exam Pattern: VARC
Number of Questions: 24
Total Time Duration: 40 minutes
Total Marks: 72
CAT Exam Pattern 2026: DILR
Number of Questions: 22
Total Time Duration: 40 minutes
Total Marks: 66
CAT Exam Pattern 2026: QA
Number of Questions: 22
Total Time Duration: 40 minutes
Total Marks: 66
CAT Exam Pattern: Last 5-Year Difficulty Level
| CAT Conducting IIMs Over the Years with CAT Paper Difficulty | ||
| Year | IIM | CAT Difficulty Level |
| 2025 | IIM Kozhikode | Moderate-Difficult |
| 2024 | IIM Calcutta | Moderate to Difficult |
| 2023 | IIM Lucknow | Difficult |
| 2022 | IIM Bangalore | Moderate to Difficult |
| 2021 | IIM Ahmedabad | Moderate to Difficult |
CAT Exam Pattern: Changes in the last 5 years
| 2025 | The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2024, with no changes. |
| 2024 | The CAT 2024 paper pattern remained the same as in 2022 and 2023. 2 questions were added in the DILR section. |
| 2023 | The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2022, with no changes. |
| 2022 | The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2021, with no changes. |
| 2021 | The CAT paper pattern here covers 66 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes. |
Detailed changes in the CAT exam pattern, from major ones in 2020 and 2021 to a minor change in 2025, are covered in this article.
Will the CAT exam pattern change in 2026?
Until now there has been no official announcement made about any change in the paper pattern. So it is expected that the CAT paper pattern will remain the same in 2026.
Components Involved in CAT Exam Pattern
- Number of sections in the CAT exam
- Number of questions per section
- Total time duration and slots
- Difficulty level of the exam
OMETs vs CAT Exam Pattern
The table mentioned below covers the detailed exam pattern of the CAT exam vs Other Management Entrance Examinations like XAT, SNAP, NMAT and MAT with the total number of questions asked, sections in the examination, time duration and overall marks.
| Name of Examination | CAT | XAT | SNAP | NMAT | MAT |
| Sections in the Exam | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Number of Questions Asked | 68 | 95 | 60 | 108 | 150 |
| Time Duration | 120 minutes | 180 minutes | 60 minutes | 120 minutes | 120 minutes |
| Overall Marks | 204 | 95 | 60 | 36-360 | 150 |
Major CAT Exam Pattern Changes
The CAT exam paper has seen a lot of changes in the last 5 years. The number of questions has been changed, the duration has been altered, the sectional questions have been changed, and so on. These changes over the past 5 years indicate an active CAT-conducting body that evaluates the requirements of the students and techniques of marking answers and makes changes to the paper pattern accordingly.
| Years | How did the CAT exam pattern look? |
| 2025 | The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2024, with no changes. |
| 2024 | The CAT 2024 paper pattern remained the same as in 2022 and 2023. 2 questions were added in the DILR section. |
| 2023 | The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2022, with no changes. |
| 2022 | CAT still remained a CBT with 3 sections and sectional time limits. Students were not allowed to switch between the sections. |
| 2021 | The paper had 3 sections; the total duration was 2 hours, and each section’s duration was 40 minutes. Total questions were 66. Both MCQs and non-MCQs were asked. |
CAT Exam Pattern: Section-Wise Difficulty Level
| CAT Paper Section-wise Difficulty Level 2021 to 2025 | |||||
| Section | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| VARC | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate | Moderate-Difficult |
| DILR | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate | Difficult | Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
| QA | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate | Difficult | Moderate | Moderate |
| Overall | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate | Difficult | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
Section-Wise Breakdown As Per CAT Exam Pattern
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
This section is quite indispensable in the CAT exam for getting 99+%ile. As per the past trend analysis, the latest CAT paper pattern for the VARC section covers 24 questions and students will be rewarded as +3 marks for marking correct answer and -1 for incorrect marked answer. This section covers Reading Comprehensions of various genres and verbal ability questions.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section is a tricky section to tackle and comprises of 22 questions overall. Here you need to solve sets which basically check your logical aptitude. Complete practicing of the set helps you to target more than 99 percentile in the CAT exam.
Quantitative Aptitude
Last section but again very important to target good marks in the CAT examination. As per the latest CAT exam pattern, this section covers an overall 22 questions across topics such as Arithmetic, Algebra, Modern Maths, Number System and Geometry. This section itself requires good amount of practice through CAT exam level questions.
In Which Year Did the CAT Exam Pattern Change?
The CAT exam pattern has been changing continually over the years. From major changes in the exam format from 2009 up to 2021, multiple changes in the exam duration, section-wise questions, total questions, etc. have been made over the years. In which year did the CAT exam pattern change? is a question which needs to be addressed carefully. Considering the last 5 years of CAT, the paper pattern has changed significantly in 2020 and 2021 and then again in 2024 and 2025.
- 2025 – The total number of questions is 68 with a time duration of 120 minutes.
- 2024 – The total number of questions is 68 with a time duration of 120 minutes.
- 2023 – The total number of questions is 66 with a time duration of 120 minutes.
- 2022 – The total number of questions is 66 with a time duration of 120 minutes.
- 2021 – Total number of CAT questions reduced to 66. The DILR section saw a drop in questions.
- 2020 – Duration reduced from 180 minutes to 120 minutes (shortened due to Covid-19), an additional 3rd slot added, and the questions under each section reduced to 24-26, with the total marks being 228 for 76 questions.
CAT Exam Pattern: IIMs Conducting CAT in Last 5 Years
| Year | CAT Conducting IIM |
| 2025 | IIM Kozhikode |
| 2024 | IIM Calcutta |
| 2023 | IIM Lucknow |
| 2022 | IIM Bangalore |
| 2021 | IIM Ahmedabad |
Negative Marking in the CAT Exam Pattern
Yes, there is negative marking when we talk about attempting the Common Admission Test. Candidates will find negative marking of -1 in every incorrect response. It is quite important for the candidates that they should be very confident about solving questions.
Is the CAT exam pattern getting tougher every year?
No, the CAT exam pattern has remained consistent in the moderate to difficult range. Although students may expect easier questions, given the history of the CAT exam, the range of difficulty has not changed. The answer to the question ‘Is the CAT exam pattern getting tougher each year?’ is simple. The CAT exam pattern is not getting tougher each year; it has been moderate to difficult in the last 5 years.
- From 2020 to 2025, the CAT paper has been moderate to difficult.
- The CAT 2025 exam will be moderate to difficult based on trend analysis.
CAT Exam Pattern Trends Over the Years
This section covers the detailed CAT exam pattern over the years, with sudden changes seen in the number of questions in 2020, typically from 100 questions to 76 questions, and then the number of questions changed to 66, which has remained the same till 2023. Then when we are talking about the latest CAT exam pattern, the total number of questions asked is 68 with a total time duration of 120 minutes. The table specified below covers the complete information about the major changes seen in the CAT paper pattern over the years.
| CAT Year | Number of questions | Time duration | Sections |
| 2025 | 68 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2024 | 68 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2023 | 66 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2022 | 66 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2021 | 66 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2020 | 76 | 120 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2019 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2018 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2017 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2016 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
| 2015 | 100 | 180 minutes | QA, DILR, VARC |
CAT Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme
The negative marking scheme was introduced for the CAT exam long before the last 5 years. It hasn’t changed over the years. Students must answer each question carefully, as the CAT exam has a negative marking scheme. For TITA or non-MCQ-type questions, the negative marking scheme is not applicable.
The table mentioned below covers the negative marking scheme of CAT exam in the last 5 years.
| Negative Marking Scheme In the Last 5 Years | |
| Particulars | Details |
| Changes Made | No changes have been made to the CAT negative marking scheme in the last 5 years. |
| Negative Marking | Only for MCQs |
| Marks Deducted | -1 |
| Non-MCQs | No negative marking |
Major CAT Exam Pattern Changes Before 2020
Before the year 2020, when Covid-19 created major shifts in exam modes, work modes, studies, etc., the CAT exam pattern changed in 2009 first, then in 2014 and 2015. All changes prior to the CAT 2020 exam were related to the exam duration and mode.
- 2009 – The exam pattern shifts from offline pen-and-paper to online computer mode.
- 2014 – Paper duration increased to 170 minutes, sectional time limits were removed, and each section had 50 questions instead of 30. The total number of CAT questions in 2014 was 100.
- 2015 – The CAT exam duration increased to 180 minutes.
Conclusion: CAT Exam Pattern
Understanding the CAT paper pattern will align your preparation towards success. Because you are able to make your goal according to the actual environment of the examination.
FAQs – CAT Exam Pattern
The Common Admission Test covers three different sections, respectively.
1. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
2. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
3. Quantitative Ability
Yes, the Common Admission Test has a negative marking of -1 after making an incorrect response.
The total time duration of the Common Admission Test is 2 hours or 120 minutes.
The CAT 2021 exam pattern consists of 66 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes.
The CAT 2025 exam pattern consists of 68 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes.
The marking scheme of the CAT exam covers +3 marks for the correct answer, -1 mark for the incorrect option and there is no deduction of marks if unattempted any question.
The last year CAT exam pattern covers three major sections such as VARC, DILR and QA with total questions across Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension is 24, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning covers 22 questions and Quantitative Ability covers 22 questions again with total questions covered were 68 alongside time duration of 120 minutes or 2 hours.
The CAT exam paper is conducted in the CBT (Computer-Based Test) mode.
