Common Admission Test (CAT) is conducted by IIM for admission to various management programmes (MBA/PGDM) in top B-schools in India. Over the past years, as per the CAT exam analysis the level of the question paper has been moderately difficult. There have also been changes in the CAT exam pattern, including the number of questions, maximum marks, and exam duration. Last year, the CAT 2024 exam consisted of 68 questions, which needed to be attempted within 120 minutes. Candidates who are planning to participate in the upcoming CAT 2025 exam must check last year CAT Exam Analysis to understand the past exam trends and formulate their strategy accordingly. It typically reveals the weightage of the section along with the changes in difficulty level in the past decades. In this article, we have compiled CAT Exam Analysis of the last few years and other crucial information to simplify the candidate’s preparation journey.
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Last Year CAT Exam Analysis Highlights
Understanding the last year CAT Exam Analysis helps candidates gain insights into subject-wise difficulty level, number of questions asked, and overall exam toughness. This allows them to establish realistic targets and improve their strategy for achieving a 99+ percentile in the exam. Check the overview of last year CAT Exam Analysis shared below for reference purposes:
CAT Questions Trend
Year | Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) | Quantitative Ability (QA) | Total |
2024 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 68 |
2023 | 24 | 20 | 22 | 66 |
2022 | 24 | 20 | 22 | 66 |
2021 | 24 | 20 | 22 | 66 |
2020 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 76 |
CAT Exam Difficulty Level- Section-Wise
Section | CAT 2024 Difficulty Level | CAT 2023 Difficulty Level | CAT 2022 Difficulty Level | CAT 2021 Difficulty Level | CAT 2020 Difficulty Level |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | Moderate | Moderate to Difficult | Moderate | Moderate to Difficult | Moderate to Difficult |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) | Moderate | Easy to Moderate | Difficult | Difficult | Difficult |
Quantitative Ability (QA) | Moderate | Difficult | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
Overall | Moderate | Difficult | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult | Moderate-Difficult |
Last Year CAT Exam Analysis
The CAT exam paper consists of three sections, i.e. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Analysing the section-wise difficulty level of the CAT exam over the past years can help you understand topic-wise weightage and boost your preparation. To help, we have shared below last year’s CAT Exam Analysis from 2021 to 2024 for the guidance of the candidates.
CAT Exam Analysis 2024
As per the feedback of students, the difficulty level of the CAT 2024 exam was moderate across all the slots. Most of the questions in the Quant section were asked from Arithmetic and Algebra. The sets asked in LRDI were moderately difficult. On the other hand, reading comprehension questions asked in VARC were moderate to tough level.
CAT Exam Analysis 2024 for Quantitative Ability (QA)
Topic | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Arithmetic | 7-8 | 7-8 | 7-8 |
Modern Math | 2-3 | 2-3 | – |
Algebra | 6-7 | 4-5 | 6-7 |
Numbers | 1-2 | 2-3 | 1-2 |
Geometry | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-3 |
CAT Exam Analysis 2023
According to the review collected from the candidates, the questions asked in the CAT 2023 exam were difficult in nature. In summary, the VARC exam level ranged from moderate to difficult, questions in DILR were easy to moderate, while the Quantitative Ability section was challenging. Check the section-wise CAT exam analysis 2023 shared below for reference purposes.
CAT Exam Analysis 2023 for Quantitative Ability
CAT QA Topics | Number of Questions |
Arithmetic | 7-9 |
Geometry & Mensuration | 2-4 |
Algebra | 5-9 |
Moderate Math | 1-3 |
Number System | 2-3 |
CAT Exam Analysis 2023 for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
CAT VARC Topics | Number of Questions |
Reading Comprehension | 15-16 |
Para Summary | 2-3 |
Para Jumbles | 2-3 |
Odd One Out/Para Completion | 1-2 |
CAT Exam Analysis 2023 for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
CAT DILR Topics | Number of Questions |
Matrix and Grid | 6-7 |
Misc | 10-11 |
Matrix Arrangement | 6-7 |
Reasoning-based DI | 9-10 |
Order and ranking | 2-3 |
Arithmetic Caselet | 2-3 |
Venn Diagram | 6-7 |
Scheduling and Matrix | 5-6 |
Logic Based Table | 2-3 |
Mathematical AR | 3-4 |
CAT Exam Analysis 2022
As per the feedback of students who participated in the exam, the CAT 2022 exam level was moderately difficult. In brief, the VARC section was moderate, questions in DILR were difficult, and the Quantitative Ability section was moderate. Learn about the section-wise CAT exam analysis 2022 discussed below for reference purposes.
CAT Exam Analysis 2022 for Quantitative Ability
Topics | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
Arithmetic | 7-8 | 7-8 | 7-8 |
Geometry | 3-4 | 3-4 | 4-5 |
Algebra | 5-6 | 6-7 | 5-6 |
Numbers | 3-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 |
Modern Math | 3-4 | 4-5 | 3-4 |
CAT Exam Analysis 2021
Based on expert analysis and feedback received from test-takers, the CAT 2021 exam level was moderately difficult. In brief, the VARC section was moderate to difficult, questions in DILR were difficult, and the Quantitative Ability section was moderate. Here is the section-wise CAT exam analysis 2021 for different sections tabulated below for reference purposes.
CAT Exam Analysis 2021 for Quantitative Ability
CAT Quant Section | Number of Questions (Slot 1) |
Arithmetic | 10 |
Algebra | 5-6 |
Modern Maths | 4-5 |
Geometry | 3-4 |
CAT Exam Analysis 2021 for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
CAT VARC Section | Number of Questions (Slot 1) |
Reading Comprehension | 16 |
Out of Context sentence | 2-3 |
Parajumbles | 3-4 |
Summary | 3-4 |
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CAT Exam Analysis – FAQs
According to the sources, the questions asked in the CAT 2021 and CAT 2023 exams were the toughest.
Yes, the overall level of the CAT question paper has been moderately tough in recent years.
Candidates must check last year CAT Exam Analysis to gain insights into past exam trends, set realistic targets and refine their strategy accordingly.