{"id":65022,"date":"2026-03-11T17:28:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/?p=65022"},"modified":"2026-03-11T17:28:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:58:30","slug":"major-cat-exam-pattern-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The latest CAT exam pattern is that the question paper will have a total of 68 questions. The 3 sections of the exam, LRDI, Quants and VARC, will have a total of 22, 22 and 24 questions, respectively. There was no change in the CAT exam pattern in 2024 too. The CAT exam pattern changes in the last 5 years include reduction or increase in the total number of questions, section-wise questions, exam duration, etc. While major changes were made in the years 2020 and 2021, from 2022 to 2023 no changes were made to the CAT exam pattern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><mark>Join iQuanta\u2019s diversified student community for free and prepare with 4.1L+ other peers. Get access to 24*7 doubt-solving, mentorship, free webinars, etc., all on one single&nbsp;platform<\/mark><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/li.iquanta.in\/3FagB\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"476\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4-1024x476.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4-1024x476.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4-300x140.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4-768x357.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4-903x420.jpg 903w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4-150x70.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4-696x324.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4-1068x497.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-11-at-10.50.50_60474af4.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_77 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#CAT_Exam_Pattern_2026\" >CAT Exam Pattern 2026<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#CAT_Exam_Pattern_Changes_in_the_last_3_years\" >CAT Exam Pattern: Changes in the last 3 years<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#Will_the_CAT_exam_pattern_change_in_2026\" >Will the CAT exam pattern change in 2026?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#Components_Involved_in_CAT_Exam_Pattern\" >Components Involved in CAT Exam Pattern<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#Major_CAT_Exam_Pattern_Changes\" >Major CAT Exam Pattern Changes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#In_Which_Year_Did_the_CAT_Exam_Pattern_Change\" >In Which Year Did the CAT Exam Pattern Change?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#What_is_the_CAT_exam_pattern\" >What is the CAT exam pattern?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#Negative_Marking_in_the_CAT_Exam_Pattern\" >Negative Marking in the CAT Exam Pattern<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#Is_the_CAT_exam_pattern_getting_tougher_every_year\" >Is the CAT exam pattern getting tougher every year?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#Difficulty_Level_of_CAT_Exam_Pattern_In_the_Last_5_Years\" >Difficulty Level of CAT Exam Pattern In the Last 5 Years<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#CAT_Exam_Pattern_Trends_Over_the_Years\" >CAT Exam Pattern Trends Over the Years<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#CAT_Exam_Pattern_Marking_Scheme\" >CAT Exam Pattern &amp; Marking Scheme<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#Major_CAT_Exam_Pattern_Changes_Before_2020\" >Major CAT Exam Pattern Changes Before 2020<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#Conclusion_CAT_Exam_Pattern\" >Conclusion: CAT Exam Pattern<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#FAQs_%E2%80%93_CAT_Exam_Pattern\" >FAQs &#8211; CAT Exam Pattern<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cat-exam-pattern-2026\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CAT_Exam_Pattern_2026\"><\/span><strong>CAT Exam Pattern 2026<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This section covers the tentative information regarding the CAT exam pattern 2026. The information is collectively covered as per the past year&#8217;s analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>The question paper will have 3 sections \u2013 VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sectional Time Limit &#8211; 40 minutes for each section.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CAT Exam Duration &#8211; 120 Minutes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VARC will have 24 questions, while the other two sections will have 22 questions each.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Total number of questions \u2013 68<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mode of exam \u2013 CBT Mode<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Total marks in CAT &#8211; 204<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CAT Marking Scheme. &#8211; +3 per correct attempt and -1 per incorrect attempt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Negative marking only for MCQs and not TITA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cat-exam-pattern-changes-in-the-last-3-years\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CAT_Exam_Pattern_Changes_in_the_last_3_years\"><\/span><strong>CAT Exam Pattern: Changes in the last 3 years<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>2025<\/td><td>The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2024, with no changes.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2024<\/td><td>The CAT 2024 paper pattern remained the same as in 2022 and 2023. 2 questions were added in the DILR section.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2023<\/td><td>The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2022, with no changes.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-will-the-cat-exam-pattern-change-in-2026\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_the_CAT_exam_pattern_change_in_2026\"><\/span><strong>Will the CAT exam pattern change in 2026?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-components-involved-in-cat-exam-pattern\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Components_Involved_in_CAT_Exam_Pattern\"><\/span><strong>Components Involved in CAT Exam Pattern<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Number of sections in the CAT exam<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Number of questions per section <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Total time duration and slots<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Difficulty level of the exam<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Major_CAT_Exam_Pattern_Changes\"><\/span><strong>Major CAT Exam Pattern Changes<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>How did the CAT exam pattern look?<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2025<\/td><td>The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2024, with no changes.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2024<\/td><td>The CAT 2024 paper pattern remained the same as in 2022 and 2023. 2 questions were added in the DILR section.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2023<\/td><td>The CAT exam pattern remained the same as in 2022, with no changes.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2022<\/td><td>CAT still remained a CBT with 3 sections and sectional time limits. Students were not allowed to switch between the sections.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2021<\/td><td>The paper had 3 sections; the total duration was 2 hours, and each section&#8217;s duration was 40 minutes. Total questions were 66. Both MCQs and non-MCQs were asked.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-in-which-year-did-the-cat-exam-pattern-change\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_Which_Year_Did_the_CAT_Exam_Pattern_Change\"><\/span><strong>In Which Year Did the CAT Exam Pattern Change?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>2025 &#8211; The total number of questions is 68 with a time duration of 120 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2024 &#8211; The total number of questions is 68 with a time duration of 120 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2023 &#8211; The total number of questions is 66 with a time duration of 120 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2022 &#8211; The total number of questions is 66 with a time duration of 120 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2021 &#8211; Total number of CAT questions reduced to 66. The DILR section saw a drop in questions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2020 \u2013 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-the-cat-exam-pattern\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_CAT_exam_pattern\"><\/span><strong>What is the CAT exam pattern?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The CAT exam pattern over the last 5 years has seen slight changes in both number of questions and total time duration. After a review of the past timeline, it is important to ask, &#8216;What is the CAT exam pattern for 2025?&#8217; The CAT exam pattern 2025 comprises 3 sections, 3 slots, a 120-minute duration and 40 minutes per section. Check more details on the CAT 2025 paper pattern below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background has-background\"><tbody><tr><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>CAT Exam Pattern<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Particulars<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Details<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CAT Exam Slots<\/td><td>3<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CAT Exam Section&nbsp;<\/td><td>3<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CAT Exam Duration<\/td><td>120 minutes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CAT Exam Section-wise Duration<\/td><td>40 minutes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CAT Exam Total Number of Questions<\/td><td>68<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CAT Exam Total Marks&nbsp;<\/td><td>204<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CAT Exam Marking Scheme<\/td><td>+3 for the correct answer<br>0 for unanswered questions<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CAT Exam Negative Marking<\/td><td>-1 for Incorrect Answer <br>No negative marking for TITA<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-negative-marking-in-the-cat-exam-pattern\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Negative_Marking_in_the_CAT_Exam_Pattern\"><\/span><strong>Negative Marking in the CAT Exam Pattern<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, there is negative marking when we talk about attempting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/common-admission-test\/\"><strong>Common Admission Test<\/strong><\/a>. 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-the-cat-exam-pattern-getting-tougher-every-year\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_the_CAT_exam_pattern_getting_tougher_every_year\"><\/span><strong>Is the CAT exam pattern getting tougher every year?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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 &#8216;Is the CAT exam pattern getting tougher each year?&#8217; is simple. The CAT exam pattern is not getting tougher each year; it has been moderate to difficult in the last 5 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>From 2020 to 2025,<\/strong> the CAT paper has been moderate to difficult.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The CAT 2025 exam will be moderate to difficult based on trend analysis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-difficulty-level-of-cat-exam-pattern-in-the-last-5-years\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Difficulty_Level_of_CAT_Exam_Pattern_In_the_Last_5_Years\"><\/span><strong>Difficulty Level of CAT Exam Pattern In the Last 5 Years<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This section covers the difficulty level of the CAT exam paper in the last 5 years, with the latest exam pattern reflecting the moderate difficulty level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background has-background\"><tbody><tr><td colspan=\"2\">CAT Exam Pattern Difficulty Level In the Last 5 Years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Years<\/td><td>CAT Difficulty Level<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2025<\/td><td>Moderate<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2024<\/td><td>Moderate<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2023<\/td><td>Difficult<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2022<\/td><td>Moderate<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2021<\/td><td>Moderate to Difficult<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cat-exam-pattern-trends-over-the-years\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CAT_Exam_Pattern_Trends_Over_the_Years\"><\/span><strong>CAT Exam Pattern Trends Over the Years<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background has-background\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>CAT Year<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Number of questions<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Time duration<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sections<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2025<\/td><td>68<\/td><td>120 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2024<\/td><td>68<\/td><td>120 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2023<\/td><td>66<\/td><td>120 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2022<\/td><td>66<\/td><td>120 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2021<\/td><td>66<\/td><td>120 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2020<\/td><td>76<\/td><td>120 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2019<\/td><td>100<\/td><td>180 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2018<\/td><td>100<\/td><td>180 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2017<\/td><td>100<\/td><td>180 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2016<\/td><td>100<\/td><td>180 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2015<\/td><td>100<\/td><td>180 minutes<\/td><td>QA, DILR, VARC<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cat-exam-pattern-amp-marking-scheme\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CAT_Exam_Pattern_Marking_Scheme\"><\/span><strong>CAT Exam Pattern &amp; Marking Scheme<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The negative marking scheme was introduced for the CAT exam long before the last 5 years. It hasn\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The table mentioned below covers the negative marking scheme of CAT exam in the last 5 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td colspan=\"2\"><strong>Negative Marking Scheme In the Last 5 Years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Particulars<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Details<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Changes Made&nbsp;<\/td><td>No changes have been made to the CAT negative marking scheme in the last 5 years.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Negative Marking<\/td><td>Only for MCQs<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Marks Deducted<\/td><td>-1<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Non-MCQs<\/td><td>No negative marking<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-major-cat-exam-pattern-changes-before-2020\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Major_CAT_Exam_Pattern_Changes_Before_2020\"><\/span><strong>Major CAT Exam Pattern Changes Before 2020<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>2009 \u2013 The exam pattern shifts from offline pen-and-paper to online computer mode.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2014 &#8211; 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2015 &#8211; The CAT exam duration increased to 180 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-conclusion-cat-exam-pattern\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion_CAT_Exam_Pattern\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion: CAT Exam Pattern<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-shadow\" style=\"margin-bottom:30px\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/\" style=\"border-radius:37px;background:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,105,0) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 22%)\">CAT 2026 Course<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"CAT 2026\" class=\"wp-image-72811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-420x420.png 420w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-696x696.png 696w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30-1068x1068.png 1068w, https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-30.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-faqs-cat-exam-pattern\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQs_%E2%80%93_CAT_Exam_Pattern\"><\/span><strong>FAQs &#8211; CAT Exam Pattern<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1771590525070\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What are the sections in the CAT exam?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The Common Admission Test covers three different sections, respectively.<br\/>1. Verbal Ability &amp; Reading Comprehension<br\/>2. Data Interpretation &amp; Logical Reasoning<br\/>3. Quantitative Ability<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1771590528451\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Is there any negative marking in the CAT exam?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes, the Common Admission Test has a negative marking of -1 after making an incorrect response.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1771590529283\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the time duration of the CAT exam?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The total time duration of the Common Admission Test is 2 hours or 120 minutes.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1772015339108\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What was the CAT exam pattern in 2021?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The CAT 2021 exam pattern consists of 66 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1772015406606\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the CAT exam pattern in 2025?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The CAT 2025 exam pattern consists of 68 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1772448185937\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the CAT marking scheme?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">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.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1772448257847\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the past year&#8217;s CAT exam pattern?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The last year CAT exam pattern covers three major sections such as VARC, DILR and QA with total questions across Verbal Ability &amp; Reading Comprehension is 24, Data Interpretation &amp; 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.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1772448406447\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the medium of CAT exam paper?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The CAT exam paper is conducted in the CBT (Computer-Based Test) mode.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The latest CAT exam pattern is that the question paper will have a total of 68 questions. The 3 sections of the exam, LRDI, Quants and VARC, will have a total of 22, 22 and 24 questions, respectively. There was no change in the CAT exam pattern in 2024 too. The CAT exam pattern changes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":533,"featured_media":71528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443,331],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.4 (Yoast SEO v21.9.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years - iQuanta<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The CAT paper pattern has changed in the last 5 years. The total number of questions now is 68 and total marks are 204.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The CAT paper pattern has changed in the last 5 years. The total number of questions now is 68 and total marks are 204.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"iQuanta\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/iquanta.in\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T11:58:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T11:58:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-04-at-3.49.29-PM.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nidhi Priya\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nidhi Priya\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nidhi Priya\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/adcdac5052cbee8941c392ec44169ebd\"},\"headline\":\"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T11:58:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-11T11:58:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/\"},\"wordCount\":1650,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"CAT &amp; Non-CAT\",\"CAT Exam\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/\",\"name\":\"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years - iQuanta\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T11:58:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-11T11:58:30+00:00\",\"description\":\"The CAT paper pattern has changed in the last 5 years. The total number of questions now is 68 and total marks are 204.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#breadcrumb\"},\"mainEntity\":[{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590525070\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590528451\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590529283\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015339108\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015406606\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448185937\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448257847\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448406447\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"iQuanta | Cat Preparation Online\",\"description\":\"Building Learning Networks\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"IQuanta\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IQuanta-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IQuanta-1.png\",\"width\":525,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"IQuanta\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/iquanta.in\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/adcdac5052cbee8941c392ec44169ebd\",\"name\":\"Nidhi Priya\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd4e45c121d8197b5d5700ee104de69?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd4e45c121d8197b5d5700ee104de69?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nidhi Priya\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/author\/nidhi-priya\/\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590525070\",\"position\":1,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590525070\",\"name\":\"What are the sections in the CAT exam?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Common Admission Test covers three different sections, respectively.<br\/>1. Verbal Ability &amp; Reading Comprehension<br\/>2. Data Interpretation &amp; Logical Reasoning<br\/>3. Quantitative Ability\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590528451\",\"position\":2,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590528451\",\"name\":\"Is there any negative marking in the CAT exam?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes, the Common Admission Test has a negative marking of -1 after making an incorrect response.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590529283\",\"position\":3,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590529283\",\"name\":\"What is the time duration of the CAT exam?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The total time duration of the Common Admission Test is 2 hours or 120 minutes.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015339108\",\"position\":4,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015339108\",\"name\":\"What was the CAT exam pattern in 2021?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The CAT 2021 exam pattern consists of 66 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015406606\",\"position\":5,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015406606\",\"name\":\"What is the CAT exam pattern in 2025?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The CAT 2025 exam pattern consists of 68 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448185937\",\"position\":6,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448185937\",\"name\":\"What is the CAT marking scheme?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"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.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448257847\",\"position\":7,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448257847\",\"name\":\"What is the past year's CAT exam pattern?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The last year CAT exam pattern covers three major sections such as VARC, DILR and QA with total questions across Verbal Ability &amp; Reading Comprehension is 24, Data Interpretation &amp; 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.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448406447\",\"position\":8,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448406447\",\"name\":\"What is the medium of CAT exam paper?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The CAT exam paper is conducted in the CBT (Computer-Based Test) mode.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years - iQuanta","description":"The CAT paper pattern has changed in the last 5 years. The total number of questions now is 68 and total marks are 204.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years","og_description":"The CAT paper pattern has changed in the last 5 years. The total number of questions now is 68 and total marks are 204.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/","og_site_name":"iQuanta","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/iquanta.in","article_published_time":"2026-03-11T11:58:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-11T11:58:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-04-at-3.49.29-PM.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nidhi Priya","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nidhi Priya","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/"},"author":{"name":"Nidhi Priya","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/adcdac5052cbee8941c392ec44169ebd"},"headline":"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years","datePublished":"2026-03-11T11:58:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-11T11:58:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/"},"wordCount":1650,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["CAT &amp; Non-CAT","CAT Exam"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["WebPage","FAQPage"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/","url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/","name":"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years - iQuanta","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-03-11T11:58:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-11T11:58:30+00:00","description":"The CAT paper pattern has changed in the last 5 years. The total number of questions now is 68 and total marks are 204.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#breadcrumb"},"mainEntity":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590525070"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590528451"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590529283"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015339108"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015406606"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448185937"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448257847"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448406447"}],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CAT Exam Pattern, Major Changes in the Last 5 Years"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/","name":"iQuanta | Cat Preparation Online","description":"Building Learning Networks","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#organization","name":"IQuanta","url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IQuanta-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IQuanta-1.png","width":525,"height":200,"caption":"IQuanta"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/iquanta.in"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/adcdac5052cbee8941c392ec44169ebd","name":"Nidhi Priya","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd4e45c121d8197b5d5700ee104de69?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd4e45c121d8197b5d5700ee104de69?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nidhi Priya"},"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/author\/nidhi-priya\/"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590525070","position":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590525070","name":"What are the sections in the CAT exam?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The Common Admission Test covers three different sections, respectively.<br\/>1. Verbal Ability &amp; Reading Comprehension<br\/>2. Data Interpretation &amp; Logical Reasoning<br\/>3. Quantitative Ability","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590528451","position":2,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590528451","name":"Is there any negative marking in the CAT exam?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, the Common Admission Test has a negative marking of -1 after making an incorrect response.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590529283","position":3,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1771590529283","name":"What is the time duration of the CAT exam?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The total time duration of the Common Admission Test is 2 hours or 120 minutes.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015339108","position":4,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015339108","name":"What was the CAT exam pattern in 2021?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The CAT 2021 exam pattern consists of 66 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015406606","position":5,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772015406606","name":"What is the CAT exam pattern in 2025?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The CAT 2025 exam pattern consists of 68 questions with a time duration of 120 minutes.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448185937","position":6,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448185937","name":"What is the CAT marking scheme?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448257847","position":7,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448257847","name":"What is the past year's CAT exam pattern?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The last year CAT exam pattern covers three major sections such as VARC, DILR and QA with total questions across Verbal Ability &amp; Reading Comprehension is 24, Data Interpretation &amp; 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.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448406447","position":8,"url":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/major-cat-exam-pattern-changes\/#faq-question-1772448406447","name":"What is the medium of CAT exam paper?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The CAT exam paper is conducted in the CBT (Computer-Based Test) mode.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65022"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/533"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65022"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73042,"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65022\/revisions\/73042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iquanta.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}