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CAT Exam Analysis 2025: Check CAT 2024 and Previous Year Section Wise Analysis for Slot 1, Slot 2, Slot 3

Last Updated on June 5, 2025 by MBAUniverse.com News Desk

CAT exam pattern has undergone changes in the last few years. Before 2020, CAT consisted of 100 questions spread across three sections: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). But, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exam duration was reduced from 180 minutes to 120 minutes, and the total number of questions was also reduced to 76. From CAT 2021, the number of questions was further reduced to 66-68. CAT Exam Analysis reveals that difficulty level has fluctuated, with very high difficulty level in CAT 2023 paper, particularly in quantitative section. CAT 2024 exam saw minor but notable changes, with the total number of questions increasing from 66 to 68. Check complete CAT Exam analysis in this article. CAT 2025 exam analysis

CAT Exam Analysis 2025

CAT 2025 exam will be held on November 26, 2025. CAT 2025 Exam Analysis will be published on the exam day. CAT exam analysis 2025 will include analysis of CAT Exam Pattern, Type of Questions, Topics/Theme of Questions, Difficulty level, Good attempts, Surprises and much more. Based on this exam paper analysis, CAT Score Vs Percentile and CAT Cut Off for top colleges is also be published.

CAT Exam Analysis 2025

CAT Exam Analysis	Date, Time	CAT Exam Analysis 2025
CAT 2025 Slot 1 Analysis	Nov 26, 2025	To be published on exam date
CAT 2025 Slot 2 Analysis	Nov 26, 2025	To be published on exam date
CAT 2025 Slot 3 Analysis	Nov 26, 2025	To be published on exam date

Continue reading CAT exam analysis for previous years.

CAT 2024 Exam Analysis

CAT 2024 Exam Pattern was same across all the three slots. Check table below. However, there were minor changes in section wise compositions.

CAT 2024 Exam Pattern for Slot 1, 2, 3

CAT Exam Components	No of Questions (Divided in MCQs & Non MCQs)	Sectional Time Limit (In Minutes)	Scoring Pattern (Negative Marking is only for MCQs)
Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	40	+3 for Correct; -1 for Incorrect; 0 for Not Attempted
Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	22	40	+3 for Correct; -1 for Incorrect; 0 for Not Attempted
Section-3: Quantitative Ability (QA)	22	40	+3 for Correct; -1 for Incorrect; 0 for Not Attempted
Total	68	120	198

CAT Exam Day Center Dos and Donts

Shoes and metallic objects (including metal jewelry) were not allowed.
Only the admit card and the ID proof were allowed.
CAT exam authorities at exam center took possession of the admit cards.
The candidates were given a pen and a small pad with IIM CAT Logo for rough work. This was taken back at the end of the CAT exam.

CAT Exam Interface

CAT Exam Interface was user-friendly and same as official CAT Mock Test.
There was an arrow provided near the question palette which when clicked expanded the question window to full-screen view by hiding the question palette & vice versa.
At the end of the test, a summary of the number of questions attempted, visited, and not visited was displayed for each section.
There was a button marked ‘Question Paper’ that opened up a screen containing all the questions of the section. This was used by students for planning their approach for the section.
A simple calculator was provided, and not a scientific one.

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Analysis
CAT 2024 Slot 2 Analysis
CAT 2024 Slot 3 Analysis

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Analysis Section wise

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Exam took place on November 24, 2025 between 8.30 am and 10:30 am. CAT 2024 exam structure saw many changes compared to 2023, with a total of 68 questions. Notably, CAT 2024 Slot 1 Verbal Ability (VA) and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) sections saw changes in segmentation and the distribution of MCQs and TITA (Type In The Answer) questions.

VA Section: There were no Paragraph Jumble questions in VA in Slot 1. Like in the past years, there were no direct Grammar or Vocabulary questions.
DILR Section: The number of sets increased from 4 to 5. This included 2 sets with 5 questions each and 3 sets with 4 questions each.

Check CAT 2025 Slot 1 exam pattern and type of questions section wise below.

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Exam Analysis VARC Section

The VA-RC section consisted of 16 Reading Comprehension questions and 8 Verbal Ability questions. Like in the past years, there were no direct Grammar or Vocabulary questions. There were no jumbled paragraph questions. One additional paragraph completion question and one summary question replaced the two jumbled paragraphs.

Area	Topic	No. of Questions	Type
Reading Comprehension	Digital rights of content (Streaming and DVD/Blu-ray)	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	Craftsmanship and Creativity	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	Revival of bandicoots in Australia	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	Critique of behavioral economics	4	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Paragraph Completion	3	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Summary	3	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Odd Sentence Questions	2	TITA
Total	RC & VA	24	MCQ & TITA

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Exam Pattern for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

In CAT 2023, there were a total of four sets in Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section, each comprising five questions. This pattern was changed in CAT 2024. There were two sets with 5 questions in each and three sets with 4 questions in each.

Area	Set Description	No. of Questions	Question Type
Data Interpretation	Stock price-based candlestick graph for 7 stocks	4	3 MCQ, 1 TITA
Data Interpretation	Bar graph showing 3 people visiting different countries	4	2 MCQ, 2 TITA
Logical Reasoning	Tournament of 6 teams split into two groups, teams play within & across groups	5	5 TITA
Logical Reasoning	Web surfers assigning thirty stars	4	3 MCQ, 1 TITA
Data Interpretation	Election between two candidates, comparatively lengthy set	5	4 MCQ, 1 TITA

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Exam Pattern for Quantitative Ability Section

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Quantitative Ability section was comparatively was dominated by Arithmetic (8 questions), followed by Algebra (7 questions). There were 3 questions on Geometry, 3 questions on Modern Math and 1 on Numbers. Check details in the table below. Number of TITA (8 questions) and MCQ (14 questions) in this section

Section and Topics	No. of Questions	Type of Questions
Arithmetic	8	SICI, Time and Work, Time-Speed-Distance, Ratio Proportion, Mixtures & Alligations, Multiple operations, and Profit & Loss
Algebra	7	Quadratic equations, Inequality with graph, Functions, and Identity-based questions
Geometry	3	Quadrilaterals, Sphere with Cuboid
Modern Math	3	Logarithms, Sequences, Permutations
Number System	1	Remainders and Numbers

CAT 2024 Slot 2 Analysis Section wise

CAT 2024 Slot 2 was held on November 24, 2025 between 12.30 and 2:30 PM. CAT 2024 Slot 2 also had a total of 68 questions. Similar to Slot 1, Verbal Ability (VA) and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) sections saw modifications in segmentation and the distribution of MCQs and TITA (Type In The Answer) questions. In Verbal section, Paragraph Jumble questions did not appear. Instead, 3 Summary (MCQ) questions, 3 Paragraph Completion (MCQ) questions, and 2 Odd Sentence (TITA) questions appeared in the exam.

CAT 2024 Slot 2 Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Section Analysis

CAT 2024 VARC section consisted of 16 Reading Comprehension questions and 8 Verbal Ability questions. There were no direct Grammar or Vocabulary questions. Check details below.

Area	Questions	No. of Questions	Type
Reading Comprehension	RC-1: Spice Trade	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	RC-2: Unintended Consequences of Technology	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	RC-3: Peer Review of Research	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	RC-4: Carnivore-Human Conflict	4	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Paragraph completion	3	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Summary	3	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Odd Sentence Questions	2	TITA

CAT 2024 Slot 2 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Section Analysis

In CAT 2023, there were a total of four sets, each comprising five questions. In CAT 2024, there were two sets with 5 questions in each and three sets with 4 questions in each.

Area	Questions	No. of Questions	Question Type
Logical Reasoning	Rating - 8 Gymnasts	5	2 MCQ 3 TITA
Data Interpretation	6 firms, PAT, Es, PRD - 2 graphs	4	4 MCQ 0 TITA
Logical Reasoning	Schematic diagram of walkways - Lake	4	2 MCQ, 2 TITA
Logical Reasoning	1 to 10 numbers to be arranged in 10 slots with conditions	5	2 MCQ, 3 TITA
Data Interpretation	Ecommerce rating distribution - cumulative	4	2 MCQ, 2 TITA

CAT 2024 Slot 2 Quantitative Ability Section Analysis

Quantitative Ability Section was dominated by Arithmetic (8 questions), followed by Algebra (5 questions). There were 3 questions on Geometry, 3 questions on Modern Math and 3 on Numbers. Check details in table below.

Area	No of Questions	Type of Questions
Arithmetic	8	SICI, Time and Work, Time-Speed-Distance, Ratio Proportion, Mixtures & Alligations, and Profit & Loss.
Algebra	71em;line-height:1.43;margin:0px;padding:5px 10px 5px 20px;text-align:left;vertical-align:inherit;" scope="row"> 5	Quadratic equations, Inequality, Modulus, Functions, and Identity-based questions etc.
Geometry	3	Circles, triangle in trapezium and co-ordinate geometry, etc.
Modern Math	3	Logarithms, Sequences, Permutations etc.
Numbers	3	remainders, Indices, Surds.

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CAT 2024 Slot 3 Analysis Section wise

CAT 2024 Slot 3 was held on November 24, 2025 between 4.30 and 6:30 pm. The structure of CAT 2024 Slot 3 was same as earlier slots with a total of 68 questions. As in Slots 1 and 2, the Verbal Ability (VA) and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) sections experienced modifications in segmentation and the distribution of MCQs and TITA (Type In The Answer) questions.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

CAT Slot 3 VARC section consisted of 16 Reading Comprehension questions and 8 Verbal Ability questions. There were no direct Grammar or Vocabulary questions. There were no jumbled paragraph questions. One additional paragraph completion question and one summary question replaced the two jumbled paragraphs. Check details in table below.

Area	Questions	No of Qs.	Type
Reading Comprehension	RC-1: Success of Chinese liquor brand Moutai	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	RC-2: Contamination of space	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	RC-3: Languages have become endangered	4	MCQ
Reading Comprehension	RC-4: The need to regulate AI	4	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Paragraph completion	3	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Summary	3	MCQ
Verbal Ability	Odd Sentence Questions	2	TITA

CAT 2024 Slot 3 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Section Analysis

In CAT 2023, there were a total of four sets, each comprising five questions. In CAT 2024, there were two sets with 5 questions in each and three sets with 4 questions in each. Check details in table below.

Area	Set Description	No. of Questions	Question Type
Data Interpretation	Bar graph on App subscription	4	4 MCQ
Data Interpretation	Line graph on Temperature of a room with AC in power mode	5	2 MCQ 3 TITA
Logical Reasoning	Network of roads and ATMs	4	4 TITA
Logical Reasoning	Proteins, Carbohydrates in food items	5	3 MCQ, 2 TITA
Data Interpretation	Table on GDP of 10 countries	4	3 MCQ, 1 TITA
Total	Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning	22	MCQ and TITA

CAT 2024 Slot 3 Quantitative Ability Section Analysis

Area	No. of Questions	Type of Questions
Arithmetic	8	SICI, Time and Work, Time-Speed-Distance, Ratio Proportion, Mixtures & Alligations, Multiple operations, and Profit & Loss.
Algebra	7	Quadratic equations, Inequality with graph, Functions, and Identity-based questions, etc
Geometry	3	Quadrilaterals, Sphere with cuboid
Modern Math	3	Logarithms, Sequences, Permutations etc.
Numbers	1	Remainders and numbers.

CAT Exam Analysis Previous Years

CAT Exam Analysis for Previous Years reveals that CAT exam pattern has become more focused on conceptual clarity, time efficiency, and reasoning ability. Over the last five years, the CAT exam pattern has undergone several notable changes in its pattern, number of questions, and difficulty level. Check key changes in CAT exam pattern below.

Total Number of Questions:
o In 2019 and 2020, CAT had 100 questions (VARC: 34, DILR: 32, QA: 34).
o From 2021 onwards, the number of questions was reduced to 66 (VARC: 24, DILR: 20, QA: 22), making the test shorter but more intense.
o This pattern has continued through CAT 2023 and is expected to remain in CAT 2025.
Time Duration:
o Until 2019, CAT had a 3-hour duration (60 minutes per section).
o From 2020 onwards, the exam duration was reduced to 2 hours, with 40 minutes per section, which increased the pressure on time management.
Sectional Pattern & Difficulty Level:
o The VARC section has seen a greater emphasis on Reading Comprehension, with fewer Verbal Ability questions like Odd One Out and Para Summary.
o DILR has become more reasoning-focused, with tougher logic-based sets and fewer straightforward data interpretation questions.
o QA has shifted towards Arithmetic, making it more accessible for non-engineering background candidates.
Question Types – MCQ vs. TITA:
o The TITA (Type in the Answer) questions have fluctuated but generally make up 25-30% of the total paper.
o The number of MCQs has reduced, making the paper more unpredictable, as TITA questions do not have negative marking.
Slot-wise Variations & Normalization:
o Since CAT is conducted in multiple slots, the level of difficulty has varied across different slots, requiring score normalization to ensure fairness in percentile calculations.

CAT Previous Year Exam Pattern is as below.

Table: CAT Previous Year Exam Pattern

Sections	CAT 2019	CAT 2020	CAT 2021	CAT 2022	CAT 2023	CAT 2024
Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	34	26	24	24	24	24
Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	32	24	20	20	20	22
Section-3: Quantitative Ability (QA)	34	26	22	22	22	22
Total Questions	100	76	66	66	66	68

As evident, CAT 2019 exam consisted of 100 questions, divided into three sections: VARC (34 questions), DILR (32 questions), and QA (34 questions). In CAT 2020 exam, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exam duration was reduced to 120 minutes, and the total number of questions was decreased to 76. The distribution was VARC (26 questions), DILR (24 questions), and QA (26 questions). Since CAT 2021, the pattern is consistent with a total of 66-68 questions.

CAT 2023 Overall Analysis

Understanding CAT past year exam analysis will help you in cracking CAT 2024. Here is the analysis of CAT 2023 paper.
Same Exam Pattern: There was no change in CAT 2023 Exam Pattern. It was same as CAT 2022. Total Questions remain same at 66 like last year. But sectional composition of MCQs and Non MCQs had changed.

More Difficult Exam Paper: CAT 2023 Exam is rated as more difficult than last year by Experts.

Summarizing CAT 2023 exam, Mr Arun Sharma, regarded as one of India’s top CAT experts, told MBAUniverse.com said: “This year while the overall exam pattern was same as last year, the questions in the Quantitative section in CAT 2023 exam paper were the toughest in last 5 Years!” Check Slot Wise Exam Pattern and CAT 2023 Score Vs Percentile.

CAT 2023 Slot 1 Exam Analysis: Pattern

Section No.	Section Name	Duration	MCQs	TITA	Total
I	VARC	40 min	20	4	24
II	DI and LR	40 min	12	8	20
III	QA	40 min	15	7	22
Total		120 min	49	17	66

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Section: Topics & Question Types
Area / Questions	No of Qs.	Type
Reading Comprehension	16	MCQ
RC-1: Return of wolves’ predation in a French regio	4	MCQ
RC-2: Current economies of North and South Korea.	4	MCQ
RC-3: “Indian Ocean Literature"	4	MCQ
RC-4: Modern materialism versus ancient societies	4	MCQ

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Section: Topics & Question Types

Area / Questions	No of Qs.	Type
Reading Comprehension	16	MCQ
RC-1: Return of wolves’ predation in a French regio	4	MCQ
RC-2: Current economies of North and South Korea.	4	MCQ
RC-3: “Indian Ocean Literature"	4	MCQ
RC-4: Modern materialism versus ancient societies	4	MCQ

Verbal Ability	8	Type
Para jumbles (4 sentences)	2	TITA
Para-completion	2	MCQ
Summary	2	MCQ
Odd Sentence Questions	2	TITA

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning: Topics & Question Types

Set No.	Area	Set Description	No. of Questions	Question Type
	Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning		20	MCQ and TITA
1	Logical Reasoning	(Arrangements) Professors in departments	5	5 MCQ
2	Data Interpretation	(Reasoning based DI) Gig workers and Restaurants, Mathematical Reasoning Involved Measures of central tendency	5	1 MCQ, 4 TITA
3	Logical Reasoning	Houses on sale	5	3 MCQ, 2 TITA
4	Data Interpretation	Visa Office Special Equation handling	5	3 MCQ, 2 TITA

Quantitative Ability Section: Topics & Question Types

Area/Q Type	No of Questions
Arithmetic	7
Algebra	8
Geometry	4
Modern Math	2
Numbers	1

There were 7 TITA questions and 15 MCQ questions in this section.

CAT 2023 Slot 2 Exam Analysis: Pattern

Section No.	Section Name	Duration	MCQs	TITA	Total
I	VARC	40 min	20	4	24
II	DI and LR	40 min	12	8	20
III	QA	40 min	14	8	22
Total		120 min	49	20	66

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Section: Topics & Question Types

Area / Questions	No of Qs.	Type
Reading Comprehension	16	MCQ
RC-1: Second-hand Shopping and Fast Fashion	4	MCQ
RC-2: Translated Streaming on Netflix in Europe	4	MCQ
RC-3: Why Liberalism Failed (Book Review)	4	MCQ
RC-4: What is Historical Fact	4	MCQ
Verbal Ability	8	MIX
Para jumbles (4 sentences)	2	TITA
Para-completion	2	MCQ
Summary	2	MCQ
Odd Sentence Questions	2	TITA

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning: Topics & Question Types

Set No.	Area	Set Description	No. of Questions	Question Type
	Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning		20	MCQ and TITA
1	Data Interpretation	5 firms - Funds raised in consecutive years	5	4 MCQ, 1 TITA
2	Data Interpretation	Draw competition	5	3 MCQ, 2 TITA
3	Logical Reasoning	3 friends visited a park. Many rides. Scheduling questions.	5	3 MCQ, 2 TITA
4	Data Interpretation	Nine Boxes - sudoku type puzzle	5	2 MCQ, 3 TITA

Quantitative Ability Section: Topics & Question Types

Area/Q Type	No of Questions
Quantitative Ability	14 MCQs, 8 TITA Overall LOD: MEDIUM
Arithmetic	7
Algebra	8
Modern Math	2
Geometry	3
Numbers	2

There were 8 TITA questions and 14 MCQ questions in this section.

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CAT Score Vs Percentile Estimates

CAT Score vs Percentile estimates what score is required for getting a specific percentile. Check CAT 2024 Score Vs Percentile estimates below.

Percentile	VARC Score	DILR Score	QA Score	Overall
99.9	48	49	48	120-124
99.5	40	43	43	106-110
99	36	40	35	95-98
98	25	33	24	71-74
95	20	29	18	59-61
90	17	23	14	50-51
85	15	21	13	46-47
80	13	19	11	41-42
75	12	16	10	36-37

CAT 2025 Score Vs Percentile estimates will be published before the exam and will be updated after the exam.

In summary, CAT exam analysis 2025 reveals that CAT pattern has undergone changes in the last few years. Before 2020, CAT consisted of 100 questions spread across three sections. But, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exam duration was reduced from 180 minutes to 120 minutes, and the total number of questions was also reduced to 76. From CAT 2021, the number of questions was further reduced to 66-68. CAT Exam Analysis 2025 reveals that difficulty level has fluctuated, with very high difficulty level in CAT 2023 paper. CAT Exam Analysis 2025 will be published on CAT exam day (November 26, 2025) on MBAUniverse.com. CAT exam analysis 2025 will include analysis of CAT Exam Pattern, Type of Questions, Topics/Theme of Questions, Difficulty level, Good attempts, Surprises and much more.

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