CAT Exam Analysis 2023: Check Section-Wise CAT Analysis, Review & Difficulty Level of Slot 1, 2, 3

The CAT Analysis provides insights into the difficulty level paper, section-wise weightage, and other important aspects of the examination. Candidates who have appeared in CAT 2023 must check CAT Analysis 2023 to analyze their performance. Go through the CAT Eligibility first.

To assist you in your preparation, our experts have given a detailed overview of the CAT Exam Analysis 2023 along with the previous year's CAT Analysis of the last 5 years. You can go through CAT 2023 Analysis to get  clarity about the exam.CAT Exam 2023 was successfully conducted on 26 November 2023 in three slots. The candidates can check CAT Exam Analysis now in the below section along with the slot-wise details. In this detailed CAT Analysis 2023, we have discussed the following aspects of the exam: Check the CAT Registration process and dates in detail.

• Section Wise CAT Analysis 2023
• CAT 2023 Difficulty Level
• Good attempt

Expected CAT Cut Off

CAT Analysis 2023: Difficulty Level

As per the CAT 2023 Analysis the level of difficulty of the CAT exam 2023 is as follows:

Slot-Wise CAT Exam Analysis 2023

As per the CAT 2023 Analysis, the slot-wise detailed analysis given by BYJU’S Exam Prep Experts is given below. Candidates should check the detailed analysis as it will help them understand the type of questions asked ,level of difficulty and paper pattern.

CAT 2023 Paper Pattern and Level of Difficulty 

The overall level of difficulty of all three sections is given below

CAT 2023 Exam Analysis Slot 1 

As per the CAT Analysis 2023, the overall level of difficulty of Slot 1 was Moderate. The paper pattern was similar to CAT 2022 pattern with a total of 66 questions. Out of 66 questions, there were 20 TITA questions and 46 MCQ questions.

Candidates can check the highlights of the CAT 2023 Slot 1 

• A total of 66 questions which consisted of 46 MCQs and 20 TITA Questions were asked
• As per CAT 2023 Analysis, the overall difficulty level of the CAT 2023 exam was Moderate
• As per CAT Analysis 2023, the VARC section had a difficulty level of Moderate. The surprise being the 4 Para Jumble questions asked in this slot.
• As per CAT Analysis 2023,the DILR section had a difficulty level of Moderate. The DILR section consisted of 4 sets.
• As per the CAT Analysis 2023, the Slot 1 QA section had a level of difficulty of Moderate - Difficult. The questions were lengthy to solve.

CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 1 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) 

As per the CAT Analysis 2023, the VARC section had a Moderate difficulty level. The VARC section threw surprise in the form of 4 Para Jumble questions. This section was heavily dominated with RC with 16 questions. The verbal Ability had 8 questions. The breakup of the VARC section is as follows

The Para Completion, Para Jumbles and Para Summary is given below

• Para Completion - Genetic Link between Japan, China & America, How the reading philosophy impacted
• Para Summary - Journalism & Colonialism
• Para Jumbles - English words of numbers, Mind reading, AI & Murder Mystery Investigation

As per the CAT 2023 Analysis, there were 4 RCs consisting of 4 questions each. The genre of the 4 RCs asked in Slot 1 is given below

CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 1 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

As per the CAT Analysis 2023, the difficulty level of the DILR section in Slot 1 was Moderate. There were 4 DILR sets which consisted of 20 questions (5 + 5 + 5 + 5). The topic-wise breakup of the DILR section is given below

CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 1 Quantitative Ability (QA) 

As per the CAT 2023, Analysis, the QA section had a difficulty level of Moderate to Difficult. The QA section was lengthy to solve. Arithmetic and Algebra dominated this section. The topic-wise breakup of the section is given below

CAT 2023 Exam Analysis Slot 2

The CAT 2023 Exam Slot 2 had an overall difficulty level of Moderate. In Slot 2, there was a surprise in the form of one mandatory Para Jumble question. This Slot was similar to CAT 2023 Slot 1 and had a total of 66 questions, out of which 46 questions were MCQ and 20 questions were TITA. The highlights of the CAT 2023 Slot 2 are given below

• The Level of Difficulty of Slot 2 of CAT 2023 was similar to Slot 1 i.e Moderate
• One Mandatory question was asked in the VARC section
• Reading Comprehension was more difficult than last year
• There was no question on Modern Maths in this Slot
• Overall, there were 46 MCQs and 20 TITA questions

CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 2 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) 

As per the CAT 2023 Analysis (Slot 2) of the VARC section, the section had an overall difficulty level of Moderate. However, it was seen that Reading Comprehension was more difficult than last year. The table given below shows the topic wise segregation of the VARC section 

Verbal Abilty:

Reading Comprehension consisted of 16 questions. 

CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 2 Quantitative Ability (QA)

The overall difficulty level of QA section was Moderate - Difficult. Modern math did not find its place in Slot 2. The topic-wise segregation of Quantitative Ability is given below

CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 2 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) 

The DILR section had an overall difficulty level of Moderate. There were 4 sets consisting of 5 questions each. The breakup of Slot 2, DILR section is given below

CAT 2023 Exam Analysis Slot 3

As per the CAT 2023 Exam Analysis, Slot 3 had an overall difficulty level of Moderate. All RCs were difficult to read. VARC was moderate to difficult to attempt. The section wise breakup of Slot 3 is given below:

CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 3 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) 

The Verbal Ability section had 24 questions out of which 3 were TITA and 21 were MCQs. The overall difficulty level was Moderate - Difficult. The verbal Ability had a difficulty level of Moderate. 

The Reading Comprehension segregated is given below

CAT 2023 Analysis Slot 3 Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) 

 The overall difficulty level of the DILR section was 

CAT 2023 Score Vs Percentile

Candidates who appeared for the CAT 2023 exam should check the expected Score Vs Percentile. The table given below maps the CAT 2023 Score Vs Percentile

☛ Quick Links:

• CAT 2022 Exam Slot 1 Analysis
• CAT Exam Analysis 2022 Slot 2
• CAT 2022 Exam Slot 3 Analysis

We have listed the slot-wise difficulty level in the table below as the CAT 2022 Analysis.

Note the section below to get slot-wise details for CAT Analysis 2022. It is useful for the candidates to check CAT Exam Analysis to understand the question types, difficulty level, and number of questions asked in the exam.

CAT 2022 Slot 1 Exam Analysis

As per CAT Exam Analysis 2022, the overall difficulty level of slot 1 exam was moderate. A total of 66 questions are asked, of which 49 are MCQs, and 17 are TITA type. Note the section below to get an overview of CAT  Analysis 2022 slot 1 in detail.

• No new question types are seen in any of the sections.
• As per CAT Exam Analysis 2022 slot 1, the overall difficulty level of VARC section is moderate. No questions are asked on Odd one out. The paper consists of 3 questions from Para Summary and Para Jumbles and 2 from Fill in the Blanks.
• As per CAT 2022 Analysis, the overall difficulty level of DILR section is moderate. Most of the questions are LR based. The candidates can expect a good score of 30-33 in this section.
• As per CAT 2022 Slot 1 Exam Analysis, the overall difficulty level of QA is easy to moderate. No question is asked from time and work. Most of the questions are from ratios and averages.

CAT 2022 Slot 2 Exam Analysis

As per CAT Exam Analysis 2022, the overall difficulty level for slot 2 exam was moderate. A total of 66 questions were asked, which were divided into three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA.

• As per CAT Analysis 2022, the RC section had 4 difficult passages, especially one on Institutions. The verbal Ability section was based on Para Summary, Para Completion, and Para Jumbles.
• According to CAT 2022 Analysis, the overall difficulty level of the DILR section was moderate. A total of 20 questions are asked. Out of the 4 sets, 1 set was based on DI, and 3 were based on LR.
  • DI (Scatter Plot): 5 Questions - Doable
  • DI (Routers and Network): 5 Questions - Doable
  • LR (Salesmen): 5 Questions - Doable
  • LR (FDA & EU): 5 Questions - Difficult
• The overall difficulty level of QA was moderate to difficult, as per BYJU'S Exam Prep CAT Exam Analysis 2022. This section is slightly tough than slot 1. Questions were asked from below topics:
  • Arithmetic: 8 Questions
  • Algebra: 5 Questions
  • Number System: 3 Questions
  • Modern Math: 3 Questions
  • Geometry and Mensuration: 3 Questions

Note the table below to get an overview of section-wise difficulty levels and good scores, as per CAT 2022 Slot 2 Exam Analysis.

CAT 2022 Slot 3 Exam Analysis

As per CAT Exam Analysis 2022, the overall difficulty level for slot 3 was moderate. A total of 66 questions were asked, which were divided into three sections: VARC (24 questions), DILR (20 questions), and QA (22 questions).

• As per CAT 2022 Analysis, the VARC is moderate. The RC passages are easy to read as the options are little tricky. RC passages are asked from below topics:
  • History - Tricky
  • Biology & Tech - Moderate
  • Sociology & Anthropology (Great Migration) - Moderate
  • Software - Moderate
• According to CAT Exam Analysis 2022, the overall difficulty level of the DILR section was moderate. A total of 20 questions were asked (4 sets of 5 questions). 
  • Bar Graph - 5 questions
  • Matrix and Grid - 5 questions
  • Unconventional Games (Number Arrangement) - 5 questions
  • Venn Diagram - 5 questions
• The overall difficulty level of QA was moderate, according to the BYJU'S Exam Prep CAT Exam Analysis 2022. This section was dominated by questions from Arithmetic and Algebra. Questions were asked from below topics:
  • Arithmetic: 8 Questions
  • Algebra: 9 Questions
  • Number System: 1 Question
  • Geometry and Mensuration: 3 Questions

Previous Year's CAT Exam Analysis

The candidates who are appearing in the upcoming exam must check the previous year's CAT Analysis to get valuable insight into the paper format, number of questions, and difficulty level. Our experts have given a detailed review of the CAT 2021 Question Paper, along with the CAT Exam Analysis for 2021. 2020, 2019, and 2018.

As per the experts' views on CAT Exam Analysis 2021, the slot 1 exam was similar to CAT 2020, but it was marginally simpler this year than CAT 2020. CAT 2021 Slot 2 was similar to the Slot 1 exam, with VARC slightly more challenging than Slot 1. Candidates appearing for the exam and preparing for the upcoming exam must go through the detailed CAT Analysis 2021 to improve their understanding & ascertain their performance.

Click on the link below to get an idea of the CAT Exam Analysis for 2021 for all the 3 slots.

• CAT Analysis 2021 - Slot 3
• CAT Exam Analysis 2021 - Slot 2
• CAT 2021 Analysis 2021 - Slot 1

CAT Analysis 2021: Difficulty Level

The section-wise CAT Exam Analysis covers the difficulty level of the exam for all the slots. You can also check the topic-wise difficulty level of the CAT Exam 2021 below.

CAT Exam Analysis 2021 - Good Attempts

Based on the CAT Analysis 2021, we have shared the good attempts of questions. Know more about CAT Syllabus and prepare well for all the topics.

Note the below table to get an overview of the difficulty level of the CAT 2020 Question Paper.

It is useful to go through CAT Analysis 2019 to have an overview of the difficulty level of the exam, sectional CAT analysis and the number of questions asked from various topics. You can also download CAT 2019 Question Paper to practice the subjects covered in this exam.

CAT Exam Slot 1 Analysis 2019

The CAT Exam 2019 - Slot 1 was moderately difficult. The VARC section was difficult, whereas DILR & QA was comparatively easier.

• No new question types were seen in any of the sections.
• CAT 2019 VARC Slot 1- As per CAT Analysis 2019, no questions from the Grammar and Vocabulary section. The Verbal Ability Section included questions from Para jumbles, Odd sentences, and Summaries. Reading Comprehension comprised of four passages, each with five questions and one passage with four questions.
• CAT 2019 DILR Slot 1 - As per CAT Exam Analysis 2019, a new radar graph-type question was seen. The DILR section consisted of 8 sets of four questions each. There were two sets of Data Interpretation questions and 5 sets of Logical Reasoning questions, with 1 set combining DI and LR.
• CAT 2019 QA Slot 1 - The Quant section had no surprises, and questions about arithmetic and Geometry were asked. As per CAT Analysis 2019, there were no diagram-based questions in Geometry.

CAT Exam Analysis 2019 - Slot 2

In terms of difficulty, CAT 2019 Slot 2 was comparable to Slot 1. VARC was slightly more difficult than the remaining two sections.

• CAT 2019 VARC Slot 2- As per CAT Analysis 2019, the RC section had 2 difficult passages, especially one on British Colonialism; however, most passages were inference-based. Grammar and Vocabulary questions were absent.
• CAT 2019 DILR Slot 2 - As per CAT Exam Analysis 2019, this section was easy to attempt if the students were smart enough to pick the right questions to attempt.
• CAT 2019 QA Slot 2 - As per CAT Analysis 2019, there were a high number of questions from Arithmetic and Algebra.

It is beneficial to review the CAT Analysis to understand better the exam's difficulty level, sectional analysis, and the number of questions asked from various topics. You can also download CAT 2018 Question Paper to practice with and learn more about the exam.

CAT 2018 was held in two sessions. The slot-by-slot CAT Exam analysis 2018 can be seen below. CAT Exam 2018 was conducted by IIM C.

CAT Exam Analysis 2018: Slot 1

The CAT Exam 2018 - Slot 1 began with an easy VARC section and finished with a moderately difficult DILR section and an even more difficult Quant section.

• CAT 2018 VARC Slot 1- As per CAT Analysis 2018, in the Reading Comprehension question, One passage had 4 questions while the remaining had 5 questions each. Candidates preferred the process of elimination to solve the RC questions. The verbal ability question and summary questions were difficult. Also, Check: CAT Admit Card.
• CAT 2018 DILR Slot 1 - As per CAT Exam Analysis 2018, each DI question set had at least one moderately difficult question each. The Logical Reasoning question was comparatively easier.
• CAT 2018 QA Slot 1 - As per CAT Analysis 2018, the questions were based on calculation and reasoning rather than theory. It was, without a doubt, the most difficult QA portion in the last four years. The part was dominated by arithmetic and geometry questions. There were at least two questions in each of the categories of Number System and Logarithm.

Here is the break–up of questions section-wise:

☛ Go through the CAT Preparation Tips and be prepared accordingly.

CAT Analysis 2018 - Slot 2

In terms of difficulty, CAT 2018 Slot 2 was similar to Slot 1. Quant Section was the most difficult of the three.

• CAT 2018 VARC Slot 2- As per CAT Analysis 2018, the RC section had inference-based questions and was easy to solve.
• CAT 2018 DILR Slot 2 - If the students were smart enough to choose the correct questions to attempt, this segment was simple to complete. A few DI questions required calculations.
• CAT 2018 QA Slot 2 - As per CAT Analysis 2018, Arithmetic led this part with the maximum number of questions, followed by Modern Math with 10 questions, Geometry with 6, and Algebra and Numbers with a couple of questions apiece.

CAT 2015 Exam was conducted and administered by IIM Ahmedabad. It can be beneficial to go through the CAT Exam Analysis 2015 to better understand the exam and the types of questions asked. CAT Question Paper 2015 followed the sectional timing of 60 min each for all three sections. Understand the CAT Paper Pattern and then go through the section-wise CAT Analysis 2015.

The number of questions asked in each section in CAT 2015 is as follows.

CAT Exam Analysis 2015 VARC

The Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section was easy. As per CAT Analysis 2015, most of the Reading Comprehension was straightforward. The key was identifying the factual questions and attempting them correctly and accurately. 2 of the 5 passages were moderately difficult.

• There were 24 RC questions and 10 questions on Verbal Ability/Reasoning. All Verbal Questions were Non-MCQ
• No negative marking for Non-MCQs questions
• As per CAT Exam Analysis 2015, the Verbal Ability section was dominated by Verbal Logic problems, which did not have any negative markings.
• Verbal Ability included questions from Jumbled Paragraphs, Paragraph Summary and Odd Sentence Out of the Paragraph.
• As per CAT Analysis 2015, there were no vocabulary or grammar problems, and unlike in past years, the odd sentence out had five possibilities, making them a little more difficult.

Due to the section's easy level, several students attempted many questions from RC sections and all questions from Verbal Logic.

CAT Analysis 2015 DILR

The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning sections were moderately difficult. As per CAT Exam Analysis 2015, the DI section was lengthy and difficult as compared to the LR section. Candidates who have practised multiple sample papers and mock tests will be able to solve the questions with ease. Check your CAT Result.

• In the DILR section, no questions were asked from Data Sets
• Two of the LR sets were easy to complete, while the other two were of moderate difficulty.

CAT Exam Analysis 2015 QA

As per the CAT Analysis 2015, the Quantitative Ability section was of medium difficulty level. The section comprised of 34 questions, out of which 15 non-MCQ questions were asked, and the remainder were MCQs.

• The questions were developed to assess a student's understanding of key concepts.
• Options were quite useful in getting the answer to some of the MCQs.
• As per CAT Exam Analysis 2015, there were questions on Algebra, Geometry, Modern Math, and Arithmetic, among other areas.

As per the exam trend, the CAT Exam has 3 sections: VARC, DILR, and QA. the number of questions in each section may vary. Note the table below to get an idea about the question trends in CAT Exam.