CAT 2023 Slot 1 Exam Analysis: Review, Difficulty Level Questions Asked, Good Attempts, Expected Cut Off

CAT Slot 1 Exam Analysis 2023 was conducted by BYJU’S Exam Prep Experts on 26th Nov 2023. As per the CAT Analysis 2023, the overall difficulty level of the exam was Moderate-difficult. The CAT exam 2023 did not throw surprise in terms of the Paper pattern and it was similar to CAT 2022 exam with a total of 66 questions. This year the surprise came in the form of 4 parajumble questions asked in the VARC section.

The CAT is a highly competitive entrance exam in India for admission to postgraduate management programs offered by Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top business schools in the country. This year the level of competition will be high with 3.3 lakh aspirants registering for CAT 2023, the highest in CAT history so far.

The CAT 2023 Analysis is given by BYJU’S Exam Prep Experts who themselves write the paper. In this CAT Exam Analysis 2023 article, we have shared a detailed analysis of the CAT 2023. This article consists of CAT 2023 exam highlights, paper pattern, level of difficulty, good attempts, and expected cutoffs.

Check our CAT 2023 Score Calculator and Percentile Predictor

CAT Slot 1 Exam Analysis 2023: Important Highlights

The CAT 2023 highlights are as follows

• The overall difficulty level of the paper Moderate – Difficult
• Total Number of Questions: 66 Questions
• CAT paper consisted of 3 sections – i) Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, ii) Quantitative Ability, and iii) Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
• There were 4 Parajumbles this year
• The exam was held in three slots – Forenoon, Afternoon and Evening
• The exam duration was 2 hours i.e 120 minutes

CAT 2023 Question Paper Pattern

As per the CAT 2023 Analysis (Slot 1) the exam pattern was similar to CAT 2022 paper. The CAT 2023 Slot 1 exam pattern is given below:

Section	Questions	Non-MCQ Questions	Time (in minutes)	Difficulty  Level
VARC	24	4	40	Moderate
DILR	20	8	40	Moderate
QA	22	8	40	Mod. – Difficult (Lengthy)
Total	66	20	120	Mod. – Difficult

CAT 2023 Marking Scheme

The marking scheme of the CAT Paper is as follows:

3 marks for every correct answer

MCQ: -1 mark for every incorrect

TITA: No negative marking

Section-wise CAT 2023 Exam Analysis – Slot 1

The CAT 2023 Analysis is given below. Candidates can read the article given below:

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

 

 

As per the CAT 2023 Analysis, the VARC section threw surprise in the form of 4 Para jumble questions wherein there were 2 questions that had 5 sentences that were jumbled and the other 2 questions had 4 statements. The VARC section had a sectional time limit of 40 minutes. As per the CAT Analysis 2023, the VARC section had a Moderate level of difficulty. RCs dominated the VARC section with 16 questions. The Verbal Ability had 4 RCs consisting of 16 questions and 8 VA Questions. The breakup of the Verbal Ability is given in the table below:

	Passages	Qs
Verbal Ability (8 Questions)	Para Summary	2
	Para Completion	2
	Para Jumbles	4

The topic of the Para Summary and Para Completion and Para Jumbles is given below

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

As per the CAT 2023 Analysis, there were 4 RCs which had a total of 16 questions (4+4+4+4). The genre of the 4 RC are as follows:

Passages	LOD
Human Psychology (Geographical & Non-Geographical)	Moderate
Indian Ocean	Easy
Wolves & its impact	Easy – Mod. (Lengthy)
Colonialism	Moderate

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

As per the CAT Analysis 2023, the DILR section of Slot 1 had a difficulty level of Moderate. The DILR had 4 sets (5 + 5 + 5 + 5). The topic-wise breakup is given below:

Section	Topic	No. of Questions	Level of Difficulty
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	Mean, Median, Mode (Rating of Restaurants)	5	Moderate
	Visa Application (Scheduling)	5	Easy
	House (Routes and Networks)	5	Moderate
	Faculty members (Selection)	5	Moderate

CAT 2023 Slot 1 Exam Analysis for Quantitative Ability (QA)

As per the CAT 2023, Analysis, the QA section was slightly difficult. This section was dominated with questions on Arithmetic and Algebra. This section was lengthy and time-consuming. The topic-wise breakup of the section is given below

Section	Topic	Questions	LOD
Quantitative Ability	Arithmetic	9	Moderate (Lengthy)
	Algebra	8	Moderate
	Number System	1	Moderate
	Modern Math	1	Easy
	Geometry and Mensuration	3	Mod. – Difficult

Candidates can check the topic-wise breakup of the questions asked in the QA section as per the CAT Analysis 2023 given by our Experts
Arithmetic and Algebra

Area	Topic	Questions
Arithmetic	Time, Speed & Distance	2
	Ratios	1
	Percentages	1
	Average	1
	Time & Work	1
	Mixture	1
	SI & CI	1
	PLD	1
Algebra	Series	1
	Log	1
	Simplification	1
	Quadratic	1
	Modulus Based	1
	Misc	2
	Higher Order	1

Area	Topic	Questions
Geometry & Mensuration	Triangle	1
	Quadrilateral	1
	Circle	1
Modern Math	Numbers upto 1000 (Non-Repeating)	1
Number System	Factors	1

CAT Exam Analysis 2023: Score Vs Percentile

Candidates can check the score vs percentile of Slot 1, as per CAT Analysis 2023, in the table given below:

Percentile	Marks in	Marks in	Marks in	Marks in	Marks in
	CAT 2023	CAT 2022	CAT 2021	CAT 2020	CAT 2017
Total Marks	198	198	198	228	300
99.9	108-111	110.72	120	131	208
99.5	93-95	93	107	115	183
99	81-85	82.5	97	102	173
95	57- 60	60	71	77	139
90	45- 48	48.5	59	63	121
80	35-36	35.5	45	49	98

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