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CAT 2023 question paper PDFs of slot 1, slot 2, and slot 3 are available on this page. An official CAT 2023 question paper download link is also given for candidates who will take the CAT 2025 to help them prepare for their MBA entrance exam. The overall difficulty level of CAT 2023 was high. The CAT exam pattern was also similar to CAT 2022, having 66 questions - 24 in VARC, 22 in DILR and 20 in Quantitative Aptitude. The official CAT paper along with CAT answer key was released in the first week of December on the CAT official website - iimcat.ac.in. Scroll down to download the CAT 2023 question paper PDF. The candidates can download the CAT 2023 paper slots 1 2 3 using the links provided below. The links to the CAT 2023 official question paper are also provided within this article.
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The CAT 2023 question paper difficulty level was moderate to high. Generally, the majority of students found the Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude sections tough. With the help of the CAT 2023 question paper analysis, candidates can understand the pattern and the topics from which the questions were asked in each CAT slot.
CAT 2023 question paper PDF slot 1 topics | |
Sections | Important Topics |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension |
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Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning |
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Quantitative Aptitude |
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In CAT 2023 slot 1 question paper VARC section had 4 reading comprehensions, para summary, para jumbles and odd one out. The DILR section had 4 sets having 5 questions each based on number breaking, ratings, and mean, median and mode. The majority of the questions in the QA section of the CAT 2023 question paper slot 1 were from arithmetic, algebra, simple and compound interest, etc.
CAT 2023 question paper PDF slot 2 topics | |
Sections | Important Topics |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension |
|
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning |
|
Quantitative Aptitude |
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In the CAT 2023 slot 2 VARC section, there were 4 Reading Comprehension passages, and the rest of the questions were from para jumbles and para completion. Whereas, in the DILR section of the CAT question paper, there were 4 sets of 5 questions based on mean, median and mode. In the last QA section, the majority of questions were from algebra and arithmetic, and a few questions were from sequence and series, logarithm, time and distance.
CAT 2023 question paper PDF slot 3 topics | |
Sections | Important Topics |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension |
|
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning |
|
Quantitative Aptitude |
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In the CAT 2023 VARC section of slot 3, there were 4 Reading Comprehension passages with a majority of questions based on Para Jumbles, Para Completion, and Para Summary. In the DILR section, there were 5 sets, of which 3 were based on mean, median and mode. Finally, the QA section had the maximum number of questions from algebra and the rest from arithmetic, geometry and number systems.
Check Out - CAT Syllabus
IIM Lucknow conducted CAT exam last year. It released the official CAT exam question paper. The slot-wise official CAT 2023 question paper can be downloaded by candidates to prepare for their CAT 2025 exam.
CAT 2023 question paper PDF (Official) | |
CAT 2023 question paper slot 1 | CAT 2023 Question paper PDF (Slot 1, 2 and 3) |
CAT 2023 question paper slot 2 | |
CAT 2023 question paper slot 3 |
Candidates can download memory-based CAT 2023 question paper PDFs for all the slots from the links provided below in the table:
CAT 2023 question paper pdf (Memory-based) | |
CAT 2023 slot 1 | |
CAT 2023 slot 2 | |
CAT 2023 slot 3 |
Download- CAT Analysis (Slot 1,2,3)
To help candidates appearing for CAT 2024 understand the CAT question paper pattern they can refer to the previous year's paper. Some of the CAT 2023 exam questions that were asked in the CAT paper are as follows:
Q1.The angle between the hand is 8:48 is X. What is the minimum time in minutes when the angle between them increases by 50%?
Q2.If x and y are real numbers such that x² + (x-2y-1)2 = -4y (x + y), here the value x - 2y is
Q3.Let α and β be the two distinct roots of 2x²-6x+k=0, such that (α+β) & (α * β) are the distinct roots of the equation x²+px+p=0, then, the value of 8(k-p)
Download- CAT Slot 1 Answer Key
Q1. One vessel has 40 litres of milk. Now, 4 litres of milk is replaced with water and 4 litres of mixture is replaced with water gain and this process is done repeatedly. Find the minimum number of such processes so that the concentration of milk becomes less than the concentration of water in the end
Q2.Find the number of numbers which are less than 50 and have exactly two factors other than 1 and itself.
Q3. The ratio of two sides of the polygon is 1:2 and the ratio of their interior angle is 3:4. Find the number of sides of the polygon with more number of sides.
Download- CAT Slot 2 Answer Key
Q1.Find the sum of two smallest natural numbers with number of factors as 15.
Q2.A rectangle with the largest possible area is inscribed in a semi-circle. Find the ratio of larger side to smaller side.
Q3.In a regular polygon, each interior angle is 120 more than each exterior angle. Find the number of diagonals of the polygon.
Download- CAT Slot 3 Answer Key
The CAT results were declared on December 21, 2023. Candidates who appeared for CAT 2023 could evaluate their expected CAT score using the CAT 2023 answer key. For aspirants appearing for CAT 2024 can use CAT percentile predictor to estimate their CAT percentile and to check whether they are eligible for the top B-schools or not. The table below mentions the analysis of the expected CAT score vs percentile.
Expected Percentile | Overall Score | ||
Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | |
99 | 80-81 | 82-83 | 78-80 |
95 | 55-56 | 57-58 | 57-58 |
90 | 45-48 | 46-48 | 46-48 |
85 | 39-41 | 40-43 | 40-41 |
80 | 35-37 | 36-39 | 36-37 |
Also Check- How to Calculate CAT Percentile
Every CAT aspirant dreams of securing MBA admission in one of the top B-schools of India.IIMs being the best and most recognised management institution accept CAT percentile as a criterion for admission in their MBA program. Candidates can refer the mentioned table to know the expected CAT cut off of the top IIMs.
CAT colleges | Expected CAT 2023 Cut-off |
99-100 percentile | |
99-100 percentile | |
99 percentile | |
97-98 percentile | |
97-98 percentile | |
97-98 percentile | |
95-96 percentile | |
95-96 percentile | |
98 percentile | |
97 percentile | |
98.54 percentile | |
94 percentile |
Practicing CAT previous year questions is a crucial part of preparing for the exam. By solving CAT question papers 2023 and earlier CAT question papers, candidates can familiarize themselves with the exam structure and the types of questions asked. Accessing CAT previous year question papers pdf provides an easy way to practice from different years, while CAT previous year question papers with solutions help in understanding the correct approach to solving the questions. Using resources like CAT question paper with solution pdf ensures that candidates can check their answers and improve their problem-solving techniques. For more focused preparation, topic-wise previous year CAT questions pdf and CAT previous year questions topic-wise are useful for identifying and strengthening weak areas. Understanding the CAT question paper pattern further aids in strategizing and planning effectively for the exam.
The importance of solving CAT previous year papers is significant for effective exam preparation. By practising with CAT question papers 2023 and other CAT question papers, candidates can familiarise themselves with the actual exam format and the types of questions asked. Accessing the CAT previous year question papers PDF and CAT previous year question papers with solutions allows candidates to understand the correct approach to solving difficult questions, helping them improve accuracy. Using resources like the CAT question paper with solution PDF also aids in identifying mistakes and learning from them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The overall difficulty level of the CAT 2023 question paper was difficult. The CAT 2023 exam pattern was similar to last year having 66 questions divided into 3 sections- VARC had 24 questions, DILR had 22 questions and QA had 20 questions.
The CAT 2023 slot 2 was moderately difficult. Candidates found the QA section to be more challenging than other sections.
The CAT 2023 slot 1 exam was difficult. Candidates who took this MBA entrance exam on November 26 reported that some questions were repeated in the exam from the CAT previous years.
CAT 2023 exam was tough this year. As per the test takers, the quant section was difficult among the three sections. The QA section was lengthy and time-consuming.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Amgothu
With 305 marks in ICAR PG and being from ST category, your chances of getting an AIEEA (CAT) seat is good, especially in plant sciences and less competitive subjects
Hello
As you said you by mistakenly done that, you don't need to get worry regarding that ,
Just inform the help desk and carry the correct certifications , the state certificate will not disqualify you .
The steps you can follow is -
1. You can check if the correction window is available or not
2. Contact the CAT desk immediately.
Hope this helps
In CAT registration, you cannot create a new user ID with the same mobile number, even if you use a different email ID. Each mobile number and email can be linked to only one account. If you already registered once, the system will not accept a duplicate with that number. To register again, you must use a new mobile number and new email ID. If you lost your old login, you can recover it through the forgot password/user ID option on the CAT portal.
Yes, you can fill the CAT form even if you currently have a backlog. CAT eligibility requires you to be in your final year of graduation or already graduated backlogs don’t stop you from applying.
While filling the form:
Enter the aggregate percentage/CGPA of marks you have obtained up to the latest semester for which results are declared (in your case till 4th semester).
There will be an option to mention that you have a backlog.
If you clear the backlog later, you’ll just need to show the updated marks during admission.
Hello Aspirant,
Yes, you can apply for the CAT exam as a final-year student. You must declare your backlog on the online application form. You do not write about it on the final-year student certificate; that document is to certify your enrollment status. You must clear all backlogs before the final admission process to any MBA college.
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