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.
The exact percentile for a CAT score of 37 marks in CAT 2025 cannot be determined until the official results are announced, as it depends on the overall difficulty of the exam and the performance of all candidates. Based on past trends, a raw score of 37 out of 198–200 marks typically falls in the 35–45 percentile range, but this can vary slightly depending on the year and the normalisation process across sessions. Candidates should refer to the official CAT 2025 percentile table once released for an accurate conversion.
CAT 2023 Question Paper PDF: Slot-wise Important Topics
Official CAT 2023 Question Paper (Previous Year)
CAT 2023 Scores vs Percentile: Slot-wise & Section-wise
CAT 2023 cut-off of top MBA colleges
CAT Previous Year Questions
Importance of Solving CAT Previous Year Papers
CAT 2023 Question Paper (source:freepik)
CAT 2023 Question Paper PDF: Slot-wise Important Topics
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
Reading Comprehension
Para Jumbles
Summary
Odd one out
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Number breaking
Ratings
mean, median and mode
Quantitative Aptitude
Arithmetic
Algebra
Simple and Compound interest
Geometry
Time and Distance
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
Reading Comprehension
Para Jumbles
Para Completion
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Mean, median and mode
Quantitative Aptitude
Arithmetic
Algebra
Sequence and series
Logarithm
Time and Distance
Work
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
Reading Comprehension
Para Jumbles
Para Completion
Para Summary
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Mean, Median and Mode
Quantitative Aptitude
Arithmetic
Algebra
Geometry
Number Systems
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.
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.
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:
CAT 2023 Slot 1 questions
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)
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.
CAT 2023 Scores vs Percentile: Slot-wise & Section-wise
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.
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.
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)
Q: How was the CAT 2023 question paper?
A:
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.
Q: Was CAT 2023 tough? Was 2023 CAT difficult?
A:
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.
Q: How was CAT 2023 slot 1?
A:
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.
Q: How was CAT 2023 slot 2?
A:
The CAT 2023 slot 2 was moderately difficult. Candidates found the QA section to be more challenging than other sections.
CAT does not restrict eligibility based on stream. Candidates from commerce, arts, science, engineering or any other background can appear for CAT and apply to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.
The basic eligibility criteria for CAT are:
You must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with at least 50 percent marks (45 percent for SC, ST and PwD categories). Final-year graduation students are also eligible to apply.
Being a commerce graduate can actually be an advantage in areas such as accounting, finance, economics and business studies, especially during MBA coursework in finance, marketing and operations.
After qualifying CAT, admission depends on multiple factors including CAT percentile, academic background, work experience (if any), performance in GD, WAT and personal interview rounds. Many IIMs and B-schools follow a diverse academic background policy, which means non-engineering candidates, including commerce graduates, often receive additional weightage.
Apart from IIMs, several reputed institutes such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, and many state and private universities also accept CAT scores for MBA admissions.
So, as a commerce graduate, you are fully eligible to appear for CAT and pursue an MBA, provided you meet the minimum academic requirements and perform well in the selection process.
If you want, I can also help you with realistic CAT percentile targets based on your academic profile or suggest suitable MBA colleges.
With a CAT 2025 raw score of 84 and strong sectionals, your expected percentile may fail in the high 98 range , depending on scaling. Your excellent academics and 2 years of work experience strengthen your profile .IIM Lucknow calls are possible but competitive for EWS engineers , while FMS Delhi looks mainly at CAT score and VARC , so you have a reasonable chance there . Final calls depend on cutoffs and composite score.
For MANAGE Hyderabad MBA , the OBC cutoff in CAT 2024 was generally around 85-90 percentile for shortlist consideration , tough exact figures vary by section and profile . For CAT 2025, if fewer candidates appeared , the cutoff might slightly adjust , but percentile based cutoffs dont change drastically year to year. A minor decrease is possible , but you should still aim for 90+ percentile to be competitive. Factors like VARC, QA-LRDI and overall profile influence the final shortlist.
For a raw score of 56 in CAT 2025 Slot 3, your expected overall percentile is likely to be in the range of the 90th-95th percentile. The exact percentile can vary slightly on the final normalization process and the process and performance of all test-takers. In this
article
you'll find more about the CAT result.
Hello,
With a projected CAT percentile of 87% but not clearing sectional cutoffs, your chances at top IIMs are limited because they require both overall percentile and sectional minimums. However, you still have a good shot at other reputed management institutes and non-IIM B-schools. Consider colleges like NMIMS, SPJIMR, IMT, TAPMI, Great Lakes, and other well-ranked private or state-level B-schools that accept CAT scores and weigh your profile holistically. Your academic record, BSc in Animation with 80%, and 5 years of work experience at Ubisoft India are strong points and may help in institutes that value work experience in their selection process. Also, explore institutes that accept XAT, MAT, or CMAT, where your profile can be competitive.
Hope this helps you.
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