CAT Exam Past 5 years Analysis and Trends: Insights for Success

CAT Exam Past 5 years Analysis and Trends: Insights for Success

Upcoming Event

CAT Admit Card Date:05 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25

Himanshu ShekharUpdated on 23 May 2024, 12:05 PM IST

CAT Past 5 years Analysis and Trends: CAT 2024 will be held on November 24, 2024. The CAT exam conducted by IIMs is known for the surprises thrown to the test takers every year. Over the last 5 years, the CAT exam pattern has changed frequently. From 2021 onwards, IIM is following the same pattern for the CAT exam. Candidates who are preparing for the CAT exam, should know the trends of the past 5 years and the new CAT paper pattern. Read this full article to know what one can expect for the IIM CAT paper difficulty level.

This Story also Contains

  1. CAT Past 5 years Analysis and Trends
  2. CAT Past Years Pattern in a Glance
  3. CAT Year Wise Analysis and Trends
CAT Exam Past 5 years Analysis and Trends: Insights for Success
CAT Past 5 years Analysis and Trends

CAT Past 5 years Analysis and Trends

IIMs has changed its CAT exam pattern in 2020. It has reduced the total number of questions from 100 to 76 and the duration of the exam from 3 hours to 2 hours. In 2021, the CAT paper pattern was changed once again. The total number of questions was reduced from 76 to 66, but the duration remained the same. This year, we expect that the IIM will follow the same exam pattern for CAT 2024. Before knowing the analysis and trends of the past few years, you must know the latest CAT exam pattern in detail.

CAT 2024 Exam Pattern

The expected structure of the CAT exam will be as follows:

Number of Question

Sections

Marking Scheme

Duration

66 questions

  • VARC: 24
  • DILR: 20
  • QA: 22
  • Quantitative Ability
  • Verbal & Reading Comprehension
  • Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
  • +3 - for the right answer
  • -1 - for incorrect answer
  • 120 minutes. 40 minutes for each section.
  • 53 Minutes 20 Seconds for PwD candidates for each section.
Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026

Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025

SPJIMR Mumbai PGDM Admissions 2026

Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA

* Total marks: 198

CAT Past Years Pattern in a Glance

The following table brings you the test structure of the CAT 2024 exam over the past 14 years.

Year

Number of Question

Sections

Marking Scheme

Duration

Difficulty Level

202366 (VARC: 24, DILR: 20, QA: 22)Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
+3, - 1
120 minutes. 40 minutes for each sectionDifficult
2022

66 (VARC: 24, DILR: 20, QA: 22)

Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning+3, - 1120 minutes. 40 minutes for each sectionModerate to Difficult
202166(VARC: 24, DILR: 20, QA: 22)Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning+3, - 1120 minutes. 40 minutes for each sectionModerate to Difficult

202076 (QA - 26, VARC - 26, DI & LR - 24)Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning+3, - 1
120 minutes. 40 minutes for each section
Moderate to Difficult
2019100 (QA - 34, VRC - 34, DI & LR - 32)Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning+3, - 1180 minutes. 60 minutes for each sectionEasy to Moderate
2018100 (QA - 34, VRC - 34, DI & LR - 32)Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning+3, - 1180 minutes. 60 minutes for each sectionModerate to Difficult
2017100 (QA - 34, VRC - 34, DI & LR - 32)Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning+3, - 1180 minutes. 60 minutes for each sectionModerate to Difficult
2016100 (QA - 34, VRC - 34, DI & LR - 32)Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning+3, - 1180 minutes. 60 minutes for each sectionModerate
2015100 (QA - 34, VRC - 34, DI & LR - 32)Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning+3, - 1180 minutes. 60 minutes for each sectionEasy to Moderate

2014

100 (50 per section)

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (not in particular order)

+3, - 1

170 minutes or 2 hours and 50 minutes

Moderate to Tough

2013

60 (30 per section)

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (In first and second-order)

+3, -1

140 minutes or 2 hours 20 minutes

Moderate to Difficult

2012

60 (30 per section)

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (In first and second-order)

+3, -1

140 minutes or 2 hours 20 minutes

Moderate to Difficult

2011

60 (30 per section)

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (In first and second-order)

+3, -1

140 minutes or 2 hours 20 minutes

Moderate

2010

60 (20 per section)

Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability, and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

+3, -1

2 hours 30 minutes

Moderate

2009

60 (20 per section)

Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability, and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

+3, -1

2 hours 30 minutes

Moderate

CAT 2025: VARC, DILR, and Quant MCQs & Weightages
Comprehensive CAT prep guide with focused practice on Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude.
Download Now

Also read:

IBSAT 2025-ICFAI Business School MBA/PGPM 2026

IBSAT 2025-Your gateway to MBA/PGPM @ IBS Hyderabad and 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR

XAT- Xavier Aptitude Test 2026

75+ years of legacy | #1 Entrance Exam | Score accepted by 250+ BSchools | Apply now

CAT Year Wise Analysis and Trends

Now let us have a look at the year-wise CAT analysis and trends of the CAT exam.

CAT 2023 Analysis

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow conducted CAT 2023 across the country. CAT exam was held in three slots. The overall difficulty level of CAT 2023 was moderate, with Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) being tough.

Quantitative Ability Analysis

The quantitative section has some very important and recurring topics in the CAT exam every year. In this section, 22 questions are asked, of which 7 are non-MCQ questions. Arithmetic and algebra dominate the CAT question paper every year. Some of the QA topics for CAT 2023, along with their weightages are given below.

CAT QA TopicsCAT 2023

Arithmetic

8-9

Algebra

4-9

Geometry & Mensuration

3-4

Number System

1-3

Modern Math

0-3

Overall

22

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Analysis

In the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section, 24 questions are included, of which 5 are non-MCQ questions. 66% of the total VARC questions are reading comprehension questions. The rest are verbal ability questions consisting of para-summaries, para-jumbles, and odd sentences.

In reading comprehension, a passage is given, based on which candidates have to answer 4-5 questions. Most of the CAT RC questions are MCQ questions. In verbal ability, the questions test candidates' command over the English language. It contains grammar and English language usage questions. Some of the VARC topics for CAT 2023, along with their weightages are given below.

CAT VARC TopicsCAT 2023

Reading Comprehension

16

Para Jumbles

3

Para Summary

3

Odd One Out/Para Completion

2

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

The CAT Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation section includes 20 questions along with 6 TITA-based questions. Check the topic-wise distribution of DILR divisions last year:

CAT DILR TopicsNumber of Sets
Misc11

Reasoning-based DI

10

Matrix and Grid

7

Matrix Arrangement

7

Venn Diagram

7

Scheduling and Matrix

6

Unconventional and Hybrid Games and Tournaments

6

Mathematical AR

4

Order and ranking

3

Arithmetic Caselet

3

Logic Based Table

3

Routes and Networks

3

Missing Data

3

Maxima-Minima Concept

2

Algebra Caselet

2

Arithmetic Based DI

2

Gantt Chart

2

CAT 2022 Analysis

This year had some stability in the context of CAT exam difficulty with no surprises and the conducting body, IIM Bangalore, continued the pattern of last year and avoided any other changes in the CAT exam pattern. CAT 2022 had a total of 66 questions in the 3 usual sections of the exam. In terms of CAT exam pattern, structure, and difficulty level, the exam was of similar lines to the previous CAT exams. The Verbal Ability part of the CAT exam was moderate in nature with Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning being the toughest for the candidates this year.

CAT 2021 Analysis

The CAT 2021 has few surprises for the aspirants where the number of CAT questions reduced to 66 from 76 in last year. As far as the difficulty level of the CAT exam is concerned, the verbal section of the exam was moderate with DILR the most difficult and the quantitative ability was moderate to difficult in nature.

Sec. No.Section NameTotal No. of Ques.
1.Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension24
2.Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning20
3.Quantitative Ability22

Total66

CAT 2020 Analysis

CAT 2020 was conducted by IIM Indore in an absolutely new CAT paper pattern. The difficulty level of the test was moderate to difficult. The quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section were moderate and the Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning section was moderate to difficult. Logical Reasoning was the toughest part of the exam. The CAT 2020 was conducted in three slots in a day.

Area

Number of Questions

Quantitative Ability

26

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

24

Verbal Ability

26

CAT 2019 Analysis

CAT 2019, conducted by IIM Kozhikode was an easy to moderate test in terms of difficulty level. The test did not encounter technical glitches. The pattern of the test followed previous years’ pattern and the questions did not throw any surprise in terms of topics and areas.

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

Some of the questions were very tough and time-consuming. The Data Interpretation sets were also moderately calculation intensive. The Quantitative Ability area included questions on Arithmetic, Algebra, Higher Math, Geometry, Numbers, Logs, Permutation & Combination, and Functions.

Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning

This Verbal Ability section had 3 Reading Comprehension passages out of which 2 were easy and 1 was of moderate difficulty level. The English Usage questions were on para completion, jumbled sentences, grammar, etc.

CAT 2018 Analysis

CAT 2018 was conducted by IIM Calcutta. The difficulty level of the CAT paper was moderate to tough. The quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section were moderate and the Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning section was moderate to tough. Logical Reasoning was the toughest part of the exam.

CAT 2017 Analysis

The CAT 2017 was conducted by IIM Lucknow. The test was taken by 1,99,632 candidates. The test structure was similar to that of CAT 2016. The difficulty level was easy to moderate. Most of the test takers found that the Verbal Ability section was easier and on the other hand, the Quantitative Ability section was tough. The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section were of moderate difficulty level.

In the Quantitative Ability section, most of the questions were of moderate difficulty level. The Verbal Ability questions were on the expected lines, making the section easy. The Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section was a good mix of calculation-intensive and reasoning-based questions.

CAT 2016 Analysis

CAT 2016 was conducted by IIM Bangalore first time. The difficulty level of the test was easy. The quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section were moderate and the Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning section was easy. Logical Reasoning was the moderate part of the exam.

CAT 2015 Analysis

The computer-based CAT exam in the year 2015 was conducted by IIM Ahmedabad, The test was taken by 1,79,602 candidates. As far as the difficulty level of the test is concerned, it was not as tough as it used to be in the yesteryears. The overall difficulty level was moderate. The duration of the test was 3 hours.

CAT 2014 Analysis

CAT 2014 was also conducted by IIM Indore in an absolutely new pattern. The difficulty level of the test was moderate to tough. The quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section were moderate and the Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning section was moderate to tough. Logical Reasoning was the toughest part of the exam.

CAT 2013 Analysis

CAT 2013 was conducted by IIM Indore. The test was on the expected lines and did not throw any surprise. The difficulty level was moderate to tough. The test was taken by 1.74 lakh candidates. The candidates faced some wrong questions on Day 1. There was also controversy around questions getting leaked making the Non-Disclosure Agreement void.

After the declaration of result, controversy ensued over the normalization issue after 95,000 candidates obtained 0 or negative scores, as a result of which candidates who attempted no questions were placed at around 55 percentile bracket. Several CAT 2013 candidates filed Writ Petition which led the Indore High Court to send notice to all 13 IIMs, Ministry of HRD, and CAT testing agency Prometric India Pvt. Ltd.

Let us have a look at the section-wise analysis.

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

According to experts, the weightage on the topics like Arithmetic, Geometry, and Mensuration was reduced. On the other hand, Algebra questions were increased. Other areas included Higher Math, Permutation Combination, Quadratic Equation, Functions, Interest, Data Sufficiency, etc.

The Data Interpretation questions were on Bar graphs, Pie charts, Tables to name a few. The DI section was on the tougher side. The overall difficulty level was moderate to tough.

Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning

The VA & LR sections were divided into 3 parts, Reading Comprehension, English Usage, and Logical Reasoning. There were 3 RC passages out of which 1 of the passages was tough while 2 were of moderate difficulty level. The English Usage questions were on Para Jumble, Para Completion, Word Usage, etc.

The Logical Reasoning part was a mix of tough and easy questions. The LR questions were mainly on the topics of matrix, ranking, arrangements, etc.

CAT 2012 Analysis

CAT 2012, conducted by IIM Kozhikode was moderate to a tough test in terms of difficulty level. The test did not encounter technical glitches. The pattern of the test followed previous years’ pattern and the questions did not throw any surprise in terms of topics and areas. The test was taken by 1.95 lakh candidates.

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

Some of these CAT questions were very tough and time-consuming. The Data Interpretation sets were also moderately calculation intensive. The Quantitative Ability area included questions on Arithmetic, Algebra, Higher Math, Geometry, Numbers, Logs, Permutation & Combination, and Functions.

Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning

This Verbal Ability section had 3 Reading Comprehension passages out of which 2 were easy and 1 was of moderate difficulty level. The English Usage questions were on para completion, jumbled sentences, grammar, etc.

CAT 2011 Analysis

CAT 2011 which was conducted by IIM Calcutta underwent a major change in terms of the exam pattern. Instead of 3, the exam had 2 sections, namely Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning & Verbal Ability. The total number of questions remained 60. Each section had 30 questions. The overall difficulty level of the test was moderate to tough. The total number of test-takers was was 1.86 lakh.

The area-wise demarcation of the questions is given in the table below:

Area

Number of Questions

Quantitative Ability

20

Data Interpretation

10

Verbal Ability

20

Logical Reasoning

10

The duration became 140 minutes and the sections were time-bound as well, of 70 minutes each. QA & DI was the compulsory first section. The marking scheme remained the same, 3 marks for each correct answer and -1 mark of negative marking for each wrong answer.

Now let us have a look at the section-wise analysis.

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

The section was of easy to moderate difficulty level. The Quant questions were tough but the Data Interpretation questions were simple in nature. The section was time-consuming but not calculation-intensive. Few questions were from previous years’ CAT papers, which were on Data Sufficiency and Ratio.

Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning

The Verbal Ability area included questions on English Usage and Reading Comprehension. According to the test-takers, the English Usage (Para Completion and Para Jumbling) and 3 sets of RC questions were tricky. On the other hand, the Logical Reasoning questions were easy to solve. This section too had some time-consuming questions.

CAT 2010 Analysis

The second year of computer-based CAT exam was conducted by IIM Lucknow. The test was taken by 1.85 lakh candidates. Unlike the first year, the test-taking experience was smooth and glitch-free. The test structure was similar to that of CAT 2009. The difficulty level was easy to moderate. Most of the test takers found that the Verbal Ability section was easier and on the other hand, the Quantitative Ability section was tough. The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section were of moderate difficulty level.

In the Quantitative Ability section, most of the questions were of moderate difficulty level. Out of 20 questions, 4 to 5 were very tough. The Verbal Ability questions were on the expected lines, making the section easy. The Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section was a good mix of calculation-intensive and reasoning-based questions.

CAT 2009 Analysis

From the traditional paper pencil-based test, CAT became computer-based in the year 2009. IIM Ahmedabad conducted the test and it was Prometric India Pvt. Ltd.’s first year as the online testing partner. The test was taken by 2.3 lakh candidates. Owing to the huge shift in pattern, the first year of the computer-based CAT experienced massive technical glitches resulting in a retest.

CAT takers also questioned the normalization process of the test. As far as the difficulty level of the test is concerned, it was not as tough as it used to be in the yesteryears. The overall difficulty level was moderate. The duration of the test was 2 hours 15 minutes.

Owing to the Non-Disclosure Agreement, the question topics and number of questions per area cannot be disclosed in detail. However, according to expert analysis, the difficulty level was easier compared to the previous years. The Reading Comprehension passages were shorter and the Data Interpretation questions were time-consuming. English Usage questions were of similar difficulty compared to the previous year. The quantitative Ability section was easier. The overall difficulty level was even easier in the retest which was conducted in January 2010.

Articles
|
Certifications By Top Providers
Online MBA Business Analytics
Via Centre for Distance and Online Education, Anna University, Chennai
Corporate Law
Via National Law University, New Delhi
The Science and Business of Biotechnology
Via Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Online MBA
Via Centre for Distance and Online Education, Anna University, Chennai
Management of Commercial Banking
Via Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Strategic Management
Via Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Udemy
 703 courses
Edx
 467 courses
Swayam
 236 courses
Emeritus
 231 courses
Explore Top Universities Across Globe
University of Essex, Colchester
Wivenhoe Park Colchester CO4 3SQ
Oxford Brookes University, Oxford
Headington Campus Oxford OX3 0BP UK
Northumbria University, Newcastle City Campus
Sutherland Building, Northumberland Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST
Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff
Llandaff Campus, Western Avenue, Cardiff, CF5 2YB
University of Reading, Reading
Whiteknights PO Box 217 Reading Berkshire RG6 6AH
Bristol Baptist College, Bristol
The Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol BS8 3NJ

Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

With a 70 percent in CAT Examination, you can go for various B-Schools or private collages. The S. K. Patel Institute of Management in Gandhinagar is an option for those who score 70-80 percent in their CAT examination or The Gujarat Institute of Management (GIM) in Goa with a cutoff of 60-80 percentage. These are the collages you can look for in Gujarat or nearby.

Collage in other regions: BA Colleges Accepting 70-80 Percentile in CAT 2025

Thank You.

Hello dear candidate,

NO. your application for CAT will not rejected for wrong gender small mistake in the OBC NCL certificate. You will be considered as an OBC candidate.

you just need to get your OBC certificate corrected and need to inform the CAT helpdesk about this error.


Hello,

Here are some top MBA colleges in India with fees under Rs. 2 lakh and their exam/cutoff details:

  • SIMSREE, Mumbai – Fee around Rs. 1.3–1.4 lakh for 2 years. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, MAT, ATMA. Cutoff is very high, usually 99+ percentile in CAT/CMAT.

  • PUMBA (Dept. of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University) – Fee around Rs. 1.2–1.3 lakh. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, ATMA. Cutoff approx. 75+ percentile in CAT, 90–95+ percentile in CMAT, high scores in MAH-CET.

  • TISS, Mumbai (MA HRM & other management-related programmes) – Fee around Rs. 1.7–1.9 lakh. Accepts CAT for some courses. Qualifying cutoff is around 60–70 percentile, but final selection cutoffs are higher.

These are the main government institutes where the full MBA/PG programme fee is within Rs. 2 lakh. Cutoffs vary slightly each year and by category, but SIMSREE and PUMBA generally need high scores, while TISS has its own process along with CAT shortlisting.

Hope it helps !

Hey! With a NEET score of 344 in the ST category, it is highly unlikely to get admission in any government BDS college in Delhi through the All India Quota. The cutoff for government BDS seats in Delhi usually falls around 400–450 for ST category, so your score is below that range.

You can consider private dental colleges, state quota seats in other states, or reattempt NEET next year to improve your chances.

Hello dear candidate,

YES, with NEET score 344in the ST category you have high chances of getting admission in a BDS College in J&K through JKBOPEE counselling.

check the seat availability and next participate in JKBOPEE Counselling with all the necessary documents.

Thank you.