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Why is CAT considered a tough exam? Is CAT really tough for average students? Or Is CAT exam easy to crack? or Is CAT exam tough for MBA? Multiple questions come up when we talk about the difficulty levels of CAT. The CAT exam is considered one of the toughest exams to crack for MBA admissions in India. High competition, time limits and unpredictable difficulty levels make it one of the most challenging MBA entrance exams in India. Read this article to get to know why CAT is considered to be a tough exam in India.
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IIMs conduct CAT exam for admission to top MBA colleges in India like IIMs, IITs, SPJIMR, MDI, FMS, etc. More than 3 lakh candidates register for CAT exam every year. It is one of the most competitive exams in India for admission to MBA and PGDM programmes. The following reasons are why CAT is considered a tough exam:
CAT 2024 is one of the toughest entrance exams for MBA. Candidates who register for CAT exam come from various academic backgrounds like engineering, science, commerce and arts. The difficulties faced by them also vary accordingly. Let’s check out the comparison between the difficulty levels faced by them.
Components | VARC | DILR | QA |
Engineers | Difficult | Moderate | Easy |
Science | Difficult | Moderate | Moderate |
Commerce | Difficult | Difficult | Moderate |
Arts | Easy | Difficult | Difficult |
CAT syllabus includes three sections - verbal ability and reading comprehension, data interpretation and logical reasoning and quantitative aptitude. Candidates have to answer 66 questions within 120 minutes. Since maximum candidates from engineering backgrounds appear for CAT the difficulty level of questions is comparatively high. Take a look at the difficulty level of questions in each section of the CAT entrance exam.
Section | No. of questions | Difficulty Level |
VARC | 24 | Moderate |
DILR | 20 | Moderate- Difficult |
QA | 22 | Difficult |
Total | 66 | Moderate - Difficult |
Year | Conducting Body | Difficulty Level |
CAT 2023 | IIM Lucknow | Moderate to Difficult |
CAT 2022 | IIM Bangalore | Moderate to Difficult |
CAT 2021 | IIM Ahmedabad | Moderately Easier. VARC was easier |
CAT 2020 | IIM Indore | Moderate to Difficult |
CAT 2019 | IIM Kozhikode | Difficult – VARC section was complex |
CAT 2018 | IIM Calcutta | Moderate to Difficult |
CAT scores for MBA admission to B-schools in India depend on the cutoff released by the institutes. The CAT cutoff depends on various factors like number of students appearing for exam, difficulty levels, number of available seats, etc. CAT cutoffs for top MBA colleges usually fall between 95 - 99+ percentile.
CAT Percentile | Overall CAT Score | Top MBA Colleges |
98 – 100 %ile | 90 - 105 | IIM A, B, C, FMS |
94 - 97 %ile | 80 - 89 | IIM L, I, K, SPJIMR, MDI, IITB, IITD, NITIE |
90 – 93 %ile | 72 - 79 | IIM Shillong, IIM Rohtak, 10 CAP IIMs, XIMB, IMI, IMT Ghaziabad |
85 – 89 %ile | 61 - 71 | IIM Amritsar, IIM Nagpur, IIM Vizag, MICA, IRMA, Great Lakes, GIM Goa |
75 – 84 %ile | 51 - 60 | K J Somaiya, Welingkar, LBSIM, JIMS Rohini, BIMTECH, IMT Nagpur |
65 – 73 %ile | 41 - 50 | IMT Hyderabad, Jaipuria Lucknow/Noida, SDMIMD, IESMCRC, IMI Bhubaneswar |
MBA aspirants planning to appear for CAT 2024 can follow these useful CAT preparation tips to help them crack CAT exam.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CAT exam involves solving tricky and puzzling questions, which can be challenging for those who are not good at maths or logic. However, NEET exam requires candidates should be factually right and understand complex scientific concepts.
Each section of the CAT exam has its own difficulty level, but as per past few years CAT exam analysis, the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section is quite time-consuming and difficult of the four sections.
Cracking the CAT entrance exam is not easy, but it is not impossible either. With proper CAT exam preparation and the right approach, an average student can also achieve success.
On Question asked by student community
Hi there,
A female candidate with a CAT percentile of 67.97 and low sectional scores should target private and tier-2/3 B-schools that accept overall CAT scores in the 60–70 percentile range and have flexible sectional criteria.
Some suitable options include AIMS Institute Bangalore, Doon Business School Dehradun, Christ Institute of
Hi there,
Yes, you are eligible for XISS Ranchi with a CAT percentile of 67.60.
According to recent admission trends, the CAT cutoff for the PGDM in Human Resource Management for the general category has been around 60 percentile. For other programs such as Marketing, Finance, and Rural Management, the
Hi there,
Careers360 offers a wide range of eBooks and study materials to assist with CAT preparation. You can access past CAT question papers with solutions to understand the exam pattern and difficulty level. Additionally, there are quantitative aptitude handbooks, cheat sheets, and section-specific practice sets for arithmetic, algebra, and
Hi there,
The minimum eligibility criteria for a general candidate to receive a call from IIM Sambalpur are as follows:
VARC: 65%ile
QUANTS: 65%ile
LRDI: 65%ile
Overall: 90%tile
Keep practising and aim to improve your score. You can also focus on other management exams where you may secure a strong
Hi there,
With a B.tech in industrial engineering from IIT Roorkee and a CAT 2025 score of 98.89 percentile and strong sectionals your profile is solid for top B-schools. For the top IIMs like Ahmedabad and Bangalore, calls for engineers usually go to candidates with near perfect percentiles. Your score
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