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    Is CAT Exam Tough - Why, Difficulty Level & Pattern

    Is CAT Exam Tough - Why, Difficulty Level & Pattern

    Team Careers360Updated on 04 Oct 2024, 05:12 PM IST

    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.

    This Story also Contains

    1. Why is CAT considered a tough exam?
    2. Is CAT Exam Tough in India?
    3. Section-Wise CAT Exam Difficulty Level
    4. CAT Cutoffs Accepted by Top MBA Colleges in India
    5. CAT 2024 Preparation Tips
    Is CAT Exam Tough - Why, Difficulty Level & Pattern
    Why is CAT Considered a Tough Exam?

    Why is CAT considered a tough exam?

    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:

    • High competition
    • Time-based test
    • Accuracy based exam
    • Frequent changes in CAT exam pattern
    • Unpredictable difficulty levels
    • Negative marking
    • Limited seats in top B-school
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    Is CAT Exam Tough in India?

    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.

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    Components

    VARC

    DILR

    QA

    Engineers

    Difficult

    Moderate

    Easy

    Science

    Difficult

    Moderate

    Moderate

    Commerce

    Difficult

    Difficult

    Moderate

    Arts

    Easy

    Difficult

    Difficult

    Section-Wise CAT Exam Difficulty Level

    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

    CAT Exam Difficulty Level (2018 to 2023)

    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 Cutoffs Accepted by Top MBA Colleges in India

    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.

    Estimated CAT Cutoffs

    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

    CAT 2024 Preparation Tips

    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)

    Q: Is CAT easy than neet?`
    A:

    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.

    Q: Which subject is toughest in CAT?
    A:

    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. 

    Q: Is CAT difficult for average students?
    A:

    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. 

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    Questions related to CAT

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to CAT ?

    Hello Dear Student,
    An SC rank of 82 in a Common Entrance Test (CET) is highly competitive and typically guarantees admission into top-tier state universities, central universities, or highly-ranked private institutions. Whether a specific seat is currently available depends directly on the exact university's counselling schedule. Many institutes require you

    Hello Dear Student,
    With a score of 265, securing a B-Category (Management) MBBS seat is highly competitive, but not entirely impossible. Closing scores for these seats typically fall between 225 and 350, depending on the state and college. Waiting for the mop-up round can sometimes lower the cutoff as unallocated

    If by OC you mean Open Category/General category in India, and you have 95%+ throughout your academics (Class 10, Class 12, and graduation) , then your CAT percentile target depends on the B-schools you're aiming for.

    Here's a general guideline:

    Target B-school Safe CAT Percentile (General Category)
    Indian Institute of

    Hello,

    Getting an MBBS seat in Karnataka with 460 marks is quite difficult, even if you belong to Category 1, Ex-serviceman, and HK category in government colleges. However, you have a good chance of getting a seat in the private medical colleges through the government-quota seats in private medical colleges.

    Hello Dear Student,
    Yes, you have a very strong chance of securing a 'Category-A' (convenor quota) BDS seat at the Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences in Hyderabad with 377 marks.

    You can check, find and access more information here: https://medicine.careers360.com/articles/re-neet-2026-safe-score-for-bds
    Hope it helps!