Updated On : November 2, 2023
Summary: The difficulty level of the CAT exam varies yearly, but it is generally considered more challenging than any other entrance exam. Therefore, thorough knowledge of the CAT Exam Pattern 2024 is crucial.
The CAT Entrance Exam has a high standard of difficulty and requires a good knowledge of the CAT exam pattern for MBA, the syllabus and the ability to solve complex problems.
The CAT Exam Question Pattern consists of three sections:
The article elaborately discusses each section of the CAT 2024 Exam Pattern, weightage, and sectional marks.
The highlights of the CAT exam question paper pattern are as follows:
CAT Exam Question Paper Pattern 2024 | |
Mode of CAT exam | Computer Based Test |
Duration of exam | 120 minutes, 40 minutes per section |
Number of questions | 66 |
CAT total marks | 198 |
Language of question paper | English |
Number of section | 3 |
Number of answer choices | 4 |
CAT sections | VARC, DI & LR and QA |
Question Type | MCQ and non-MCQ |
The CAT exam pattern pdf is not available officially; you can analyse the CAT exam pattern and syllabus from the CAT previous year's papers.
Note that the official website does not provide any CAT exam paper pattern pdf.
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a competitive exam conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for admission into their MBA programs.
Expected Section-wise CAT exam paper pattern details are tabulated below.
CAT Exam Pattern 2024 - Sections | Total No. of Questions | CAT Exam Pattern 2024 - MCQs | TITA Questions | CAT Exam Marks Pattern | Duration |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 21 | 3 | 72 | 40 min |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DI & LR) | 20 | 14 | 6 | 60 | 40 min |
Quantitative Ability (QA) | 22 | 14 | 8 | 66 | 40 min |
Total | 66 | 49 | 17 | 198 | 120 (2 hours) |
Last year, the CAT Exam was conducted in three slots of two hours each – morning (8:30 – 10:30 am), afternoon (12:30 – 2:30 pm) and evening (4:30 – 6:30 pm).
CAT exam duration and CAT exam pattern details are tabulated above.
The exam has a high standard of difficulty and requires you to have a good knowledge of the syllabus and the ability to solve complex problems.
Here is the Exam Pattern of CAT 2024 for Quantitative Aptitude Pattern:
The CAT Quantitative Aptitude exam includes only numerical-based questions from various Mathematical concepts.
This year, it is expected that there will be a total of 26 questions in this section.
The quantitative aptitude section's detailed pattern is provided below.
The five primary topics that make up the entire quantitative aptitude section CAT entrance exam pattern:
Last year, QA consisted of 22 questions, out of which 8 were TITA questions. The table below gives the number of questions asked per slot based on the four broadly classified areas of QA i.e., Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Modern Math and Number Theory.
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CAT Exam Pattern 2024 - Slot/Topic | Arithmetic | Algebra | Geometry | Modern Math and Number Theory |
Slot 1 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
Slot 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Slot 3 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
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The CAT VARC section tests your English language skills and ability to interpret paragraphs and understand the core ideas.
This year's CAT exam will include 26 questions from the VA-RC section.
This year, the CAT Verbal Ability section will include eight questions.
The following are CAT 2024 Exam Pattern for Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Pattern:
The reading comprehension passages and the verbal ability section each have their own questions.
The CAT Reading Comprehension section has several questions, including title- and vocabulary-based questions.
Last year, VARC had four passages with a total of 16 questions. 3 Para Summary Questions, 3 Para Jumble Questions and 2 Missing Sentence Questions completed the section. From a total of 24 questions, 3 were TITA questions.
The logical reasoning and data interpretation component gauge how well you analyse data and comprehend logical premises.
There will be 22–24 questions in this section altogether asked in this section.
CAT MBA entrance exam pattern or CAT Exam Pattern 2024 for Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation Pattern is as follows:
Last year, DILR consisted of 4 sets with five questions each. From a total of 20 questions, 6 were TITA questions. Here is a slot-wise analysis of the topics on which the sets were based.
Slots/Sets | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 |
Slot 1 | Routes & Networks | Venn Diagram | Mathematical Reasoning | Games & Tournaments |
Slot 2 | Routes & Networks | Venn Diagram | Tables & Graphs | Selection & Distribution |
Slot 3 | Tables & Graphs | Arrangements | Tables & Graphs | Rank & Ordering |
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Before taking the test, it's critical to understand the CAT marking scheme to decide which questions to answer and which to skip.
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The CAT exam marks pattern is summarised in the table below:
CAT Exam Pattern 2024 - Sections | Number of Questions | Marks Per Question | CAT Negative Marking (Only MCQ) |
VARC | 24 | 3 | -1 |
DILR | 20 | 3 | -1 |
Quantitative Aptitude | 22 | 3 | -1 |
Total | 66 | 198 | - |
Check: What to do after CAT Exam?
In conclusion, the CAT exam pattern 2024 is a comprehensive test that requires considerable preparation and practice. You must understand the exam format and the questions' nature to score well. Familiarise yourself with the CAT Exam question paper pattern and structure to maximise your chances of scoring high. With the right preparation and practice, you can ace the CAT exam and achieve your desired score.
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