CAT 2021 - Paper Analysis
Highlights of CAT 2021 Exam Analysis
CAT 2021 followed the same pattern as the CAT 2020 Exam of reduced time (2 hours) with 40 minutes allotted to each section. However, the number of questions in each of the sections was something that remained under speculation. The overall difficulty level for CAT 2021 was Moderate. An overall raw score of around 99 – 105 should fetch a 99%ile in CAT 2021.
CAT 2021 Exam Analysis - Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension – 16 Questions
- Para Jumbles – 3 Questions
- Odd One Out – 2 Questions
- Para Summary – 2 Questions
CAT 2021 Exam Analysis - Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation
The DILR section of CAT tests students’ rational and analytical thinking and data interpretation skills. In this section, there were a total of 20 questions out of which 5 were Non-MCQs. Comparatively, DI was much easier and LR had a few difficult questions. The questions asked contained:
Slot-1
- 3 Tables – 1) Arranging People into Countries & Categories
2) 3 Girls making a drink
3) Relationship (Acquaintance, Friend, and Stranger)
- Bar Graph – Percentages (The bar graph was not clear)
Among the 4 DILR sets asked in the CAT 2021 Slot 1, 1 of the set was easily doable however the others were slightly lengthy and challenging.
Slot-2
The total number of questions asked in this slot was 20. The topic-wise breakup of the sets was:
- Games and Tournament – 4 Questions
- Rating – 6 Questions
- Horizontal bar graph – 4 Questions
- Numbers based Reasoning – 6 Questions
Slot-3
In this slot, the number of questions asked was again 20. The sets were from the following topics:
- Games and Tournaments – 6 Questions
- Mixtures – 4 Questions
- Gantt Chart – 4 Questions
- Content Creation – 6 Questions
CAT 2021 Exam Analysis - Quantitative Ability
There were a total of 22 questions in this section in CAT 2021. Arithmetic and Algebra mainly dominated this section. While the difficulty level of this section was also easy to moderate, most of the questions were doable.
Following are the topic-wise breakup of the questions:
- Arithmetic = (8 – 10)
- Algebra = (6 – 8)
- Mensuration and Geometry = (3 – 5)
- Number System = (1 – 2)
- Modern Mathematics = (1 – 2)
| Topic | No. of Questions ( MCQ and Non-MCQ ) |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | |
| Percentage | 1 |
| CI | 1 |
| Time and Work | 2 |
| Ratio and Proportion | 1 |
| Average | 1 |
| TSD | 1 |
| Mixture | 1 |
| Number System | 1 |
| Algebra | |
| Modulus | 2 |
| Logarithm | 1 |
| Functions | 2 |
| Simple Equations | 3 |
| Modern Maths | |
| Permutation and Combination | 1 |
| Progression | 1 |
| Geometry & Mensuration | |
| Geometry | 3 |
CAT 2021 Overall Structure
As per the analysis of CAT 2021, an approximate score of 99 – 105 is considered to be enough to get a call from the IIMs and other top B-schools.
The expected good attempts for CAT 2021 for 99 %ile will be:
| Section | No. of Questions | Non MCQ Questions | Time in Minutes | Difficulty Level | Ideal Score/Attempts for 99%ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARC | 24 | 5 | 40 | Moderate | 35-38 (15-18) |
| DILR | 20 | 5 | 40 | Moderate | 28-30 (10-12) |
| QA | 22 | 8 | 40 | Easy | 39-42 (15-17) |
| Total | 66 | 18 | 120 | 97-99 (42-48) |
