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CAT 2024 Exam Analysis: Difficulty Level Section Wise, Expected Cutoffs

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CAT EXAM ANALYSIS 2024: CAT 2024 Exam was held by IIM Calcutta on 24th November 2024 in three slots. This time a fresh twist was observed with more approachable difficulty level, as per the feedback from the test takers.  Over 3 lakh students have expected to mark their presence in the test.

CAT Exam Analysis 2024

The CAT Exam 2024 analysis helps the candidates understand the question pattern, types, section-wise difficulty level and topic weightage.

CAT EXAM ANALYSIS 2024 - OVERALL INSIGHTS

Here is a quick summary from our comprehensive exam analysis of CAT 2024 exam:

As per the insights and reviews of the CAT 2024 exam takers, the data has been updated to align with the latest pattern. 

Below are the observations and key takeaways and a comparison of slots and expected percentile.

  • The total number of questions increased from 66 to 68.
  • According to CAT 2024 exam analysis, overall, CAT 2024 Exam was less challenging as compared to CAT 2023 especially in Quants and DILR section.
  • The difficulty level of slots also varied. Slot 1 was being the easiest and slot 3 was the difficult one among the 3. 
  • The DILR and Quants section was easy compared to last year. The difficulty of VARC remained same as last year.
  • The total number of questions in DILR went up from 20 to 22. CAT 2024 Exam observed 3 sets of 4 questions and 2 sets of 5 questions in DILR section instead of traditional pattern of keeping 4 sets of 5 questions each. 
  • VARC section included 4 RC’s with non para jumbles this year.
  • Arithmetic questions dominated the Quants section.
  • The overall cut-offs of CAT 2024 may go high because of moderate level of difficulty of the exam

CAT 2024 EXAM PATTERN (CHANGES)- OVERVIEW

 As excepted, the CAT 2024 exam pattern has shown some notable changes, making a shift in the approach and trend from last year. The number of questions increased and few changes observed in patterns.

Here is a comprehensive breakdown of CAT 2024 Exam updated pattern, show casing the new trend compared to last years:

PARTICULARS CAT 2024 EXAM
NO. OF SECTIONS
3
SECTIONS
QA, VARC, DILR
NO. OF QUESTIONS
68
EXAM DURATION
120 Minutes (2 Hours)
EXAM SECTIONAL DURATION
40 minutes
EXAM SLOTS
3
EXAM MODE
Computer – Based Test
EXAM MEDIUM
English
QUESTION TYPE
MCQs, Non-MCQs (TITA)

CAT 2024 EXAM ANALYSIS - OVERVIEW

The CAT 2024 was held on 24th November, 2024 conducted by IIM Calcutta. The total number of questions went up from 66 to 68. The sectional time limit remained same awarding 40 minutes for each section and overall, 120 minutes.

It is crucial for the candidates to understand the exam analysis ones the main exam is done to know about their performance and set expectations.

SECTIONS NO. OF MCQs NO. OF TITA NO. OF QUESTIONS TOTAL MARKS
QA
14
8
22
66
DILR
12
10
22
66
VARC
22
2
24
72

CAT 2024 EXAM PATTERN CHANGE TO BE NOTED:

  • The total number of questions increased from 66 to 68.
  • The total number of questions in DILR went up from 20 to 22.
  • CAT 2024 Exam observed 3 sets of 4 questions and 2 sets of 5 questions in DILR section.
  • VARC section included 4 RC’s with non para jumbles this year.

CAT 2024 EXAM ANALYSIS: SLOT-WISE 1, 2, 3 AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL

CAT 2024 Exam was considerable to be moderate level in difficulty with over 3 lakh students registering for the test. Comparing to the last years challenging approach, this year exam was relatively moderate and approachable which suggests that the cutoff scores are likely to increase significantly. 

Here we have provided slot wise analysis which will provide an overview of about CAT 2024

CAT 2024 Slot 1 Analysis

SECTIONS TOTAL MCQs MCQs TITA GOOD ATTEMPTS DIFFICULTY LEVEL
QA
22
14
8
13-14
Moderate
DILR
22
12
10
12-13
Easy-Moderate
VARC
24
22
2
17-18
Moderate
TOTAL
68
48
20
45-47
Moderate

CAT 2024 Slot 2 Analysis

SECTIONS TOTAL MCQs MCQs TITA GOOD ATTEMPTS DIFFICULTY LEVEL
QA
22
14-16
6-8
13-14
Moderate
DILR
22
14-16
6-8
12-13
Moderate
VARC
24
22
2
17-18
Easy-Moderate
TOTAL
68
50-52
16-18
45-47
Moderate

CAT 2024 Slot 3 Analysis

SECTIONS TOTAL MCQs MCQs TITA GOOD ATTEMPTS DIFFICULTY LEVEL
QA
22
16
6
13-14
Moderate
DILR
22
14-16
6-8
12-13
Moderate
VARC
24
22
2
17-18
Moderate-Difficult
TOTAL
68
48-52
14-16
48-52
Moderate

CAT 2024 MARKING SCHEME

Similar to CAT past year exam pattern, the marking scheme for MCQs and TITA questions remain same. Here is an overview of the marking scheme for CAT 2024:

CAT 2024 EXAM FOR CORRECT ANSWER FOR INCORRECT ANSWE
MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions)
+3
-1
TITA (Type in the Answer)
+3
0

CAT EXAM 2024 ANALYSIS: INITIAL SCORE VS PERCENTILE EVALUATION

An initial raw score in CAT 2024 exam provides a rough idea of the candidate’s performance. It is important to understand the how it translates to percentile to set up expectations and goals and moving ahead planning the next step. Here is an evaluation of how your score might align with your percentile.

Be cautious: As the difficulty level of CAT 2024 was moderate, the cutoff is expected to increase. 

With the CAT exam’s lower difficulty level, the cutoff is expected to increase. Updates can be made since new data is being expected.

PERCENTILE SLOT 3 SLOT 2 SLOT 1
99.9%ile
118-123
118-123
120-124
99.5%ile
103-108
103-108
106-110
99%ile
92-95
92-95
95-98
98%ile
68-71
69-72
71-74
95%ile
55-57
57-59
59-61
90%ile
45-47
47-49
46-47
85%ile
39-42
42-44
41-42
80%ile
36-38
39-40
36-37

CAT 2024 ANALYSIS: SECTIONAL SCORE VS PERCENTILE EVALUATION

CAT 2024 Analysis: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension score vs percentile

PERCENTILE SLOT 3 SLOT 2 SLOT 1
99.9%ile
48
50
48
99.5%ile
40
46
40
99%ile
36
42
36
98%ile
25
38
25
95%ile
19
32
20
90%ile
16
26
17
85%ile
14
22
15
80%ile
12
20
13

CAT 2024 Analysis: Quantitative Aptitude score vs percentile

PERCENTILE SLOT 3 SLOT 2 SLOT 1
99.9%ile
48
46
48
99.5%ile
43
41
43
99%ile
35
33
35
98%ile
24
22
24
95%ile
18
16
18
90%ile
14
13
14
85%ile
13
12
13
80%ile
11
10
11

CAT 2024 Analysis: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning score vs percentile

PERCENTILE SLOT 3 SLOT 2 SLOT 1
99.9%ile
46
46
49
99.5%ile
40
40
43
99%ile
37
37
40
98%ile
30
30
33
95%ile
27
27
29
90%ile
21
21
23
85%ile
19
19
21
80%ile
17
17
19

The scores and percentile are just an estimate based on the feedback from the CAT 2024 test takers and experts. They are not linked to official results of IIM that are expected in January 2025 in any way. Candidates are requested to wait for the official results.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Which is the most difficult section in CAT Exam?

DILR is considered to be the difficult section in CAT.

What is the difficulty level of the CAT exam according to section-wise?

The difficulty level of CAT exam ranges from easy to moderate.

Which is the easiest section in CAT exam?

Generally, VARC section is considered to be easy as compared to other 2 (DILR, QA) sections and is quite approachable if handled with proper accuracy.

Which IIM conducted CAT 2024?

CAT 2024 was conducted by IIM Calcutta on 24th November, 2024 in 3 slots.

What is the minimum sectional cut off in CAT?

The minimum sectional cutoff in CAT to get into IIMs or other top MBA college is 90% ile.

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