CAT Previous Year Papers
For many applicants, the CAT 2022 Exam is their ticket to their ideal future. The notification will be made available by July 2022, and CAT 2022 is anticipated to take place in November 2022.
Looking up past exam papers is one aspect of exam preparation that hasn’t changed much since we were in school. The CAT Question Paper and Answer Key have been made available since CAT 2017, when the CAT Exam debuted online, and Career Launcher enables you to practise for the CAT by having you attempt these real papers. To get the genuine CAT Previous Year Paper, complete the form on the right side of the page.
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CAT Previous Year Papers: Key Changes
Prior to 2009, the CAT was administered as a paper-based test and quickly gained a reputation as one of the most difficult tests in the nation. It has switched to the computer-based test mode as of CAT 2010 for this exam.
Regarding the Paper Pattern, CAT has gone back and forth between 2 parts (CAT 2011–CAT 2014) and 3 sections ever since.
- Students studied for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA), all of which were part of the same fundamental curriculum.
- When CAT had two portions, the sections for VARC and LR were combined, and QA and DI made up the second section.
- Over the previous three to four years, the CAT Exam also had a sectional time limit of one hour for each of the three sections. The CAT Exam was shortened in CAT 2020 to 2 hours, with 40 minutes allotted for each section, resulting in substantial changes to this element. The COVID limits were taken into consideration before making these adjustments.
- The scoring system, on the other hand, has not changed; the candidate receives 3 marks for each accurate response and is docked 1 mark for each incorrect attempt.
- Although there is no negative marking for non-MCQs, there is still a reward for a successful effort.
The scoring system, on the other hand, has not changed; the candidate receives 3 marks for each accurate response and is docked 1 mark for each incorrect attempt.
Although there is no negative marking for non-MCQs, there is still a reward for a successful effort.
CAT Previous Year Papers: Overview
Practise as many CAT previous year question questions as you can to improve and perform well on the CAT exam. However, a candidate needs to be familiar with the format and structure of the test questions before taking the actual examinations or mock exams. Due to the pandemic, the CAT exam format has also evolved over the previous few years. Here is a quick explanation of the CAT 2021 exam format:
Highlights | Details |
|---|---|
Total time | 2 hours |
Total No. of Questions | 66 |
Questions per section | VARC- 24 DILR- 20 QA- 22 |
Time per section | 40 minutes per section |
Marking scheme | +3 for every correct answer -1 for every incorrect answer TITA has no negative marking |
CAT Previous Year Papers: CAT Preparation
No candidate should skip the CAT Previous Year Papers as part of their preparation for the exam. It provides the aspirants with an understanding of the true difficulty level of the questions that appear on the CAT paper, in addition to the language and question-style.
The aspirant will be able to look for trends in the topics of the questions and choose the best strategy for taking both the CAT Question Paper and individual problems by solving the CAT Previous Year Papers.
IIM Ahmedabad organised CAT 2021 and issued the CAT Question Paper as planned. Although there are older CAT question papers available as well, they are less dependable because they are primarily relied on memory.
CAT Previous Year Papers: CAT 2021 Analysis
The CAT 2021 Paper differed significantly from the CAT Previous Year Papers in several important ways. The number of questions was decreased to 66 overall while the time limit remained the same. The VARC portion of CAT 2021 has a moderate difficulty level for the section as a whole. The difficulty level of the DILR component of CAT 2021 was comparable to that of CAT 2020, and it was also very moderate. As anticipated, the QA section’s level of difficulty was comparable to that of the QA sections for the CAT 2020 and CAT 2018.
The reduced questions and time limit meant that the cut off in terms of the value was reduced and a 99%ile could be obtained at a score of around 96.
CAT 2021 | CAT 2020 | CAT 2019 | CAT 2018 | CAT 2017 | CAT 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
%ile | Score | Score | Score | Score | Score | Score |
99 | 97-99 | 104 | 160 | 154 | 174 | 156 |
95 | 81 | 100 | 125 | 121 | 138 | 123 |
90 | 72 | 90 | 108 | 103 | 118 | 105 |
80 | 47 | 80 | 85 | 79 | 93 | 82 |
This table demonstrates how the cut-off varies greatly depending on how challenging the paper is. 150 would have been a passable grade on the 2017 easy paper, but the same mark on a harder CAT 2016 or CAT 2018 paper would have been nearly equal to the 99%ile. The 99%ile, 95%ile, and 90%ile marks for CAT 2019 fell between the levels in the corresponding years, placing it halfway between CAT 2017 and CAT 2018. CAT 2020 is an anomaly because the pattern for this CAT Exam altered. The total number of questions was decreased to 66 for CAT 2021, marking another modification.
CAT 2020 Analysis
There were three timeslots available for CAT 2020: morning, afternoon, and evening. A number of other alterations were made, such as the unknown paper design and the shorter time limit (2 hours as opposed to 3 hours). The following portions were one thing that didn’t change:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
A total of 76 questions were included in the CAT Question Paper 2020, including 26 questions each for VARC and QA and 24 questions for DILR. The table that follows displays historical trends in the distribution of non-MCQ questions.
| Year | Number of non-MCQs |
|---|---|
| CAT 2016 | 33 |
| CAT 2017 | 26 |
| CAT 2018 | 25 |
| CAT 2019 | 26 |
| CAT 2020 | 17 |
The number of non-MCQs has fluctuated between 25 and 26 in recent years, dropping to 17 in CAT 2020 due to the exam’s 100 fewer questions. For the applicants, this can be a double-edged sword because, while the non-MCQs gave applicants the opportunity to attempt the questions without incurring any penalties, the lack of alternatives also made the questions more challenging.
CAT 2019 Analysis
CAT 2019: Slot 1
- Regarding the CAT exam format, CAT 2019 did not provide any surprises. VARC was a little trickier than previous year in terms of complexity, with 2 parts on the challenging side. Compared to last year, DILR and Quant were both a little simpler. Comparing the paper to CAT 2018, it was generally a little easier. In the 2019 CAT, a total raw score of between 157 and 160 would have earned a 99%ile.
CAT 2019: Slot 2
- In terms of difficulty, Slot 1 and Slot 2 of the 2019 CAT were comparable. VARC has a 99%ile of roughly 60–62 marks, making it harder than CAT 2018. With a 99%ile at 46-49 marks, DILR was 1-2 questions simpler than it was the previous year. The complexity of the QA was comparable to that of the CATs in 2017 and 2018. Between 57 and 60 marks would be considered the 99%ile in QA.
Overall, the paper was similar to 1-2 questions easier than last year. A 99%ile would have been around 158-160.
FAQs
No, the CAT is only held once a year, typically in November. According to the announcement, three spots will be available for the exam on November 26, 2023.
Yes, you can prepare for the CAT in one year and ace it. To pass the CAT after a year of study, candidates must keep a productive study schedule and practise frequently.
There is no age restriction, hence there is no restriction on how many times you can take the CAT. Candidates must, however, satisfy the fundamental qualifying requirements, which call for a bachelor’s degree with at least a 50% average.
