What to Expect from CAT 2024
What to Expect from CAT 2024: The Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of India’s most anticipated MBA exams. Almost every candidate interested in pursuing an MBA takes the CAT in order to gain admission to top MBA colleges such as IIMs, FMS, and others. As we approach CAT 2024, students want to know what to expect, particularly in terms of difficulty levels.
To assist applicants in determining the projected difficulty level of CAT 2024, we have offered a thorough study of prior years’ CAT exams. In addition, we explained how IIMs determine the difficulty level of CAT papers. Join the best class for CAT in Dadar PlanetE to ace in every section and acquire your dream MBA college.
What Can We Expect from CAT 2024?
The CAT 2024 exam is expected to be held in November by IIM Calcutta. The difficulty level of CAT 2024 is likely to range from moderate to challenging. According to prior years’ CAT exam analysis, the quant and LRDI sections will have the most difficult problems. Understanding the predicted difficulty levels can help students prepare more effectively for the exam.
CAT 2024 Expected Section-Wide Difficulty Levels
The CAT exam includes 66 questions broken into three portions. Each segment has both MCQ and TITA questions. The following are the likely section-wise questions for CAT 2024 based on past years’ analysis:
Questions from the CAT VARC Section
Based on prior years’ assessments, the CAT VARC section is easy to moderately tough. It comprises of 24 questions, including MCQs and TITA questions. In past years’ CATs, the VARC portion often had 20 MCQs and 4 TITAs, with a decent number of attempts ranging from 16 to 19 questions.
The table below represents the expected segregation of questions in the CAT 2024 VARC section.
|
CAT 2024 VARC Questions (Expected) |
|
| Question Type | No. of Questions |
| MCQs | 20 |
| TITA | 4 |
| Total | 24 |
Questions for the CAT LRDI Section
The LRDI component of the CAT is commonly regarded as simple to moderate. However, all 20 questions are often difficult to answer. In CAT 2023, there were 12 MCQs and 8 TITAs, with successful candidates answering between 9 and 12 questions. The DILR portion for CAT 2024 is projected to be similar in complexity, with 20 questions altogether.
The table below gives a summary of the LRDI question distribution in CAT 2024:
|
CAT 2024 VARC Questions (Expected) |
|
| Question Type | No. of Questions |
| MCQs | 12 |
| TITA | 8 |
| Total | 20 |
Questions from the CAT QA Section
The QA component is typically regarded as the most difficult element of the CAT exam. In 2023, this section had 14-15 MCQs and 7-8 TITAs. Candidates that answer 9 to 11 questions correctly in the QA portion can get a decent score.
The following table shows the expected question distribution in the CAT 2024 QA section:
|
CAT 2024 VARC Questions (Expected) |
|
| Question Type | No. of Questions |
| MCQs | 14-15 |
| TITA | 7-8 |
| Total | 22 |
CAT Previous Years’ Difficulty Levels
To further understand what to expect from CAT 2024, consider the difficulty levels over the last three years:
| Year | Section | No. of MCQs | No. of TITAs | Good Attempts | Difficulty Level |
| 2023
|
VARC | 20 | 4 | 16-19 | Moderate |
| LRDI | 12 | 8 | 9-12 | Easy to Moderate | |
| QA | 14-15 | 7-8 | 9-11 | Moderate to Difficult | |
| 2022
|
VARC | 21 | 3 | 16-18 | Moderate |
| LRDI | 14 | 6 | 10-12 | Easy to Moderate | |
| QA | 14 | 8 | 13-15 | Easy to Moderate | |
| 2021
|
VARC | 19 | 5 | 15-17 | Moderate |
| LRDI | 14 | 6 | 10-12 | Easy to Moderate | |
| QA | 14 | 8 | 14-15 | Moderate to Difficult | |
| 2020 | VARC | 18 | 8 | 15-17 | Moderate to Difficult |
| LRDI | 18 | 6 | 11-14 | Moderate to Difficult | |
| QA | 21 | 5 | 16-18 | Moderate |
Reasons for varying CAT difficulty levels
According to prior years’ CAT exam analysis, the difficulty level of the questions has risen. With the higher difficulty level, the score required to achieve the 99 percentile in the CAT has decreased. The reasons for the increased difficulty of the CAT are as follows:
Identify deserving candidates
By increasing the difficulty level of CAT tests, IIMs can choose the most qualified individuals from a pool of test takers. A simple CAT question paper enables many candidates to attain high marks. As a result, the test authorities find it difficult to discriminate between candidates. As a result, IIM has enhanced the level of difficulty in order to select those applicants who possess the requisite skills to flourish in the MBA program.
Create Scaled Score
IIM uses a score normalisation procedure to ensure that applicants are ranked fairly across different exam slots. By increasing the difficulty level of the CAT, IIMs can easily calculate each candidate’s scaled score and rank them based on their knowledge and skills.
Set Low Cut Off
The difficulty level of the CAT has a considerable impact on the cutoffs for several IIMs and other top business schools. A more challenging exam typically results in a lower cut off, allowing meritorious individuals to pursue admission to their selected institute. On the other side, a less difficult CAT exam results in a high cut-off score at all IIMs. This may preclude many candidates from participating in subsequent stages of the admissions process. As a result, IIM prepares CAT question papers with a higher difficulty level.
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