CAT 2024 official notice is now out and students can check Official CAT Exam Pattern on iimcat.ac.in. The exam pattern of CAT Exam is prescribed and released by the IIMs. As per the official notification, the CAT Question Paper will consist of 66 MCQ objective type questions. A total of 66 questions are required to be solved within a time duration of 120 minutes. These 120 minutes are equally divided, thus giving 40 minutes to solve each section. CAT Exam analyzes a candidate's speed of solving questions in the stipulated time. Candidates are expected to solve the questions within a few seconds.
This year's CAT paper pattern is said to be similar to the previous year's paper. The total marks of the CAT examination is 198.
Video Credit - CAT Preparation - iQuanta
What is the Exam Pattern of CAT 2024?
CAT Exam Pattern is basically the structure in which the CAT Question Paper is designed. It defines several details such as what sections are included in the CAT Exam, how many questions are asked in each section of the CAT exam, time duration and section limits in cat exam, section wise weightage in CAT, the number of questions asked in the question paper, cat 2024 exam structure and marking scheme, etc. The exam analyzes candidate's ability to solve mathematical, reasoning and verbal problems with accuracy in the least amount of time. There are Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation, and Quant sections in CAT exam.
Candidates who have registered themselves for CAT 2024 must go through and familiarize themselves with the CAT Exam Pattern. It will help them understand the structure of CAT Question paper and the marking scheme of the exam.
There are three sections in CAT Exam Pattern:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
-
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
- CAT VARC section will have 24 questions and weightage of 72 marks.
- CAT DILR section will have 20 questions and weightage of 60 marks
- CAT Quantitative Aptitude section will have 22 questions and weightage of 66 marks
Related Topics
- CAT Preparation Tips for VARC, DILR, and Quant
- Download Previous Year CAT Question Papers
- Free CAT Mock Test Series 2024
- CAT Cutoff 2024 for IIMs and Top Colleges
CAT 2024 Exam Pattern Highlights
Aspirants who have registered themselves and who want to go for CAT 2024 must thoroughly go through the CAT entrance exam pattern along with the CAT Syllabus 2024. For the past two years, the CAT exam paper consists of 66 questions.
CAT Paper Pattern and Syllabus
Changes in CAT Question Paper Over the Years
Understanding changes in the exam pattern over the last few years is one of the foremost things that students must keep a check on. It helps students understand the evolution of the CAT Exam and what changes they can expect from the upcoming exam. There are no such latest changes in the cat exam pattern but if we compare the CAT Question Paper from the papers 3-4 years ago, there are several changes that the exam has come across. For example, 10 year ago DI and QA sections were clubbed together and it was later on clubbed with LR and QA was made an independent section. Until 2019, the total duration of CAT Exam used to be 3 hours which was, from 2020, reduced to 2 hours. IIMs used to conduct CAT Exam in 2 shifts and now there are 3 shifts in which the exam is conducted. There is also a decrease in the number of questions in the question paper.
The table below shows “How has the CAT exam pattern changed in recent years?”:
Note* IIMs try to modify the exam in such a way that more students from non-engineering background find it convenient to apply for and crack the exam and pursue MBA.
Important Pointers for CAT Paper Pattern
- Candidates are allowed to use an on-screen calculator while the CAT examination 2024
- With the help of an on-screen clock, candidates can check the time
- For rough work candidates will be provided with sheets, which a candidate needs to submit after the completion of the CAT examination.
- Candidates are not allowed to jump from one section to another while attempting questions in one section.
- The CAT official mock test has been declared on its official website, iimcat.ac.in. It generally discloses the overall and section-wise exam pattern of CAT.
-
The timing for the CAT examination is mentioned below:
- Morning session (8:30 am-10:30 am)
- Afternoon session (12:30 pm-2:30 pm)
- Evening session (4:30 pm-6:30)
CAT Exam Duration and Sectional Timing
The CAT 2024 exam will be conducted in three different shifts with a time limit of 120 minutes (2 hours) for each CAT slot. The CAT 2024 entrance exam will be conducted on November 24. The CAT exam will be conducted in three slots, morning, afternoon, and evening as per the guidelines.
CAT Exam Duration 2024
Following the CAT paper patterns, applicants will be given 40 minutes to solve each section. Once the time duration is completed, no changes or corrections will be allowed to be made after that. The section-wise number of CAT questions and the time duration are mentioned below: Also Read - Important CAT Exam Dates 2024: Complete Schedule
CAT 2024 Exam Pattern - Sectional Timing
What is CAT Marking Scheme?
CAT 2024 qualifying marks will be revealed with the release of the CAT cutoff for the next academic session. The CAT qualifying marks will be announced by the (IIMs) and other top MBA colleges that accept CAT scores for MBA/PGDM admissions. For candidates who want to be selected for MBA admission the first criterion is to fulfil is the CAT qualifying marks criteria
As per the CAT marking scheme, applicants must be familiar with the CAT exam total marks awarded for every correct answer and the total number of marks deducted, in case an applicant's answers are incorrect.
- For every correct answer, +3 marks will be awarded.
- CAT Negative Marking: For every wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted
- For unattempted CAT questions, no marks will be deducted. Also for Non-MCQs, no marks will be deducted.
The CAT marking scheme 2024 is mentioned below:
Also Read - Top CAT Coaching Institutes in India for 2024
CAT Exam Pattern - Previous Years
Previous year's CAT Exam Patterns are mentioned below:
CAT Syllabus and Important Topics
The syllabus of CAT Exam consists of VARC, DILR, and QA sections. The CAT Syllabus PDf is not usually released by the IIMs. However, we can make out the topics asked by analyzing the CAT previous years' question papers. Below mentioned are the main topics of CAT Syllabus 2024 based on the previous years question paper of CAT Exam:
Read More - Complete CAT Syllabus 2024: Section-wise Topics
How to Mark Answers in CAT Exam 2024?
The CAT Exam is conducted in online mode, as a computer based test mode. The candidates appearing the examination will have to enter their answers on a computer system. Candidates will be allowed to use the keyboard only for TITA (Type in the Answer) type of questions. For each CAT Question, there will be four options given to students to choose from:
- Save and Next
- Clear Response
- Mark for Review and Next
The options chosen by candidates will be represented in the following colors:
What is the Difference Between CAT Exam Pattern and Other MBA Entrance Exams?
The basic difference between the exam pattern of CAT Exam and other MBA Exams lies in the several factors such as sections in which the question paper is divided, duration of the exam, mode of the exam, colleges that accept the exam's score, marking scheme, score vs percentile calculation and difficulty level of the exam.
CAT Exam Pattern - Mock Test 2024
Candidates who want to test their practice can opt for the official CAT Mock Test. CAT conducting body will declare the official CAT 2024 mock test on iimcat.ac.in. The CAT mock test is a practice test that will help the candidates to experience real-life examinations without any fear and also help them to attend the questions within the time duration.
By taking the mock test, the candidates will get an idea about how to attend different sections. Before Opting for the CAT exam mock test, students must understand the CAT test pattern 2024 also for additional practice they must go through the CAT sample papers.
Read in Detail - Free CAT Mock Test Series 2024
Evolution of CAT exam pattern over the years
Over the past years, the CAT question paper pattern has evolved many times. The CAT 2024 paper pattern evolved over the years is mentioned below:
The CAT paper pattern contains three sections,
- Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
