About 1.95 lakh candidates across the country took the CAT 2016 on December 4, 2016.
The exam was scheduled from 9 am to 12 pm (first slot) and 2 pm to 5 pm (second slot).
It was speculated that the question paper will throw a surprise at the test-takers which was in the form of Geometry. In the QA section, higher weightage was allotted to Geometry than other topics.
CAT 2016 Analysis:
Here's section wise analysis of CAT 2016 exam from MBA expert Mikin Shah, ForesightSchool.
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Verbal : Moderate Difficulty Level. Emphasis on Reading comprehension, sentence sequencing and central idea. Difficulty level was average. The topics for RC passages were quite manageable. There were about 5 Non-MCQ questions. Average student could have attempted 18-20 questions while scholars could have gone upto 25-27.
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DI-LR : High Difficulty Level. Although easier compared to last year. Trick was to identify easier sets. For the easier sets, calculator proved to be very useful. It was easy to get lost and waste time in this section. An attempt of 10-12 questions will be sufficient to clear the sectional cut-off.
QA : Moderate to High Difficult Level. This was a well designed section. The surprise was higher weightage of geometry questions. Challenge was to go through all questions as there were a lot of speed breakers. An attempt of 18-20 questions would have been optimum. However the sectional cut-off could be cleared with about 15 attempts.
Overall Difficulty Level : Moderate to High : Optimum attempts - 48 to 55.
- CAT 2016 student reactions
- How much score is enough to aim for IIMs?
- CAT 2016 analysis by MBA Expert Tarun Malik, Edmyt
- CAT 2016 analysis by MBA Expert Rahul Singh, CATKing
CAT scores are used for admission to 19 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and various other top B-Schools. Are you eligible for the IIMs? To know more, click on the image beside. |
About the Expert: Mikin Shah is a serial topper. He cracked CAT in 2003 with 99.11 percentile score. He was ranked first in GCET 2004, 2009 & 2010. He topped CMAT 2012-13 and was ranked fifth in CMAT 2013-14. In 2015, he cracked CAT once again with 99.53 percentile. He is the co-founder and director at foresight school – an educational institute which specializes in entrance exams, MBA Tuitions and financial courses such as CFA.

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Student Forum
Answered 2 days ago
With a 300 SC category rank in CAT, your chances for NIT Trichy MBA are relatively high. Based on 2025 data, NIT Trichy generally shortlists SC candidates with CAT percentiles around 60-65. To achieve a 300 rank under SC category, you would need about a 65-70 percentile, or a score of roughly 60-65
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
PGCET and CAT serve distinct purposes. The PGCET is primarily conducted for MBA admissions in colleges in the state of Karnataka, specifically for government colleges and private universities with lower fees. CAT is a national level exam for top-ranking B-schools and colleges such as the IIMs that h
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
That's a wonderful goal to push your son toward right at the start. To obtain previous CAT model papers, you can check many available popular exam preparation books in any bookstore or online store. Coaching interest such as TIME, IMS, Career Launcher, etc., usually have mock tests and sample papers
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, you can get admission to Jaypee Business School (JBS), Noida for MBA even if you don't have CAT. JBS accepts scores from several other exams such as MAT, CMAT, XAT, GMAT, ATMA, and also CUET-PG. Just make sure you have a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks, then apply with any of those va
Answered 2 weeks ago
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
For candidates pursuing MBA, the eligibility criteria includes merit and entrance based selection. Whereas, for BBA, candidates must qualify Class 12 with a minimum aggregate. JIIT CDOE MBA on the other hand, is offered based on the minimum aggregate of graduation. However, for the final admission,
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, students can get MBA admission into Galgotia University without CAT. The university accepts other national entrance exams for MBA programme. The university accepts entrance exams such as MAT, CMAT, XAT, SAT, and other. It is mandatory to qualify one of the entrance exams.
K
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, students can get admission in Greater Noida Institute of Technology without CAT. CAT is one of the accepted entrance exams at Greater Noida Institute of Technology. The other accepted entrance exams are MAT, NMAT, XAT, CMAT, and others. If a student's CAT score is not good, worry not other acce
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi offers various programmes and specilisations across various streams. For obtaining IIFT Delhi admission, candidates are required to appear for the prescribed entrance tests. Students can visit the official website of the IIFT Delhi to learn more regarding the
U
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 weeks ago
No, candidates can not get into Management Development Institute, Gurgaon without CAT as the college offers admissions to students on the basis of their entrance exam scores. The college accepts various national level exams such as CAT, MAT, XAT, GMAT, etc. for admission to its PGDM programmes, foll
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Contributor-Level 8