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.
| Follow the action on CAT 2016. Signup and get updates on everything you need to know. |
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.
Explore colleges based on CAT
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.

News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
29 Jan '26 | XAT 2026 Cut Offs Release |
16 Jan '26 | XAT 2026 result |
9 Jan '26 | SNAP 2025 result announcement |
20 Dec '25 | SNAP 2025 session 3 |
Aug '26 | NMAT 2026 Registration Window |
Aug '26 | NMAT 2026 Scheduling Window |
17 Oct '24 - 5 Dec '24 | IIFT 2025 registration and app... |
23 Feb '26 | MAT Feb 2026 PBT Registration ... |
26 Feb '26 | MAT Feb 2026 PBT admit card |
Jul '26 | IBSAT 2026 Registration |
27 Dec '26 - 28 Dec '26 | IBSAT 2026 Exam Date |
17 Feb '26 | CMAT 2026 result |
31 Jan '26 - 2 Feb '26 | CMAT 2026 exam answer key obje... |
7 Apr '26 - 8 Apr '26 | MAH MBA CET 2026 exam |
9 May '26 | MAH MBA CET 2026 exam 2 |
Feb '26 | TANCET registration window |
Mar '26 | TANCET admit card download |
Mar '25 | IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno... |
Feb '25 | IRMASAT Personal Interviews |
Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
Yes, candidates can efficiently prepare using the books recommended for CAT exam preparation or any other MBA entrance exam. The syllabus for these entrance exams is mostly similar, covering Language Skills, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Skills.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
IIM Lucknow MBA cutoff for the general category generally goes upto 90 percentile. Students must aim to score 90 & above to get admission in the institute. For other categories, the cutoff is generally lower and ranges from 60 percentile to 85 percentile. However, this changes every year. Students c
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Students can get admission in IIM Lucknow without CAT score. But only for courses, such as EFPM, FPM, EPGP programmes. Those seeking flagship PGP/ MBA course admission must have valid CAT score. The IIM Lucknow courses for which CAT is not needed are as below:
- IPMX
- PGPX
- FPM
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Candidates who have not appeared in any entrance test should have a Bachelor's Degree with at least 55% marks. They will have to give a written test: same as I-CET. Students have to qualify in Written Test, Group Discussion and Personal Interview for taking admission in MBA at Vignan's Foundation
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
No, there is no mention of CAT scores being accepted to decide MET Institute of Management MMS admissions. The institute only mentions accepting the scores of the MAH-CET to admit candidates for the MMS course.
Thus, candidates with a valid CAT score must appear for MAH-CET to be eligible to apply.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Major topics under XAT and CAT syllabus are similar. Common sections include Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, and Verbal Ability. While the sections are same the syllabus is not identical. XAT also includes unique sections, namely Decision Making and General Knowledge.
V
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
Students of GIBS Business School participate in internships and live projects which are cross-functional opportunities to gain practical experience in key functional areas (marketing, sales, finance, HR, business development, and operations). Students engage in internships to gain practical exposure
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
No, candidates can no longer appear for the CAT to qualify for Prestige Institute of Global Management PGDM admissions. Candidates who wish to apply for Prestige Institute of Global Management admissions must now wait for CAT 2027 or any other entrance exam to qualify for the Prestige Institute of G
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Check CUSAT CAT exam pattern below:
Subject | Total Questions | Marks | Duration (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
Mathematics | 90 | 360 | 75 |
Physics | 75 | 300 | 60 |
Chemistry | 60 | 240 | 45 |
Total | 225 | 900 | 180 |
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
The CUSAT CAT question paper will have 225 questions from Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics or Biology. Candidates will get three marks for every correct answer, while there is a deduction of one mark for every incorrect response.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Registration - To be notified

Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
Read Full Bio