CAT 2016 Exam Analysis by MBA Expert Rahul Singh

CAT 2016 is over now, and it’s time to analyse how you fared in the exam. If you are worried that you found some questions in the DILR section tough and time consuming, you are not the only one.

Here we bring you a short CAT 2016 exam analysis and a few words of wisdom from an MBA expert.

Overall CAT 2016 analysis:

CAT 2016 has seen the highest number of registrations in the past 7 years. A happy sign this year has been the increase in number of female candidates as compared to the last year.

CAT 2016 tested students on Speed, Logic and Analytical skills. Though number of students increased this time to 1.95 lakh, only students with well-rounded preparation across three sections would make their way to the IIMs. CAT tested students on their actual knowledge, with no chance of guesswork.

It was an exam with a twist, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section was really difficult and time consuming. Also the marking scheme saw a major twist. 1 Mark was allotted for the correct answer as compared to 3 marks per correct answer. But this would not affect the overall criteria for a student selection in IIMs.

Negative marking of 1/3 or 0.33 existed for the Multiple Choice Questions. Non-MCQs didn’t have any negative marking like the CAT 2015. 

Overall, the exam was not very difficult. It was manageable provided your concepts were clear. CAT has always been an ardent lover of concepts and logic than calculations, speed and time when compared to other competitive exams.

Feedback from some of the students after the CAT 2016:

“The paper was overall easy, pretty much similar to the official mock. Thankfully the verbal section went off well to kickstart the exam on a good note. What was surprising was to see no conventional data interpretation questions like the tables, graphs and pie charts. The exam has been as per the expectations so hoping to get good results and making all proud. Awaiting for IIM-A” – Neha Rathore

“The paper was very structured and not lengthy or time crunching. I had ample time to read through all Reading Comprehension passages. LR/DI was the trick section so now let’s hope for the best.” – Manish Varma

“A not very tough paper, overall moderate with verbal coming only from 3 areas of RC, parajumbles and inference based questions. DI was time consuming but manageable. Overall moderate difficulty level so hoping for some good result” – Prerana Tirodkar

• Read more student reactions on CAT 2016
• How much percentile is enough to aim for top IIMs?
• CAT 2016: Higher weightage to Geometry
• CAT 2016: LRDI section gave tough time to candidates

Sectional Analysis:

Overall Difficulty: Easy

• Verbal section was easy to moderate with high focus on Reading Comprehension and ‘Type in the Answer’ questions from parajumbles
• LR/DI questions were of moderate to high difficulty level with no conventional DI questions. Puzzles dominated the Reasoning section.
• Quants was easy with direct formula application and concept based questions dominated by Geometry and arithmetic.

Keeping both slots in focus a 99%ile would be an Ideal Attempt 75+ with 90% accuracy.

Over all, a happy day for students, whose basic concepts are strong and read their books building conceptual clarity.

I would recommend all students to relax, chill and take a break. You have worked real hard for the exam and done your best. Now let the karma play its role, party tonight and come back with a bang for the series of exams lined up ahead, one day one exam can never give an idea about one’s aptitude nor decide your career path. So stay glued and keep rocking!

All the Best to all MBA Aspirants! Punch in your thoughts and concerns and we shall sort you up.

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 Author: Rahul Singh is the Director of CATKing, a premier MBA Coaching institute of Maharashtra. Rahul Singh completed his MBA from SPJIMR and is a Master of Information Technology from Virginia Tech. He has also pursued SPNM from Havard Business School. Among numerous awards, he's been honoured with Digital Indian of the Year 2016 and Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2015.