CAT 2017 Question Paper PDF with Answer Key & Solutions

Q: From where can I download CAT question papers?

CAT question papers are released within a week of the exam in the form of a PDF as a response sheet and answer key. Candidates who have appeared for the test are able to access the CAT question paper and answer key. The question paper of every slot is released on the same day along with candidate response sheet and official answer to all question. If any candidate needs previous year CAT question papers for preparation purpose, then they can download them from Shiksha website. We have hosted last five years' CAT question papers for aspirants to download and practice. These official CAT question papers are available for download free. You can download the CAT question paper PDFs at this link: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cat-exam-question-papers Candidates must check and practice the latest CAT question paper to know the latest exam pattern and difficulty level.

Q: How many RC questions does CAT have?

The CAT VARC section is dominated by RC questions. Out of 24 questions about 14-16 are based on Reading Comprehension passages and the rest of them are based on parajumbles, para completion, etc. CAT has about 12-16 RC question. Since, it is not mandatory to solve all the questions, candidates can maximize their scores by leaving out the questions related to the passage they find the toughest. There is negative marking in CAT so candidates must ensure that they mark only the correct options or do not mark any option at all.

Q: Is it mandatory to attempt all the questions in CAT?

No, it is not mandatory to attempt all the questions in CAT. Candidates can choose to attempt questions as per their preparation. It is not possible also to attempt all the questions due to time limitation and difficulty level. Reading dense RC passages often take up a lot of time. In DILR and QA too, some questions are time taking and calculation intensive due to which not much time is left in hand to attempt all questions. The aim of every test taker should be to attempt about 2/3rd of the total questions in all the sections of CAT.

Q: What is the structure of CAT question paper?

Till 2014, there were only two sections in CAT. Quantitative Aptitude was clubbed with Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning was clubbed with Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. In 2015, the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning were clubbed together and Quantitative Aptitude and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension made two individual sections. Since 2015, the sectional segregation has remained the same but the number of questions have come down from 100 to 66. The exam duration has also been reduced. Until 2019, the CAT exam was of 180 minutes and the total number of questions were 100. However, in 2020, the question paper structure was revised due to COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the total number of questions came down to 76. In 2021 and 2022, the number of questions were further lowered to 66. For the last two years, CAT is conducted for 2 hours, and the number of questions is 66. In CAT 2024 however, the number of questions were increased to 68. The latest CAT question paper structure is: Total questions: 68 Number of sections: 3 Order of sections - 1. VARC 2. DILR 3. Quantitative Aptitude Sectional time limit: 40 minutes VARC questions: 24 DILR questions: 22 Quantitative Aptitude questions: 22.

Q: Which CAT slot has the toughest question paper?

There is no pattern to which CAT question paper can be the toughest. The CAT question paper of every slot has unique questions. The examination body strives to maintain the same difficulty level of the paper across all slots but it may happen that a question can be more difficult from another. It is seen that, to keep the uniqueness of the question paper intact, the examination authority also changes the topic wise weightage a little bit across the exam slots. In most of the previous years, it is seen that the morning slot of the CAT exam is tougher than the rest two. However, candidates must not worry about the difficulty level of the slots as, the scores of all the candidates are normalised on a common scale to root out the possibility of advantage or disadvantage to any student due to difference in difficulty level. To know how the CAT scores are normalised, read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/understanding-cat-normalization-process-blogId-9386.

Q: What are the benefits of solving CAT question papers?

Solving the CAT question paper is very important from preparation point of view. Since CAT is a speed based test where candidates have to read long passages, tables and charts, do multiple calculations and solve tricky puzzles, one needs to have prior practice of the same. The CAT mock tests serve this purpose. However, to know what type of passages and puzzles are there in the CAT exam, you need to solve previous years' question papers. Some of the benefits of solving previous years' CAT question paper are: With the help of previous year's CAT question paper, you can understand the latest CAT exam pattern and marking scheme Practicing CAT question papers improves speed and accuracy in solving the questions, which is critical to a speed based exam like CAT Practicing CAT question papers improves time management skills as you would get to know which type of questions take how much time. When you practice CAT question papers, you gain confidence that you can solve all types of CAT questions. This confidence helps in performing better in the exam.

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Admit Card - 5 Nov '25 - 30 Nov '25

Vipra Shrivastava

Senior Manager - Content

Updated on Jul 11, 2025 17:15 IST

CAT 2017 question paper PDF with answer key & solution is provided here to help the candidates understand the test structure and analyse the types of questions asked in the CAT exam.

CAT 2017 Question Paper can be considers moderately difficult. The first slot of CAT question paper IS however, a bit more difficult than the question paper of second slot. CAT 2017 question paper with solutions is provided in this article below for candidates to practice and analyses their hold over various CAT topics. Thos who are preparing for the CAT 2025 exam must solve previous years' question papers as part of their study plan. Apart from covering the syllabus with CAT books and practicing CAT mock tests, aspirants must ensure they practice at least last 10 years' CAT question papers.

The structure of CAT 2017 question paper is same as that of CAT previous year papers, i.e. there are three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability (QA). Given below is the overall structure of CAT question paper. Also get the CAT 2017 question paper PDF (downloadable).

Get CAT 2017 Question Paper for free to know the types of questions asked in the exam and solve it to know the difficulty level. Click below to download.

CAT 2017 Question Paper

Table of content

CAT Question Paper 2017
CAT 2017 Question Paper: Slot 1
CAT Mock Test
CAT 2017 Question Paper, Slot 2

CAT Question Paper 2017

CAT question paper 2017 has 100 questions. Given below is the table indicating section wise difficulty level and number of good attempts.

Section	No. of Questions	Difficulty Level	Good Attempts
VARC	34	Easy-moderate	26-27
DILR	32	Difficult	12-14
QA	34	Easy-Moderate	25-26
Total	100	Moderate	63-67

CAT 2017 Question Paper: Slot 1

The first slot of CAT question paper 2017 is of a higher difficulty level. Among the three sections, DILR section was the toughest and most time consuming. Discussed below are all three sections of CAT 2017 question paper slot 1.

Section wise break up of CAT 2017 question paper, slot 1

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
No. of Questions	34
No. of MCQ questions	24
No. of non-MCQ questions	7
Difficulty Level	Easy-Moderate
Good Attempts	26-27
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
No. of Questions	32
No. of MCQ questions	24
No. of non-MCQ questions	8
Difficulty Level	Difficult
Good Attempts	12-14
Quantitative Ability
No. of Questions	34
No. of MCQ questions	22
No. of non-MCQ questions	12
Difficulty Level	Easy-Moderate
Good Attempts	25-26

Download CAT previous year question paper PDFs

CAT Mock Test

Check below free Shiksha CAT Mock Test for practice. These CAT mock tests are prepared from original CAT questions.

CAT_Mock_Test_1	CAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions
CAT_Mock_Test_2	CAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions

CAT 2017 question paper, slot 1: VARC section

The VARC section of CAT question paper 2017, slot 1 has five RC passages; three passages of 539-600 words and two passages of 299 and 363 words each. Out of five RC passages have six questions and two passages have three questions, each. Three questions are information based and three other are inferential in nature. Overall, six RC questions are easy; and six questions are difficult as there are close choices for answer. The remaining 18 questions are easy to moderate.

CAT Sections	CAT VARC Topics	No. of Questions
Reading Comprehension (24 Questions)	Reading Comprehension	24
Verbal Ability (10 Questions)	Para-jumble	4
	Summary (MCQ Based)	3
	Para-jumble (Odd sentence out)	3

CAT 2017 question paper, slot 1: DILR section

The questions of DILR section of CAT question paper 2017, slot 1 range from sets on survey of students, burgers & fries, routes between two cities, flight operations and square matrix of pillar heights. DI questions do not require much calculation; however, one question is difficult to crack. Logical Reasoning questions are of easy to moderate level.

CAT Sections	CAT DI Topics	No. of Questions
Data Interpretation	Happiness index- difficult	4
	Matrix- moderate	4
	Routes - moderate	4
	Flight operation - Moderate	4
Logical Reasoning	Projects - Difficult	4
	Burgers/Fries - Easy	4
	Children survey - Easy	4
	PCM - difficult	4

Practice:

CAT 2017 question paper, slot 1: QA section

In the third and final section of CAT question paper 2017, slot 1, there are 34 questions. The questions of this section are easier than the ones of 2016 and 2015 papers. Most of the questions test the fundamentals of maths. Algebra questions were on Inequalities and Quadratic equations and Arithmetic questions on Profit Loss and TSD.

CAT Sections	CAT Quants Topics	No. of Questions
Quantitative Ability	Number System	4
	Algebra	10-11
	Arithmetic	11
	Modern Math	2
	Geometry and Mensuration	6-7

Free VARC Questions with Answers for Practice

Free DILR Questions with Answers for Practice

Free Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers for Practice

CAT 2017 Question Paper, Slot 2

The difficulty level of CAT question paper 2017, Slot 2 is a bit more difficult than the slot 1 question paper. Overall, the question paper can be considered moderate in terms of difficulty level with VARC on the easier side but with close options, DILR tricky and QA easy. Take a look at the overall break-up of the question paper.

CAT 2017 Question Paper, Slot 2: Section-wise break-up

Take a look at the section wise break up of CAT question paper 2017 of second slot.

CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
No. of Questions	34
No. of MCQ questions	24
No. of non-MCQ questions	7
Difficulty Level	Easy-Moderate
Good Attempts	25-27
CAT Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
No. of Questions	32
No. of MCQ questions	24
No. of non-MCQ questions	8
Difficulty Level	Difficult
Good Attempts	12-14
CAT Quantitative Ability
No. of Questions	34
No. of MCQ questions	26
No. of non-MCQ questions	8
Difficulty Level	Easy-Moderate
Good Attempts	25-26

CAT 2017 question paper, slot 2: VARC section

The VARC section of CAT question paper 2017, slot 2 is on the easier side. The Reading Comprehension (RC) passages are easy to read but the questions carry close options that may deceive candidates. There are five passages and 24 questions. Three passages are of 500-550 words and two are of 25-350 words. Out of 24 questions, around 16 are inference based and the rest are fact based. Check the table below for more details.

CAT Sections	CAT VARC Topics	No. of Questions
Reading Comprehension	Reading Comprehension	24
Verbal Ability	Para-jumble	4
	Summary	3
	Para-jumble (Odd sentence out)	3

CAT 2017 question paper, slot 2: DILR section

The DILR section of CAT question paper 2017, slot 2, has questions in the form of sets. Two sets are easy and one is lengthy. Rest of the sets are solvable but requires concentration. Check the table below for topic wise weightage of questions.

CAT Sections	CAT DILR TopicS	No. of Questions
Data Interpretation And Logical Reasoning	Chess	4
	Pizza	4
	Dorms	4
	Asset Management	4
	Airplane	4
	Biometric	4
	Tea	4
	Elective	4

CAT 2017 question paper, slot 2: QA section

The QA section of CAT question paper 2017, slot 2 comprises questions, which test the candidate’s grasp of fundamentals of Mathematics. Arithmetic and Algebra dominate this section with 22 questions. Geometry and Mensuration together have 4-5 questions.

CAT Sections	CAT Quants Topics	No. of Questions
Quantitative Ability	Number System	4
	Algebra	12
	Arithmetic	12
	Modern Math	2
	Geometry and Mensuration	4

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Q: What is the structure of CAT question paper?

Q: Which CAT slot has the toughest question paper?

Q: What are the benefits of solving CAT question papers?

Q: From where can I download CAT question papers?

Q: How many RC questions does CAT have?

Q: Is it mandatory to attempt all the questions in CAT?

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About the Author

Vipra Shrivastava

Senior Manager - Content

Vipra is a massive Breaking Bad fan. When not watching crime drama series, she spends time in updating the list of places she wants to visit and people she wants to meet, but she is happiest in the company of dogs. Read Full Bio

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CAT 2017 Question Paper PDF with Answer Key & Solutions

CAT Question Paper 2017

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CAT 2017 Question Paper, Slot 2: Section-wise break-up

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