CAT 2018 Question Paper PDF with Solutions: Download Now!
Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Admit Card - 5 Nov '25 - 30 Nov '25
CAT 2018 question paper PDF with solution is provided here for download to help the candidates understand the test structure and analyse the types of questions asked in the CAT exam.
CAT 2018 question paper
CAT 2018 question paper is of moderate difficulty. It comprised 100 questions from Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reason (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). CAT 2018 uestion paper PDF with solutions is provided below for candidates to analyse the difficulty level of questions, weightage of topics and number of good attempts.
The structure of CAT 2018 question paper, slot 1 and slot 2, is same as that of previous years. The question paper of first slot of CAT exam was had easy VARC, moderate DILR and tough QA. section-wise difficulty level of the question paper of second slot of CAT 2018 was same as the first slot. Check out CAT question paper 2018 slot 1 and slot 2 analysis below.
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CAT 2018 question paper slot 1
Given below is the detailed explanation of CAT question paper 2018 slot 1 including section-wise distribution of sections, topics and difficulty level.
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.
Section-wise break-up of CAT 2018 question paper slot 1
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension |
|
|---|---|
| No. of Questions |
34 |
| No. of non-MCQ questions |
7 |
| Difficulty Level |
Easy |
| Good Attempts |
28+ |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning |
|
| No. of Questions |
32 |
| No. of non-MCQ questions |
8 |
| Difficulty Level |
Moderate |
| Good Attempts |
16+ |
| Quantitative Ability |
|
| No. of Questions |
34 |
| No. of non-MCQ questions |
12 |
| Difficulty Level |
Difficult |
| Good Attempts |
15+ |
Download CAT previous year papers pdf:
VARC section:
The VARC section of CAT question paper 2018 slot 1 has 34 questions ( 27 MCQs and 7 non-MCQs). The questions of RC passages are inference based and easy in nature. The VA section has 4 Subjective Para Jumble questions, 3 odd sentence para-jumble questions and 3 summary questions.
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Topics of RC passages:
- Genetics (4 questions)
- India’s view on its legacy of Second World War (5 questions)
- Plastic Pollution (5 questions)
- Elephant society (5 questions)
- Consumer behaviour studies (5 questions)
DILR section:
The DILR section of CAT question paper 2018 slot 1 has 32 questions (24 MCQs and 8 non-MCQs). DI section comprises questions from pie chart, set theory and denomination; while the LR section has questions from matrix on adjacent cells, male-female ratio and set theory.
QA section:
The QA section of CAT 2018 question paper slot 1 has 34 questions (22 MCQs and 12 non-MCQs). In comprises questions from number system, algebra, arithmetic, modern math, geometry and mensuration. The questions are calculation and logic intensive, not theory intensive and toughest among the QA questions of last four years.
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.
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.
Also Read:
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- Changes in CAT question papers in last 10 years
| Free VARC Questions with Answers for Practice | Free DILR Questions wit Answers for Practice | Free Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers for Practice |
CAT 2018 question paper slot 2
Given below is the detailed explanation of CAT 2018 question paper slot 2 including section-wise distribution of sections, topics and difficulty level.
Section-wise break-up of CAT question paper 2018 slot 2
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension |
|
|---|---|
| No. of Questions |
34 |
| No. of non-MCQ questions |
7 |
| Difficulty Level |
Easy |
| Good Attempts |
28+ |
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning |
|
| No. of Questions |
32 |
| No. of non-MCQ questions |
8 |
| Difficulty Level |
Moderate |
| Good Attempts |
16+ |
| Quantitative Ability |
|
| No. of Questions |
34 |
| No. of non-MCQ questions |
12 |
| Difficulty Level |
Difficult |
| Good Attempts |
15+ |
VARC section:
The difficulty level of VARC section CAT 2018 question paper slot 2 is same as slot 1 and so is the structure. There were 34 questions (27 MCQs and 7 Non-MCQs.) The RC passages are easy to read and inference based. Out of 24 RC questions, only 4-5 are tricky. The VA section has 4 Subjective Para Jumble questions, 3 Odd sentence para-jumble questions and three para-summary questions and easier than that of slot 1.
Topics of RC passages:
- Grover snails (4 questions)
- Meritocracy and diversified teams (5 questions)
- Use of technology in essential services (5 questions)
- Rings of Saturn and their age (5 questions)
- Human resource and learning (5 questions)
DILR section:
The DILR section of CAT question paper 2018 slot 2 has 32 questions (24 MCQs and 8 Non-MCQs). The theme of the sets is more conventional. There is one very direct DI set with basic calculations. LR sets were easy-moderate in terms of level of difficulty. DI questions comprises currency exchange & rate changes, smartphones & market share and box diagram of three companies. LR questions have been asked from arrangement, coding, set theory and accreditation.
QA section:
The QA section of the second slot question paper of CAT 2018 is the toughest section among all three, just like slot 1. This section has 34 questions (22 MCQs and 12 non-MCQs). Maximum questions are from Arithmetic (13-14), followed by Algebra (8). Other topics covered in CAT 2018 question paper of slot 2 are number system, geometry, mensuration and modern math.
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Student Forum
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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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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.