CAT 2019 Analysis by TIME - CAT 2019 exam was conducted today in two sessions at various centers in 156 cities across India. Here’s the CAT 2019 analysis by TIME.
- CAT Percentile Predictor/Calculator Tool
- CAT 2019 Analysis for Slot 1 & Slot 2
- Section-Wise Break-Up of Questions in CAT 2019 question paper
- Section-Wise CAT 2019 Analysis: Slot 1
- CAT Percentile Predictor/Calculator Tool
- CAT 2019 Analysis: Slot 2
- Section-wise CAT 2019 analysis: Slot 2
CAT Percentile Predictor/Calculator Tool
Given below is the link to the CAT percentile predictor tool. All you need to do is enter your expected overall CAT score. The tool will give you your expected CAT 2019 percentile.
CAT 2019 question paper of the first slot was of moderate difficulty. The VARC section was a bit tricky with two lengthy RC passages. The Quants and DILR sections were slightly easier than last year. Overall, the CAT 2019 paper was easier than last year. Detail CAT 2019 analysis by TIME for slot 1 and slot 2 is available here. Read below.
CAT 2019 Analysis for Slot 1 & Slot 2
CAT as always had a surprise this year for the test takers. While VARC was slightly more difficult than the the previous three years, QA came down a notch in difficulty level. The difficulty level of LRDI was also easier as compared to the previous year.
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CAT 2019 Analysis: Highlights
- The CAT test structure was same as last year, with no change in number of questions
- Overall difficulty level of CAT 2019 was lower than CAT 2018
- VARC was tough while DILR and QA were on the easier side
- In VARC, there were 27 MCQs and 7 non-MCQs.
- In DILR, there were 24 MCQs and 8 non-MCQs.
- In QA, there were 23 MCQ and 11 non-MCQs.
Section-Wise Break-Up of Questions in CAT 2019 question paper
| Section |
Number of Questions |
Breakup of Questions |
Number of Non-MCQ questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension |
RC: 24 Questions
|
4 Passages of 5 Questions 1 Passage of 4 Questions |
7 |
| VA: 10 Questions
|
4 PFQs 3 Odd One Out 3 Para Summaries |
||
| Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning |
32 Questions: 8 Sets of 4 Questions each |
8 |
|
| Quantitative Ability |
34 Questions |
11 |
|
Also Read:
- CAT 2019 Analysis by Career Launcher
- CAT 2019 analysis by IMS
- CAT 2019 analysis by TopMyTest
- CAT 2019 Analysis Slot 1 and Slot 2; expected cut offs
- CAT 2019: Student Reactions and Reviews
Section-Wise CAT 2019 Analysis: Slot 1
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
VARC section saw no changes in the pattern from last year. There were four 5-Q passages and one 4-Q passage with 10 VA questions split between 4 Para Formation Questions, 3 Odd One Out and 3 Para Summaries. However, the difficulty level of the RC questions was higher from previous years’ difficulty levels. One can say it was not easy for even those who have a good command on the language.
| Area |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
Passage on Topophilia |
5 |
Moderate |
| Passage on Folk Music |
5 |
Difficult |
|
| Passage on Emperor Penguins |
4 |
Difficult |
|
| Passage on Aladdin |
5 |
Difficult |
|
| Passage on Shopping & Choice Anxiety |
5 |
Moderate |
|
| Verbal Ability |
PFQs |
4 |
Moderate |
| Odd One Out |
3 |
Easy |
|
| Para Summary |
3 |
Moderate |
Sectional cut off: A score of 38-40 would fetch 85 percentile
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
The DILR section, compared to previous few years, was much easier. While this does not mean that the section was easy, it wasn’t as challenging as it was in the last three years. A couple of sets were relatively straightforward but some sets required a good deal of application. Those who could identify the straightforward sets, they would score well in this section.
| Area |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning |
100 boxes, with diff. types of items |
4 |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Addition of 6-digit numbers |
4 |
Moderate |
|
| Sixteen shelves and 12 items |
4 |
Moderate to Difficult |
|
| Spider Web |
4 |
Moderate |
|
| Tournament |
4 |
Difficult |
|
| Crime-rate |
4 |
Very Difficult |
|
| Intersection and network |
4 |
Moderate to Difficult |
|
| Dancers and composers |
4 |
Moderate |
Sectional cut off: A score of 30-32 would fetch 85 percentile.
Quantitative Aptitude
In the QA section, all the 34 questions were from expected topics like Arithmetic (Time, Work and Distance, P&L, Ratios, Equations, AMA and SI-CI), Geometry and Mensuration, Numbers, Algebra, Trigonometry and Permutations & Combinations. The difficulty level, was lower than CAT 2018. The key in this section was to identify easy questions. Overall, the QA section was of moderate difficulty level.
| Topic |
Description |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
RPV, PPL, T&W, T&D, SICI, AMA |
14 |
Easy-Moderate |
| Algebra |
Q. Eqns, Functions, Graphs, Progressions |
11 |
Difficult |
| Geometry |
Geometry, Mensuration, Trigonometry, Co-ordinate Geometry |
6 |
Moderate |
| Modern Maths |
P&C, Venn Diagrams |
2 |
Moderate |
| Numbers |
Numbers |
1 |
Difficult |
Sectional Cut Off: A score of 29 -31 would fetch 85 percentile.
CAT 2019 Analysis: Slot 2
The VARC and DILR sections were a couple of notches tougher compared to that of slot 1. The QA section, however, was much easier compared to that of the forenoon session.
| Section |
No. of Questions |
No. of Non-MCQ Questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARC |
34 |
7 |
Moderate-Difficult |
| DILR |
32 |
8 |
Difficult |
| QA |
34 |
11 |
Moderate-Difficult |
| TOTAL |
100 |
26 |
|
Section-wise CAT 2019 analysis: Slot 2
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
- The five RC passages in CAT 2019 slot 2 were difficult to handle. Neither the subject of the content, nor the questions gave students any easy opportunities to score.
- They were of moderate length and included the following subjects: Literature (Language and cultural barriers), History (British Colonial Policy), Science &Technology (Google and archaeology), Sociology (Dense cities and efficiency & Distributing bureaucracy).
- One passage was very difficult to read and navigate, while a couple of them were quite dense and difficult to deal with.
- The VA questions, on Para Formation/Para Odd-One-out were tricky and lengthy.
| Area |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
Passage on Dense Cities |
5 |
Difficult |
| Passage on Google and archaeology |
5 |
Difficult |
|
| Passage on Distributing Bureaucracy |
4 |
Difficult |
|
| Passage on Language& Culture |
5 |
Moderate |
|
| Passage on British Colonial Policy |
5 |
Very Difficult |
|
| Verbal Ability |
PFQs |
4 |
Difficult |
| Odd One Out |
3 |
Moderate-Difficult |
|
| Para Summary |
3 |
Moderate-Difficult |
Sectional Cut Off: A score of 34 – 36 would fetch 85 percentile.
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
The DI & LR section of slot 2 brought no cheer to those looking for some respite after a tough VARC section. There were three to four moderate sets, two to three moderate-difficult sets, and two very difficult sets. The sets on the shooting tournament and mid-term and end-term exams were particularly difficult and should have been avoided, while the sets on coins and rainfall were easy to score off.
| Area |
Topic |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning |
Grid with bags of coins |
4 |
M |
| Doctors and rooms |
4 |
M+ |
|
| Venn Diagrams |
4 |
M+ |
|
| Rainfall |
4 |
M |
|
| Languages and teams |
4 |
M+ |
|
| Shooting tournament |
4 |
VD |
|
| Radar chart |
4 |
M |
|
| Mid-term and End-term exams |
4 |
VD |
Sectional Cut Off: A score of 26-28 would fetch 85 percentile.
Quantitative Ability
The QA section of CAT 2019 in slot 2 was significantly easier compared to that in slot 1 and also that of CAT 2018.
Maximum questions were asked from Arithmetic with 14 questions, most of which ranged from easy to moderate. Algebra had 11 questions, ranging from moderate to difficult, while Geometry and Mensuration had 6 questions most of which were of moderate difficulty.
| Topic |
Description |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
RPV, PPL, T&W, T&D, SICI, AMA |
14 |
Easy-Moderate |
| Algebra |
Q. Eqns, Functions, Graphs, Progressions |
11 |
Moderate - Difficult |
| Geometry |
Geometry, Mensuration, Trigonometry, Co-ordinate Geometry |
6 |
Moderate |
| Numbers |
Numbers |
3 |
Difficult |
Sectional Cut Off: A score of 33-35 would fetch 85 percentile.
Download: Institute wise IIM CAT cut off
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Student Forum
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, COEP, Pune does accept CAT score to admit candidates for MBA admissions. During CAP rounds, if candidates have a valid score in CAT, they will be chosen based on those scores only. Thus, such candidates are not required to reappear for MAH-CET.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, to gain admission to the MBA course at this university, candidates have to either attempt the CAT or other accepted exams (MAT, SUAT, etc.) and then appear in the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds.
Students are shortlisted for the GD and PI rounds based on their performa
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
IIT Madras CAT cutoff 2025 is generally not released to the public and is instead only visible to students with login credentials.
Based on the previous year's estimated CAT cutoff for the General AI category, the overall CAT percentile was 85.11.
Note: The cutoff data provided is not official. It i
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
No, you cannot get direct admission to the MBA course based on the CAT score. A valid CAT score only gets you eligible to apply for the management course.
To secure your spot for the course, you have to first attain the accepted CAT cutoff and get shortlisted for the multi-stage selection process, wh
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
No, CAT is not a mandatory entrance exam for MBA admissions at Pratibha Institute of Business Management. Candidates who want to apply for MBA courses cal also appear for MH -CET, XAT, MAT, GMAT and CMAT. However, appearing in any one of these exams is a mandatory requirement for MBA at Pratibha Ins
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
To get admission at IIT Kanpur for the MBA/PGDM course, candidates have to secure a CAT percentile of at least 90 if they belong to the General AI category.
Candidates who clear the exam cutoff are then eligible to take part in the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). Students who pass
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
IIT Kanpur provides the MBA course based on the student's performance in the CAT exam. In 2025, the overall CAT percentile was 90 for the General AI category candidates. For more information, refer to the table below. The cutoff provided below is for the General AI category.
| Section | IIT Kanpur MBA cutoff 2025 |
|---|---|
| Overall | 90 |
| Quants | 50 |
| VA-RC | 50 |
| DI-LR | 50 |
Note: The cutoff provid
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
No, to get admission at IIT Roorkee for the MBA/PGDM course, students have to first attempt the CAT entrance examination and attain a valid percentile. Those students who clear the cutoff are then eligible to move to the second round of admission, which involves PI (Personal Interview).
Students who
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Aspirants must have more than 70 percentile in CAT for admission in MBA programme of Department of Management Studies, NALSAR University. Such aspirants do not have to appear for NMET (PG) conducted by DoMS for admission.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
The actual required CAT percentile is only visible for candidates with login access. But, based on previous years' estimated CAT cutoff for the General AI category, 90 percentile would be required overall and 50 percentile sectionally for the previously-mentioned category.
Note: The actual cutoff da
N
Contributor-Level 10
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
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