Read in-depth CAT 2021 exam analysis by IMS India. Also know the total number of good attempts, slot wise difficulty levels and expected cut offs in CAT analysis 2021.
CAT 2021 exam was held today in three slots at various exam centres. Shiksha brings to you in-depth CAT 2021 analysis by MBA experts and coaching institutes. In this blog, you will read detailed CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India. Read below in-depth CAT 2021 analysis, which includes section-wise distribution of topics, difficulty levels, number of good attempts, sectional cut off and expected scoring pattern.
- CAT 2021 Exam Analysis Highlights
- CAT 2021 Analysis: VARC
- CAT 2021 Analysis: DILR
- CAT 2021 Analysis: Quantitative Aptitude
- CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile
CAT 2021 Exam Analysis Highlights
According to CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India, the difficulty level of exam was moderate to high. Given below is the section-wise break up of the CAT 2021 question paper:
| Section Name |
Duration |
MCQs |
TITA |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARC |
40 min |
19 |
5 |
24 |
| DILR |
40 min |
14 |
6 |
20 |
| Quantitative Aptitude |
40 min |
14 |
8 |
22 |
| Total |
120 min |
47 |
19 |
66 |
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CAT 2021 Analysis: VARC
The VARC section of CAT 2021 was toughest of the three. There were four Reading Comprehension passages with four questions each. The passages were inference based and of 470-500 words. The passage ‘The Thirst Empire – Chinese tea’ was easy but rest of them were moderate to tough. In VA, there were three Para Jumbles, two Odd Sentence Out and three Para Summary questions. VA was easier than RC as always. Check below, topic-wse distribution of questions in VARC section according to According to CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India:
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| VARC Topics |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
16 |
MCQ |
Overall: Difficult |
| RC-1: On Utopia and Dystopia |
4 |
MCQ |
Difficult |
| RC-2: On Mayan Civilization – personhood |
4 |
MCQ |
Medium |
| RC-3: Marshmallow Theory |
4 |
MCQ |
Medium |
| RC-4: The Thirst Empire – Chinese Tea |
4 |
MCQ |
Easy |
| Verbal Ability |
08 |
MCQ & TITA |
Overall: Medium |
| Parajumbles (4 sentences) |
3 |
TITA |
Medium |
| Out of Context sentence |
2 |
TITA |
Easy |
| Summary |
3 |
MCQ |
Medium |
Also Read:
CAT 2021 Analysis: DILR
The DILR section of CAT 2021 had a total of 20 questions. There were four sets, out of which two sets of LR had six questions each and the other two sets of DI had four questions each. According to CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India, this section was easier compared to last year’s DILR section of Slot 1 and slightly tougher compared to Slot 2 and Slot 3. Overall, an attempt of 10 to 12 questions with high accuracy of 85-90 per cent can be considered a good performance.
| DILR Area |
Set Description |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Interpretation |
Bar graph (year wise) with different items grouped in furniture, tech and office stationery. |
4 |
3 MCQ, 1 TITA |
Easy |
| Logical Reasoning |
Friends, Acquaintances, Stranger among 7 friends |
6 |
4 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Medium-Difficult |
| Data Interpretation |
Cost price of various fruits getting mixed in various smoothies. |
4 |
3 MCQ, 1 TITA |
Medium |
| Logical Reasoning |
8 people, 3 countries, 4 issues and 18 papers |
6 |
4 MCQ, 2 TITA |
Easy-Medium |
CAT 2021 Analysis: Quantitative Aptitude
This section of CAT 2021 was of moderate difficulty level and was dominated by Arithmetic (10 questions), followed by Algebra (five questions). There were four questions on Modern Maths and three questions on Geometry. In Arithmetic, the questions were asked from topics such as Time-Speed-Distance, Time and Work, Averages and Mixtures & Alligations.
Out of 22 questions, six were TITA and 14 were MCQ-type. According to CAT 2021 analysis by IMS India, students should have been able to attempt about 14 questions in the given time with 85-90 per cent accuracy.
| QA Topics |
No. of Questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
10 |
Moderate |
| Algebra |
5 |
Moderate |
| Geometry |
3 |
Moderate |
| Modern Maths |
4 |
Moderate |
Also Read:
- CAT score vs percentile and marks vs percentile
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- CAT 2021 - How Scaled CAT Score will be Calculated for Three Slots?
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile above 90
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 80-90 percentile
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 70-80
- Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 60-70
CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile
Check below, CAT 2021 scores and percentiles as estimated by IMS India experts
| CAT Percentile |
VARC Score |
DILR Score |
QA Score |
Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.5 %ile |
45 |
33 |
48 |
104 |
| 99 %ile |
41 |
29 |
42 |
97 |
| 98 %ile |
37 |
26 |
37 |
86 |
| 95%ile |
32 |
21 |
28 |
72 |
| 90%ile |
27 |
17 |
23 |
59 |
| 85%ile |
23 |
15 |
19 |
52 |
| 80%ile |
21 |
13 |
16 |
44 |
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Student Forum
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, CAT books can be used for Alliance AMAT exam preparation as both are MBA entrance exams. Candidates can use same books for preparing for topics such as Quantitative Aptitude and General English. However, the difficulty level of Alliance AMAT exam is much easier as compared to that of CAT exam.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 4 days ago
Candidates can check below the minimum percentile/eligibility based on CAT-2025 score:
Category | CAT Percentile |
|---|---|
General | 97 |
EWS | 93 |
NC-OBC | 83 |
SC | 60 |
ST | 50 |
DAP General | 87 |
DAP EWS | 83 |
DAP SC | 50 |
DAP ST | 40 |
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
SECAB Institute MBA admissions are entrance-based and the institute does not give direct admissions. Students have to appear for the selection rounds regardless even if they have CAT score. However, such students may be eligible for state-level scholarships in some cases. To know more, students can
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
CAT is widely accepted across most the top-tier private MBA colleges in India besides all the top IIMs, but the scores alone are not enough, especially in institutes like Management Development Institute, SPJIMR, MICA, etc. There are interview rounds and candidate profile selections to go through af
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
To get a seat at Bennett University for the MBA/PGDM programme, students have to first attempt the CAT entrance examination, attain the qualifying percentile, and then proceed to the 2nd round of admissions, which may involve GD (Group Discussion) and PI (Personal Interview).
Based on old data, Gene
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, students can get admission in Netaji Subhas University MBA without CAT. The university also accepts scores of other national-level management exams, such as MAT/ XAT, etc. Hence, CAT is not mandatory for NSU MBA admission.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham accepts the CAT, MAT or the XAT exam for admission to the MBA course. Students can attempt any one of the aforementioned exams. After taking part in the exam, students have to attain a valid percentile.
Based on previous year trends, a percentile of at least 40 would be nee
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham CAT Cutoff 2026 was only available to students who had attempted the exam and could log in with their registered login ID and password. But, based on the previous years' trends, a CAT percentile of at least 40 would be required to proceed to the next round of admission.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Empire College of Science MBA admissions are merit-based and generally do not require any entrance exams. Hence, having CAT score will not make much of a difference on admission chances. However, students may check with the college to know more.
V
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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